《The Dark Star Emperors》


 Chapter 1: Awake

    Awoken from deep slumber. The everlasting night swarmed above. Three girls in the middle of an empty black room. The floor looked to be made of black ice. The stars shined brightly on top of the three. They all looked to be around middle or high school children. They all wore black robes covering their body and the bottom of their feet. Each one of them looked at each other with suspicion as none knew what was happening or where they were.


    One had long brown hair and maintained a steady composure.


    Another had short, white hair with pigtails who sat casually on the ground looking at the other two. She was the shortest of the three. She looked the youngest, but her skin was pale white.


    The last had short brown hair standing on edge. She was taller and looked more athletic than the other two. Her skin was tanned.


    Each one stared at the other ready to strike.


    The short girl jumped up with an energetic smile. "Well, getting antsy is fine and all, but I''d like to know where I am," she said while smiling wide, but behind her friendly visage she was hiding something devious and violent inside.


    The tall girl said in a threatening manner, "Did you two bring me here? If so, you have made a big mistake." She was twitching; readying herself for a fight.


    The brown-haired girl remained calm and said, "I''m pretty sure we''re all in the same situation. Seems like we''ve all been dragged into this dark world. Although I''m not sure where we are, I''ll at least introduce myself. My name is Yune Jagger. But just call me Yune."


    This girl didn''t know what was happening, but didn''t want to start any fights. Although, if there was one, she believed that she could handle it.


    The other two girls began to calm their nerves, but none of the three trusted each other. They all suspected the other to be some kind of threat.


    The dark room gave off a chilly aura around the three. Their black robes fluttered where there was no indication of any wind. However, none of them knew why they were wearing these robes.


    "I''m Jacqueline Unique," the tall girl spoke, "But people just call me Jack."


    The short girl sighed and said, "I''m Mary. Now that the pleasantries are finished, I must wonder where your manners are. Neither of you kids have bowed to me. Tell me, where do you two reside?"


    Jack and Yune were confused at the Mary''s statement. Mary kept giving off a smile, but it was no longer gentle. It only gave a sense of danger to the other two. The tension continued to grow.


    Mary licked her lips and came to the conclusion, "This must be some sort of illusion brought by the Night Demons. You two are just illusions."


    "Night Demons!?" the other two shouted.


    Yune said while switching between looking at Jack and Mary, "You two know of the Night Demons?"


    And without a reply, Mary began to transform. A dark shadow enveloped her from below.


    "This is different," Mary said, "Usually it''s bright."


    The other two only looked in shock as they have never seen this kind of transformation. They have seen girls being transformed in light, but not in this darkness.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Her robes shattered. Her figure hidden in darkness. The shadows wrapped around her creating a purple dress with red metal armor. Her hands were covered in a black glove. Shining red claws grew out of her fingers. They were larger than that of her forearm. Her face started to be covered in a purple mask with red outlines around the eyes holes. Her eyes began to darken. Her scleroses was pitch black and her iris was purple.


    When the transformation was complete, she looked at herself.


    "Hmm. My figure looks pretty much the same. Same claws for weapons," Mary said and then she looked down at the black floor. It showed a reflection of herself. "Well, everything except the mask and the different eyes. Didn''t have that before."


    "A new kind of Night demon? I have never seen one copy the form of the Light Guardians," Yune said.


    "Doesn''t matter. If you are a Light Guardian, then help me fight it, then we can figure out how to get out of here," Jack said seriously.


    Yune nodded her head.


    And with that Jack began to transform as well. However, it was the same as Mary''s. A shadow came from below enveloping her. Jack felt fear as the shadows covered her. She had no idea what was happening. A dark flame wrapped itself around Jack. A red armor that looked like it was made of flesh, but felt like metal, covered her entire body. It created more layers around her and made Jack grow in size. She became almost twice the size of Yune. A red metal mask grew from the armor and wrapped itself around her face. Her eyes began to darken. Scleroses black with red irises. She had no idea what was happening, but she recognized the form. Jack looked at herself in the reflection underneath her and realized that she had transformed completely to the same form she always had when she would transform. Her mask reminded her of a hockey mask from one of those horror movies.


    "Impossible. Why did I transform like that, too? I... I''m not some kind of Night Demon," Jack said in confusion. She looked at her hand and with a thought, she was able to conjure a blazing inferno from her fingertips and drag a crimson machete from the flames.


    Mary commented on Jack''s transformation, "How strange."


    Yune took steps back. She breathed slowly to calm herself. She wondered if she would transform the same way and said, "I guess there''s no other choice."


    A dark shadow came over Yune. The robes tattered. It grafted white and black metal on top of her skin. She was calm throughout the process as she was only trying to focus on why the transformation process changed. It''s usually supposed to be brought on by a bright light, but that was no longer the case, she thought to herself. The white metal spread around herself with black outlines at each entry point. A hook began to form in front of her. Chains started to form from her two forearms and attached itself to the hook. She grabbed the hook by a handle and a subsequent chain link. Then, a mask began to cover her face. Her scleroses turned black and the irises became pure white. A white mask with a black line coming down from her eye holes. Yune''s transformation was the same as usual with the exception of the mask.


    Each one of the three had the same outfit when they usually transform, but the darkness enveloping them was different. It was cold.


    The three girls began to wonder what was happening. Each of them were the same.


    Mary scratched her arm and said, "I don''t know why these Night Demons want to mess around with cosmetics, but I know I''m not one of those demons. So, that means either one or both of you are. And I don''t care which one. I''ll just have to kill you both."


    "I can say the same. I don''t care, either. I''ll crush you both to get out of this hell-hole," Jack said.


    "Guess I can''t reason with brutes. Looks like I won''t have a choice but to have to fight both of you, then," Yune said confidently.


    Mary began to sharpen her claws with her own claws while still smiling with devious intent. Jack began to breathe faster and harder as if he was going to enjoy the fight. Yune began to spin her hook chain and began to read her opponents. Each one stood waiting for another to charge first.


    Before anything could happen, a voice came from above.


    "Wait! Don''t kill each other! Wait!," it shouted. It had the voice of a small boy. The three looked up and saw a small black owl flying down in between the three. It had a mark on it''s head with the shape of a crescent moon. As soon as it came down, it was out of breath.


    "Huff. Huff. Wait! Don''t - huff- do anything! Just - huff - give me - huff - five minutes," he said as he began to lay down breathing heavily.


    The three girls scratched their heads as they had no idea what was going on, anymore.


    "Alright. I''m good. I''ll explain," the owl said.

 Chapter 2: Our New Existence

    The black owl tried to fly on top of Jack''s shoulder, but her cold hard eyes scared him away. He tried to sit atop of Mary''s shoulder, but her frightening smile scared him off. And then he tried to sit on Yune''s shoulder. She didn''t look scary, but as soon as he got close, Yune''s hook flew right in front of the owl''s beak and back to her own hand.


    The owl coughed and decided to just fly between them.


    "Ok, I''ll just start by saying hello. How are you, girls?" the owl said with no positive reaction from the three. The three girls looked at each other and thought that the owl was the Night Demon causing this illusion. They slowly walked up to it with a threatening aura around them. A feeling of dread came down the owl.


    "Wait. I''m not what you think I am. I''m not one of those Night Demons. I''m simply just a talking owl. The avatar of darkness which has been sent to consume the light. As I said, a simple-talking owl. "


    "Oh, avatar of darkness? That doesn''t sound ominous at all," Mary said sarcastically as she sharpened her claws.


    As they approached closer, the owl said, "Look. How about this? Do any of you even remember being dragged here? Do any of you even remember the last thing that happened to you?"


    "Of course I remember, I was -" Yune began to speak, but something stopped her from saying more. She tried to recall what happened before, but her memories were hazy. They were jumbled.


    Jack said, "I remember. I was sleeping... but what else happened that day? I don''t remember."


    "I...," Mary said, but as soon as she was about to say that she couldn''t remember, her memories were bought back in. The last thing she remembered was having her neck stuck between pieces of wood. She stared at two people. A man and a woman. They both smiled. The next thing that happened, there was a sharp pain in her neck, and then she woke up here.


    "I... I don''t remember," Mary lied as she gently scratched her neck.


    "Well, your memories will come back, but you do know some things. Instincts. As soon as you three were brought here, you all were ready to fight. You three are also aware of Light Guardians."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Of course we do. Each one of us, or at least I am a guardian of the light. A protector from evil things like you," Yune said.


    "Evil? Well, nobody is good or evil. Just animals doing as they please," the owl said but realized he got off topic, "But enough of that. I know that you three have sworn to fight against these ''evil'' Night Demons. You three are - or were - Light Guardians. A common name for them is something like a magical girl, but that doesn''t matter. What matters is that each of you were given these powers by some kind of angel or shiny ''thing''."


    "I saw white snake," Jack said.


    "There was an angel. A white crow," Mary said.


    "We saw a white cat," Yune said but realized she said something peculiar, "Why did I say ''we''?"


    As soon as she asked herself that question, memories began to fill in. There were the three of them. Invincible fighters. The strongest team of Light Guardians. They fought against the Night Demons every day and protected their home town. But she couldn''t remember who the other two were. But she did know that they were fond friends.


    "The memories will come in time, as I had said before," the owl mentioned, "But there is so much more to know. The important thing is... that you''re all dead."


    The three girls looked at each in surprise, but a second passed and they all began to laugh. Laughter echoed through the dark room.


    Mary said, "Yeah, right. If we''re all dead, then where''s those pearly gates of heaven that I was promised."


    "Man, this is some weird dream. Talking owls. An empty room. My imagination must running slow," Yune said.


    "Dead? That''s a hoot. Get it? What kind of God would make an owl the grim reaper?" Jack said while laughing.


    The owl was tired of this and just decided to quickly unlock the memories that they needed to see.


    First was for Mary who already saw her death, but was unconvinced as there was no context. Mary remembered. She was betrayed by her son and sister.


    Then, it was Jack, who didn''t even know that she had died there. Jack remembered. She had knives stuck to her back.


    Lastly, it was Yune who didn''t even remember her end. She was pierced by a blade - some kind of katana - from behind. It was one of her own friends.


    As they remembered, the three stopped laughing. Their entire bodies shook.


    "Oh my god. I am dead. I remember, now. Is this purgatory? Is this what death looks like?" Yune said in despair.


    "This can''t be hell. I was meant to go to heaven. Everything I did was for God," Mary panicked.


    "For some reason, if this is hell, I don''t feel surprised that I''m here," Jack said.


    "You were dead," the owl said, "But you have been brought back from the depths of the underworld. You three were stabbed in the back metaphorically and figuratively. Before, you have been merely a pawn of the beings of light. But now I will show you the truth."


    "Who are you?" Yune asked.


    The owl smiled. "I''m Hades."

 Chapter 3: Revelation

    The three tried to make peace that they were already dead, but Yune and Mary couldn''t accept it. Jack, however, didn''t feel as bad about it, but she didn''t know why.


    "Please try to calm down. You were dead - emphasis on ''were''. Do I have to repeat everything," Hades the owl said, "It would probably be better to show you."


    He made a hoot sound and the dark room began to be covered in black smoke swirling around them. Yune, Jack, and Mary looked around and saw black smoke creating images. The universe being made. The cold darkness of the void consumed everything, but the light of the first stars began to burn the black away. More and more stars burned brightly. With their conflict, simple life began to form on once desolate rocks. But as the stars grew brighter and the light stronger, the worlds teeming with life began to burn. Flames consumed all life. The universe began to burn from the heat. But then, the darkness would return and push back the light. The constant struggle between the cold darkness and the warm light raged everywhere. The places where either one has took control are devoid of any life. But their battlegrounds are the prime location for life to begin and continue to live. As the system surrounding Earth became one of these battlegrounds, strange beings became conscious of both the light and the dark. The beings who served the light called themselves angels and granted power of the burning light to those lifeforms on Earth. The beings who served the darkness created creatures to spread fear and their cold embrace, and they subsequently created the Night Demons. These beings began to balance the dark and light forces. However, as the battle raged on this one battleground, the beings realized that young girls seemed to be able to use the power of the light more effectively, thus the servants of the light focused their attention to that demographic. The girls became known as Light Guardians. Heroes and saviors from the evil demons that lurk within the shadows. And each girl believed it so. Each one believed to be righteous. But as their power grew, the darkness began to fade. This would normally be a cause for celebration, but if this course continues, then the balance would tip too far off. The light would burn everything on Earth. No life would ever touch that world, again.


    The dark clouds dispersed from the three. They were shown what they needed to see.


    Hades realized that it was a lot to absorb, so he gave a few seconds of silence.


    Yune and Jack didn''t know how to respond to seeing that. They just fell silent.


    "What the hell was that? Am I high on something?" Mary abruptly said breaking the cold silence. She broke her transformation. Her dress shattered into black glass and disappeared. Her clothes turned into black robes. Jack and Yune did the same.


    "Look. I know it''s a lot, but I''m giving a sign of trust. The ones who gave you the power of light. What did they tell you?"Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Yune spoke first. "They told me I could protect the ones I love. I had friends. I wanted to protect them, but... well, nevermind. They didn''t tell me anything like what you showed. It''s very hard to believe, but that''s why I''ll go with it. That cat told us nothing, and it was obvious he kept secrets."


    Jack said, "That''s right. I have to agree with Yune. It sounds ridiculous. A universe constantly at war between two god-like entities. But it is far more information than what that white snake ever told. I don''t remember why I became a Light Guardian, but I do remember not trusting that snake."


    Mary shrugged. "Well, I guess I don''t have much of a choice. A constant battle on top of our heads? Doesn''t really seem to be something I could handle, so it doesn''t matter to me anyways. As for that being. The white crow... well, we''ll see if I become interested in sharing any life stories that pop up."


    "You three are handling this very well. I was expecting at least one of you to faint or flat out deny," Hades replied.


    "Look. I don''t think any of us believe you," Yune said, "But for now, we don''t have a choice. I won''t speak for the others, but I''m not going to become a soldier to fight in a war."


    Jack continued, "Yeah. I just plan on doing whatever I was going to do anyways."


    "I don''t really care, either. As long as you don''t exposition dump on me, again, I won''t try cutting you bird in half," Mary said angrily.


    "That''s fine. I don''t plan on ordering you around. You will be free to do as you please," Hades said, "But I brought you three back because you three have something in common. You three died with hate still in your heart. And it wasn''t just hate towards Night Demons. It was hate towards your fellow Light Guardians."


    Yune''s eyes widened in surprise. She didn''t feel that way, now. She had nothing against the other Light Guardians. But her memories were still hazy and jumbled, so maybe she would remember what happened the moment that she died at a later time. But she did remember there being a katana. It pierce through her stomach. Was that the work of one of the Light Guardians, she wondered.


    Jack didn''t seem surprised. Her memories were also hazy, but even now, she felt some kind of rage overcome her whenever she would hear that word. Light Guardian. It was strange that she didn''t know why, though.


    Mary remembered who she saw the moment she died. There was plenty of hate in her heart towards them. She did feel like getting retribution against them. And as soon as she was allowed to go free, she would exact revenge. The memories of Mary came to her far more easily. She remembered most of her life.


    "Alright. I will let you three leave into the world, but before that," Hades said.


    And in a sudden burst, Mary and Yune began to scream in agony. Jack just looked at them in confusion as she didn''t feel a thing. Then, she began to notice a stinging sensation on her left arm. Their left arms began to bleed. A dark smog grew out of their skin. And when it was over, a dark hieroglyph was carved where the bleeding stopped.


    Yune had the cat.


    Jack had the snake.


    And Mary had the crow.


    Each mark glowed as their eyes darkened with hate. They gnawed their teeth, but eventually the pain subsided. But they could all feel aura emenating from it.


    "The mark will keep you three connected to each other and - more importantly - to me," Hades continued, "Now, I will let you three leave this room and go into the world reborn. If you need me, I will sense it and come. So, don''t need me."


    And with the flap of his wings, the floor disappeared. Yune, Jack, and Mary fell through the ground into the abyss screaming all the way down with fear and surprise.

 Chapter 4: Janken City

    The three girls awoke in a dark alleyway. The time was around midnight. The air felt nice. It wasn''t too hot nor cold, and the breeze was perfect. They no longer wore the black robes. Instead they wore casual clothes. Their eyes were no longer black. They looked normal. However, they knew that it wasn''t a strange dream. They all looked at each other. Each one of them had a mark on their left arm. It looked like a tattoo.


    Yune wore a simple white t-shirt and long skirt. Jack wore a red hoodie. Mary wore a dark red short skirt. To the rest of the world, they looked like normal middle to high schoolers, but they were at the same time more than human and less than.


    Mary looked around in confusion. "Where did we end up? This doesn''t look like any kingdom I''ve been to."


    They walked out of the alleyway towards where the bright lights were coming from. They came out and looked around. It was the middle of a town square. The crowds were bustling. There were skyscrapers with bright neon signs. Loud honking. Cars driving past. Sirens going off. Drunk people yelling at each other or wanting sell stuff. Noise. Noise. There was so much noise.


    Mary was surprised at what she was seeing.


    "Where are we? This doesn''t look anything close to where I live? Are we on another world?" Mary asked.


    Jack smiled and said, "No. This is a city. I grew up here. This is downtown Janken City. It must be a weekend. It''s always busy, but seems like it''s even busier than ever."


    "I''m familiar with Janken City. I moved here with my... friends. Before all this happened. Still, I never knew it would get this lively at this time. I used to live somewhere pretty far out from the noise. I think I can remember where it was," Yune said.


    Mary looked at both with surprise. "Oh, right. Of course," Mary said trying to sound normal, "Of course. I-I-I just lived somewhere very far from here."


    "Like in the countryside?" Yune asked.


    "Well, uh, something like that. Oh, I just can''t remember," Mary lied. She was convinced that she was either in another world or far into some futuristic city. But by judging from her two colleagues, they were from here. This Janken City is a strange place, she thought to herself.


    "Oh, by the way, we should figure out what year it is. We have been dead, and I doubt that moody owl didn''t dig us up at the same time," Mary said.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "That''s a good idea," Jack said and she then walked over to one of the computer shops and looked through the window. One of the computers was open and showed the day and time. It was around the end of summer. August.


    "What are these things?" Mary asked.


    "Oh, these are computers. I guess a country girl might not know," Yune said trying to sound pleasant, but she came off as cold. Yune was never good at talking to others. She was usually silent, but when it came to her friends, she was able to talk to them fine.


    "Of course, I know what a, uh, com...puter is," Mary said trying to fit in. She looked at the screen and thought it was some kind of magical device.


    As Mary looked at the year, she frowned. Around 500 years passed, she thought to herself. Then, she realized that since 500 years passed, she can''t get revenge on her son and sister. She moaned sadly as she didn''t know what to do, now.


    "What''s the matter?" Jack asked Mary.


    Mary stood up and reassured her. "I''m good. Just... miss my family."


    "Hmm. I don''t think it would be a good idea to visit. We are still supposed to be dead," Yune mentioned.


    "Parents. Family. I don''t think I have one. I don''t remember anyhow," Jack said.


    "Well, neither did I. I was...," Yune tried to think and remembered another detail, "I was an orphan. Didn''t have a family, but I feel like I had one. For some reason, I feel a heavy weight being put on my heart whenever I mention about family."


    Yune wiped away a tear. Jack wanted to console her, but didn''t exactly know how. She was going to hug her, but instead just patted her on the shoulder. Mary couldn''t care less about Jack or Yune''s problems. She only cared about herself, but she also thought that it would be wiser to stick together.


    "Sorry about that, Yune," Jack said.


    "It''s not a problem. Do you have a place that we could stay, Jack? I know that you are new in this city, Mary, and it''s already late," Yune asked.


    Jack shook her head.


    "I don''t think so. I don''t remember having a place to stay," Jack said and as she tried to recall her thoughts, she remembered that she had no home. She was essentially homeless, but she was never in the same place. She moved from city to city without looking back. She did know that she was from Janken City, but she felt strange that she didn''t remember ever living here. When she would try to remember where she would sleep, she would recall park benches or being under a bridge.


    Mary remembered living in what she would call a normal home. Raised by a single mother. Believed that she was royalty and destined for greatness. Then, she lived in a castle built for royalty as destiny foretold. But it was a cold place. Everybody there wanted something from her. And she wanted nothing but to serve God... by removing those that disobeyed. She remembered fondly of the smell of bodies either being burned alive or hung by a nearby tree. They deserved it, she thought. They deserved it for being born on the wrong side. But more importantly, she enjoyed it. Did she really believe that God wanted her to commit those atrocities? Not even she was sure, but she had no desire to care.


    Yune motioned her head. "Follow me, Mary and Jack. I remember how to get to my home. It''s a sizable place. An old orphanage. There should be plenty of space." As soon as Yune said this, she wondered why she would say that. She didn''t know what "plenty of space" meant for the orphanage.


    Yune walked on, while Jack and Mary followed behind.

 Chapter 5: Our New Home

    They walked into an abandoned area filled with torn down homes and half-finished construction sights. There were a couple of street lamps that lit the way. The roads and sidewalks were cracked. The whole area was barren.


    "So, this is your neighborhood?" Jack asked with skepticism.


    Yune frowned and replied, "Well, yes, but it was much more...lively back then. There were people. Many friendly smiles."


    Mary sighed. "Well, I guess it''s been some time. You saw the year. Do any of you remember when you... died?" she asked.


    Both of them shook their heads.


    "I still can''t believe that I''m dead, but whenever I feel my own heart, I just can''t feel a beat. It''s as if we are still dead. Just puppets working for that owl," Yune said.


    "That owl, Hades. I don''t trust him, but he was truthful about why we were brought back. There was no deception in his voice. But that doesn''t really make it any better. We''re just soldiers for this darkness," Jack said.


    "Yes. But that was no different than fighting for the light. We were soldiers for them, too. We just didn''t know it. We fought for our own reasons, even if we can''t remember them," Mary said.


    "That''s true," Jack continued, "But that owl did say that we could do as we please. Does he think that we are helping him by our mere presence alone, or is he expecting us to do something that will help his cause?"


    Yune pondered these questions, but found no answer. Mary, on the other hand, didn''t care whether this owl was manipulating them or not. She was only thinking about what she was going to do in this new world she was brought into.


    Eventually, they made it in front of the orphanage. It was an old, rusty building. There were no lights inside or out. The gateway was already broken allowing the three girls to enter unimpeded.


    "This place is some dump. I sure hope it looks better on the inside. And there better not be any rats," Mary complained to non-listening ears.


    Yune opened the creaking doors and entered. The inside was completely empty. There was dust and cobwebs in every corner of the abandoned orphanage that Yune once called home.


    "Hmm. It''s not a bad place to stay. I think I''ve slept in far worse places, before," Jack said as Mary could only look at the two in shock.


    "This place is just as bad on the inside!" she yelled, "How can somebody like me sleep in a place filled with cockroaches and spiders!?"


    Yune touched the walls and some memories poured in. The orphanage used to be full of people. She was friends with almost everybody in this place. But her best friends were still shrouded in her mind. The two other friends who she would call best friends.


    Their headmaster however got very ill. Any second she could just drop dead and nobody was willing to help keep the place open after she departed. That''s when that being of light appeared before us. It showed itself as a white cat and talked to the three of us. It told them that it could cure the headmaster. It told them that they could protect this place by becoming Guardians to fight evil. They all thought it was some kind of vivid dream, but it was as real as anything else that was happening. Yune donned the white and black costume with her blade-like hook-chain. The other two also agreed and became fighters for a war we were unaware of. We didn''t know anything about Night Demons until only a few days later. At first, the headmaster seemed to have been cured. Her illness was completely gone. As Light Guardians, they thought that they were some kind of superheroes. Every night, the girls patrolled the city looking for crime to fight as if it was a game with little to no success. But after a few days, a Night Demon appeared towards the orphanage. They were unprepared. They only became aware later that as new Light Guardians, these demons would become attracted to us. It would consider new blood as easy prey. It was dead at night when the monster came as it sniffed their location. When they were coming back towards the orphanage, their minds felt a needle pierce through it. They could sense whether these demons were nearby, but they had no idea what those senses meant. Then, the children screamed. They hurried. By the time they arrived, the Night Demon butchered all of them. It looked like a werewolf covered in oil and bone. It''s fangs replaced with kitchen knives. Claws the size of dogs. The first thing we saw was the dead body of the headmaster in front of the children. Her body shredded to pieces as she was trying to cover the children. But it went through them like melted butter. It came and killed every one of them with no mercy. There was so much blood. But it kept sniffing as it looked for it''s real target. It was our first fight with a Night Demon. It came at them from the shadows. It tried to bite and claw us with ferocity. And the girls were sloppy. Each one of them panicking at every second. They were lucky to even survive; even luckier to kill it.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    One of Yune''s friends became more vivid. She was a blonde with a yellow dress. Her name was Eli. The three of them fought together at the last moment and pulled it off. In the last moments, Yune chained up the beast''s arms, while her other unknown friend was able to hold the demon down by it''s legs using some kind of golem from below. Then, Eli dealt the finishing blow. A strike to the heart of the creature. A strike made with... a katana. When the Night Demon was killed, it''s body evaporated into thin air leaving no trace, except for dropping a black coin that looked like it was made out of obsidian.


    But they didn''t think of it as a victory. Not even close. Each one of them looked in horror at the carnage. Carnage that would have been avoided had they not chosen to become Light Guardians.


    But as Yune looked closely at Eli''s katana, she knew that it was the same blade that stabbed her.


    She breathed heavily.


    "Are you alright? You looked like you were in a trance," Jack said.


    "I''m fine," Yune said as she tried to calm herself down. She now knew what happened, but there were still pieces missing. She knew what happened, but didn''t quite feel an impact from what she saw. It felt as if her body wasn''t even human, any more.


    From one of the dark corners, a flying creature suddenly dashed out towards them.


    As soon as they saw it, they quickly jumped and transformed with their weapons ready. Their black eyes stared straight at the creature thinking that it was a Night Demon even though that wasn''t possible as they would have sensed it.


    "Woah. Woah. It''s just me, Hades. Did you forget?"


    The three girls sighed in relief and cancelled their transformation. Their black eyes faded into nothing.


    "Well, nice cozy place you chose for yourselves. Leave''s a lot of room for improvement, though," Hades said casually.


    "I thought you said you weren''t going to bother us," Jack said irritated.


    "I''m not. I''m called when needed. If one of you thinks that I''m needed, then I shall appear."


    The three girls looked at each other with suspicion as each one of them didn''t want it to appear. As soon as they realized that from each other''s faces, they looked back at the owl with a scowl.


    "Well, I''m here anyways. I thought I could help," Hades said.


    "We don''t need help," Yune replied.


    "Yeah. Beat it, you bird," Mary said.


    "Alright, but before that-," Hades said and then within moments, the room began to lighten up. The cobwebs began to disappear. The dust blown away by wind. Furniture began to be created from dark clouds forming from below. Tables. Chairs, Couches. The floors, walls, and ceiling began to repair itself. The whole orphanage was being fixed from the ground up. New hardwood being created out of seemingly nothing. There was even a kitchen being made in one of the corners. Three beds were created out of a shadow and into reality. Light fixtures were set up. And when the lights turned on, the entire orphanage looked brand new. It looked more like a new home.


    They all looked around in awe. And as Yune looked closer, she was reminded of more happy times that she had. She was reminded of playing with the other children. Helping the headmaster. Hanging out with her two best friends. It brought a tear to her eye.


    She looked at the owl and without saying anything, her mouth motioned "Thank you."


    Hades gave a kind smile and flew on top of one of the beams. He made a yawn and fell asleep.


    Mary looked at everything and was very impressed. Her excitement at seeing things that only royalty would have.


    Jack looked at the place and felt sad. She felt that it was something that this kind of home was something that she didn''t deserve, but she didn''t know why.


    Jack, Yune, and Mary came together and said, "Let''s make this our new home!"


    They all laughed as soon as they all finished that sentence, together. A new home.

 Chapter 6: The New Girls

    The night sky was teeming with stars. The lights of the city sparkled with hope. But on one rooftop, a battle was taking place.


    On the high rise of a city skyscraper, a monster appeared looking down at the people. An amorphous blob of malice. It carried a golden crown and grew many hands around it. Like a miniature fortress, it was impenetrable. It''s one eye stared at three girls. Three Light Guardians there to defeat this raging monster.


    Anne Hill, the energetic middle schooler. She had short brown hair and was an active member of the karate club at her school. She wore a white and light blue dress with metal gauntlets and boots. She loved to help people in any situation.


    Kira Lin, another middle schooler, but this one was more serious in her demeanor. However, she was more reserved and quiet. She had short black hair and looked very intimidating to people who didn''t know her. This girl wore a green costume and was able to create an assortment of knives.


    Nina Shine, a senior in high school. She had long brown hair and was considered to be the leader of this group of Light Guardians. She carried two katanas and wore a purple outfit. She felt a responsibility on her shoulders to protect people. She was smart and calculating, but was never good at making friends. However, when she became a Light Guardian, she met the other two as joined forces together. Her strategies and leadership usually let them win any encounter.


    Together, these three girls protected Janken City from the Night Demons.


    As the battle raged on, the three began to be pushed back. None of them were able to get past the onslaught of arms. No matter how many they cut down, the creature just snorts and makes more. The arms moved like tentacles.


    Nina and Anne stood their ground in front, while Kira was behind.


    Kira kept trying to throw knives at the demon, but it would swat them away. Each of them landed on the ground near it.


    Anne kept punching and kicking the elongated arms trying to get closer. But with each step forward, the demon would push her two steps backs.


    Nina kept slicing the arms as she stood her ground. Her relentless swings gave no chance for the arms to reach her or her comrades behind.


    "This Night Demon just isn''t getting tired," Anne commented, "So, this is the creature that''s been getting people to fall off this building, huh. Just a huge fat glob of a pig. How many arms can that thing grow?"


    "Probably infinite," Nina said.


    "Hmm-hmm," Kira said while nodding and throwing more knives.


    "Well, leader, how much more?" Anne asked.


    Nina looked at the surrounding bundles of knives around the demon and said, "Just a few more."


    Kira kept throwing more knives and as soon as one last knife touched the ground, Nina quickly shouted, "Now!"


    As soon as she gave the signal, Anne grabbed two of the arms while dodging the others.


    She smiled and said, "This is going to come as a shock!"


    Sparks began to fly around her gauntlet and in a quick moment, electricity traveled through the arms and towards the main body. It''s crown began to shake as all of the lightning would become attracted towards it. It began to fry the creature alive. It was stunned.


    But that wasn''t all. The knives that fell around the hideous creature grew into grass and then sharp spikes of wood. They quickly grew out of the ground towards the creature''s body. While the creature was frozen by the electrifying shock, the spikes pierced around the creature at every point around it''s body. It gave out a bellowing cry.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    While the Night Demon was stuck with the spikes and fried with electricity, Nina sprinted in to give the finishing blow. She held her two katanas tightly and prepared to stab the creature in it''s one big, bloodshot eye.


    But before Nina reached the creature, she noticed shadows walking amidst them. And without warning a chain quickly appeared in front of her stopping her in her tracks.


    "What the-?" Nina gave out in a surprise.


    But in a flash, a flaming blade pierced through the monster from behind through the eye. It''s flame began to melt the creature around it''s wound. The next second, the sword was taken straight out.


    The Night Demon gave out one more moan before falling to death.


    The monster''s black coin dropped from it as the being began to evaporate into nothing.


    Ding!


    "Ooh. What''s this?" A girl quickly remarked and without giving any warning grabbed the coin.


    The wooden spikes crumbled away. The creature faded into nothing.


    In front of the great moon, three girls stood in front. They were all hooded and darkness covered them. Their black hoods and capes covered their costumes and faces. They could only see the glow of their eyes. Purple, white, and red in that order.


    The girl holding the black coin sat in a squatting position. She balanced the coin on a large red claw. There five claws on each of her hand the size of an arm.


    One of them retracted the chain back to her. The chain disappeared into her forearm. She stood still with an upright posture.


    And the one that stabbed the creature was big. She looked almost like a wrestler on TV. This girl held a burning machete, but the fire wouldn''t illuminate them.


    Anne and Kira ran over next to Nina.


    "Who are they?" Anne asked.


    But Nina paid no heed to her friends. She focused on the three girls, who she thought must have been Light Guardians.


    "Ahh. Now I remember. These coins can be exchanged by the shopkeep," the girl with purple eyes said while spinning the coin around her claw.


    Nina gave a solemn look at the three. Anne and Kira stood by her.


    "They look dangerous, leader," Kira said.


    Nina nodded her head.


    "Hey, guardians! That coin belongs to us. We have been the ones fighting it," Nina shouted.


    The dark girls looked back at her.


    "We killed it. This coin belongs to us," the girl with white eyes said.


    Nina recognized that voice and line, before, but couldn''t put her finger on it.


    Anne yelled, "You didn''t help at all! We would have killed it if you hadn''t butted in!"


    "Who are you?," Kira asked calmly.


    "Who are we?" the girl with red eyes said in a mocking manner. The three looked at each other and each one thought to themselves that they didn''t really know either. They couldn''t just say they were zombies brought back by darkness and essentially the same kind of monster as a Night Demon.


    "We... are... Light Guardians like you," the red-eyed girl said unconvincingly.


    The purple-eyed girl facepalmed herself and said, "It doesn''t matter who we are. What matters it that we killed the Night Demon. So the spoils go to us."


    She stood up showing off the black coin.


    Anne was about to step up, but Nina stopped her.


    "Since I don''t recognize you, you guys must be new, here," Nina said, "This city is big enough for other Light Guardians, but we have all decided to work together. You shouldn''t go provoking others in this city. It will only cause trouble for you."


    "Is that a threat?" the white-eyed girl said.


    "Yes," Nina said.


    The purple-eyed girl laughed and said, "What a terribly boring threat. I''ve been threatened by much bigger people than you. Why don''t you three peasants just go somewhere else?"


    "Peasant?" Anne asked in confusion.


    "You are peasants, as far as we''re concerned."


    Nina took a step forward. "You three are making a mistake by crossing us. We''ll let you go off this time as a warning. But next time, we won''t be so kind," Nina threatened.


    "Ooh. I''m so scared," the red-eyed girl said and then chuckled to herself.


    The white-eyed girl looked at Nina''s katanas, and was reminded of her own friend. But that girl wasn''t her. She shook her head and said, "Then, I will say the same to you. Stay our of our way."


    Then, their glowing eyes faded to black. They looking like nothing but shadows in front of the moon. Then, in a brief flash, a fire broke out between the two teams of Guardians. And the next second, the fire dissipated leaving no trace of the three shadowy girls.


    "Looks like we''re going to have some rivals," Kira said.


    Nina nodded.


    "Aww, man. Why can''t we all just get along. We''re all fighting the same enemy. These Night Demons," Anne said disappointingly.


    "We''re all fighting the same monsters, but really, we all fight for ourselves in the end. When it comes down to it, we''re all rivals," Nina said, but then smiled and finished, "Lucky for us that we''re not like that. We have each other."


    The three smiled together as their friendship and bonds held them tightly


    But each one of them felt a chill in the air. A feeling of unease that couldn''t be shaken off. Each felt something. Felt that something was changing in their world. Felt a dark presence similar to the feeling of Night Demons, but not quite that.

 Chapter 7: Back to School

    "School? Why do I have to go to school!?" Mary exclaimed.


    The dark owl uttered a hoot and replied, "Because you''re still children. And kids need to at least graduate high school."


    "I''ve already -" Mary shouted, but was cut off by Yune.


    "Hades is right. I''m still a high school senior."


    Jack nodded and said, "Yeah. Alright. Well, I guess I would still be in ninth grade."


    Mary was about to argue with Hades as she already completed school, albeit a very long time ago. Hades sensed her problem and knew about her situation already. The owl spoke.


    "And Mary is just starting her seventh grade."


    Mary dropped her jaw and shouted, "Hey! I may be small, but I''m certainly- "


    "-a flowering middle schooler," Hades interrupted eying her. The owl was familiar with Mary''s past and she herself had most of her memories intact, but she was not keen in revealing any of it.


    Mary shut her mouth and looked away in defeat. "Yeah... That''s right... I''m just starting middle school... I''m a middle school student. Yep. I''m a child."


    Hades smiled in delight. "Well, I''ve already got you three in as new transfer students. So, off you go," Hades said as a gust of wind kicked up and threw the three girls out of the house.


    The three yelled as they all smacked themselves on the nearby sidewalk. Each one of them was surprised by the owl. The three slowly got themselves up.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Three smartphones floated above them being carried by a balloon tied up with black feathers. There was a small note that said, "A housewarming gift."


    The three grabbed a phone and saw that there the GPS was already on. It showed them how to get to their school.


    "Well, a lot has happened. We''ve all become these new... things" Yune said calmly.


    "Yeah. I still can''t believe what happened. Everything here seems normal, but on the inside I feel completely different," Jack said while looking at her marking. The mark of the snake on her arm began to blacken and it felt like something was digging itself deeper inside of her.


    Yune stared at her cat mark and felt something clawing inside of it. Mary, too, with her mark of a crow.


    Yune gritted her teeth and squeezed her arm from the clawing sensation. Mary squeezed her arm and repeated the phrase "ouch" over and over. "Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch."


    Jack, however, did not feel any kind of pain from the mark. She was bewildered and scratched her head.


    After their mark started to calm down, the markings began to fade into nothing. As if it was never there, but the three still felt its presence.


    "Looks like it wants to remind us of what we are. No longer heroes of the light," Jack stated.


    Yune gasped and wiped off some sweat. She, then maintained her composure. She looked at the two with determination and grit. It looked as though she was about to say some kind of big speech or inspirational quote. Mary and Jack thought that she was about to say something like "Even so, our best chances for survival is if we stick together. There are only the three of us and it seems that every other Light Guardian would see us as an enemy." Jack and Mary both agreed on that statement, but wanted to wait until Yune said it as she gave off an aura of leadership.


    Seconds went by.


    "Yep," was the only thing Yune could say. She didn''t know what else to say.


    Mary and Jack both facepalmed.


    "Well, so much for good leadership," Mary said.


    "Yune, what about if we all stuck together even at the school?" Jack asked.


    "Well, of course. I thought that was obvious," Yune said.


    "Great," Mary said sarcastically, "I am so glad we are on the same page."


    The three began walking to school with Hades flying way overhead thinking to himself that he chose a good team. "As long as they can get over their own personal problems and be a team, I think this can work," Hades said to himself.

 Chapter 8: The Seating Arrangement

    The three girls went to school on time. It was a beautiful, sunny morning. The birds were chirping. The crickets jumped from bush to bush. The school itself looked like very nice and clean. It seemed like an average high school for Jack and Yune. But Mary thought of it as high-class. She had never seen a school like this except for the rich. She remembered her education to be small and cramped. Not fit for somebody like herself. But this school, she felt like she belonged.


    Hades dropped down three book bags to the three from the sky and each one landed in the arms. Their was another note. "All your notebooks and pens are here. I did not steal them."


    The book bags also had names written on them, but they looked to be scratched out.


    Yune shook her head in disappointment.


    Jack decided to check the bag if everything was there.


    Mary took one of the pens and started to scratch out the name on her bag even further. Then, she proceeded to write her own name on it.


    The three of them walked into the school together, but haven''t really spoken since leaving the house. None of them felt like they needed to be friends with one another. Just that they were all allies under the situation.


    "Let''s meet up on the roof at lunch. Try not to attract too much attention, you two," Yune said to Jack and Mary.


    "I''ll try not to," Jack replied.


    Mary just shrugged and walked away.


    Yune, Jack, and Mary went off to their homerooms and thus began their first school day as guardians of darkness.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------


    The bell rang and Yune walked into her homeroom carefully carrying the backpack behind her. It was the first day of school, and she just wanted to sit by herself. She looked towards the seat in the far corner of the room next to the window. She felt a strange pull coming from that table as she became attracted towards it. Maybe, this is where I usually sit, she thought. As she was about to walk towards the seat, another kid just sat there. A look of disbelief fell on Yune. She didn''t know why, but she felt that that seat belonged to her. That disbelief turned to frustration, but she calmed herself down. Yune took a good look at the kid. He looked like an average guy. Medium height. Didn''t look physically impressive nor did he look skinny or fat. Just average. He had short black hair. There was nothing remarkable about him. Yet, this generic-looking guy sat in Yune''s seat.


    Calm down, she thought to herself, it''s only a seat. I''ll just sit in the middle somewhere and next time, I''ll sit there. Yune took a random seat, but it didn''t feel right. Her mind only wandered to that seat in the back next to the window. And so, started the classes. And every other class after, that guy would always take that seat in the back.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------


    The bell rang and Jack walked into her homeroom carrying a book bag casually. Her tall and athletic demeanor attracted the attention of the school boys, but she just ignored them.


    Then, she looked at the seat in the back next to the window. A pull attracted her towards it, but another generic guy took the seat. Jack went up to the guy and asked, "Hey, can I sit there?"


    But the guy''s head seemed to be off somewhere else.


    Jack uttered in disbelief, "Alright. Nevermind. No big deal. I''ll just sit somewhere else." And she sat somewhere in the front. But even so, she still wanted that seat. Next time, she thought, next time I''ll just be faster. But every class after, the guy seemingly always takes that seat.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Mary strutted into the room carrying her bag haphazardly. She scouted the room and had an urge to sit in the back next to the window. Now, anybody could see what was coming, but Mary didn''t. She blinked and some generic guy just appeared in that seat.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    She rubbed her eyes thinking she was hallucinating, but no matter how much she rubbed, that guy was there. She rubbed her eyes 12 times before she could accept that some guy would appear and take the seat that she wanted.


    She went up to the guy and gave a small cough. The guy looked at her in confusion.


    "Huh?" he muttered.


    "Yes, hi. That seems to be my seat your ass is on. So, please kindly get off," Mary said trying to maintain a kind smile. A brief silence entered the room.


    The homeroom teacher heard her remark and she was sentenced to detention after-school. Then, he made her sit in the seat in the back two aisles away from the seat she wanted. Throughout that class, she gave a crazy and angry look at the guy, but he didn''t seem to notice. The ones in between them were very disturbed. And in every class after, that guy would take the same seat that she wanted. And during every class, she would give him the same look while everybody else sweated in fear while trying to mind their own business.


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------


    When lunch came, the three met up on their way to the roof of the school. The rooftop door was locked, but Mary transformed only her arm and with her index finger, clawed off the lock with ease. They strolled right through onto the school roof. It was a wired fence on the edges of the roof, but otherwise, it was very plain.


    They all sighed and sat down.


    Mary looked in her bag and took out a sandwich that Hades must have made or took.


    Yune and Jack proceeded to do the same. They all took a bite. It was tuna with cheese. Nothing too special, but was a good meal for the three.


    There was only the sound of chewing among the three. Below them, they heard the other students walking around and talking with each other. Boys and girls played on the fields in the back. Some sat alone on their phone or eating their lunch.


    Jack wanted to break the silence between them and made a loud sigh.


    "I don''t know about your days, but some guy has started to irk me," Jack said trying to make conversation.


    "That''s strange. Some guy has been bothering me, too," Yune mentioned and then took another bite.


    "Strange? A guy who I would have thought a low-born peasant stole what was mine," Mary said.


    Jack nodded and said, "Seems like somebody in each of our classes is bothering us. Although, I wouldn''t call the dude that I saw a bully or anything. Just... well... I don''t know."


    Yune kept quiet and kept eating.


    Mary quickly munched on her food, and suddenly as if she remembered her manners, she grabbed a napkin and wiped away the crumbs from her face. Then, she jumped up and shouted, "Maybe, we ought to do something. I got after-school detention because of his small head!"


    "Keep it down. I''m sure that - you got detention?" Yune asked.


    "Yeah. This guy was sitting in where I usually sit," Mary said and the other two were surprised at her remark. They too had the same problem with their guy. Mary continued, "I don''t plan on letting this go. Him and his boring-ass black hair."


    Jack interrupted, "Wait. So, you''re telling me that some guy was sitting in your seat. I felt the same thing. It felt like I usually sit in the back corner next to the window, but this guy who''s straight-up from some generic Japanese cartoon just takes it."


    "That''s very peculiar. I don''t think this can be a coincidence. I had the same thing happen to me. Some boring guy with black hair decided to sit where I felt most comfortable sitting. In the back corner next to the window," Yune pointed out.


    "Huh? So, you''re both telling me that the same guy appeared in all three of our classrooms and took the same exact seat," Mary exclaimed.


    Yune rubbed her chin and pondered. "Maybe, this is the work of some kind of Night Demon."


    "A Night Demon that steals a seat. That doesn''t make any sense," Jack said.


    Mary nodded her head in agreement with Jack.


    "Well, it''s unlikely that three people with the same average features would show up to take the same exact seats that we all wanted. This must be due to some dark magic. There''s no other possible explanation," Mary said trying to act and sound smart.


    Jack shook her head and said, "I think there are probably other explanation, but let''s entertain that idea. So what if they are some kind of Night Demon. We''re no longer Light Guardians. What are we supposed to do?"


    Yune stood up. She took a couple of deep breaths and replied, "We might not be Light Guardians anymore, but that owl said that we were free to do as we please. And since we still have powers, even if they weren''t granted by beings of light, we can still use them for good. So, let''s try to do some good."


    Jack smiled. "That sounds good. I don''t remember much about myself, but I feel like I''ve done everything because I believed it was the right thing to do. And I believe we should help people. If those guys are Night Demons in disguise, we should try to stop it before it hurts an innocent bystander."


    Jack took a couple of steps forward and looked up at the clear blue sky. Birds flew overhead. The sound of regular traffic going by. The gentle wind struck her face and her hair danced in the wind. It soothed her.


    While Jack was preoccupied, Mary asked, "So... how do we proceed?"


    Yune thought for a moment and said, "Well, first we have to confirm that they are, in fact, Night Demons."


    Jack looked back down to Mary and Yune. With conviction, she said, "You''re right. And I think I have an idea."


    "You do? I thought you were just muscle," Mary said.


    "I do. And I''m not just muscle. It will have to be done quickly. I need some paper and a pen."


    Mary took out some pieces of paper and a pen for Jack. And Jack began to get to work while the other two watched in anticipation.

 Chapter 9: The Three Generics

    The last school bell rang. Students began to leave the school. However, Jack, Yune, and Mary stayed behind.


    However, they weren''t the only ones who stayed behind. The three generic boys came behind the school.


    The three met up and noticed each other.


    One of them said, "Huh? I thought this note was from a girl?"


    Each one of them had gotten a note with a heart attached. All three of them had found it under their desk after lunch ended.


    And each note stated:


    "Dear Generic Protagonist,


    I have feelings for you and want to confess them to you in person. I want to meet you behind the school building after school.


    XOXO Girl in your class"


    The notes themselves had been scribbled with hearts.


    One of the guys said, "Man, did we get tricked? I was blushing the whole way here."


    "Yeah. Looks like we got pranked," another said.


    "I guess I should have known it was a fake. Who would use the name of ''generic protagonist'' rather than my actual name," the third said.


    The three laughed it off, but mostly they were disappointed.


    However, three girls walked up to them. The boys looked at them in confusion. They were shrouded in shadows, but their figure were clearly girls.


    "Wait a second. Was it not a prank? Did I actually get sent a real love letter?" one of them said. And each one began to blush.


    The three girls came out of the shadows.


    Mary, Yune, and Jack all looked at the three boys.


    "My god, it really is some kind of witchcraft. I can''t tell the difference between them. Each one looks exactly like the other," Mary said in shock. The three girls looked from right to left. Left to right. There was not a single difference between the three boys.


    Jack then called them, "Alright, you three. You''re obviously some kind of Night Demon. So show yourselves in your usual form."


    The three boys didn''t hear them and were too preoccupied thinking about what to say. They were stuttering as they never expected to get a love letter. Each one of them moved and stuttered exactly the same.


    "Are they brothers? No. I can''t believe I''m saying this, but they''re more like clones," Yune mentioned.


    Mary, Yune, and Jack walked slowly towards them. None of them knew for certain whether they were dealing with a Night Demon, so each one was prepared to transform at any given moment.


    Clouds formed above them, but there was no rain. Just the clouds blocking the sun.


    "W-w-w-wait. I don''t know what to say. I-I-I-I''ve never actually been confessed to. My-my-my hearts not ready," the three said at the same time.


    Jack, Yune, and Mary were all in front of the three in confusion. They had no idea what to think about them. Were they Night Demons? Some kind of coincidence?


    Mary sighed and spoke, "Alright, I''ll talk first. Hellooooo, kid." She waved her hand in front of the boy, who she didn''t know exactly whether that was the same guy who stole her seat or one of the other two. But there was no way of telling them apart, so she just went with her gut feeling.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    He didn''t hear Mary and as he was about to take a step forward, he slipped on a banana peel. She screeched and the boy quickly tried to straighten himself and accidentally grabbed Mary''s hands while amidst his fall, and he was kneeling in a romantic pose all while both Mary and the boy were red like roses. Jack and Yune were just confused bystanders.


    Mary''s confusion doubled. They looked at each other''s gazing eyes. Then, her confusion turned to frustration. And as she looked at the boring guy who stole her seat and touched her hands, her anger swelled. Mary, then with all her strength, punched the boy straight in his average face. The guy was thrown back onto the pavement with a bloody nose.


    With a red face, Mary shouted, "Don''t take my seat!"


    Yune and Jack looked at each other and shrugged. Jack punched the guy in front of her and said, "Yeah. That seat is mine!"


    Then, Yune proceeded to do the same. "Don''t take my seat, either."


    All three of them laid on the ground in the same exact pose. With the same exact bloody noses. They were knocked cold, but still alive.


    "Whew. They aren''t Night Demons. Those monsters would have put up a fight. These guys are just... guys," Yune said.


    "That explains... almost nothing. Oh, well. At least, they''re fine. We should take them to the nurse," Jack said.


    Mary stuttered with a bright-red face, "Y-y-y-yeah. D-d-don''t mention any of what you witnessed with anybody. Let''s just keep this between us. Yeah?"


    Jack smiled like a snake and teased her. "Oh, alright. We won''t say anything about you getting all flustered over this guy," she said while prodding her.


    Mary screeched to the heavens as her embarrassment just wouldn''t let up. This event would be melded into her memory forever.


    As the teasing continued, Yune said, "Hey, Mary. Didn''t you have some kind of detention?"


    Jack and Mary stopped for that moment.


    Mary screeched again. "I can''t believe I forgot. Although, it probably doesn''t matter. Let''s just go home and deal with it, tomorrow," Mary said as she began walking away.


    "You''ll probably get in more trouble. I think there''s still some time. Let''s drop these guys off at the nurse''s office and we''ll find this detention room," Yune said.


    Mary groaned. "I hate school," she muttered under her breath.


    Jack carried the three boys under her shoulder and took them to the nurse''s office. Meanwhile, Mary and Yune found the detention room.


    Yune opened the door and saw that the teacher was asleep.


    "Well, looks like detention''s cancelled. Maybe, next time," Mary whispered as she began to walk away, but Yune pulled her back.


    Mary groaned again, but accepted it. They looked at each other. Yune didn''t want Mary to become a problem student. That would cause what she thought of as "attracting attention". But really, Yune actually felt something akin to friendship.


    Yune knocked on the door loudly and the teacher woke up.


    "Woah! What-What time is it?" the teacher asked in a daze.


    He looked at the clock and noticed that it had been a half hour already.


    "I''m sorry, sir, but I have been keeping Mary to help, uh, clean a mess that I made in a classroom. I apologize for keeping her," Yune said while taking a bow. Mary was surprised at her skill at lying. If Mary didn''t know any better, she would have believed her.


    The teacher looked at the girl bowing and believed her story. And he was also half asleep, so that helped in Yune''s favor.


    "Well, that''s fine. Mary, just come in here and do thirty more minutes and we''ll send you home," the teacher said.


    Mary slowly walked in.


    "Oh, sir. With your permission," Yune said, "I would like to be with her. She''s... a roommate. We''d like to go home together."


    Mary looked back in surprise. Then, quickly, Jack sprinted to the room and stopped just shortly outside the room. She had just heard Yune speak and decided to also stay.


    "I would also like to stay. I don''t want her to go home by herself," Jack said.


    Mary looked at the two girls and wondered whether it was just a dream. She felt something in her heart that she never felt before.


    "Hmm. Fine. Just no talking," the teacher said.


    Mary, Jack, and Yune all started to walk and saw the seat in the back corner next to the window. They all started to walk towards it, but each one stopped as they had noticed each other about to go for that seat.


    The three chuckled, but the teacher coughed to keep the three silent.


    They all decided to just sit together in the middle of the empty classroom. Yune decided to read a book. Jack began to twiddle her thumbs. And Mary just sat there quietly.


    During the time, Mary whispered to Jack and Yune, "Why did you two decide to stay with me?"


    Yune replied, "Because... because we need to stick together."


    "Oh, right." Mary''s heart began to close-up again, but it felt nice while it lasted.


    Jack spoke up and said, "Well, that, and I think it would be nice if we could at least be there for each other. If anything goes wrong, we should be there to watch each others'' backs."


    Mary''s heart opened a little. And a warm feeling came over her. Something that she had never felt during her lifetime.


    Mary began to recall her life. Her memories were quite clear, now.

 Chapter 10: Mary the Bloody Queen

    Mary looked back at herself and her own life. It was long ago. During the medieval ages of England, her mother always told her that she was meant to rule. And that the current monarchy took that away from her. Her school was fancy, but everybody there was out only for themselves. Anybody who wanted to be close to her was only close because of her blood. But even that was tainted during that time. If they didn''t want to be close to her, they would only punish her for being born. Mary looked up to her mother. She would remember her saying, "If it only wasn''t this bloody king. If only the king would drop dead. If only those that didn''t believe in the words of God would drop dead. If only- If only- If only-."


    Mary had high grades in her classes and was achieving well, but was unable to make friends with anybody. One day, she encountered a white crow. It promised Mary that she could have the powers needed to change things. To be able to be what your mother wants you to be. And Mary took it. The powers granted by the Light. She became a Light Guardian. With her sharp claws, she could tear through Night Demons with ease.


    When she graduated, something "miraculous" happened, according to her mother.


    She had told Mary that she was next in line to become queen. The king was dead. The sons were dead. Next in line was Mary. And as queen, Mary finally had all the power that she could see. Everybody was in her hands. And everything her mother said swirled in her mind.


    But she also had other family. She had a sister, Elizabeth. While she was on the throne, she married a man with good blood ties. But that man, who was king, had no power compared to Mary.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Her eyes began to darken and see the people around her. There were those who her mother would not approve of. And with the power of being a queen and a Light Guardian, she became a symbol of terror. Burnings of accused witches and protestants were common under her rule. There was nobody there she could trust. Not even her sister, Elizabeth. Everywhere there was fighting within and outside of her reign. She waged war and beheaded many who she thought was a threat.


    During this time, she even had to kill some other Light Guardians.


    Eventually, during this time, Mary had a son. She called him Phillip. The only one she could really trust. Her only son. She bathed him, changed him, and raised him with care. She didn''t want him to have the same childhood that she herself had. Mary raised her son to be proud.


    And then, her final day came. She awoke from a deep slumber to the sound of fireworks. She remembered eating, and then passing out. And as she tried to get up, she couldn''t. Her head was attached to a guillotine. As she looked up, she saw Elizabeth above her. The crowds cheered. They threw their garbage and dirt at Mary''s face. She should have expected this, she believed. But as she looked next to Elizabeth, her heart broke in two. Her son, Phillip stood right by her. He was already a man, but she couldn''t accept that her son betrayed her. But it was all true. Elizabeth and Phillip were in it together. And as she saw he son signal the executioners to drop the guillotine, Mary''s heart filled with anger and rage. Rage at the betrayal. Rage at the world. Rage towards everything and everyone. But within seconds of the blade striking Mary''s neck, she noticed a small tear go under Phillip''s cheek. But it was too late. She died. And that should have been the end of it. Everything went black. And then she awoke as a small child.


    A second chance? A chance for revenge, she thought. But as she realized that the world moved along as she slept, there was nobody to get revenge on. Elizabeth and Phillip were already dead. And the world still spun.

 Chapter 11: Making Dinner

    The night was young. Hades was no where to be seen, however the girls felt it''s presence. The marks resonated together. But as soon as they got home, Jack realized something.


    "Oh, my God! What are we going to eat!?" she yelled.


    "Calm down. I''m pretty sure there is food in that fridge Hades conjured," Yune said.


    As soon as they opened the fridge, there was a random assortment of vegetables.


    "This box is pretty cool in both ways," Mary said while shivering in front of the fridge.


    "Well, I heard that this kind of food is healthy, but I have no idea how to cook," Jack said.


    Yune sighed. "Fine. I think I can do it. It feels like something I can do."


    Mary smiled and replied, "Perfect. We got ourselves a servant. Well, better hurry up."


    "As long as you two are willing to help," Yune said with an annoyed tone. She didn''t like getting compared to as a servant. And as she eyed Mary, Yune began to emanate an aura of terror aimed towards her. Enough so, that Mary got a chill up her spine.


    And so they began to make their own food together.


    Yune took out a couple of onions from the fridge and a stainless steel pot from inside a drawer. She put some cooking oil into the pot. She turned on the stove on a medium setting. Luckily, it wasn''t electric, she thought.


    Then, she looked around for a knife, but couldn''t find any. Jack and Mary helped her, but to no avail.


    Yune gave a sigh and said, "Hmm. I guess I''ll have to improvise."


    In a blink, a dark shroud covered Yune and her form as a Guardian of the Night revealed itself.


    Mary and Jack went on alert.


    "What are you doing, Yune? Do you feel the presence of a Night Demon?" Jack asked.


    And without hesitation, Yune flipped her chain hook blade and started cutting the onions with it. She started to use her weapon for killing monsters as an ordinary kitchen knife.


    "No. I just a need a knife," Yune said while cutting onions. The stench of it went up to Jack and Mary''s eyes. They began to tear up and sniffle all while Yune was doing all the cutting. However, Yune didn''t feel anything at all.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "You two stop crying and start handing me other vegetables," Yune ordered.


    Mary and Jack started handing other vegetables.


    "I need some of those radishes," Yune called.


    "I need tomatoes."


    "We''re going to need some of those beans."


    And with each ingredient, Jack and Mary would take them out quickly on the countertop.


    Yune began to cut them and mix them together with a wooden spoon, but she soon began to slow down during the cutting process. It was difficult for her to use the hook blade as a knife. It was too large and inefficient. And she had to take care not to put in too much power, otherwise she might cut the entire table in half.


    Mary noticed this and sighed. This was going to take too long at this rate, she thought.


    And in a blink, shadows swarmed over her. She transformed into her form as a Night Guardian. She took some of the tomatoes, threw them in the air, and to the utter surprise of the other two, she was able to cut them into perfect slices with her claws.


    Jack started clapping at the performance. It was very impressive.


    Mary smiled and Yune said, "Good job. Now, you can cut the rest while I mix."


    And Mary''s smile faded. "Wait a second. That''s more work!"


    The vegetables were all cut into pieces and Yune began mixing them in a pot. She added some powders she found in the drawers. Seems like this whole kitchen is stocked, they all thought.


    And during the time it was cooking, the fire underneath the stove went out. Yune looked in confusion. She started to mess around with it, but it just wouldn''t turn on.


    She scratched her head wondering what to do.


    "Hah. I guess it''s my turn, then," Jack said while a shadow came over her. She transformed into her large Night Guardian form. A flaming machete grew right out of her hand.


    "Now, we can continue cookin-"


    And the smoke alarm went off. WRING! WRING! WRING!


    It kept going and going.


    "What the hell is that noise!?" Mary screamed.


    After minutes of not knowing how to turn off the smoke alarm, Jack just punched the alarm. It stopped. And fell on the ground in pieces.


    Jack cleaned the pieces up and threw them into a trash bag. Meanwhile, Yune used Jack''s flaming machete and put it underneath the pot.


    Yune just watched over the food and stirred it occasionally. Jack was cleaning up the kitchen. And Mary found a television - or what she called a magic box - and started watching cartoons. And when Jack was done cleaning, she joined her and watched the funny cartoon. All of this while they were still in their Night Guardian form.


    Yune looked over and thought to herself that they all look like demons, but also as a family. And she remembered how she used to take care of all the housework and cooking when she was still human.


    There was the three of them. However, she still only could remember one. Eli. The blonde-haired girl with the katana. The one that killed her. But the other was still shrouded in her mind. It was starting to annoy her.


    And when the food was ready, they all sat on the ground watching the TV. They transformed back into their normal forms and began to eat the stew that Yune made.


    "Mmhm. This is pretty good," Jack said while chewing.


    And Mary just ate it up.


    Yune felt a nice feeling in her heart. She felt that this was the usual kind of day for her when she wasn''t a Night Guardian. The three of them. Together.

 Chapter 12: The First Night to Hunt

    After they had their dinner and watched some cartoons, the three decided to leave the house in search of Night Demons.


    Yune mentioned to the other two that even though they weren''t exactly Light Guardians, they didn''t have to stop Night Demons from spreading terror to others. And so the three guardians transformed and went out to hunt.


    It was mostly quiet, but eventually they sensed a Night Demon nearby. It felt like a chill across their back, but they knew that was doing of the monster. And so, they followed that chill. The colder it got, the closer they were.


    They jumped on rooftops and the sides of skyscrapers to get to where they needed to be. Underneath them were dozens of people still going on about their lives.


    And when they arrived to the Night Demon, they hid in the shadows. They all saw three other Light Guardians fighting it. It was a large blob with a crown. And it seemed to be defending itself very well.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The three Night Guardians whispered to each other. When they talked to each other, their masks became transparent to themselves only.


    Jack whispered, "Looks like somebody got here first. Want to help them?"


    "I suppose we could," Mary replied.


    "Wait. Don''t," Yune said quietly.


    Mary and Jack were surprised at this response.


    "Really? I thought you were the one who wanted us to hunt these demons," Mary exclaimed.


    "I do, but there''s something I can''t explain. I remember that Light Guardians hunted them, but their was an incentive. Something physical dropped from it''s corpse," Yune said.


    "I do recall something like that," Jack replied.


    Yune thought to herself and noticed that the three Light Guardians were about to win.


    "Alright, let''s just stab that thing in the back and take the kill," Yune said.


    Mary smiled while Jack just nodded in agreement.


    And so the three girls went in for the kill.

 Chapter 13: Night Coins and the Shopkeeper

    Yune, Jack, and Mary all jumped down into one of the dark alleys with the prize in hand. They looked around to see if there was anybody nearby, but there was no one. Nobody was following them, either. Then, they transformed back into their normal forms.


    Mary tossed the coin over to Yune and asked, "You still have a shopkeep, I presume?"


    "A shopkeep?" Yune wondered and then she remembered, "Yeah, the shopkeep should still be around."


    "I remember the shopkeep, but usually he comes to us. We had to chant something, but it''s a blur to me," Jack said. Yune also didn''t remember how to find the shopkeep.


    Mary smiled with confidence and said, "Luckily for us, I know how to get him. One of us has to say ''Shopkeep. Shopkeep.'' And then say something ridiculous. Then, he should just appear out of thin air."


    "I don''t appear out of thin air. It''s more like getting dragged out of my bedroom," a man said from behind the three girls.


    They all jumped up in surprise and looked behind them.


    It was a hunched man wearing a gas mask and a trench coat. This time he also wore a sleep mask with eyelashes drawn on them along with some pajamas underneath his coat with pink dinosaurs scrawled all over them.


    "Alright. Now, I remember you!" Jack and Yune exclaimed.


    Mary sarcastically said, "Oh, I''m so glad this guy is still around. I wonder how this merchant looks as he seems to be the same guy I knew long ago."


    "Long ago? How long?" Yune asked.


    "Oh. Nevermind."


    "Oh, now I get it. You''re not from around this time. You must be older than you look with how you act," Yune continued.


    "I''m not old," Mary said annoyed.


    "It would explain a lot," Jack commented as she noticed that even though Mary was more active, she also didn''t really know much about current mannerisms and objects.


    "Hey. I''m just you''re average middle schooler. Nothing strange about it."


    The shopkeep went into his coat and pulled out a cup of warm tea. "Did you three just call me over to talk about this grandma''s age?"Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Who are you calling grandma!?" Mary yelled.


    Yune wanted to change topic. "Actually, I want to exchange this coin," she said while holding out the black coin spewing a thin layer of fog.


    The shopkeep grabbed the coin and examined it thoroughly. He brought it right up to his gas mask''s eye cover. He then flipped it up into the air and asked, "What do you want for it?"


    "What can we get for one coin?" Jack asked.


    "One of these coins is still considered a lot to me. You three seem different than any Light Guardian. I can sense much darkness in you all. I wonder if you three will drop coins upon your deaths," the shopkeep threatened.


    The three began to take a step back and were about to transform for a fight.


    "Wait. Wait. Wait. Don''t go. I don''t care what you are. As long as you can get me these black coins, we won''t have any problems."


    The three girls relaxed themselves and he asked, "So, what do you three want? What are you looking for? Anything and almost everything is possible."


    The three eyed each other and wondered what to get. They huddled up while the shopkeep just waited patiently. They all began to quietly talk amongst themselves.


    "We''re going to need money if we are to survive," Jack said, "And we didn''t see that owl show up during dinner or when that Night Demon showed up."


    "That''s a good point, Jacqueline," Mary said, "If something happens, that money would be helpful."


    Yune nodded. "Alright. Let''s see how much money we can get for that one coin."


    The three broke their huddle formation. Yune walked to the front and before she opened her mouth, the shopkeep said, "I can give 1000 dollars to each of you. Don''t act surprised. It''s not like you three were very quiet."


    Mary nodded and asked, "And 1000 dollars for each of us. 3000 dollars... is that a lot? Sounds like a lot."


    Jack said, "Really? That''s a lot for one of these coins. I don''t remember ever getting this kind of deal."


    "I can lower it."


    "No, that''s alright." And Jack shut her mouth.


    Yune asked, "My memories aren''t as clear, but that does seem like a lot of money for one coin."


    "Well, call it a gift," The shopkeep said while putting the coin into his coat and taking out stacks of cash. He began to count them and hand them out to the three girls. "My number one policy is to have happy - and recurrent - customers. And to have customers come back from the dead to call me is a happy surprise."


    "You remember each of us?" Mary asked surprised.


    "Yep. Can''t call myself a good salesman if I can''t remember faces and the names that go along with it, Mary."


    "I always thought you were a strange one," Yune said.


    The shopkeep was finished handing out the money and said a farewell, "Goodbye, you three ''Light'' Guardians. Pleasure doing business."


    And with a gust of wind, he just blanked out of existence.


    "Well, at least we know that the shopkeep isn''t picky about his customers," Jack said.


    "Yeah, but if we are to get anything else, we can either get a job or hunt more Night Demons," Yune commented.


    "Job!? That sounds like hard work! And those are the two words I don''t like," Mary complained.


    "By the way, Mary. So, how old are you? Are you like our senior?" Yune asked.


    "I''m not old - damn it!" Mary yelled and she began to walk away. And the other two followed.


    And the three girls walked back to their crooked house from the outside, but a nice cozy home in the inside. And each one prepared for tomorrow.

 Chapter 14: What to do

    The next day after stealing the kill of a Night Demon and becoming introduced to three Light Guardians, they all went back to school as if nothing has changed.


    The world kept spinning. People kept working. Nothing''s changed.


    When Mary, Jack, and Yune arrived at school, each one froze. They eyed three other girls who were just talking amongst themselves. It was the three Light Guardians they saw on top of that building last night. They didn''t notice them, and slowly they backed away and hid in a corner.


    The three whispered amongst themselves occasionally looking back to see if they noticed them.


    Mary whispered, "They go to the same school as us? That has to be some strange coincidence."


    "Well, it''s not like they would recognize us," Jack said.


    "That''s true, but we shouldn''t let them figure us out, either," Yune said.


    "They''ll be a pain. We should just deal with them and be done with it," Mary said casually.


    "Deal with them? How?" Yune asked.


    "It''s strange, but I agree with Mary," Jack replied, "I don''t know why, but I''m getting an urge to just... kill them."Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Kill? We can''t just go around killing other Light Guardians," Yune said.


    "Why not? Why can''t we just behead them and get it over with? I don''t see a problem with it. We''re not Light Guardians ourselves anyways," Mary said.


    "Because it''s morally wrong. I can''t believe I have to explain this," Yune replied.


    "Morals? Morals are just in the eyes of the beholder. A spider''s morals are different than the fly''s. And I''m sure that they are thinking the same," Mary argued, "Those Light Guardians won''t think twice about killing us. They were just lucky that they didn''t decide to attack us last night."


    "Alright, how about a vote, then," Yune suggested, "I say we try to ignore them, or better yet, get along."


    "Well, I''m not one for voting, but I''m for getting rid of them," Mary said.


    Jack looked to both of them, but was unsure. She still felt something stirring inside of her that wanted to kill those Light Guardians, but she wasn''t sure why.


    "I...", Jack said, "I think we should at least talk to them, first. Killing them might be too much. I don''t think they know what we are. Hell, I''m still not 100 percent sure what I am. But if they knew we were some kind of monsters, then they would have attacked us on that building there rather than talking to us. But if they do find out, then they will deal with us just like how we would deal with Night Demons. So, let''s try talking to them, first, and then if things don''t work out, we can fight them. But I don''t want to kill any of them. Just to either get them to not bother us, or hunt Night Demons somewhere else."


    Yune nodded. "So, it''s settled, then. Let''s meet up after school and try to ambush them. But don''t do anything during school to make them suspect us. Our masks hide us, but the marks on our arms do the exact opposite. Keep your sleeves rolled up, and don''t let anybody see them."


    Mary sighed in disapproval, but agreed anyways.

 Chapter 15: The Wave of the Crowd

    The school day ended without any problems. It was a very boring day for the three, but they knew what they were about to do. Before the class day actually finished, each one of them left five minutes early, so that they wouldn''t miss the three Light Guardians from leaving.


    They were also very surprised that they all had the same idea as they stood around in the corner of the exit waiting for the school bell to ring.


    "So," Jack asked to start a bit of small talk, "what excuse did you give to leave early? I asked to go see the nurse."


    "I asked the teacher to also see the nurse," Yune said.


    Mary kept quiet. "What about you, Mary?," Jack asked.


    "Me? Oh, I just left. Didn''t say a word," Mary replied.


    Jack laughed, "Nobody tried to stop you. And you just walked out without saying anything. Hah!"


    Even Yune chuckled a bit.


    "What''s so funny? The teacher was writing something on the board. So, I just walked up and left. I don''t think anybody noticed," Mary said.


    And when the school bell rang, students bustled the hallways.


    The three overheard one of the group of boys say, "Hey. Did you see that girl who just left the class without saying anything? That was so cool."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Huh? I guess they did notice," Mary commented to the other two girls.


    "Yeah," another one of the boys said to his friend without noticing the girl, "It''s too bad the teacher plans to give that girl a detention. She was so cool walking out like that."


    "What!?" Mary exclaimed, "The teacher said I''m getting another detention?"


    "Hey, it''s you. I thought you would have went home by now," one of the boys said who noticed her and then walked away.


    "Well, I don''t see those three, yet. Hopefully, we''ll be able to notice them in this crowd," Jack said.


    "I doubt it," Yune mentioned, "Let''s go up to the rooftop and see if we can find them from a bird''s eye view."


    Jack, Yune, and Mary all tried to go through the crowds as each one struggled to fight the oncoming horde of kids. It felt like fighting upwards against a waterfall.


    However, during their hard trek, somebody grabbed Mary''s arm. She looked over and saw her teacher.


    "Well, well, well. Seems you''re still here," the teacher said.


    "Sorry, teach, but I got to go," Mary said.


    The teacher dragged Mary away from Jack and Yune who were worrying about their own trouble of getting through.


    Then, Mary looked at the teacher with eyes of purple. She stared at him with intense anger and ordered him, "Let go of my arm." A new power swelled up inside of her that she had no idea of.


    The teacher wasn''t frightened, but his mind fell asleep for a moment. He had no control over himself and let Mary''s arm go as if he was hypnotized.


    "Oh. Thanks, teacher," Mary said relaxed and then she went back to fighting against the crowd.


    He was frozen for a bit. But he felt nothing. His mind was empty, but then as if something clicked inside of him, he woke up.


    He looked at his hand and wondered where that girl went, but even he just wanted to get home.


    The three made it to the top of the school roof and looked around. They looked and looked, and eventually they noticed three girls happily walking away from the school gate.


    Mary, Jack, and Yune transformed themselves and went off into the shadows to follow them.

 Chapter 16: Mullwurm

    The three covered themselves in black shrouds. Their robes hid their features except for their glowing eyes. The tried to follow the girls closely until they saw an opening. They hid in the shadows stalking their prey until they were finally alone. The three Light Guardians walked into an empty alleyway. The sun was still up and the wind picked up slightly.


    Nina sighed and shouted, "Alright, come out! No point hiding!"


    Yune, Mary, and Jack were all surprised. They all thought they hid themselves so well.


    Jack came out of the shadows first. And then, Yune and Mary followed behind.


    In the alleys, the three faced off against the others.


    Jack, Yune, and Mary stared at the three other girls, Nina, Kira, and Anne.


    "How''d you know we were there?" Jack asked.


    Nina smiled and said, "Only a suspicion."


    "Her suspicions usually turn out right," Anne commented while Kira watched.


    All of them stood in silence. None made a move, but the tensions ran high. One small step could mean the beginning of a battle, but Nina tried to remain calm.


    "I didn''t introduce myself last time. My name is Nina," she said, "And these other two are Kira and Anne."


    "Thank you for your introductions, but I will not be introducing myself or my peers," Yune said.


    "I''m sure you three had some reason for following us. Why? Is it to steal another kill, you dishonorable punks?" Anne asked.


    "No," Jack opened her mouth, "We wanted to know whether you three were going to be a threat."


    "A threat?," Nina said, "Well, I''m pretty certain that you''re not Night Demons. I''m sure we could come to an arrangement on the hunting grounds if that''s what you''re concerned about."


    The three fell silent. Nina was trying not to turn this into a fight, while Anne and Kira were expecting it to happen in any second. Each of them prepared to transform the moment the other three move closer. But Jack, Yune, and Mary stayed where they were.


    Mary was itching to fight, but kept herself in control. She didn''t care about hurting the Light Guardians, but cared about what the other two thought about her. She didn''t consider them as friends, but as necessary allies.


    Yune remained calm. She had no desire to fight them, but she was ready to.


    Jack, however, was trying to keep herself in check just like Mary. Something inside of her wanted to fight, but she didn''t have any ill feelings towards the girls in front of her.


    As tensions ran high, something unexpected occurred. A chill ran through all six of their backs. And each one knew what they were feeling. A Night Demon.


    In the alleyway, a Night Demon began to form from the trash behind the three Light Guardians. The creature moaned and it turned itself into a giant hookworm with teeth made of broken glass. Nina, Anne, and Kira turned around in surprise. How could a Night Demon just appear out of nowhere, they thought.


    The creature began to attack the girls, but suddenly a hook attached to a chain collided with the Night Demon''s head pushing it back.


    The three Light Guardians immediately transformed. The girls'' hair danced in the wind and a bright light enveloped them. Nina wore a purple dress and held two katanas. Anne wore a white and light-blue dress, while using metal gauntlets and shoes. Kira wore a green costume and held daggers.


    The Night Demon wiggled and fixed itself from the surrounding trash. The hook-chain was drawn back towards its beholder, Yune, the white-eyed girl.


    "Alright. Not the fight I was expecting, but a welcome one," Mary said with her long claws out in the open.


    Jack conjured a flame in her hand and brought out a machete.


    The girls took off their robes and revealed their own costumes.


    Yune with her black and white armor, and white mask. Mary with her red and purple dress, and a blood-red mask. And Jack with her giant red armor and hockey mask.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Nina looked at them for a second, and thought to herself that they were Light Guardians albeit strange ones. But something about them gave a chill. However, she had no time to think about it.


    The Night Demon said one word before charging at the Light Guardians. "Mullwurm."


    Anne screamed a battlecry and kept punching Mullwurm back.


    Kira jumped around throwing daggers at it. The tight space limited how much she can move, but Anne held her ground keeping the monster back.


    Jack was going to help them, but Yune held her back.


    "Wait. Let''s see how this fight plays out," Yune suggested as she wanted to see how well the other three Light Guardians fought together.


    "Hmm. Alright, fine," Mary said thinking that maybe the Night Demon would get rid of their Light Guardian problem for them.


    And Jack just nodded along thinking that it would be a smart idea to see how they fight. But Jack also wanted to attack. Violent feelings just stirred within her. She then thought about whether the Night Demon would try to hurt any bystanders. If that happened, she wouldn''t forgive herself. But she kept herself under control. If something did happen, she thought she could jump in and prevent anything from happening.


    Nina concentrated and saw that Mullwurm had some water bottles attached to it.


    "There''s still some water in those," Nina said and as she concentrated, the water from the almost empty water bottles floated out of them. Together the water created a ring around the demon. It kept taking the barrage of punches and had no time to react to Nina''s attack. The water began to cover the monster and with one blink, Nina was able to freeze the water around the monster. As the ice formed, Anne fell back and took a breather. Mullwurm slowed to a halt and soon the ice covered it whole. Kira, Nina, and Anne all took a breath.


    But the ice cracked. And in a mere moment, the ice broke like glass. Mullwurm slithered with intense speed and before Anne could react, the monster''s mouth was wide open.


    "Anne!!!" Nina yelled as she ran to push her out of the way. Kira''s dagger grew into long vines and branches to try and hold the monster, but it was too slippery. Anne was paralyzed with fear, but she didn''t need to be.


    A wall of fire burst between Anne and Mullwurm. The monster backed off from the heat.


    Jack dashed through while wearing armor that would have been too heavy for any knight. She held her machete tightly and when the wall of fire fell, she was between Anne and the Night Demon.


    Jack growled with fiery intensity. With her machete, she kept hitting the Night Demon with pure power.


    It kept trying to regenerate itself with nearby trash, but everything it touched would turn to flame. Mullwurm cried in pain while Jack thrashed in a fit of uncontrolled rage.


    The monster''s cry ended and a dark steam coming from the monster dissipated. Jack hit once more and calmed herself down.


    Anne was still paralyzed, but then she realized that the girl in front of her saved her. She took a step forwards and began to say, "Thank yo-"


    But it was cut short. As soon as Jack turned around to see Anne, something inside of her snapped. She looked at the Light Guardian and felt a surge of hate. More so than towards the Night Demon.


    She muttered without knowing why, "You didn''t save them."


    And then, Jack lifted her machete and before it could drop, charred vines grabbed onto her arm.


    And then, Nina grabbed Anne''s hand and jumped back.


    Jack was on one side. Yune and Mary on the other. All while Anne, Nina, and Kira were stuck in between.


    Jack looked at the vines and in one second, burned them to a crisp.


    "And here I thought we could be friends," Nina said.


    Anne looked in confusion and called out towards the girl wearing the heavy red armor, "You saved me. Why would you save me, then attack me?"


    Then, Anne started to remember a Light Guardian like the one in front of her. A Light Guardian with red armor, and even a hockey mask that could be found at a cheap dollar store. However, the mask that the girl in front of her wore was fully red and glared with metal. However, these girls felt very different than any regular Light Guardian. Different than the one she knew.


    Jack calmed herself down, but something inside of her just wanted to attack the Light Guardians.


    Yune and Mary didn''t have any sort of violent feelings like this.


    "Oh, come now. If we were going to kill them, we should have just let the Night Demon do it," Mary said even though she did nothing to help against the monster.


    Jack looked down and saw a black coin. She leaned down and grabbed it. It was such a small thing especially to her. She looked back at Anne, Nina, and Kira.


    "I don''t... nevermind," Jack said in response to Anne''s question while ignoring Mary. She held the black coin up for them to see. "How about a wager. If we win a fight with you three, we''ll take this coin and make you leave this place. If you win, you can take the black coin and we won''t steal any more kills in this area. We will leave you three alone."


    Jack knew that they were going to fight eventually. It would be easier to live if there weren''t other Light Guardians around them. Mary, Jack, and Yune knew this and were willing to fight.


    Nina looked at three. She didn''t believe that they would let them leave without a fight, anyways.


    Anne, Kira, and Nina looked at the other three''s arms and they glowed. The big red armored one had a glowing mark of a snake heiroglyph. The white armored one with the hook-chain had a cat. And the small girl with the claws had a bird. However, these symbols made no sense. They were unaware of Light Guardians with symbols on their arms.


    "We can''t just agree to that," Anne cried.


    "It seems very unfair. We were here, first," Kira said calmly.


    Anne stopped them from making any more comments.


    "Fine. We''ll take that wager," she said without argument.


    "What? You can''t be serious. We don''t have to agree to that," Anne said.


    "It''s alright. If we work together as usual, we can win," Nina said reassuring the other two. She smiled with confidence and so the other two also gained a boost of confidence.


    And so, the three Light Guardians prepared themselves for a fight. Jack gently placed the black coin on top of a trash can next to her.


    And as soon as that happened, Jack charged forward with her machete in hand. Her mind in an uncontrollable rage.


    Mary, then, followed through and charged, while Yune stayed behind preparing to throw her chains whenever she had an opening.


    And so, Nina, Anne, and Kira all stood their ground - ready for battle.

 Chapter 17: The Three vs The Three

    Jack began her onslaught of slashes, but each one would miss and strike the ground instead. And when they would strike true, Anne or Nina would deflect them at opportune times. Meanwhile, Kira would try to throw more daggers across the fields.


    Mary charged in to deal with Kira as she seemed to be the weakest of the three. She readied her claws, but as soon as she would get close, Nina would jump in and strike at her.


    Jack continued to flail her machete at Anne, but her steel gauntlets, strength, and speed was barely on par with Jack''s. Kira stood in between Nina and Anne in the tight alley. Mary tried to set her aims towards the girl with daggers, but Nina would majestically swing her katanas and strike. Mary used her own claws to defend herself if she failed to evade.


    Yune looked for an opportunity to throw in her hook, and when the time was right, she took it. She spun her hook-chain around and thrown it to the side of the walls. It bounced back and forth until it would reach her destination. She began to weave a web of chains to surround the three.


    The three girls noticed and just by looking at each other, they were able to come up with a plan. Kira stood her ground, and Yune took the bait. With the flick of her hand, the hook-chain bounced off of a wall and towards Kira. As the hook approached her, Nina kicked up one of Kira''s daggers and in an instant, a giant tree sprouted from. The tree pushed against the chain and altered the hook''s course.


    Yune felt stunned at their teamwork, but she was still confident that she could use it to her advantage. She looked at the trajection of her hook and it seemed to be aimed towards Anne.


    Yune began to grin behind her white and black mask. But right before the hook would wrap itself around it''s target, Jack swung her machete down to where Anne was. She quickly jumped out of the way of the ferocious attack, and the hook and chain wrapped itself around Jack''s arm.


    "Shit," Yune muttered and tried to unravel her chain, but it was too late to do anything.


    Without even noticing Yune''s hook and chain around her arm, she continued to flail her blazing blade at Anne.


    Yune was quickly pulled along with Jack''s rage. Yune screamed as she was dragged past the Mary and Nina, and started being tossed around. She hit and bounced off the walls like a pinball.


    "Oh, this isn''t good," Mary commented. But with fortunate luck, Mary was able to get a scratch on Nina, and overconfidence got to her. She continued to slash her way at Anne, and it looked like she was winning. Mary was able to gain some ground during her battle, but as soon as she saw Anne smile, Mary knew that something was wrong. She saw the smile of someone who was winning.


    Mary looked down and saw an assortment of knives laying around. She remembered that she saw one of those knives turn into a tree, and they both knew that she was trapped where she was.


    Mary quickly dashed back with intense speed right as vines with thorns grew from below. As some vines grew towards her, she quickly cut them down.


    Mary took a step back to analyze the fight.


    Jack continued her onslaught against Anne with little regard to anything else. She roared as smoke and flame rose from her armor. Meanwhile, Yune flung around trying to free herself from her own chain. Anne was able to defend herself and not lose any ground. Kira''s daggers underneath Jack grew to vines and sharp branches, but Jack''s flames would burn them up before they could reach her. Kira continued to lay her daggers around the alleyway, both on the floor and on the sides. Nina waited with two swords in hand to defend against Mary.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "This battle is lost," Mary whispered to herself in disappointment. She looked behind her and noticed that she could run away, but as she looked back at Jack and Yune. She felt some gratitude towards them, but not enough to actually try to save them. The real reason she stood her ground was because she knew that Jack and Yune were the only ones she could trust while they were dark beings. She couldn''t abandon these allies just yet, she thought, but they were still going to lose this fight.


    She looked around for anything that she could use to get them all out of this fight. Mary looked at a black coin on the ground. The trash can that it laid on fell over during the fight. The coin was behind Jack, but Mary knew that calling Jack to help would be useless. Her mind is already gone elsewhere, she thought. And Yune was stuck with her own ''flailing-around'' problems.


    "Well, I guess it''s all up to me," Mary said as she faced down Nina.


    She sharpened her claws and charged forward with a grin - although nobody could see it.


    As soon as Mary walked into a batch of fallen daggers, spiked branches began to grow, but she anticipated this. She jumped up as the branches formed a prison where Mary was. She leapt up using the branches as ground. She quickly passed by Yune who was still being tossed around.


    Mary quickly said to her, "Don''t worry. I have a plan." And then she gave a thumbs-up that she learned from school and a smile that only Yune could see.


    Yune was in utter pain and was about to throw up in any second, but she saw and heard Mary. She gave a weak thumbs-up in response right before being slammed into a wall.


    Kira was stunned in awe, but Nina jumped up to face her. Mary started using the daggers stuck to the wall as foot space as she kept moving, while Anne tried to follow. However, Mary''s speed far outmatched Nina''s.


    "Kira!" Nina yelled and Kira awoke. Sharp branches and vines grew from the daggers all around the walls. Mary continued to dodge and evade every single one, all while cutting down the ones in her way. Kira used some of the branches to create a small cage around her for protection as she thought that Mary was going after her, but she ran right past her. Kira and Nina were both confused, and then realized that Mary was going after Anne.


    The both yelled a warning towards Anne, but she was too preoccupied with her own fight. When Mary came down to strike at Anne, she blocked it with her steel gauntlets.


    "Well, that''s too bad. Thought, I could get at least one of you," Mary said and then took off. She ran past Anne and towards the black coin. Anne didn''t know what she was after, but couldn''t think about it while Jack''s heavy machete came down at her. Nina was able to get near Anne, but couldn''t progress further as Jack blocked the path.


    Mary grabbed the black coin and yelled, "Shopkeep, Shopkeep! Get over here, you sad piece of garbage!"


    "As usual, you are very rude," the shopkeep said as he appeared right in front of Mary as she blinked.


    "The shopkeep? What do they want with him? Are they planning to use the coin for something, now?" Nina said in confusion, but they could do nothing to stop whatever Mary was planning. Yune was able to untangle her hook-chain around Jack''s arm and freed herself. She jumped down besides Mary, and felt a dizzying headache.


    Mary handed the black coin and ordered, "Get me, Jack, and Yune outta here!"


    "Where?" the shopkeep asked.


    Without thinking, Yune shouted, "Anywhere! Get us anywhere but here!"


    "Wait! No!" Mary shouted in a panic.


    And in an instant, the three girls began to fade into a bright light. Mary, Yune, and Jack all vanished from the alleyway.


    Kira''s vines and branches broke and faded away as the battle seemed to end.


    Anne tried to relax and catch her breath, while Nina was contemplating on who those three Light Guardians were. They were familiar with the one with the hook-chain and the one with the machete, but they felt different than any actual Light Guardian. They felt more like a Night Demon, but not enough to actually feel a strong enough chill.


    "They ran away," Anne said with an upbeat tone.


    "They retreated," Nina replied.


    "I hope we don''t see them, again," Kira said, "They weren''t a difficult bunch, but they are strong."


    "Right. They are strong, but together we''re stronger," Nina said to uplift their spirits, "C''mon. Let''s go eat some cake to celebrate."


    Anne sighed. "It''s too bad that they got the coin. Oh, well. Unfortunately, I''m sure more of these monsters will pop up."


    Nina looked up to the cloudy sky and said, "Yeah."


    They all walked away from the alleyway, but none of them were in high spirits. They knew they were going to have to fight those three again, someday. But for now, they needed time to think. Think about their next move and figure out who those three Light Guardians were.


    And those three guardians will return. That, they knew.

 Chapter 18: The Desert

    It was a clear day in the middle of a desert. The sand was smooth. The cacti laid bare for woodpeckers. It was quiet. Quiet, until three girls began screaming as they fell from the sky. They all fell kicking up hot sand around them.


    Jack quickly jumped up looking around. "Light Guardians. Light Guardians," she muttered, but as she saw nothing but sand, she calmed down.


    "Huh? Where are we?" Jack asked before she turned herself back.


    Yune and Mary slowly got themselves up. "Ow," Mary said, "Why couldn''t you just let me speak?"


    Yune saw the empty desert and replied, "I didn''t know he was going to bring us here. Why would he bring us here?"


    "Because you said - ugh, nevermind. Let''s just find our way back," Mary said trying to calm herself down. Then, she looked at Jack and asked, "Are you calm now, big girl?"


    "Yeah, I''m calm. Sorry that happened. Something just came over me," Jack replied, but didn''t actually feel remorse.


    "You don''t sound sorry!" Yune shouted, "It''s like you were some kind of animal!"


    She transformed back into human form, and as soon as she did, she held her mouth and ran away towards a cactus. She then proceeded to vomit all over it.


    Mary looked away and said in disgust, "That''s not what I want to see right now."


    She transformed back and stretched and looked up to the clear sky. The rays of light turned the land into an oven. Jack didn''t feel anything, but Mary felt completely overwhelmed with the heat.


    After Yune finished throwing up, she came back to the other two and said, "Well, let''s just try to find our way back to Janken City. I don''t think the shopkeep would have sent us too far. Not for one coin, anyways."


    Mary complained, "Yeah, sure. Do you know where to go?"Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Yune analyzed the area and with no idea on where to go, she pointed to a direction and said, "That way."


    "You can''t be serious. Why there?"


    "A good feeling."


    "Oh, so you''re guessing."


    "Do you know where to go?" Yune said angrily.


    "Uh, no."


    Jack stayed silent as she needed time to process and rearrange her memories.


    And so the three girls walked in one direction. They kept walking for hours until they finally reached a road.


    As soon as Mary and Yune saw it, they began to cheer. But Jack stayed silent.


    They looked to both sides, and Yune just decided to go right. Then, they began to follow the road.


    They walked and walked.


    Yune and Mary sweated all over themselves. And then, Yune looked over to Jack and noticed that she wasn''t sweating at all. It was strange, but then she began to worry once she noticed that Jack''s arm had bruises and burn marks. Yune hurried over to Jack and said, "You''re hurt. Why didn''t you say anything?"


    Jack became confused and as soon as she saw her bruises, "Oh. I didn''t notice. It''s not so bad."


    Yune became worried and bit her lips. "Damn it. When we get back home, I''ll patch you up."


    Mary looked over to them and asked, "Why do you care, Yune? She was throwing you around earlier."


    But Yune didn''t know why, either. She felt like it was her job to worry.


    Jack said without any care for either of them, "It''s alright. You don''t need to do anything. I''ll worry about myself. So, you worry about yourself."


    "Good advice. I will be doing that," Mary said as she began to lose faith in working together with Yune and Jack.


    But Yune couldn''t. She felt like she had to keep everyone safe, but she didn''t know why.


    While they were on their trek, a bus started driving up the road. The sign on the bus said it''s next stop was Janken City. It was pure luck.


    Yune waved her hand trying to get the bus and luckily, it slowed down to a halt. It''s doors slid open inviting the three.


    "How did that metal thing open the doors?" Mary asked.


    "It''s automatic. Now, let''s just go inside. It will give me some time to think," Jack said as she walked towards the bus.


    "I hope this isn''t some mirage. I''ve never experienced a mirage. Is it a mirage?" Yune asked.


    "Well, we''ll all see," Mary said.


    They all entered the cool bus. There were other people on it, but it wasn''t crowded. The back seats were empty and so the three girls sat there. The air conditioning relieved both Mary and Yune, but Jack didn''t feel any different. She decided to take a nap.


    "I love this new-age stuff," Mary commented.


    The bus went off. It rode and rode. The wheels turned, but it felt like they were going nowhere. But the bus kept going. The driver silent. It''s passengers silent. All while the three Night Guardians relaxed themselves. Outside their windows, the road moved. But nothing moved.

 Chapter 19: The Bus Drive - Fahrerlause

    The bus kept rocking, while the three Night Guardians sat in silence. They wouldn''t even look at each other. Their previous fight showed how their lack of teamwork. Their powers just weren''t compatible with each other unlike the other three girls.


    Jack kept to herself while she concentrated on her memories. Some were blurry and they were all mismatched. Events were jumbled within her. At one moment, she saw her fighting other Light Guardians, and in the next moment, she recalled a regular day at home with her parents. But she didn''t quite know when these happened, so she just closed her eyes and let the memories just flow within in.


    Yune sat in the middle thinking about what she should do. She still knew that they had to stick together, but after realizing that their teamwork was weak, she needed to figure out a way to improve it.


    Mary just looked out the window and let her mind wander. She thought about just leaving the other two, but even she knew that she needed allies in this new world that was unfamiliar and alien to her.


    While Mary was looking out the window, she watched as they drove by a cactus. A minute went by and the same kind of cactus came by. She thought it was a funny coincidence, but then another minute passed and the same cactus passed by them in the same exact position. She looked more closely and after another minute, it passed her again.


    "Uh, are we going in circles?" Mary asked Yune and Jack.


    Yune awoke from her deep thoughts and replied, "Huh? I don''t think so."


    Jack sat there quietly and they even heard a snore coming from her. The


    "Just... let her sleep," Yune said whispered, "We all had a long day."


    And so Yune and Mary watched outside the window. A minute passed. Exactly one cactus. Then, another minute. Another cactus that was the same. One more minute, and nothing changed.


    Even the scenery became familiar to Mary. The formation of the sands. Some of the bushes and shrubs.


    "See. Something is wrong," Mary confirmed.


    Yune also became suspicious. "Alright, let''s go talk to the driver."


    "And say what?"


    "Just going to ask how much longer it will be. Then, we''ll see what to do from there."


    Yune and Mary didn''t sense any Night Demon nearby, so they didn''t begin to suspect anything related to those monsters. They thought perhaps it was human error or the driver making the wrong turn. Although, neither Mary nor Yune remembered them ever making a turn during their trip.


    They walked by seats of other people fast asleep. A couple of businessmen. A mother and her young child. A boy, who was still wide awake, playing with some care toys. An elderly couple.


    When they got up to the driver seat, Yune asked the driver, "Excuse me, sir. How long will it take for us to get to the next stop?"


    The driver looked back at Yune. One of his eyes was just pure white with veins popping out. He smiled and assured Yune, "It should take around a couple of hours. Just sit tight, and we''ll be there."


    "What''s wrong with your eye?" Mary asked.


    And in that moment, the eye spun back into place revealing a bloodshot eye.


    "Oh, nothing''s wrong. Nothing''s wrong at all. Please take your seat. It''ll be a long ride. You might want to take a nap," the driver said in a hurry.


    Yune and Mary still didn''t sense any Night Demon nearby and so they shrugged his weird behavior off.


    Mary whispered, "Your time has strange people."


    "Hmm. It doesn''t seem like there''s anything here. But -"


    And at that instant, a small chill fell down their backs. Mary and Yune sensed a Night Demon and became wary, however the feeling faded. The demon seemed to be far away and there was nothing that they could do about it.


    "Let''s just take our se-" Mary said but was interrupted by loud coughing from the other passengers.


    "Oh, god. It''s the plague," she panicked, "Cover your body."


    And then the chill came again. It was only a slight chill, but this time it was constant. It didn''t fade away like the last time. Mary and Yune looked outside, but they didn''t see anything. Just the same cactus that pops up every minute.


    "Mom. Are you ok?" the young boy said while shaking his coughing mother.


    Jack continued to snore away and looked like she was having a pleasant dream.


    Yune ran back to the driver and yelled, "Stop the bus!"


    The bus driver still drove the bus normally. But when she looked at the driver, his head was missing.


    A sudden shriek of terror came over her, but she took a deep breath and remained calm.


    Yune transformed herself covering herself with a dark shroud. And Mary did so, too.


    They both looked back at Jack and noticed her still fast asleep. They both looked around them and saw their cramped space and both nodded in agreement that it would be too dangerous to wake her up for this fight.


    A bug-like creature''s head popped out of the driver''s neck. It was the head of a giant louse. It grabbed a nearby baseball cap and said in a scratchy voice, "Fahrerlause. This is your captain speaking. We''ll all be taking a slight detour to wherever we were going." Then, it ripped out the driver''s organs from the inside and just made clicking noises.


    Yune took her hook and tried to decapitate the Night Demon in front of her. However, she was still surprised by how little the chill the creature is giving. Usually, when they are this close to a demon, their senses would be going off in a craze.


    The Night Demon jumped out of the driver''s skin and onto the roof of the bus. It''s body was that of a giant louse. A parasite. But once the creature got out of the body, Mary and Yune''s back was instantly covered in chills. The driver''s mangled body was still driving on the road without swerving or hitting anything. It was driving normally as if it was still under the demon''s control.


    It''s sudden appearance even made Jack jump out of her slumber.


    "What the hell? How did this thing sneak up on us?" Jack said in a daze.


    "I think it hid itself inside the driver. I don''t know how, but by hiding inside a human, it covered up it''s own foul stench," Yune replied.


    Jack quickly transformed into the hulking red-armored Night Guardian. Mary and Yune began to worry for themselves from the danger of being near that beast.


    But as soon as she completed her transformation, she was too big to actually walk around. Her weight alone in the back made the bus stop in it''s tracks.


    She looked around and saw many coughing bystanders. Then, she looked at herself and knew that if she tried to do anything, the people in the bus would also get hurt. Without a second thought, she transformed herself back to normal.


    The demon said one word in between it''s clicking. "Fahrerlause."


    The bystanders began to cough out blood. Mary dashed up towards the monster, but it quickly evaded her claw barrage. Each claw instead ripped at the roof of the bus. The bug-eyed creature went through the cracks and crawled on top of the bus. It''s two pairs of hind legs began to grow out into that of a humanoid''s. It''s front two arms extended into pincers. It screeched at the hot sun, but looked down at it''s captured food.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Mary jumped at the roof and clawed open a hole for her to get through. Yune kicked down the bus door and climbed to the roof. Jack stood helpless. She remembered her own past and had the desire to help, but if she transformed in this situation, she would do more harm than good. She knew that she could easily just crush the Night Demon, but she would also bring danger to the people near her.


    The people who were coughing up blood began to convulse, and within seconds hordes of flying paper bugs came out of them. They cut through skin to form a white cloud in the process of covering the whole inside.


    "Of course, they''re only focused on the monster. Not a single one cares about the people getting hurt on the sidelines," Jack said with rage in her heart.


    Jack saw the people, but she knew there was nothing that could be done about them.


    Yune called to Jack, "Hey, get the boy. He''s still alive. Get him out of there!"


    Jack looked around for a young boy and there he was. She saw only one boy crying as his mother laid there. The paper bugs didn''t come out of her, yet, so Jack grabbed the boy who tried to fight back, but to no avail.


    "Wait! My mom!" he yelled.


    Jack transformed into her Night Guardian form. The boy screamed in terror at what he was seeing. A giant monster. Jack broke through the walls of the bus while protecting the boy. She leapt onto the hot sand while the bus was moving. However, as Jack touched the ground, she looked back and the bus wasn''t moving at all. There were paper bugs covering all of the bus windows and moving the wheels of the bus and occasionally shaking it. The paper changed color on the windows giving a moving picture.


    Yune and Mary concentrated on the Night Demon, although they also noticed that the bus wasn''t moving at all.


    Jack gave a thumbs up to Yune and she gave one back. But the demon didn''t surrender. It continued to fight as it was surrounded on two sides. Mary one one and Yune on the other. Mary tried to claw the demon with extreme speed and alacrity. Yune threw in her hooks and tried to chain up the monster. The Fahrerlause was fast as well. It could dodge and parry any attack that it was given.


    "Food. Food," it repeated, "I deserve it."


    It felt like ramblings of an old man, but the two girls paid no attention to it.


    Paper bugs stopped the charade of moving the bus and began it''s assault. They rushed out of all the bodies inside the bus. Out the cracks and broken windows, and into the hot desert.


    Mary and Yune jumped back off the bus as these bugs swarmed the entire bus in a sphere. They flew around in a frenzy while Fahrerlause screeched and licked it''s pincers.


    Jack held onto the boy tightly who held his eyes shut in fear of everything around him. He couldn''t believe anything that was happening.


    Jack, Yune, and Mary all lined up together side-by-side.


    "I don''t know how we''re going to pull this off," Mary said worryingly.


    Jack looked at Yune and wondered, "Why did you tell me to save the boy?"


    "It would be the right thing to do," Yune said without any hesitation, "We might not be Light Guardians, but we don''t have to act like complete monsters."


    Jack gently smiled and with a grin remarked, "Good answer. This means I won''t have to kill you."


    Mary and Yune both said in shock, "What?"


    "Nothing. Just a bad joke," Jack said with a slight laugh. Usually, she expects Light Guardians to hunt Night Demons over anything else. Over protecting people from said Night Demons. Over saving lives. All over for a black coin.


    Fahrerlause''s eyes stared at the boy and Jack noticed. It kept repeating, "Food. Food."


    And with that Jack thought of a reckless plan. If she was wrong, then all three of them would be overwhelmed. But if she was right, then the only one that would get any harm is only her.


    The masks hid any semblance of emotion for the Night Demon to sense. It had no idea what Jack was planning, even though, she was plainly smiling with malicious intent behind her mask. Jack touched her red mask and remarked, "I do love wearing masks. Helps to hide what my ugly face a lot."


    Jack looked at Mary and Yune. "I have a plan. I''ll be in front and grab the attention of that Night Demon, while you two go in for a pincer attack."


    "Oh, I''m familiar with that tactic," Mary commented.


    "Got it. You don''t need to explain. Let''s go with your plan," Yune said.


    And so, Mary and Yune stepped back while Jack stood her ground and faced the hordes of paper bugs surrounding Fahrerlause. There was no fear in Jack. She would feel nothing from the bugs. The only thing she would feel is remorse if she failed, but she never planned on that.


    And so, her plan commenced.


    Jack lifted the young boy up.


    "Wha-!?" the boy screamed.


    "Hey, Fahrer-loser. Want some food. I got you a nice, chewy kid right here," Jack taunted while waving the boy up.


    The demon salivated while looking at it. "Food. Food. I deserve it."


    "Ooh. Risking a child''s. Sounds dangerous and illegal," Mary said.


    "Get ready," Yune mentioned towards Mary.


    Fahrerlause pointed it''s long pincers at Jack and made a loud screeching noise. The paper bugs charged with incredible speed all towards Jack.


    She smiled and held the child back. She dropped the child behind her and covered him with her own body. Her red-hot armor covered the entire boy. He was in tears. No idea what was happening. Only a large feeling of fear. The paper bugs tried cutting through the armor and some were able to fight weak points. Their small and flexible bodies cut through those points as blood spurted out. But Jack couldn''t feel it. Only the slightest sense of something there.


    The boy began to weep.


    "Shh. Shhh. It''s ok. It''s ok," Jack calmly said. Her frost mask slowly melded back into the rest of her armor.


    She smiled gently. Tears dropped from her face onto the boy''s. "You''ll be ok. You''ll be ok," she said not knowing what was happening outside.


    The boy calmed himself. "It''s hot in here," he said in discomfort.


    "Oh. I think I can move my body heat elsewhere. Somewhere away from you. Is that ok?" Jack calmly asked.


    The boy nodded.


    Meanwhile, white the paper bugs swarmed over Jack, Yune ran to one side and Mary to the other. They sprinted as fast as they could. Mary got to one side of Fahrerlause first. She readied her claws to cut the bug in half. But the bug saw her and prepared to parry her attack.


    But Yune was just in time to throw in a hook. A throw straight through towards the Night Demon without it even seeing it. The hook and the chain wrapped itself around Fahrerlause''s whole upper body. It''s arms constricted and Yune held tightly to the chain so that the demon wouldn''t try to run away. And before the monster could react, Mary yelled a battle cry and with her shiny red claws cut through the monster''s head in half until she reached the chain. White post-it notes began to spill from it''s disfigured face and body.


    "I''m still hungry. I''m still hungry," it garbled with it''s mouth cut in two.


    Fahrerlause began to disintegrate into just a bunch of white post-it notes.


    "We did it," Mary said, but they both looked at Jack. Those paper bugs still swarmed her.


    "No. No. This can''t be happening. Those things should''ve disappeared with main Night Demon," Yune said in shock. However, when they looked back at the notes, a message appeared. Each one began to have one word on it - "Food".


    Each note and each paper bug began to have "Food" written on them with black ink.


    Jack was becoming tired. The paper bugs weren''t able to go through the armor, but their consistent cutting tolled on Jack''s body whether she felt it or not.


    "It''s ok. Everything will be ok. I''ll try making it cooler for you," Jack said to the boy who started to trust her. Dusk fell, but the paper bugs kept coming. Yune and Mary tried to cut at them, but they were too small and too many.


    She started to transfer heat from her body to behind her.


    As Yune tried to think of a plan, she noticed that some of the paper bugs were catching on fire as they touched Jack''s heavy red armor.


    "Of course. Jack!" Yune yelled as she realized that Jack had no idea what was happening behind her.


    Jack could hear her, but was too tired to yell anything back.


    "Increase the heat. Make it hotter on your back!" Yune said.


    Jack''s eyes began to drift, but as she looked at the helpless boy underneath her, she was reminded of herself. She wouldn''t let this child die because of her.


    With one big push, she used up all the energy she had. All the heat from her body and created a blaze of fire behind her. The flames reached up and up. The paper bugs were incinerated instantly. Those that were nearby caught on fire and fell. Even a couple of birds flying overhead fell as they got cooked.


    And when Jack was done, all of the paper bugs were either black dust or burning on the ground.


    "Good job, Jack. Good firing up," Mary cheered.


    Jack pushed herself off of the boy and laid on the ground breathing heavily. She transformed back into human form. Night fell upon the three girls.


    Jack looked back at the boy and saw him with his eyes closed. She thought he must have fell asleep. Even she was ready to sleep right there on the sand which suddenly became very cool for the three.


    Yune and Mary transformed themselves back.


    "Damn. That demon must have implanted some kind of eggs in those unknowing people like some alien," Yune said with remorse.


    "Hmph. That''s too bad," Mary replied with no care. And upon hearing that, Jack woke herself up.


    "Y''know, I don''t like it when you say things like that. I have a feeling you don''t care about regular people," Jack said.


    Mary looked back at her and said, "You''re right. I don''t."


    "C''mon, guys. Let''s not fight. We worked together as a team. I think that was some real team effort," Yune said.


    Jack sighed. "Yeah. I guess you''re right. Sorry, I''m still pretty tired. Let''s set up some kind of camp inside the bus and wait until morning."


    And so, Jack went inside the bus and saw that all of the bodies were gone. Not a single drop of blood was left from them. Those paper bugs consumed them whole leaving no trace. It''s like it was never there.


    "You know, I''m wondering if it dropped a black coin," Yune said.


    "Oh, hell. I didn''t see any black coin," Mary panicked.


    "Don''t worry. I''m sure it dropped somewhere around here."


    "Also, if we find it, let me do the talking. I don''t want to teleported to some indigenous hut land."


    And so, Yune and Mary looked around for a black coin, but it was nowhere to be found. But on top of the bus, there was a stack of paper notes. A gust of wind blew them away to reveal a black coin.


    Mary hopped on the bus and grabbed it with surprise.


    "What a stroke of luck," she said happily, "Hey, guys. I-"


    Suddenly, a large hawk grabbed the coin from Mary''s own fingers and flew away. Mary was stunned as she looked at her empty hand and then to the hawk flying away. She didn''t know how to feel. Confused. Perplexed. Angry. Dissapointed. It was more like all of those feelings at once.


    "Did you find it?" Yune asked as she came up to the bus roof.


    "Uh, no. Sorry, I''m just, uh, I just got my period."


    They both looked at each other in complete silence.


    "Ok. I''ll just leave," Yune said to spare any more of their embarrassment.


    Jack lied there silently asleep in the back seat with the young boy. He slept, but tears kept flowing on his cheeks. "Mom," he said quietly to himself in his sleep. And Jack could do nothing, but feel regret for not being able to do more.

 Chapter 20: The Last Bus Ride

    When the three girls and young boy woke up near the dawn, they all felt refreshed for the day.


    However, as the three girls looked at themselves in front of the side-view mirror, they all had unkempt hair and appearance. Mary panicked the most about her appearance and tried to fix up whatever she could. They all smelled, but there was no perfume anywhere. Jack and Yune couldn''t really do anything about it, so they just focused on getting back home. They also had to take care of the boy.


    When Yune looked at the driver seat of the bus, she asked, "Do either of you know how to drive this thing?"


    Jack shook her head, but Mary wanted to try to operate the machine. The boy watched from the front passenger seat.


    "Well, I don''t particularly know, but how hard could it be to use this metal carriage," Mary said, but as soon as she sat on the seat, she had no idea what to do, next. She had to work extra hard to have her head above the wheel.


    Mary started pressing all sorts of buttons. She turned on the hazard lights, the car horn, and the windshield wiper before she was able to find the right switch to turn on the bus.


    "See. Piece of cake," Mary said.


    "We''ll never get out of here at this rate," Jack said in an upset tone.


    "Try pressing the pedals on the ground," Yune instructed.


    Mary tried reaching them with her feet, but her legs were too short. She tried and tried, but she just couldn''t.


    "Ok. At least the bus started. Now, I''ll try," Yune said. And as she sat down in the seat, her legs were able to reach the pedals, and she could see above the wheel. But then she just looked at all of the controls, levers, and meters. All of this made her overwhelmed to the point where she was afraid to touch anything in fear of breaking it.


    But eventually, she figured out how to set the stick to drive. And as soon as the bus started, she began to panic.


    "What do I do, now?" Yune asked in a hurry.


    The bus slowly went forward. It only went inches, and as soon as she figured out how to move the bus properly, she was afraid of going faster.


    "There we go. Now, we''re really picking up speed," Yune said while going only 5 miles per hour.


    Jack became impatient and took Yune off the driver seat.


    "At this rate, I would be in a retirement home," Jack said as she became the new driver.


    "What are you doing? That was very dangerous what you did," Yune said.


    Mary took a seat next to the boy and watched the two as they were the only ones who could actually drive. She became very jealous that she was the only one who came back from the dead without her growth spurt.


    "I''m driving, now. Don''t worry. I''m a quick learner," Jack said with confidence.


    After a few seconds, Jack began driving 60 miles per hour on the country road. She was swerving all over the place. Jack''s body began to freeze up as she concentrated on controlling the vehicle. Yune began to slide around the bus. Meanwhile, Mary acted cool. She just closed her eyes and prayed to God that she would make it out alive. The boy hanged on to one of the guardrails for his own life.


    "Not to worry. Everything is under control," Jack assured them. It wasn''t.


    But luckily, they were able to make it to a diner in the middle of nowhere. Jack crashed the bus into their parking lot, but there were no other cars and nothing was damaged.


    Jack got out and ordered some food. The boy left the bus following right behind Jack. Mary got out of the bus and said, "Thanks, God. I knew you were on my side."


    Yune left the bus in a daze. Her whole body felt numb and immediately she ran to the bathroom to puke.


    They bought some food with the money that the shopkeep gave them their first day. The boy ate his food, but he was silent throughout. Jack knew what the kid has been through. However she had no idea what to say, even though she too experienced a similar predicament.


    They ate peacefully. When the waitress asked if they were alright, Mary just told her to mind her own business.


    Yune looked at a map after her headache passed and realized how to get to the nearest town. They just needed to go straight down the road and eventually they''ll reach Navenport City. From there, they could ditch the bus and take an actual bus ride to Janken City. And so, the plan was set.


    After they finished their breakfast, Jack and Yune argued.


    "I''m driving," Yune demanded, "You don''t know how to drive."


    "No. I''m driving. You''re too slow and too careful," Jack argued.


    "Does anybody care if I drive?" Mary asked.


    "You''re too short," Jack and Yune said at the same time.


    The boy gave a small chuckle as their bickering reminded him of his own family. But that memory quickly turned to despair. Tears started to break down his cheeks.


    Yune and Jack both went to him to try and comfort him. In that moment, Mary transformed into a Night Guardian. She sat on the bus seat, started the car, and with one long claw, she pushed the accelerate pedal.


    However, she didn''t get very far as the bus was still in park. Although, Mary thought that they were moving, but since her head wasn''t above the wheel, she couldn''t really tell.


    So, Jack took the car seat and decided to drive while Yune tried to comfort the kid. It felt like something that she knew what to do. Yune somehow knew how to take care of those younger than herself, but she also knew that she wasn''t an actual mother. But the memories were incomplete, so she didn''t dwell on it.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Jack tried to drive better. She focused and was able to at least drive on the right side of the lane. And she was better at controlling her speed.


    When they arrived at Navenport City, Jack left the bus on the side of the road.


    Traffic started moving, and each one of them knew that they would hit something or another in that crowded space.


    Jack, Mary, Yune, and the boy all took a taxi to get to a bus station, but before that, Jack needed to make a quick stop.


    "We need to go to the police station, first," Jack said.


    Yune and Mary also agreed with her.


    "What? Why?" asked the boy.


    "The police will be able to take care of you," Jack replied.


    "No. I don''t want to. I want to stay with you girls," he said with tears.


    "Sounds like he got a case of Stockholm''s syndrome," Yune mentioned as just a fact, but Jack ignored her.


    "It''s dangerous being around us. You saw that monster. If you''re around us, those kind of monsters will be around us all day," Jack said, "We can''t protect you. Do you have any other family?"


    The boy sniffled. "I was supposed to meet my dad here. He just got out of prison?"


    "Prison!? Uh, for what exactly, if you know?" Jack asked worryingly.


    "My mom told me he committed tax fraud," he said. It wasn''t as bad as what Jack was worrying about. If he was some kind of drug dealer, murderer, or robber, then she would worry. But for a crime that was mentioned, she thought that it wasn''t too bad in her eyes.


    "Tax fraud? Now, that''s a crime I can''t forgive," Mary commented. And as she looked at the taxi driver, she worried that he might call the local police force on them. Mary went up to the driver and said, "Don''t you dare tell this to anyone."


    The driver unplugged his earphones and asked, "Tell what?"


    "Uh, well, just don''t tell anybody what you heard, today," Mary said and as she did so, her eyes turned purple and something stirred inside her. The man seemed to be entranced and nodded his head in agreement.


    "You better not lie," Mary said.


    "I will not lie," the driver replied in a static tone.


    But Mary became a little confused by his mannerisms. And something about her didn''t feel the same, either.


    "Tell me, driver. What''s your deepest, darkest secret?" Mary asked to confirm a suspicion.


    "I cheated on my wife with a dolphin," he said.


    Jack and Yune closed the boy''s ears.


    "What the hell is wrong with you!? Let us off. We''ll take another taxi," Yune yelled for the sake of the boy who didn''t really care for what he heard.


    The driver didn''t stop.


    "Hey, driver. She said stop," Jack ordered.


    But nothing happened.


    Mary thought to herself and wondered if she had awakened some new kind of power.


    She told the driver, "Stop on this corner." And with something rising up within her, her eyes turned purple, and the driver nodded. He stopped on the corner.


    They all left the taxi.


    And then Mary told him, "Get out of here and you''ll forget everything that happened here."


    And so the driver left.


    "What was that?" Jack asked Yune and Mary. Yune and Jack weren''t aware of any mind control powers, and neither did Mary until right now.


    "Looks like I got a new power. I can just make people do things. I didn''t know I could do that," Mary said ecstatically. She walked over to a random pedestrian.


    "Hey, you," she said with purple eyes. The man froze and awaited a command.


    She looked around and saw a gang of heavy-built gang members.


    She pointed at them and ordered, "You go over there and start a fight."


    The man nodded with no objection and walked over there. He immediately punched one of them and a fight ensued.


    "Looks like I do have mind control powers. This is neat," Mary said ecstatically as she jumped in the air while the gang-members started beating up the guy she ordered.


    Yune was too tired to handle this and just looked away in disappointment. And Jack just wanted to find a new taxi.


    When they arrived at the police station, the boy gave Jack one last hug.


    "Will this be the last time we meet?," he asked.


    Jack frowned and shook her head.


    "In that case, I want you to know my name. My name is Harold Cohl. I won''t forget you three," he said.


    He ran over to the police station and the Jack hoped that she wouldn''t have to meet him, again. Not that she didn''t want to see the boy, but that it would be too dangerous to be near each other. And she hoped that his father will take care of him properly.


    "Do you think he will be alright?" Yune asked.


    "I don''t know," Jack replied.


    "Well, at least he isn''t an orphan. Then, I would have had a feeling that he would be better off with us, unfortunately."


    "I feel that, too. But either way, we can''t raise him. We only barely won, and I can''t risk having an innocent on my hands."


    Mary shrugged. "Innocent? I don''t think anybody is innocent in this world. But if it makes you feel better, we could go check in on the dad and make sure he''s good."


    And with that idea, Jack smiled and agreed with her.


    "Oh, just to be sure, I want to know if your new power affects us," Yune said.


    "Good point. Yune, tell me your darkest secret," Mary ordered as her eyes turned purple.


    But Yune didn''t feel anything.


    "I guess it doesn''t work on guardians," Yune concluded.


    After it was all finished, before they headed to the bus station, they decided to follow the young boy, Harold, by rooftop. As they saw the police escort him home, they quickly followed in the shadows. They had the speed to follow a car. They had the dark robes to hide in the darkness. Now, they just needed to follow.


    When they arrived at the house, they noticed that it was quite a nice house. Very fancy.


    "I guess tax fraud really does pay," Yune said.


    Mary became angry at the father''s house. "How could somebody who take my - I mean the government''s money get away with it!?"


    They seemed to get along fine as they watched from the windows. When the boy went to his bed, the three girls checked on him. They saw him crying to sleep. This broke both Yune''s and Jack''s heart.


    So, they quickly went up to the father''s room. He was fast asleep as if nothing happened.


    With a rush of anger, Jack opened the window and went inside the room. She took off her dark robes and her loud footsteps woke up the dad.


    "What are you doing here? What do you want?" the father panicked.


    Jack had an intimidating presence about her. Her giant red armor. Her metallic red mask that looked like it was from a horror movie. Her glowing red eyes.


    Yune and Mary followed with her, but they kept their robes on. Only their glowing eyes could be seen.


    Jack''s mark glowed the symbol of a snake. Mary''s glowed the symbol of a crow. And Yune''s glowed the symbol of a cat. The father tried to run, but Mary grabbed him and pushed him to the wall. Yune heard footsteps coming.


    "Dad? Are you alright?" the boy cried as he was afraid that another monster was there.


    Yune quickly chained up the door. Harold tried to open it, but there was no use.


    Jack held the man with one arm up to her face. Her terrifying, monstrous mask frightened even the wind.


    "You will take care of this child. No more crime. No more stealing. Just honest work," Jack said in a threatening, dark voice.


    "Wha-?" the father said in confusion and terror.


    Mary came up and decided that she wanted to test her new powers.


    "You will listen quietly, "Mary said and the father became still, "You will listen and remember. You will listen to Jack''s words and follow them to the letter."


    Mary nodded her head towards Jack to let her continue.


    With fury, Jack demanded, "You will take care of the boy. You will only do honest work. If you neglect the boy, we will return and take your arms and legs."


    The man nodded with no emotion.


    "You will not remember us to tell to other, but every night, you will be reminded of us. You will dream of us. You will not remember us, but you will never forget us. We will haunt you until the day of your death."


    And with that, Jack let go of the father''s neck and they all left.


    As soon as Yune''s chains were gone, Harold opened the door.


    The three girls had already escaped the room and into nearby trees. They wore their black robes and hid in the shadows.


    As they watched, the boy cried for his father. And when the father awoke from a seemingly hypnotic trance, he comforted the child.


    "I sure hope the effect lasts," Yune said.


    "It doesn''t matter. If the effect fails at a later date, then he will still be reminded of us. Even if he ends up telling others, nobody will believe him," Jack said.


    "You are quite scary. You gave me a couple of chills," Mary said.


    Jack smiled. "Oh, you don''t know that half of it. Let''s go back to Janken City. I''m tired of this road trip."

 Chapter 21: Jacks Torment

    "Hey! Wake up!" a girl shouted as another''s eyes opened, "Wake up, my assistant. I need your help."


    And with a yawn, another girl awoke from her slumber. It was a quiet noon. Everybody else was eating lunch. Meanwhile, the once-asleep girl was still on her desk. She was tall and tan. Taller than any average middle-schooler even compared to senior men.


    Her head was gently placed on her desk in the back next to the window and as she looked up, she saw one of the seniors of the school. A girl with fair skin and long green hair.


    At first glance, she didn''t recognize who it was, even though there weren''t many people with hair dyed green. As she stretched her arms, she asked, "What''s up? Is there something wrong?"


    The other girl flicked her head playfully. "Don''t call me girl, my wonderful assistant Jack. Call me either boss, maam, master artist, or - if I''m in a good mood - Annie," she said jokingly.


    Jack wiped her eyes and realized it was the girl she looked up to. Annie Weldsfield.


    "Oh, man. I totally forgot. I fell asleep during Mr. Hose''s boring lecture. So, is it lunch already?"


    "Yep. In the middle of it. Usually, you''re never late more than 5 minutes, so I decided to check your class. And what do I find. A sleeping giant."


    Jack smiled and apologized. "Sorry, boss."


    Annie smiled along. "Don''t worry. It''s alright. Let''s go to the art studio and you can help me, assistant."


    Although, it seemed like Jack was being bossed around by Annie, Jack didn''t see it like that. For as long as she could remember, her height scared off everybody else. Jack was alone for most of her life. She remembered her only real friends were her parents. However, those days were short in number. She remembered as a young child, a terrible storm toppled a building crushing her parents underneath. She felt isolated ever since that incident.


    At school, she kept to herself. She used to be in track and field, but after some time, the other girls became jealous with her. The looks that she would get and her feeling of isolation only deepened. But that only for a short time. A transfer student joined the school. She was elegant and cool. All of the girls and boys wanted to be her friend. However, she would usually avoid them. She was older, but her reputation reached the other grades. Jack didn''t try to approach her as she saw no reason to even bother. But that changed on the very first day. Annie came to her.


    Annie was the only girl who would approach her. It was just a simple greeting, and a bond formed from there. She was kind and had big dreams. And Jack was in glee as she was around her.


    They became great friends and Jack even looked up to Annie. She had a brilliant mind in both her academics and, more importantly, her art. Annie enjoyed creating colorful displays that bewildered and captivated many viewers. And Jack wanted to help. And so, Annie asked if Jack would be her assistant. And without a second thought, Jack agreed with a bright and young smile.


    At the art room, there was a large canvas the size of the room. It was bright and colorful. It evoked all kinds of emotions. Happiness. Sadness. Rage. Chaos. All of it, and none of it. It was piece of art made by something beyond human understanding. Jack felt a sense of awe and inspiration as she looked at the painting. Meanwhile, Annie concentrated and at the same time, let her mind wander. She deliberately balanced her state of mind to create her artwork. In the bottom corner of her art, there was a signature. A yellow cursive ''A'' with a heart above it. Annie always put that signature on her works, whether it was finished or not.


    Jack lifted Annie up and she painted. She stood right on top of Jack''s shoulders perfectly.


    "Hey, assistant," Annie said and she pointed to one of the brushed. Jack carefully grabbed it and handed it over above her. Annie brushed strokes perfectly, but as Jack became slightly tired, Annie''s hand motion tilted. A stray brush stroke.


    "Sorry, Annie," Jack said.


    Annie fell silent for a moment and then said, "It''s fine. There are no mistakes in art, my dear Jacqueline."


    And she continued to paint without any care. Neither had any ill will towards the other. Jack felt a calm and blissful feeling around Annie. Around someone she could call a friend.


    After it was over, Jack and Annie both went back to their respective classes. They never got to see each other except during breaks, but Jack appreciated every moment of them being together.


    After school, Jack and Annie both go out somewhere. Sometimes, it''s to get some food, go shopping, or to try something new like laser tag or karaoke.


    "Hey, Jackie. Let''s go get some ice cream. My treat," Annie said with a bright smile.


    Jack nodded happily and they both walked out of school together.


    Jack bought a chocolate ice cream cone, while Annie bought a cup of vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate. They both enjoyed themselves around the other, but these joyous days wouldn''t last.


    On that day, while they sat around eating ice cream, Jack wanted to make conversation.


    "So, Annie, why do you choose art over everything else? You''re pretty good at almost anything you set your mind to, so why art?" she asked.


    Annie took a bite of her ice cream and replied, "That''s an easy question. And I''ll give you an easy answer. I enjoy it, but if you want the longer answer, I can provide with that, too, assistant. So, listen carefully."


    And so Jack listened and watched her like a puppy.


    Annie coughed and continued, "Of course, I know I''m talented at things like math, english, history, and all of that school junk. But I never really enjoyed it. I just went on my days normally for a long time. My parents didn''t really care, as long as I had good grades. And I never once tripped up on that. What struck me was that I saw the world as so... boring. Everything felt so gray and dead, but one day - just a random day - I decided to try something new. And so, I tried painting. I bought a canvas and some basic art supplies. Can you guess how well I painted?"


    "You were great at it, right?"


    Annie shook her head, but still kept her pleasant smile.


    "No. I was utter trash. I tried painting a vase that was right in front of me, and I ended up drawing some kind of crimson demon from hell, " she said with a hearty laugh, "But that''s the point. I wasn''t good at it. I was so used at being great at everything, that I felt so relieved that I could be bad at something. And so, for the first time, I had to practice. I practiced and felt a sense of accomplishment when I got better. And when I look back on my earlier pieces, I see that improvement. Every time I make a new piece of art, I get a sudden burst of emotions. And so, I continued. I didn''t care what others thought. I just wanted to continue to strive for something bigger. Make something greater than what came before. Every one of my pieces - big or small - make an impact one way or another. I used to see the world as just boring, but after experiencing art, I realized there was so much color in this world. And so, that''s why I chose art over all else. Still, the simple answer is that I enjoy it."


    "Woah. That''s so cool," Jack said with stars in her eyes.


    Annie took another bite of her ice cream and said with a serious tone, "You asked a question, but I can see that you have another question."


    Jack became confused by this. She had nothing else to ask. She just wanted to talk.


    "A question that was in your head ever since I decided to talk to you," Annie said, "You want to know why...why did I decide to talk to you."


    A long pause surrounded the two. A chilly gust of wind blew past them.


    "I went to you," she continued, "because I saw something in you like me and my art. I noticed that you believed the world was so dull, but I also noticed what was inside of you. I still see it. You have so much color in you. So much vibrant life unlike the other kids. So much untapped potential."


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about," Jack said.


    "Oh, assistant. Oh, Jack. You are afraid of who you are, but you shouldn''t be. Just because you are so tall, doesn''t make you a monster. You''re just unique like a piece of art."


    Annie gently caressed Jack''s cheek and smiled like a mother. There was silence. A long silence. Jack had only a small idea of what she was talking about. She was afraid. Afraid that nobody would ever like her as she is, but that changed once she met Annie. Nonetheless, Jack did want to ask why, but she was too afraid of what that answer may be. But after hearing the answer, her fears lifted.


    "Oh," Annie jumped up as she finished her ice cream and exclaimed, "I forgot. I have to pick up some art supplies for one of my pieces. Assistant Jack, would you be able to come with me and pick them up?"


    Jack nodded her head. "Of course, boss," she said with a smile and salute.


    She finished her ice cream and they both went off.


    Night fell upon the two girls. It was dark and the streets were busy, but then they took a turn into an empty alleyway.


    "Are you sure this is the right way?," Jack asked.


    Annie gave a thumbs up and a reassuring smile. However, this didn''t sway Jack. She was worried that they could get mugged or worse.


    Annie stopped by a metal door by the side. She knocked three times and a slider opened revealing the eyes of another man. Annie took out a small ripped piece of paper from her pocket.


    "Yorktown three and five," Annie read aloud from the paper and the man opened the door for them.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    As soon as the door opened, music could be heard inside.


    "Thanks," Annie said as she strolled right in.


    Jack slowly walked in. Her knees shook, and she tried her best at maintaining a smile. However, it would have convinced no one. Luckily, the man didn''t care.


    "Psst," Jack whispered, "T-This doesn''t seem like an art store."


    "Don''t worry, my assistant. I know where I''m going," Annie reassured.


    They walked further in and down a decent amount of stairs. The music and cheers increased. Jack''s ears began to deafen as they finally got to the bottom.


    There were crowds of people. Shadows danced as lights zoomed past everything. Techno-music pumped throughout the extremely large room. Most people barely wore any clothes. Some kind of party, Jack thought. She became very confused, but trusted Annie.


    Annie yelled, "Welcome, my assistant, to the art store."


    "What are you talking about? This is some kind of adult gathering," Jack yelled in confusion.


    Annie looked back at Jack with a devilish smile. She shook her head and said, "You''ll see."


    And so, Annie reached into her pocket. Slowly, she extended her arm out and took out a pocket knife. Jack was stunned in place, but by looked at Annie''s face, she saw no ill intent.


    And in a flash, a light went over Annie. Jack looked away for a second and then looked back. She saw Annie''s clothes begin to morph. Her school clothes transformed into a green vest with yellow stars on it. Dark jeans with rows of stars on them appeared out of nowhere. And a dark green baseball cap appeared on top of her head. She tilted it and a rod materialized in front of her. The rod was golden with a shiny diamond skull for the top. She grabbed it with her other hand. When the light vanished, she struck a pose. Nobody else noticed what had happened and just continued dancing and socializing.


    Jack had no idea what was happening. She thought it was some kind of dream. She pinched herself, but she didn''t wake up. Jack looked back at Annie and before she could open her mouth to ask what was going on, Annie took the knife and stabbed a man beside her without him noticing.


    Jack stood paralyzed with fear and confusion.


    Annie ran in and stabbed others. Both men and women without discrimination. It was a massacre. She cut people in the groin and neck. She just kept stabbing away and when some people finally noticed the girl, they couldn''t stop her. Red blood splattered everywhere.


    One of the guys threw a punch at her, but Annie just grabbed the hand and twisted it with ease. The man screamed in pain, until Annie stuck her knife into the man''s mouth. And all through it, she maintained a devilish smile. Nobody could hear the screams as the music drowned them out.


    "Stop it," Jack muttered, but no one could hear.


    "Stop it", she repeated, but to no avail.


    And as she looked down to the floor, she noticed some blood under her shoes. Viscous and dark red. The stench of death roamed the party.


    And when she looked up, something dark began to form from above the bodies.


    "Looks like it''s here. Just needed to attract it," Annie said to herself.


    The lights flickered and from the blood, a creature started to form. A dark red being. The blood dried and it stood towering above them all. But this wasn''t just the only monster that appeared. All around the room, other nightmarish creatures started to attack and gnaw at the people. They were like shadows, but hideous in nature.


    The blood being grew out many long legs like a millipede. It took the eyes from the dead and used them for itself. There were eyes on both sides of the creature. It stared at down at Annie and spoke.


    "Blutform," it muttered as it opened it''s gaping mouth with rows of human teeth. Annie only looked at it with a grin.


    She pointed at the creature and said, "Blutform, huh? Well, lucky for you, I think you can work for a piece of mine. I''ll try not to mess you up too much. I don''t want to damage anything that I want to keep."


    The monster screeched and attacked Annie. Jack could only watch. Annie kept dodging every attack and with her rod, she pointed and a beam of light came out from the top of the rod. It struck the monster and went right through it creating a gaping hole, but it kept going. It healed it''s own body with the nearby blood and gathered it up like a sponge.


    People screamed and cried as other monsters came and ripped them apart. There was only violence and chaos.


    And Jack could only stand there with her eyes glued to the carnage. She tried to pinch herself awake again and again, but nothing changed.


    "This doesn''t have to happen," something said to Jack. She looked down and noticed a white snake. She would usually be scared, but the snake felt soothing. The snake didn''t open it''s mouth, but still spoke. "I can give you the power to stop this. If you let me in, you can stop all of this mayhem," the snake said as it wrapped itself around Jack''s leg.


    Annie noticed the white snake as she fought and smiled.


    As Jack stared at the snake''s pure eyes, it felt warm and kind. The snake''s tender body calmed Jack down. Fear no longer held her in place. And when she looked at the towering millipede monster, Annie, and all of the other dark creatures, she knew that she had to stop them.


    "Give me permission, and I''ll give you the power to stop this," the snake said once more and Jack nodded.


    "Fine. I give you permission," Jack said and within a blink, the snake disappeared and a shining light came over her. Her clothes broke apart and in it''s place, red armor covered her whole body.


    Blutform felt this new power and turned it''s head towards the light.


    The monster charged at her, and Annie stood aside and watched. She was curious in seeing what kind of power that Jack had.


    The monster moved with all of it''s legs and right as it''s mouth would had chomped on the new Light Guardian, two heavy arms grabbed both sides of the mouth.


    Layers of armor grew and made her look even bigger than before. She transformed into a giant juggernaut. Jack felt a blazing fire inside of her. She felt powerful. Her eyes whitened and erased any semblance of an iris. Her body felt like it was on fire, but after a while, she felt like she was accustomed to it.


    Her grip began to burn the creature. It whimpered. And as she looked straight at the monster, without any hesitation or remorse, ripped it into two halves from it''s mouth to it''s end like paper. Blood splattered all over the place. The creature couldn''t even cry in pain.


    Annie looked in awe and smiled at Jack. She even began to clap.


    But when Jack looked at Annie, she still felt angry.


    "Why did you kill those people!?" she shouted.


    "For my art," Annie said as if it was obvious, "I told you I was getting some art supplies."


    Jack growled.


    And before Jack could do anything, a headache began to pour into her. She gripped her head and screamed. Black tar came out of her ears as something that was once locked inside of her mind, broke free.


    Jack remembered. She was back to when her parents were killed. They were killed by a storm. Or was it a blizzard. A terrorist attack? Something kept changing until her memories cleared up as black tar was ejected out her ears.


    People screamed for their lives. A black diamond floating above the ground. It shot out sharp black gems in random directions. It cried out, "Zuruckdiamant."


    And before Jack and her parents could react, it show out a gem towards a building next to them. Rubble fell. Her parents pushed Jack away and the rubble fell on top of them. But they were still alive. They dug their heads above the rubble and stone. Jack felt relief, but she couldn''t lift the giant rocks away. Their bodies began to get crushed.


    When all hope seemed to have been lost, a girl dropped down in front of them. It face Zuruckdiamant. She had green hair and wore a dark green vest with stars. She held a rod. At the time, Jack wouldn''t know it was, but now, she knew. Annie.


    Jack cried for the girl to help, but instead of helping, she only looked back with dead eyes. She looked down on them as if they were like rats. Jack shivered and the girl looked back towards the monster.


    She left Jack and her parents to fate. All Annie cared about was fighting that monster. And so she did. She began shooting colorful lasers from her rod haphazardly. To a certain point, nobody could tell who did more damage to the city.


    She killed it and took a black coin out of it. Then, she jumped away without even looking back at the child and her family. Jack tried to help her family, but they died succumbing to their injuries before any paramedics could get their.


    Jack cried and cried. A dark shadow came over her. It was a man with a gas mask and trench coat.


    "All these witnesses I''m going to have to fix," he complained, "Guess I''ll have to start with you."


    He opened his palm wide open in front of Jack. And with a flash, Jack''s memories of that event changed. Even nearby recordings showed false events. A storm. A natural disaster. To the public, there were no such things as monsters. And Jack, who was there, would say the same thing.


    Jack opened her eyes. Tears rolled down her eyes. Her entire life changed because of that moment. Everything she had was gone. And as she remembered those last days, she knew they were real, no matter how painful it felt to her.


    Jack looked at Annie with tears and fury.


    "Ooh. Scary. I think you would make a fine Light Guardian assistant," Annie said. But Annie seriously was surprised at Jack''s power. She was powerful. Stronger than anything she has ever seen. In a matter of seconds, she was able to destroy that Night Demon. She thought that if Jack was able to hone her powers, she could destroy entire cities by herself.


    "Did you know?" Jack asked.


    Annie became confused. "Know what?"


    "Did you know about my parents? What happened to them?"


    "Huh? What are you talking about?"


    Jack laughed hysterically. "So, you didn''t know. Or you just didn''t care. You could have saved them. My parents. But you left them for dead. You turned your back on us."


    Annie shrugged without even knowing Jack''s parents. "You''re right. I don''t care," she said without remorse. She had no recollection of Jack or her parents, but she did believe that it could have happened.


    Jack grit her teeth. Then, she let out a roar with the might of a demon. Red flame poured out of her body. She materialized a flaming machete out of her hand and gripped it tightly. She looked at Annie with unfettered rage and without any thought, she charged forward.


    Annie chuckled. "You''re strong, but foolish to think you can beat an experienced - "


    But before she could finish that, Jack with just one step, dashed even faster. The thought of even looking up to her fueled her rage. She hated her. She hated herself. And she wouldn''t forgive either.


    Annie stepped back and began to shooting lasers from her rod. She even created small portals that shot out more lasers. Gold. Red. Blue. Purple. All sorts of lasers. As Jack got hit with each and every beam, she couldn''t feel it. She could no longer feel any physical pain. And she just kept running forward with her machete in hand.


    For the first time in a long while, Annie felt fear. Jack dashed forward and as she held her machete upwards to strike down, Annie could do nothing, but block it with her rod. As the machete impacted the staff, Annie was blown downwards on the floor. Jack kept swinging her blade down in a rampage, and all Annie could do was poorly defend herself. The ground beneath them began to shake. The entire room was collapsing in on itself. She knew that she had to do something.


    And as she looked towards the exit stairwell of the building, she saw one survivor - a woman - trying to escape. She was slowly limping there with cuts and bruises.


    Right before Jack''s machete could swing down, Annie shot a laser towards the ground and, with the force of the impact, pushed her back.


    Annie breathed heavily and said while pointing towards the woman trying to escape, "Left them for dead, huh? I wonder if you would do the same."


    This was just a gamble. She had no idea whether it would work, and she also knew that Jack didn''t look to be completely in control of herself. It was more like a wild animal than anything else. But Annie had nothing to lose from trying.


    She created a portal and shot one laser that deliberately missed Jack.


    The red-armored Light Guardian looked towards where the laser was shot. It hit the roof right above the limping woman. She tripped and screamed in terror as rubble began to fall over her. Jack awoke to her senses and dashed towards the woman.


    The woman closed her eyes and when she opened them, she saw the red-armored girl holding back all of the rubble. The whole building began to collapse on top of them.


    Annie smiled with glee and shot a laser above her. She created an opening for her to leave and as she jumped out, she shot a barrage of lasers all around the room. The whole place began to fall.


    "See ya around, assistant," Annie said as she jumped away.


    Jack looked at the woman and smiled. She had no regrets in saving the woman. As the whole building fell on them, Jack covered the woman head-to-toe. She couldn''t feel any pain nor did she think twice about it. She wouldn''t let what happened to her parents happen to anybody else.


    And then it was pitch black. The whole building was gone. It was ruled as an earthquake. The one survivor didn''t remember a thing. But Jack remembered. She remembered everything.


    Jack looked around the dark city. She searched everywhere for Annie, but it''s as if she vanished into thin air. Like she never existed. Her records erased. Everybody also seemed to forget she ever existed. She had no family or other friends. Nothing. But Jack knew. Jack knew that she was out there, and she wouldn''t forgive Annie for what she has done.


    But Annie was only the beginning of her story.


    Later, Jack learned about other Light Guardians. She learned about the shopkeep and the first thing she did was slap him for making her forget everything. She left her school and traveled looking for Annie. When she asked the shopkeep for information, he said, "She has paid me a lot of black coins to keep her hidden. And as a general rule, I can''t just send my customers to their deaths. That''s bad business."


    So, Jack gave up on that. And during her travels, she met other Light Guardians. Light Guardians, she felt that perhaps would be different.

 Chapter 22: Jacks Hunt

    Ever since the day Jack became a Light Guardian, she searched and searched for any hint at where Annie was. And she never smiled again, once she learned the truth. She stopped attending classes and was considered missing.


    Her fiery and rage were powerful weapons against Night Demons. She was able to get as much supplies as she needed from the shopkeep, but as she wandered into another Light Guardian''s city, complications began.


    Jack didn''t consider other Light Guardians as enemies. The only one that she determined to kill was Annie.


    In the city of Ghorin, Jack met up with the Light Guardian of that city. Her name was Jane Mellow. A girl who was more serious about hunting the dark creatures. She had a orange dress and carried two flintlocks.


    When Jane was fighting a demon alone in a secluded area, Jack noticed and decided to help. She sprung in and tore the demon apart.


    "Wow. You really destroyed that Night Demon," Jane exclaimed.


    Jack tossed the black coin over to Jane and she caught it.


    "That belongs to you. I don''t need it," Jack said as she began to walk away.


    "Wait!" Jane yelled. She ran up to Jack and said, "Y''know, maybe I can repay you. I was having a bit of trouble with that fight. I''m actually kinda glad you showed up."


    Jack looked at her with dead eyes.


    "I''m Jane, by the way," she said while giving out a hand to shake.


    Jack shook her hand and the beginning of a friendship started. Jack accepted her offer, since otherwise she would have to sleep under a bridge or park bench.


    They both stayed at Jane''s house. Her parents were away for work, so it was just the two of them.


    Jane prepared some snacks and food for dinner.


    "You''re not much of a talker, are you?" Jane said after she sipped some tea, "That''s okay. I didn''t talk too much either."


    "Hmm. Since I''m here, I am looking for someone," Jack said while she slowly ate some of the food. She was grateful, but didn''t show it. Her face looked dead.


    "Really? Who?"


    "I''m looking for another Light Guardian. Have you noticed any passing by here."


    "I have seen other Light Guardians in the city..."


    Jack''s eyes lit up for a moment upon hearing that.


    "Any of them wear green, use a rod or staff, and wear a baseball cap?"


    Jane thought for a moment and continued, "Hmm. No. I don''t recall anybody like that."


    And so Jack knew there was nothing to learn here. She got up and prepared to leave, but Jane held her arm. When Jane touched her hard arm, it burned her and she immediately let go. She wasn''t even in her Light Guardian form, Jane thought. Jack didn''t even notice her own heated skin or Jane''s touch.


    Jack opened the front door, and was about to leave.


    "Thank you for everything, but I can''t stay,"


    Jane felt an urge to help. She wanted to give back to the girl who helped her and return the favor.


    "Wait. Don''t go. I want to help you," Jane said.


    "I don''t need any help. Thank you," Jack replied without looking back, but right as she stepped outside, rain began to pour on her. She couldn''t feel the rain, but she could clearly see it. The water that touched her skin turned to steam immediately.


    As Jack stared at the puddles and raindrops, she thought to herself that it would be hard to find a good place to sleep and medicine would be costly even with the black coins she saved up.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Jack turned back inside and said, "I''ll just stay for the day if that''s okay with you."


    Jane smiled and replied, "Of course."


    During that night, Jack learned a lot about Jane. She was average in school. Had friends, but never told them about her life as a Light Guardian. To Jack, she wasn''t anybody really special. When Jane asked about her, though, Jack tried to keep it to a minimum. She only mentioned that she was looking for a friend, and to Jane''s surprise, Jack was younger than her.


    Jane laughed, but Jack could only make a fake smirk.


    They decided that night to work together. They would be a duo in fighting Night Demons and finding Annie.


    They didn''t find any new hints, but they were really formidable together. Jack would gather the monsters'' attention, while Jane would fire her flintlocks from afar before the demons would even get a hit in.


    After a week of fighting together, during one fight, things changed. Jack and Jane fought a Night Demon that was a mixture between a gecko and a spider. It had eight legs, the head of a black gecko, the back of a spider, and a tongue that spurted acid. There appeared to be shards of glass wrapped around it''s neck.


    It climbed the shadowy walls behind the school. When night came, it prowled looking for any students. It found a delinquent drinking alone in the school field. It attacked him. It''s speed was formidable. It''s acid sprayed all around him, but he was too drunk to even react to it. He just thought that there was something in his drink. Some of the acid fell on his arm. He started to scream as the acid melted away his skin to the bone. The pain woke him up from his drunken state, and then caused him to faint.


    Jane and Jack quickly arrived as they sensed a Night Demon nearby.


    When Jack saw the boy in extreme agony, she ran over to his side. He was still breathing, but his wound was getting infected.


    Jane began to fire at the Night Demon.


    "Geckospinne," it said.


    The creature began to spit out balls of acid at the two Light Guardians. Jack carried the boy in her arms and dodged them. Jane kept firing at the monster, but the bullets wouldn''t hit.


    "Jack, I''m going to need your help. Need you to pin it down," Jane ordered.


    But she wasn''t worried about the Night Demon. She was more worried about the injured boy in her arms. She knew that he needed to go immediately to the hospital.


    "We need to get this guy to a doctor!" Jack yelled.


    "Leave him. We can tend to him after we kill this thing," Jane said.


    "No. He won''t make it."


    "Listen to me! We don''t have time to argue. We just need to kill this monster," Jane said. She was worried about the kid, but she knew that if she let this Night Demon go, then it would kill more. But Jack didn''t see it like that. When she looked at the kid, she was reminded of her own parents. An innocent bystander. And when she looked back at the Light Guardian, she only saw someone who just wanted to kill. Kill a monster to get a black coin. Kill a monster for the fun of it. She didn''t know. But Jack''s rage swelled up as when she looked at Jane, the only thing she could see was Annie. Annie''s dead eyes looking down on her and her fallen parents.


    Jack gently put the kid down on the grass.


    Then, she walked slowly over to Jane who was too preoccupied with shooting at Geckospinne. Jack materialized a flaming machete. A blaze surrounded her. Jack breathed heavily and her anger would only rise up in a torrent of fire.


    When Jack was right behind her, she took her blade up.


    Jane turned around just to see not Jack, but a red demon. Without even knowing what happened, Jack swung the blade down. It cut her from the shoulder down to her waist in two. The body didn''t bleed, but the wound was instantly cauterized. Jane''s eyes instantly turned white and dead. Jane died instantly. Jack''s heart beat faster and faster.


    Geckospinne shot out one more ball of acid, but Jack threw her machete straight through it, burning it away. The machete went straight into the Night Demon''s temple.


    It screeched and popped like a balloon. Glass shards fell all around the school field.


    Jack''s anger dwindled and the flames dispersed.


    She grabbed the black coin and called, "Shopkeep. Shopkeep. I need you."


    And so the shopkeep appeared.


    "How may I be of -"


    Jack handed him the black coin and pointed to the kid. "Heal him and take him directly to a hospital."


    The shopkeep nodded his head and fixed his arm. Then, he held the boy and teleported him to the nearest hospital and dropped him off. The shopkeep looked at the fallen Light Guardian, but couldn''t care less about it.


    "Shame that I lost a customer," he said with a sigh, but inside of him, he didn''t care. The shopkeep disappeared with a gust of wind, and Jack was left alone.


    It was quiet. Not even the crickets came out. Only the remains of a charred field and Jane. Glass shards were spread around the field and when she looked at her cracked reflection, she saw an ugly smile of ecstasy. Jack didn''t realize it, but she enjoyed it. She enjoyed killing that Light Guardian. She enjoyed getting rid of one more person who didn''t care about the ants they stepped on along the way. And she was appalled. A twisted and disgusting monster, she thought. She looked at her own horrid reflection with hate and disgust. She crushed the glass and walked away. Jack could no longer bare to see her own face.


    She decided to buy a cheap Halloween mask from the dollar store. A hockey mask. She picked it out and kept it with her at all times. Whenever she would turn into her Light Guardian form, she would always put on her mask right before so that she wouldn''t have to look at her disgusting form.


    As she traveled looking for clues on Annie''s whereabouts, she also became a hunter. She hunted Light Guardians all around the country in search of one. She believed that all of them were the same. She could no longer see the difference between Night Demon and Light Guardian. Especially with herself.

 Chapter 23: Jacks Clue

    As Jack traveled across the country and killed Light Guardians without a second thought, she eventually came upon Janken City. It was like any other city to her. Nothing special. She had hoped to find any clue relating to Annie. Anything to find out where she was. She carried only essentials in a bag. Food. Water. A cheap blanket. Some bandages. Her hair was all messy, and she reeked of dirt.


    In the city, she went to the local gym to take a shower using money that she got from exchanging black coins to the shopkeep. To her, the shopkeep was merely a businessman. He had no desire to help unless there was something in it for him. And she understood that.


    In the middle of night, she walked around searching for either a Light Guardian or a Night Demon. As she strolled along the busy streets, she went off towards the local park. From her experience, Night Demons usually don''t go out in the middle of crowded areas, but prefer to hunt people who are alone. Of course, there were always exceptions, such as that time with her parents or at the bar. The creatures are vicious, but not overly confident. As she walked down the quiet park, she yawned. She couldn''t sense any Night Demon. The full moon illuminated the peaceful park. Jack sat on a nearby bench and sighed. She watched a calm lake filled with serenity. It wasn''t too cold nor too warm. The trees and bushes were still.


    She worried that at this rate, she would never find Annie. She took a bottle of water and drank a small sip of it. Some couples passed by her on the cobblestone pathway.


    It was just a quiet night until she suddenly felt a chill. As soon as she sensed a Night Demon, she jolted up knocking over her blanket. A gust of cold wind passed by her. She looked in the direction from where she was sensing the Night Demon. It was the same direction that the couple had gone to. She quickly took out her mask and transformed in a blaze. She dashed away leaving the rest of her belongings on the bench. She had to stop that couple from getting there. It might even be too late. But she wasn''t. She stomped through the trees and bushes. As soon as she saw the couple just walking along, she jumped up and landed in front of them. They both fell back and screamed.


    Jack sighed with relief as they didn''t reach the monster. She yelled in a loud and threatening manner. "Run!" Jack yelled at them. But they were paralyzed with fear. Her towering red armor and her hockey mask. Her eyes burned with rage, but her anger wasn''t aimed at them.


    "Run!" she repeated as she conjured a machete out of intense fire.


    They both ran away. Away from the Jack, but more importantly, away from the Night Demon.


    Jack transformed back and removed her hockey mask. It was full of wear and tear. It looked like it could snap at any second. She looked back towards where the Night Demon was. She needed to get there, but she had no plans of stopping the monster unless she really had to. She had other ideas.


    She ran off the trail and went towards the Night Demon. The moon illuminated everything, but she could hide behind the trees and bushes. As she reached the creature''s location, she laid her eyes upon it as she remained hidden. It didn''t seem to notice her. And it didn''t look like it was doing anything. It looked like it was asleep.


    It had the body, legs, and wings of a giant chick with the head of a raptor. The creature was around 7 ft tall. It had plates of black armor around it''s body. It didn''t try to fly or do anything. It just slept on the empty patch of grass next to the quiet lake. It began to grow more large black plates of armor around itself. When a frog came near the monster, the monster awoke itself and in less than a second, it chomped on the frog with it''s razor-sharp, black teeth. Then, it fell back asleep.


    As Jack observed the monster, she suspected the monster to not be a direct threat to anybody as of yet. As long as nobody like that couple shows up, then it shouldn''t cause any trouble.


    And so, Jack had a plan. Wait. She had no intention of killing this monster. If it was something that actively searched for prey, then that would be a different story. She would kill it without a second thought. But since this monster only defends it''s own territory, then she doesn''t need to kill it just yet.


    She sat and stalked the monster as it slept. For a big creature, it''s snores were very quiet. It almost looked peaceful. But Jack knew that it was still a demon. Mindless monsters that only like to cause others harm. Annie may not have saved her family, but the Night Demons were just as responsible.


    It took a couple of minutes, but what she was waiting for finally appeared. Another Light Guardian.


    She was young. Pretty short-statured. She was either beginning middle school or about to, she thought. She had short pink hair. Her costume and dress appeared to be light red. Almost pink.


    She ran head first at the Night Demon. As the sound of her footsteps woke the monster, it''s eye locked itself to the girl.


    "Don''t worry. I can do this," the girl said to reassure herself.


    Jack continued to watch. She didn''t want to reveal herself just yet. If more Light Guardians appeared, then she would have to adjust her plan.


    "Hanchen," the Night Demon said and then cried a deafening screech. Jack and the girl both took their hands to close their ears. It kept screeching as it''s neck extended itself. Jack watched and knew that if the girl didn''t move her arms away from her ears, then she would most certainly die. Jack knew that she couldn''t let that happen. She was about to transform and jump in, but stopped herself as she looked at the girl. She was young and confident. She made a smile as two orange portals appeared next to her. One on the right. And one on the left. An arm came out of each. A right arm and a left. They were each bigger than the girl herself. It looked like it was made of obsidian and streaks of lava. The conjured arms uppercut the demon''s jaw with haste and power. It left a burn on where she punched. The screech instantly stopped as it retracted it''s long neck. The girl removed her hands off of her ears and was ready to finish the monster. She charged in as the creature looked dazed. But it as quickly as it was uppercut, it quickly snapped itself out of it. The girl tried to end it with one more punch from her obsidian arms.


    "Take this. Obsidian Strike!" she yelled like a child playing as a hero. Even made up names for her attacks. Her right arm that she summoned was about to go in for a clean hit towards the monster''s face, but she was too late by a millisecond. It created a pristine black metal dome to surround itself. It looked almost like ice. Her arm crashed right into it. A loud thump.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Huh?" the girl wondered out loud. She tried to keep punching the metal dome with speed and power, but they wouldn''t even make a dent. Then, as soon as she noticed some parts of the metal begin to liquidize on the sides, she instinctively jumped back as black spikes popped out of it like a porcupine. She knew that it was planning to attack.


    Jack noticed as well and realized that she may have been very young, but she was still very experienced as a Light Guardian. It was a very subtle change to the black metal, that not even herself would even think about.


    The girl breathed heavily. She began to tire out. Controlling those two arms must have put a lot of strain on her, Jack thought. The arms went back inside their respective portal and it closed.


    The monster maintained it''s position.


    "What should I do?" the girl asked herself, and before she could think of a way to penetrate that dome, the monster went on the offensive. Feathers coated with the black metal slowly grew out of the dome. In a couple of seconds, it started to shoot out a barrage of razor-sharp feathers at the girl. A portal appeared in front of the girl and half a golem made of obsidian and cracks of lava appeared out of it. The conjured golem was around 6ft tall. It had arms, a chest, and a head. However, it had no neck. You wouldn''t even tell that it was a head except for the curvature on top. It had one mark on where Jack thought it''s head was. It looked like an eye made of gold. The golem blocked the feathers from harming the girl with it''s own body. The feathers merely bounced off of the golem. But some of the sharp feathers went past the golem and scratched the girl. She yelled in pain, but still held together.


    When the barrage of feathers stopped, it took a couple of seconds for it to load up another. The girl, seeing the opportunity, rushed for it. She kept her golem to her side.


    So, she can only attack close-range, Jack surmised. As another barrage of feathers was about to shoot out, the girl began to defend herself with the golem. However, the Night Demon stopped it''s feather attack. The golem blocked the girl''s view, so she didn''t realize that it stopped.


    A hole within the metal dome formed on it''s right. It''s head peeked out.


    The girl wondered why it didn''t attack, and so she peeked to the side of the golem. Her eyes locked onto the reptilian eyes of the Demon. In that instant, it screeched a bellowing cry. She had to cover her ears with haste and within that moment, a huge gust of wind came by. It fired it''s sharp feathers, but it''s aim seemed to be off. Jack watched as the feathers were aimed to the side. It missed, she thought. But no. Jack quickly put on her hockey mask and prepared to transform. While the girl watched the Night Demon, the sharp feathers were being carried by the wind. They flew right back towards the girl from the sides without her even realizing it. The creature made a smirk, and that is when she realized that something was wrong. She looked to her side and the sharp blackened feathers were about to cut her into pieces.


    "No way," she panicked. She moved her golem to block the oncoming wave of black feathers form the side. But now she was exposed from in front. The Night Demon shot out another barrage of feathers. The golem couldn''t block both place.


    The girl would have lost if she hadn''t been saved.


    Another Light Guardian jumped out in front of the girl with a blaze of fury. A giant with red armor and a hockey mask. She created a wall of fire in front of her melting some of the feathers and turning them to ash. She roared loudly like a lion. However, most of the feathers went straight through the flames. Those that scratched Jack''s armor did no damage, but some went through the cracks and openings. They spilled blood, but Jack didn''t feel a thing. She roared once more with a mighty temper.


    The girl was astonished at this power, but was more relieved for the aid.


    When all of the feathers melted away, the Night Demon began to form more, but Jack quickly dashed straight through to the monster. She formed her weapon with fire.


    She reached the Night Demon and started bashing the creature with her machete. It did nothing. Jack began to calm herself and instead tried a different approach. She knew that she could manipulate fire. She could expend heat out of anywhere throughout her body. Her machete disappeared and she placed both of her palms onto the metal dome. She began to send as much heat as she could into her hands. The dome began to turn red. The creature inside began to cower. The inside of the dome turned into an oven. The creature tried to screech, but it''s lungs were all fried. The dome itself began to bubble. And then, without warning, the dome collapsed in on itself. The creature tried to flee, but Jack grabbed it by the neck and snapped it with one motion of her hand. The Night Demon faded into nothing. A black coin dropped to the floor.


    Jack''s breath was uneven, but she tried to control her rage.


    "Wow! You saved me, miss!" the girl congratulated happily. Her demeanor turned back to that of a normal child.


    Jack took off her hockey mask and looked at the girl.


    "Woah. You''re so tall," the girl exclaimed.


    Jack didn''t care for small talk. She just wanted to get some answers.


    "Tell me. Do you know anybody by the name of Annie? Annie Weldsfield," Jack asked.


    "Annie? No. I don''t think so. There is a girl I know called Anne. That''s pretty close," she replied and with that answer Jack suddenly became more aggressive.


    "Anne!?" Jack yelled wanting to know more.


    "Uh-uh-uh, yes. Anne. That''s her name. Is she your friend or something?," she replied with a step back from the sudden outburst.


    Jack began to calm herself down. She didn''t want to scare the girl as she could have some more information.


    "Yes. I''m looking for my friend. However, I''m sure there are many people with the same name. She has long blonde hair. Likes art," Jack said.


    "Oh," the girl said with disappointment, "I''m sorry. Then, maybe, it''s not the same one. The Anne I know likes martial arts. And she usually keeps her hair short. Although, I wouldn''t know if she ever dyed her hair blonde. We''re not very close, although I would like to be."


    Jack thought to herself. She could have changed her appearance, but I don''t think she would change her interests, Jack thought, but in reality, she wasn''t sure. She wasn''t sure at all what Annie was like.


    "Where can I find this Anne?" Jack asked.


    "You can find her at the martial arts dojo. She goes for her karate club every day after school ends. I go there, too. For such a big city, I''m surprised there aren''t many schools around," the girl replied.


    As Jack began to put her hockey mask back on, the girl saw some cuts and burns on the girl''s face and began to worry.


    "Are-are you alright? It looks like you got hurt. Maybe, we should go to the doctor," she said worryingly. She really did want to help her. Not because she felt indebted, but because she was just kindhearted.


    When Jack put the mask back on, she smiled behind it. She was finally happy that she had some clue to finding Annie. But that wasn''t what she was smiling about. Her heart beat faster. The feeling of the hunt that she had acquired from her travels. Even if she liked the Light Guardian, she just couldn''t help herself.


    "No. That''s okay," Jack said.


    The park was quiet. Only the sound of the wind. The girl was worried, but not for herself.


    "Is everything alr-"


    And without even finishing that sentence, the girl had a machete lodged into her clavicle and down until it reached her stomach. The light in her eyes died out in seconds. She couldn''t even feel it.


    The machete was stuck there for a moment, and then it was yanked out. There wasn''t even any blood coming out. The wound was completely cauterized from the heat of the blade.


    It was so clean. Not even a drop of blood. Not when the machete slashed her. Not when the girl fell to the ground. Not a single one.

 Chapter 24: Jacks Encounter

    Jack wandered Janken City looking for the Janken City Public School. And it wasn''t hard to find. It looked like any normal school. Just like the one she used to go to. She had no desire to remember anything from her school because the only good thing she had was Annie, and now the thought of that made her want to vomit.


    Jack waited around near the martial arts dojo near the school. It wasn''t hard to find, either, when there was a giant sign on top of it. She thought it had the traditional design of some old japanese building. Pretty nice looking place, too.


    As she admired the building, a girl approached her.


    "Hey, there," she said.


    Jack turned her head and noticed a girl. Another middle school student.


    She had a worrying look.


    "Are you alright?" she asked.


    "Hmm? Yeah. Why you ask?" Jack replied.


    The girl took Jack''s hands. She looked and felt them up and down the arm. Then, she took a look at Jack''s legs and face.


    She began to take Jack into the dojo.


    "Your skin looks burned. And you have cuts and bruises all over you," she said, "Come. There''s some first aid kits inside. We can use those."


    "No. That''s fine," Jack said but gave no resistance.


    The girl gave a smile and said, "Nonsense. I''ll get you fixed up."


    And so, they entered the dojo. It was a decent size. Had blue mats all over the floor.


    The instructor waved his hand to the girl. He was tall, but not as tall as Jack.


    "Hi, Anne. Brought a friend?" he asked.


    "Anne?" Jack asked aloud. So, the girl in front of her was the one that the other girl mentioned. But as Jack looked at Anne''s face, the girl was definitely not the one she was looking for. It was disappointing, but she did keep her expectations low from the start.


    Anne said tot he instructor, "Yep. She''s a friend. Tripped up on the street. Just going to take care of these scratches."This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "It looks pretty bad. Sure you don''t want to take her to a doctor?"


    "Maybe, after," she said as she quickly dragged Jack who towered above both of them.


    And so, they reached a room in the back. Anne took out the first aid kits and started patching up Jack. Jack sat down on a bench, while Anne knelt down and started applying medicinal gels and band-aids.


    "So, you''re name is Anne?" Jack asked. She wasn''t trying to make small talk, but wanted to assure that this was the correct one that the other Light Guardian mentioned.


    "Yep. That''s me," Anne said happily, "So, what''s your name?"


    "Oh. I''m Jacqueline. But people just call me Jack," she replied.


    As Jack closely looked at Anne, she was completely sure that she wasn''t Annie. The girl felt more simple. Very energetic.


    Jack relaxed herself and said, "You didn''t have to help me. I''m really okay. I don''t even feel it."


    "Well, you should. These cuts and bruises should be pretty painful. Not to mention these burns. I don''t want to push you for answers on how you got these, but I do want to help. That''s all I want to do," Anne said.


    Upon hearing this, Jack felt something tug her heartstrings. She felt a connection to this girl more so than what she felt with Annie.


    Jack smiled.


    "So do I. I just want to help regular people. Help those who can''t help themselves. But doesn''t it ever tire you?" Jack asked.


    Anne paused to think about it. "I suppose so. It does get tiring after a while. I help people with their errands everyday. Sometimes, it feels like a chore. But when somebody needs help, I always think about what it would be like to be them. I imagine how it would feel for me in their shoes."


    Jack laughed.


    Anne pouted. "What''s so funny? I''m serious."


    Jack continued to laugh. Not because she was mocking Anne, but because she felt something similar. She always felt like she had to help Annie. Whenever Annie needed help with something, Jack would be the first one to volunteer. Not because she imagined herself in her position, but because she felt obliged to. She admired her. And now that she thought about it, she didn''t feel like a real friend.


    "I know. I know you''re serious. It''s just funny. I used to help out somebody, but for completely different reasons," Jack said while her breathing was uneven and rapid.


    "Really?" Anne asked, "So, you said you liked to help regular people. What did you mean by that?"


    Jack''s smile faded. She began to remember her own parents. She couldn''t save them. And Annie didn''t bother to save them.


    "I couldn''t... help somebody in the past. That moment haunts me. Now, I feel like I have to, so I don''t feel that way, again," Jack said.


    "Sounds like living in hell. If I had to remember every person I didn''t help, I would be constantly living in a nightmare," Anne said but when she looked at Jack''s dead eyes, she knew that was exactly what she was living through. Before her memories were wiped by the shopkeep, Jack didn''t have any care in the world, but now, she could only remember her parents being crushed by debris and Annie doing nothing.


    Jack looked away. Anne quietly patched her up. By the end of it, Jack was covered in band-aids. She almost looked like a mummy.


    Anne looked away and said, "It''s done."


    Although the ending of the conversation wasn''t smooth, Jack still enjoyed the little time she spent with her.


    "Thank you. I guess I got to get going," Jack said as she began to leave.


    "Wait. We should go to a doctor. You''re still pretty roughed up," Anne said in a hurry.


    "I''m not paying for a doctor."


    "I''ll pay."


    "Let''s go to the doctor."

 Chapter 25: Jacks Finale

    Jack and Anne walked along the sidewalk towards the doctor''s office.


    "Follow me. I know where to go," Anne said.


    People all around began to look at Jack. There seemed to be fifty or a hundred band-aids packed around her.


    "Is there something on my face?" she asked.


    Anne nervously smiled. "Uh... no."


    They walked for a minute before Anne asked, "Soooo, how did you end up with all of those... cuts and bruises."


    "From a fight," Jack replied without any hesitation.


    "What? Really? I wouldn''t have figured to be some kind of punk," Anne said, "Although, I guess you do look like one."


    "Huh? What''s that supposed to be mean?" Jack said in a threatening manner.


    "Oh. It was nothing. Nothing."


    Jack smiled. "I''m just joking. Although, I wouldn''t really call myself a punk. I don''t know what to call myself. A traveler?"


    "Yeah. I haven''t seen you at our school. You probably would have stood out."


    That reminded Jack of how she ''stood out'' in her previous school. The girls bullied her out of everything and the boys were too afraid to approach her. But Jack would never bring those up in a casual conversation.


    "Yeah. I guess so."


    Without warning, a chill went by Jack''s neck. She sensed a Night Demon nearby. Jack was about to ditch Anne and head straight to it, but Anne was quicker. She began to run into one of the alleyways.


    "I''m sorry, Jack, but I got to go! Just head straight down the sidewalk and the ER will be on the right!" Anne yelled as she ran.


    Jack stood frozen. Her face went pale.


    "So, you''re a Light Guardian, too," she whispered quietly to herself, "Why did you have to be one?"


    Jack walked into the alleyway and followed her senses. The colder it felt, the closer she was.


    When Anne arrived in front of the monster, there were two other students there. One a boy and the other a girl. The monster had a feminine figure. It had a stuffed rabbit as a head. It had no jaw and blood continued to stream down it. It''s entire body made of rat fur. Anne could only tell that it was made by rats because some tails were sticking out. The two high school students didn''t panic, but instead looked to be under a hypnotic spell. They had a patch of fur stuck to their cheeks. The monster noticed Anne and shot out a patch of fur from her hand.


    A ray of light surrounded Anne. Her school clothes disappeared and was replaced by her costume. Her metal gauntlets and boots appeared next. When the patch was about to reach Anne''s cheek, she punched it away. The two students walked away and began to climb up a ladder.


    Anne charged forward.


    "Hase," the Night Demon said as it covered it''s arms with rat blood. Anne came in close and began to continuously punch the creature. But no punch would connect. Hase would stretch and twist it''s body. It contorted itself into forms that weren''t possible for a human. It dodged every single strike. And then it molded it''s arms into sharpened blades made from blood.


    When Anne punched the creature, it would block with it''s blade and strike back with the other. Anne jumped back.


    "Not good," she said to herself. She looked around and noticed that she couldn''t find the two students anywhere. Then, when she looked up on the rooftop, she saw them both teetering on the edge.


    "Shit," Anne said and as she tried to jump up the side of the alleyway to save them, Hase would stretch out it''s sharpened arms and strike at Anne, pushing her back.


    "Damn it. Damn it," she said in frustration.


    Then, another set of footsteps came behind her down the alleyway. She couldn''t tell if it was another mind-controlled person, one of her friends, or just a bystander.


    But it was somebody she wasn''t expecting.


    "Jack?"


    She put on her hockey mask and without a seconds warning, a blaze of fire surrounded Jack. Then, she dashed out of the fire in her red armor.


    This surprised both Anne and Hase.


    The two students began to fall. Within seconds Jack shot out a blast of fire behind her soles. She accelerated in. When Hase grew out it''s arms to attack Jack, Anne charged at the creature. Without the monster knowing, she was able to get in close. She began to punch the creature with extreme speed. It stopped it''s attack towards Jack and focused on defending itself.


    But Anne''s power was too strong for it. This Night Demon was weak compared to many others.


    Jack grabbed the two students in her arms and landed onto the ground safely.


    She put them down on the ground. They looked like they fell asleep. Jack took off her hockey mask and looked over towards Anne.


    Anne struck the creature even faster and yelled a battle cry. Eventually, her fist clashed with the Night Demon''s face. The impact caused the demon to shatter.


    The drop of a black coin could be heard across the street. The Night Demon was dead.


    Anne jogged in place and kept her breath steady.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Woo. Now, that''s what I''m talking about. Good job, Jack. I didn''t know you were a Light Guardian like me. That explains your injuries, at the very least," Anne said.


    Jack looked at Anne in disappointment. Jack didn''t see Anne try to help those two bystanders. She wasn''t there to see it, even though Anne wanted to.


    "You''re no different," Jack muttered under her breath.


    "Hmm? Sorry. I didn''t catch that," Anne replied.


    Jack shook her head. "Nothing. Actually, I''m wondering if you know anybody named Annie Weldsfield."


    "I don''t know anybody with that name."


    "That''s unfortunate. Why did you have to be a Light Guardian?" Jack said as she put her hockey mask back on.


    Anne wondered what Jack was doing. Jack had no more desire to ask questions. At this point, she just wanted to finish this and go off to the next city.


    Jack quickly dashed over towards Anne. She conjured her machete from fire and tried to strike a decisive blow.


    Jack was quick, but Anne was just as quick. As Jack dropped her blade down onto Anne''s tiny body, Anne blocked the blade with her gauntlets. The ground underneath them cracked into pieces.


    "What are you doing!?" Anne yelled, but all that she could hear were mutters behind Jack''s mask.


    "You''re all the same. You didn''t save them. You didn''t save my parents. You didn''t save them," Jack muttered. Her eyes were blind with rage. Her heartbeat skyrocketed. Adrenaline poured throughout her body. A feeling of ecstasy came over Jack. If the hockey mask hadn''t been there, then Anne would be met with a smile that even Jack would consider horrifying.


    The Night Demon was dead, but tensions did not.


    "Why, Jack? Why are you doing this?" Anne asked while being bombarded by clashes of metal.


    Jack roared in response. She was more beast now than human. Uncontrollable. But Anne didn''t want to fight her.


    Anne tried to fight back against her, but her armor was too strong. Either that, or Jack just didn''t feel it. She had no choice but to fall back and retreat, but Jack wouldn''t let her. There were no openings.


    And with one swift and powerful strike of Jack''s machete, Anne''s body was pushed away.


    Jack charged forward.


    "Please stop this, Jack," Anne pleaded, but the words couldn''t reach her ears.


    Jack stomped forward, but she quickly slowed to a halt. She stopped as soon as she noticed another shadow from above. A girl holding two katanas jumped down from the rooftop. She tried to slash Jack with her two blades without being noticed, but that plan didn''t work.


    She noticed and blocked the attack with her machete. Jack created a blaze of fire around herself to try and burn the new girl. However, she jumped back right before the fire hit her. She positioned herself in between Anne and Jack.


    "Another Light Guardian?" Jack muttered. She began to control herself more, but had no plans of stopping. She had hoped to just finish the fight quickly, but that wasn''t going to happen.


    "Nina? How-," Anne asked.


    "I sensed a Night Demon, so we came to stop it," Nina replied.


    "We?" Jack asked as she looked around for other Light Guardians, but she couldn''t see any others. Was it supposed to be some kind of scare tactic, she thought.


    Nina ignored the armored guardian for a moment as it looked around and paid attention to Anne.


    "Looks like we came just in the nick of time. But I don''t sense any Night Demons around. I was on my way when I sensed it, but was about to leave as it vanished," Nina said, "That was until I heard some fighting, so I decided to take a look."


    "She''s a Light Guardian like us, but something''s wrong with her. We took down the Night Demon together, but it''s like she can''t control herself now," Anne said while worrying about Jack.


    "Can''t control myself!? I am fully aware of what I''m doing, you guardian scum! You all deserve what''s coming," Jack angrily replied, "I don''t care how many more of you there are! I''ll destroy you all the same!"


    Nina and Anne prepared themselves to fight side-by-side. Both of them physical fighters.


    Jack roared with fury as her machete lit itself. She charged in with all of her might.


    It was a fierce battle. Nina and Anne both defended themselves fairly, but Jack''s power was too great. They knew they couldn''t win in a battle of strength.


    Jack began to notice another shadow swooshing in and out. She wasn''t able to catch a good glimpse of the individual, but guessed it was another Light Guardian. However, she continued to focus at the two she was currently battling.


    However, their endurance was much greater than Jack''s. Her movements slowed while theirs were constant.


    "Please stop this, Jack. I don''t want to hurt you any more," Anne pleaded.


    "Hurt me!?" Jack shouted with insult, "Neither of you can even scratch me."


    Something else also bothered Jack. She noticed that Anne and Nina never properly landed a blow to Jack, but she could see some blood dripping out of her armor.


    Her eyes began to close as she felt the need to rest. Everything seemed more cold than usual. Jack tried to swing her blade another time, but she slipped on her own blood. Anne dashed in and with one swift punch, she smashed her fist head-on to Jack''s face. Jack''s hockey mask shattered into pieces.


    Jack walked back covering her face.


    "Damn it. Damn it. Damn it," Jack said. She took her hand off of her own face and revealed a hideous smile. Her eyes were bloodshot red. Anne and Nina were both stunned.


    Luckily for Jack, she couldn''t see her own face, otherwise she too would have been disgusted. She always knew that this horrid face appeared whenever she fought other Light Guardians. Not when she fought Night Demons or walked around. But even so, she always found her guardian form as just another monster. A monster that should also die just like the rest of them.


    Anne snapped out of it and pleaded once more. "Jack, please stop. You''re already finished. You can''t fight anymore. We need to take you to a hospital."


    Jack laughed.


    "Finished? I''m not even close to being finished. Do you know how many of you monsters I''ve killed? Night Demons. Light Guardians. Sometimes, I can''t even tell the difference. And when I kill every last monster on this world, I''ll kill the worst monster of them all. Myself," Jack cried angrily.


    Jack looked around her and noticed the streams of blood oozing out of her. Then, she noticed the shadow swoosh away. There was another Light Guardian, but she couldn''t see it.


    Jack didn''t know it, but she had knives sticking out of every crack in her armor. And those knives dug in deeper with wooden roots. Jack had no idea about those details because she couldn''t feel it. Only now she could feel the effects. As a Light Guardian, she''s able to take a lot of damage, but most Light Guardians would already be dead at this point.


    But now, Jack knew that she couldn''t win. She had no choice, but to retreat. She created a wall of fire between her and the two Light Guardians in front of her. Then, she made a quick sprint out of there. The guardian that was hiding didn''t give chase.


    When the flamed died out, Jack was gone.


    "Jack..." Anne muttered quietly. Even now, she still thought that they could be great friends, but she knew that if those injuries weren''t treated soon, then that chance would never come to fruition.


    "Are you okay, Anne?" Nina asked.


    "Yeah"


    "Good job on staying hidden, Kira. I don''t think she noticed you."


    Kira jumped down from the rooftop.


    "It was strange. It was like she couldn''t feel my daggers in her," Kira said, "We should be careful. I don''t think she''s going to stop."


    Nina nodded her head. "Yeah. Although, if that doesn''t kill her, then I don''t know what will. She was stronger than most Night Demons put together."


    Anne transformed back and walked away slowly.


    "Hey. We should walk together for a while. We don''t want to get ambushed," Nina said.


    Anne stopped and nodded her head in agreement, but she had a feeling that she wouldn''t see her alive again.


    Meanwhile, as soon as Jack escaped, she fled to a nearby neighborhood. Night time descended upon her as she walked away leaving a trail of blood.


    It was quiet. Nobody was around. It was there she decided to rest. She sat on the pavement next to the wall. The knives were still stuck in her, but she had no idea about them.


    "Just gotta rest my eyes. Tomorrow, I''ll finish those three and then go find Annie," Jack said as her eyes began to close. Her entire body started to grow cold. But right before her eyes closed completely, she noticed another girl standing above her. She was shrouded in darkness. Not a single feature or detail was seen. And then she slept.

 Chapter 26: School Meeting

    When Jack, Mary, and Yune got back to Janken City, the first thing they did was go back home and fall straight to their beds. They all shared the same room. It looked like any average bedroom, but with three beds lined up against the far wall. Mary''s was on the far right. Jack''s was in the middle. While, Yune''s was on the left.


    During the night, Yune sprung up and exclaimed, "Shit! There''s school tomorrow!" waking up Mary and Jack.


    Yune ran over to her bag and tried to quickly finish her homework. Meanwhile, Mary shrugged, went back to bed, and said, "Who the hell cares? I don''t even remember how many days we missed."


    "Oh, crap. We missed days. This is going to be a nightmare to catch up," Yune complained.


    Jack looked outside through the window. The moonlight brightened the whole neighborhood. However, Jack had no time to take in the beauty of it. Instead, she worried about where Annie was. She also knew that she couldn''t stay at Janken City. She had to keep moving, but for the time being, she was still too tired to really think about it, and so she dozed back off.


    Yune tried to work tirelessly on her homework, but after a minute, she fell right back to sleep on top of her work.


    They all snored away their long journey. But as school approached, they had an unexpected meeting.


    When they all awoke, Yune prepared some boiled eggs for breakfast for the three of them. She was disappointed that she couldn''t finish her homework, but tried not to think about it.


    Mary and Jack couldn''t care at all, but did appreciate their breakfast.


    They all walked together to school and when they got to the entrance, they were approached by three familiar girls. Nina, Anne, and Kira.


    Mary whispered to Jack and Yune, "They probably don''t know who we are. Let''s casually keep walking."


    "Stop. We need to talk to you," Nina ordered directly to the other three.


    "Damn it. They know who we are!" Mary exclaimed.


    Yune facepalmed herself. "If they didn''t, they''re certainly aware now," she said.


    "We know you three are those new Light Guardians that''s been giving us trouble," Nina said, "Even if you didn''t announce yourselves, it was obvious. I knew you three would take time to get back from wherever the shopkeep dropped you off. And you three were the only girls who became absent. Also, you all stick out very much."


    Jack looked back at Anne, and then at Nina and Kira.


    "So, you want to fight us, now? We can finish what we started behind the school or somewhere," Jack threatened.


    "No. No," Anne replied, "We''re not here to fight."


    "That''s right. We want to make peace. There is plenty of room for other Light Guardians in this city," Nina continued but noticed other people walking by them, "Let''s talk somewhere more privately. I don''t want to give more work to the shopkeep. "


    Even if those people weren''t listening, she just didn''t feel like getting in their way.


    They met on top of the school rooftop and met up with some of the school punks.


    One of them looked at those six girls angrily and said, "Hey, what are you doing here? This is our spot? Go find anoth-"


    He was cut short by Jack and Anne grabbing and throwing them back inside the school.


    "Alright. Now, that we have a little privacy, we can discuss things," Nina said.


    "Discuss what?" Yune asked, "As you said, there''s plenty of room for other Light Guardians, so I guess that''s that."


    "We don''t appreciate you stealing our black coins," Kira, who previously stayed quiet, chimed in.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "I didn''t see your name on it," Mary replied.


    Jack and Anne looked at each other.


    "It''s been a while, Jack," Anne said.


    "A while? I wouldn''t know. To me, it seemed like yesterday that we fought."


    Jack could tell that Anne grew, but couldn''t be sure how much time really had passed.


    "Have you been taking care of yourself?" Anne asked with a caring tone.


    Jack nodded her head even though Anne could clearly see red marks on her body. "As much I can, I guess. I may have gotten out of control. I do apologize for it, but that doesn''t mean that we''re friends."


    Anne became worried for her, but could see that Jack didn''t want to talk. It was as if Jack was trying to control herself.


    Meanwhile, Yune and Nina discussed about how they would coexist.


    Nina started. "We can each split up the cities into different hunting grounds. You get a piece and we get a piece. Or we can just simply decide by which team attacks first."


    Yune thought to herself. "I prefer whoever gets the last hit in. That''s the one who really deserves it."


    Nina shook her head. "That''s not going to work. Your team will just hide and wait, while another Light Guardian would have to tire herself out."


    Yune and Nina looked at each other with tensions. Either one of them looked like they were about strike at each other. Yune crossed her arms and stared her down.


    "You really don''t remember me, do you?" Nina asked.


    Yune''s eyes widened. Did she ever meet this girl before, she wondered. But her memories wouldn''t come back. "What do you mean?"


    "We''ve had this same conversation before. Although, you had a different group of... friends."


    "I think you might have me confused with someone else."


    "No. I didn''t recognize you at first because your Light Guardian form was slightly different, but I remember you. Your face. That hook-chain weapon. It''s not hard to forget, especially since you did the same exact stunt."


    Yune had no recollection and didn''t bother trying to remember. And Nina even believed that she didn''t recognize her. For a second, Nina even second-guessed herself, but she couldn''t believe that it was a coincidence. Two girls with the same face and similar Light Guardian form.


    Meanwhile, Mary and Kira only stared at one another getting ready to fight at a moment''s notice. They had no words to exchange between them.


    As tensions grew, Nina made one more attempt to negotiate.


    "Fine. How about we just simply leave each other alone? If you see us fighting a Night Demon, then you don''t steal the kill or bother helping. Same goes for us."


    Nina expected this to fail, but she at least wanted to try.


    Yune pondered for a moment. She knew that Nina, Anne, and Kira worked very well as a team. And she also knew that their own teamwork just started to build. It would be wise to take this, she thought.


    Yune nodded her head in agreement to Nina''s surprise.


    "Really? I wasn''t expecting that. Last time I tried to make this offer, you flat-out rejected it," Nina exclaimed, "Well, at least that''s settled then. Our team won''t bother you, as long as yours doesn''t bother us."


    Right after she spoke, the school bell began to ring. The bright sunny day and the pleasant breeze made all six of them want to stay up there longer.


    "What a beautiful day," Nina said right before she and her two friends left.


    Anne waved a goodbye to Jack, but to her disappointment, Jack didn''t wave back.


    When those three girls left, Mary, Jack, and Yune stayed for a little while longer.


    "It is a nice day," Yune said, "Too bad we have to get to class."


    "You really act like some scholars I knew. Why don''t you just enjoy the breeze a little longer? Not like we''ll miss anything important," Mary suggested.


    "Yeah. Maybe, I will."


    "Hmm. It sounds nice. I sure wish I could feel it," Jack said.


    Yune looked at Jack worryingly and noticed there were a bunch of cuts on her body.


    "Oh my god. We should get these looked at by the nurse," Yune said in a panic.


    "What? No, I''m fine," Jack complained.


    Mary sighed. "Yune, you can take her to the nurse. I''m going to enjoy a couple minutes of peace up here."


    Yune began to drag her, even though she resisted. Eventually, Jack just gave up and went down to the nurse while Yune kept dragging her.


    And so, Jack came out of the nurse''s room with a bunch of band-aids plastered all around her. When Mary came down to see how Jack and Yune were doing, she began to laugh at how ridiculous Jack looked. Everywhere, except her face, was covered.


    "Now, this is funny. I wish I''d never forget the moment I saw a Goliath patched up," Mary gleefully said.


    Yune took out her phone from her bag and took a selfie with the three of them. The sound of the snapshot startled Mary.


    "What''s that?" she asked.


    "I just took a picture of us," Yune said as she showed the other two the photo, "You did say you wished you''d never forget. I''ll send this to you, so you don''t."


    "You can''t be serious," Jack complained, "This picture looks so embarrassing."


    "I really do love the magic this world has," Mary exclaimed happily.


    The photograph had Yune giving a soft smile in front. While, Mary was laughing hysterically at Jack - who looked like she just wanted to leave. Jack, covered in band-aids, couldn''t physically feel anything, she did feel a sense of embarrassment.


    "Hey, you three? Shouldn''t you all go to your class," the nurse said.


    "Yeah. We''ll head out, now."


    For a moment, all three of them were happy and didn''t feel a care in the world. Later, Yune would print that photo. She would hang it up and have it as her phone''s wallpaper.


    And for a moment, Jack completely forgot about Annie. She felt like she finally had some friends. Friends that she felt wouldn''t betray her.


    As for Mary, she didn''t feel one way or another about Jack or Yune. She was just happy living in the moment.


    They all laughed together, disturbing some of the classes, as each one walked to their respective classes. They didn''t care if they bothered anybody. They were too joyful being with each other to care.

 Chapter 27: Following Them to Home

    After the school day ended, Nina, Anne, and Kira decided to find out where the other three lived. They hadn''t planned on attacking them. They all thought it was wise to know where they were. So, they followed Jack, Yune, and Mary. None of them had noticed Nina, Anne, or Kira, but they kept their distance all the same. They stuck to the rooftops and were in their Light Guardian forms as they jumped across to new platforms. When they finally got to their house, they were surprised that they didn''t live at different homes. It was one home, and a wreck of one at that. The neighborhood itself wasn''t all that pretty, but the house that they stayed in was far worse. If they didn''t know anybody, they would have thought it abandoned. They wanted to get closer, but a chill came by them.


    "What was that? A Night Demon?" Anne asked.Stolen story; please report.


    "Not quite. It was... different, somehow. I can''t put my fingers on it," Kira replied.


    But Nina knew. She could feel where the chill was coming from. Their house.


    "Their home. It''s emanating some kind of aura. It''s close to a Night Demon, but not quite. It''s almost like it''s warning us to get away," Nina said, "If it was one of those monsters, we would have sensed it a long time ago. It''s only giving off that chill when we''re very close to it."


    They watched the house, but nothing happened. No lights came on. No sound. It still seemed abandoned after those other three went in. However, they were absolutely sure that that house was their home.


    "Well, at least, we know where they live. That''s all we came here to find, so let''s head back," Kira suggested.


    Nina and Anne nodded their heads in agreement. It was all they came to do, but none of the three could let go of that place in their minds. It felt cold towards them, yet those other three Light Guardians lived there seemingly without a care.

 Chapter 28: Dont Need Them

    They may have looked like a a group of very good friends on that day, but their troubles have only just begun.


    Jack had planned to leave Janken city to look for Annie, but decided to stay to make a thorough sweep of the city. However, that was just an excuse. She just didn''t want to leave Yune or Mary, and after she was beaten by Anne, Nina, and Kira, she did realize that they were stronger together. Jack, also, didn''t want to tell her two friends about Annie as she felt that there was no need to bother them with it. It was her fight and hers alone.


    However, on the following day, right as their classes began, the three girls sensed a Night Demon.


    Jack and Yune quickly sneaked out of their classrooms, while Mary decided to open a window and jump out through there to the utter dismay of the teacher and other students in the room. They all met up at the front gate and transformed. Nina and her group were about to transform and go, but as soon as they noticed that the other three girls had already dashed away, they decided to stay at school. To them, they saw no point in helping them, and they were confident that those three wouldn''t have any trouble, either.


    Yune and Mary had no intention of letting the other group of Light Guardians get the black coin, but Jack was just worried that the monster may hurt somebody.


    The three jumped across the buildings until they found the creature hiding in an abandoned warehouse. The clouds darkened above them.


    It looked like giant mosquito with human arms instead of legs. It was constantly flapping it''s wings as it was atop a sleeping woman. It''s sharp, pointy mouth pierced into the woman''s chest and started to suck blood.


    Jack roared and charged ahead. She wouldn''t let another bystander get killed. As she attacked the creature, it cried with a buzz, "Moskitblut."


    Jack stood between the Night Demon and the woman. There was a gaping hole in her chest.


    As the monster tried to escape, Yune''s chains surrounded it. Mary waited in the corner for a chance to strike.


    "Mary! Get this woman to the hospital. Yune and I will deal with this," Jack yelled.


    "What!? Why should I care what happens to her?" Mary complained, but this only angered her. Jack couldn''t believe what she heard. She began to remember Annie. How she didn''t care.


    Jack was about to burst with flames, but remembered about the woman behind her. She calmed herself down, so that she wouldn''t hurt her. Jack knelt down to the woman and took her in her arms.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    "What are you doing, Jack? Forget her," Mary said, but Jack ignored her.


    Moskitblut flapped it''s wings harder and pushed the chains away creating a space for it to escape.


    But as it left the chains, Mary dashed in and cut the creature''s head off with her sharp claws. It screeched and disappeared, dropping only a black coin. Mary grabbed it and leapt down to the floor.


    When Yune and Mary looked back towards where Jack was, she was already gone. Jack carried the girl and dropped her off at the hospital. She was barely breathing, but still alive.


    Afterwards, Jack had met up with Mary and Yune outside the front gate of school.


    "There you are. Where did you g-?" Mary asked until she was abruptly punched by Jack. She fell to the cold, rough concrete. Mary spit out some blood and felt a bruise on her cheek.


    "What the hell is wrong with you!?" Jack yelled.


    Mary got up quickly and angrily. "Me!? What''s wrong with you!?" Mary yelled back.


    Yune went between them. She knew why Jack was upset, but she couldn''t let them start killing each other.


    "Don''t get in the way, Yune," Jack said while pointing at Mary, "I don''t have a problem with you. It''s this brat that I have a problem with."


    Mary kept touching the bruise on her cheek and said, "Damn it. Are you some kind of psychopath? I didn''t do anything to you."


    "Knock it off, you two. Let''s not get at each other''s throats, now," Yune said.


    "Stay out of this!," Mary and Jack yelled at the same time.


    They both stared down each other. Jack towered above the other two, but Mary didn''t care how tall or threatening Jack was. Yune stood her ground between them holding her arms out, so that neither of them would try anything. She kept a cool face during all of this, but she was worried that the team would split apart so soon. She knew that none of them would be able to survive if they separated especially since they weren''t even considered human anymore.


    "You didn''t care at all about that woman''s life," Jack said, "You only cared about killing that monster."


    "That''s right. She was just some weakling. Her living or dying means nothing," Mary replied.


    Jack tightened her fist and clenched her teeth. She really wanted to hit Mary and keep hitting her, but Yune gently grabbed Jack''s arm. Although, Jack couldn''t feel her arm, she did calm herself down. But she had no desire to work together with somebody who was so cold. Mary was the exact kind of person that she would have no problem killing. The same kind of person as Annie.


    Mary walked back towards the school not looking back at Jack.


    "You should just let weaklings die," Mary commented as she walked away.


    Jack turned away angrily and walked away from the school.


    "Where are you going?" Yune asked to both of them.


    "I''m heading back home. Then, you won''t be seeing me, again," Jack replied.


    "Good riddance. I''m going back to class. Maybe, I''ll get some ice for the gift you left me," Mary said.


    Yune was stuck between the two of them as they walked in separate directions. Her mind focused on Jack''s words. "You won''t be seeing me, again." Those words made Yune decide to follow Jack. She worried that Jack might do something rash.


    As Yune ran towards Jack, Mary looked back at those two with envy and hate.


    "I don''t need them," Mary said to herself, "Everybody betrays one another, anyways. It''s better to be alone."


    She walked into the school as raindrops began to fall.

 Chapter 29: Marys New Friends

    After Mary got an ice pack from the nurse, she walked back to class with the ice firmly placed on her cheek.


    She passed by two teenage girls. They had a bunch of jewelry and wore a lot of make-up. They weren''t very tall, but big compared to Mary. Even though class had started a while ago, they seemed not to care.


    "Hey, kid. That looks like it hurt. Want a smoke?" one of the teenagers asked.


    "Not interested in any opium. Thank you," Mary replied while trying to ignore the pain of her cheek.


    "That really does look like it hurt. I used to hide some of the beatings at home I got with a little bit of make-up. Couldn''t even tell half the time," the other girl said.


    Mary stopped in her tracks and became intrigued.


    "Wait. You hid bruises you got from beatings?" Mary asked.


    "Yeah. My dad used to beat me, but I learned how to-" the girl said, but Mary interrupted.


    "I don''t care about that. Can you show me how to hide this? I don''t need people staring at me," Mary asked.


    The girls laughed. "Why should we help you, little girl?"


    Mary became slightly angry, but she remembered about the power that she recently gained.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    She looked at the two girls and ordered, "Show me how to hide my bruise."


    Mary''s eyes turned black with purple irises for a second. And the girls were obedient.


    "Alright. Let''s go find a classroom. I have my make-up supplies in my bag," one of them said.


    "Not a problem. Follow me," Mary said with a sly smile and black eyes.


    She entered into a random classroom. It was full, but that didn''t bother her.


    The students and teacher froze for a second, and then Mary took a breath.


    "Everybody get out of this room," Mary said and then she looked outside to notice that it was raining, "All of you go outside and jog or something."


    Without any complaint, each student and even the teacher started to leave the classroom. However, the two girls were also about to leave.


    "Not you two. You two stay," she ordered, "I got to be more specific with my orders."


    Mary and the two girls entered the room.


    "Close the door," Mary ordered and so they did.


    "Alright. Now, let''s not only hide the bruise, but let''s make me more beautiful than ever. Make me more irresistible," Mary said while her eyes was pitch black with only the irises being purple.


    And so, the two girls went to work doing a make over on Mary. By the time it was over, Mary''s bruise didn''t look at all like it was there. The girls also gave Mary purple eyeliner and lipstick. Her skin seemed to shin brighter than ever. They also decided to dye Mary''s white hair. Now, there were streaks of blonde hair along with the white. Then, they did Mary''s nails and colored them pink. The twin-tails that Mary had stayed as the two girls didn''t know what to do with them.


    When the girls took out a mirror and showed Mary, she had no idea whether it was beautiful or not.


    "Hmm. Well, I guess the definition of beauty changes over time. Oh well," Mary said, "Now, girls, let''s learn about the current times. You girls will teach me everything there is to know."


    And so, instead of going to classes, Mary hung around with the two girls she had taken control of and learned all about the current world. Learned how to apply make-up herself. Learned all about the internet. Learned about the current lingo. Learned everything that she thought that she needed to know.

 Chapter 30: The Hunt Continues Alone

    Jack walked through the cold rain without any care. Any raindrop that touched her, would instantly evaporate. Her skin was burning with her hatred. Her hatred of Light Guardians renewed itself as Mary reminded her.


    Yune took a random umbrella that was by the side of a store. The store-owner and his employees didn''t notice.


    When Yune caught up with Jack, she put the umbrella over both of them. Yune made a smile to try to encourage Jack, but it didn''t work. Jack continued to be angry as more rain dropped by them.


    "I don''t want to pry, but you said that we wouldn''t be seeing you, again. What did you mean by that?" Yune asked worryingly for Jack''s sake, "Are you planning on doing something?"


    Jack kept walking without a single reply. When they got to their home, Jack began to pack essentials. Clothes, food, water, a blanket. She threw out all of the books and stuffed whatever she needed into her bag.


    Yune tried to stop her, but Jack was keen on leaving.


    When Jack was about to leave, Yune asked once more, "Why? What are you planning on doing?"


    Yune gripped Jack''s arm, but she quickly let go as her skin was burning hot.


    Jack stopped right in front of the entrance. She didn''t feel Yune''s touch nor her own burning skin, but she knew that Yune would try to stop her. Jack replied, "Don''t try to follow me. I''m leaving Janken City."


    Jack laughed and joked, "I''ve learned a valuable lesson. Don''t generalize every Light Guardian. Not all of them are bad."This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    But Yune wouldn''t laugh along.


    "You still didn''t answer why. I know that you know that we have to stick together. We''re not humans, and I''m sure that if some Light Guardians found out, then they would hunt us like any other monster."


    "I''m not going to stay around Mary. It''s Light Guardians like her that make me hate them all. She''s lucky I didn''t decide to just crush her right then and there," Jack said as she put down her bag realizing that she had no choice but to explain herself, "I''ve hurt many Light Guardian who I didn''t even consider as people up until recently. I even planned to kill the both of you after that journey on the bus ride, but after you told me to rescue that boy, I realized that you weren''t like the others. All I''ve known about Light Guardians is that they only want to kill monsters without thinking about the people around them - just so that they could get a lousy coin. I even hated myself for becoming a guardian, but I never wanted to hurt anybody who wasn''t one. But then I went town to town - city to city - to look for... something. A Light Guardian who made me this way. And yet, I feel like I''m not even close to finding her. She may already be dead for all I know, but I just can''t stop until I''m sure. I even thought that it might have been better staying with you two. That was foolish of me. I have to keep going until it''s over. I''ve tirelessly visited so many places, and I don''t plan to stop here. I just traveled with nothing but the bare essentials. And death just follows closely behind. I lost count to how many Light Guardians I''ve killed, but I know that it won''t stop. Simply put, I''m leaving to find one... monster, and when it''s over, I''ll kill one more monster."


    "I..." Yune had no words. She didn''t know how to respond. Jack picked up her bag and left.


    "If you leave, you''ll die alone. We''ll all die alone," Yune whispered as her legs shook in fear, but Jack was too far to hear her, and, even if she did, it wouldn''t stop her.


    Yune began to feel fear for not only herself but for Jack and Mary. For some reason, she needed them all to be together, but she couldn''t explain why. It felt like some lost memory within her awakens when they''re together. A feeling of nostalgia and glee. But she couldn''t remember why.


    Yune sat down on the table and cried sorrowfully, "Why can''t I remember?"

 Chapter 31: Kiras Crush

    Kira Shine and a boy walked together to and back from school. The boy was named Harry King. Harry was a nice kid. Usually got straight B''s, and was generally a kind guy. He wasn''t very popular nor was he considered a punk or a bully. Just average. But Kira knew him since elementary school. They lived as neighbors and eventually Kira began to have feelings for him. However, she didn''t know whether he had any feelings for her, so she never tried to make the first move in fear of rejection. However, Kira always stayed by his side, no matter what. She tends to be shy and was only able to get out of shell a little after meeting Nina and Anne. After becoming a Light Guardian. A hero that protects the weak from monsters. She became more confident in herself. But she was never shy around Harry. She was always able to talk when she was around him.


    "Hey, Kira, want to hang out at the book store, today? They''re going to release the next part of ''The Dragon''s Sunset'' book today, and I want to get a copy."If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Sure. We can do that afterschool," Kira replied happily. She didn''t care what they did, as long as she was with him.


    They walked happily along the sidewalks to school without any worry. However, as she became a Light Guardian, she would occasionally sense a monster and have to go after it. She would usually give an excuse like "Sorry, I forgot something", "My bad. I need to go pick up something from the supermarket" or something along those lines. But Harry was understanding. He believed whatever excuse that Kira gave even though she wasn''t a very good liar.


    But today was different. She wasn''t sensing any Night Demons, and so her pleasant walk was uninterrupted. It was a beautiful day, but the forecast said it was going to rain, later, so she brought an umbrella, just in case.

 Chapter 32: Marys Fanclub

    "Yo, student council pres," Mary said as if she owned the place, "I''d like to make my own club."


    She wore sunglasses and jewelry. Mary covered her smug face with make-up. She even pierced her ears and wore large heart-shaped earrings.


    And there was Nina sitting in the president''s chair.


    "What the-?" Nina exclaimed in utter confusion.


    "Oh, it''s you. I''m looking for the prez. You seen her?" Mary asked in total confidence.


    Nina sat silent for a moment in disbelief and too tired for any of this nonsense.


    "I''m the student council president," Nina replied.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Mary exclaimed, "What? You? Well, that''s some b.s. I would probably be a much better candidate. Oh, well. Not interested in the responsibility. But I do want to start my own club."


    "Well, you would need to fill in a form and get at least three signatures-"


    Mary snapped her fingers and a crowd of students barged into the room. She took one of the forms and quickly wrote down "Mary''s Fanclub" on it to the utter surprise of Nina.


    "Sign the paper, boys. I want to make this official," Mary ordered. A whole crowd of students and even some teachers barged into the room. They all crowded around Nina''s desk in order to sign. There were too many to even count. By them time it was over, the whole sheet was filled with nothing but the title of the club and signatures.


    "I must be in some kind of weird dream," Nina said to herself disoriented.


    Mary walked away with her two girls following closely behind. Her eyes were black and purple, but her sunglasses hid it. And Nina, although suspicious of the students'' behavior, was just glad that the crowd had dispersed. And she still had to attend class, finish her homework, and fill out other paperwork as the president of the student council.

 Chapter 33: Schools End

    Rain poured outside. The dark clouds loomed overhead. The streets only began to flood.


    Kira waited inside by the front door to the school. Other students rushed out with their umbrellas to try and get home quickly, but Kira had no choice but to wait.


    Nina and Anne passed by her.


    Anne waved her hand and said, "Hey, Kira. I''m gonna jog over to my Karate club."


    "And I''m going to head home. I got some homework to finish and I don''t want to be stuck here. You sure you don''t want to come with us?" Nina asked.


    Kira shook her head.


    "No. I''m going to wait a while," she replied.


    "Oh, right. So, when you going to do on a date with him," Anne teased in good fun. The two knew about Harry, but often left Kira alone about it.


    "Wha- We''re not like that," Kira said with a bright red blush.


    "Knock it off, Anne. Let''s leave those two lovebirds alone," Nina said.


    "We''re not lovebirds," Kira replied still blushing, "We''re just... friends. Yeah."


    "Okay. Okay," Anne replied, "Just get home safely. This rain doesn''t look like it''s gonna get any better."


    "Right. Don''t worry."


    And so Anne and Nina left in a hurry carrying their own umbrellas. They waved good-bye and left.


    But Kira was worried. Harry usually isn''t late, but she was sure that maybe he was helping one of the teachers with something. She didn''t think that he would have left without at least telling her. Kira texted him, but there was no reply.


    Ten minutes passed by and Kira''s worry grew. The rain was getting even heavier. It looked almost like they would have been stuck there if Harry took any longer. So, Kira left her umbrella by the front entrance and went to look for Harry.


    Most clubs were cancelled because of the rain and Kira knew that he didn''t attend any. The school was mostly quiet. The janitors cleaned up the halls. The lights flickered and some bugs crawled out from holes in the corners.


    Kira was about to yell his name, but she felt embarrassed about it and decided not to. She looked through the windows of every classroom, but most were empty. Kira checked her phone, but there were still no texts. She then thought about the chance that maybe a Night Demon was around, but erased that thought immediately. She would have sensed one if there were any nearby, and she didn''t sense any for the entire day while she was at school.


    As she scanned the area, the was one room that was still lit up. Some sounds made by students could be heard inside.


    "C''mon. These feet won''t massage themselves," a voice said inside the room. It was a girl''s, but Kira didn''t recognize it at first.


    She thought it was strange that there was still a club going on, but she just wanted to know where Harry was. Maybe, one of them inside that club would have seen him walk by, Kira wondered.


    She braced herself as she felt a bit of unease. She never liked to walk into random classrooms unannounced. And she especially didn''t like to ask strangers anything, but her desperation forced her.


    Kira gently knocked on the door and slowly crept in.


    "Hi," Kira said quietly and embarrassed, "I''m wondering if any of you have seen another student walk by here."


    And to her surprise, the first thing that Kira saw was Mary sitting atop of another middle-school boy. He looked like he was in a trance and was frozen in place. He was on his knees and hands as Mary just sat on top of his back. There were two other students who stood behind her as she was getting a back massage. There were other students and even teachers just gathered around giving Mary treats and fanning her like some kind of godly queen. She wore her school clothes, but her black and purple eyes were hidden by sunglasses.


    There were large windows to the side where they could see the rain just keep falling.


    Then, another girl just started to take off Mary''s shoes and give her a foot massage, but when Mary saw Kira at the front door, she kicked the girl in the face.


    "Leave the foot massage for a moment," Mary said, "Welcome to my club. There are plenty of positions open. Oh, wait a second. You''re that Light Guardian. What do you want?"


    "Uhh," Kira said while rubbing her eyes thinking that she must have been asleep but after realizing it wasn''t she continued, "I''m looking for a friend of mine."


    "Friend? Well, that''s not very specific," Mary replied, "I could help, but I''m very bust at the moment."


    "I, uh, can see that. I guess I''ll be on my wa-," Kira said, but froze as her eyes laid upon her friend. He was among the crowd of students hidden in the back.


    "Hey! Harry! What are you doing here!?" Kira yelled.


    Mary was confused for a moment, but quickly realized what was going on.


    "Oh, right. You''re looking for your friend. Which one of them is Harry? It''s hard to remember names especially when they''re not as important as myself."


    Kira yelled angrily, "I don''t know what kind of twisted magic you''re using, but you''re holding my friend! Let him go!"


    Mary paused for a moment and began to think about what she should do. She smiled and replied, "Alright. Harry, come over here," Mary said and a couple of boys began to walk forward, "Wait. I meant the one that knows the girl by the door. I hope they all don''t know ya."


    And with that, Harry began to walk forward. He stood up right next to Mary.


    "This one?" Mary asked, "He looks so boring. Well, who am I to judge?"


    "Yeah," Kira said preparing to fight, "Give him back to me. I don''t know what you did, but he''s not some slave."


    "Slave? That''s ridiculous," Mary replied. Then, she looked at Harry and asked, "Do you feel like a slave?"


    "Yes," he replied and Mary froze.


    "Yikes," she said, "I mean, uh, do you want to leave?"


    "Yes."


    "Oh, well, uhh... just say you''re not my slave."


    "I''m not your slave."


    "See!" Mary said, "He''s happy here. I didn''t force any of these people. I just... persuaded them."


    Kira clenched her fist and said, "You''re disgusting. Just let these people go. They''re not yours to control."


    "Oh, like you''d do anything about it. As far as I know, we''re not enemies. We have some kind of truce. Do you want that to change that over something so uncool and insignificant as this?" Mary asked.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Kira relaxed herself. She didn''t want to do anything just yet. She needed to tell Nina and Anne, first. She didn''t see the other two Light Guardians either, so she thought that maybe they didn''t know. Either that or they didn''t care.


    Kira wasn''t going to leave without Harry. She couldn''t let him stay with her anymore that he already has.


    "Fine. Just give back Harry and I''ll leave," Kira ordered.


    Mary shrugged and replied casually, "Fine. I''ll let him go."


    She pushed Harry a couple of steps as Kira let her guard down. She had nothing personal against Kira and had planned to let him go, but she wanted to have some fun before she would do that.


    "I can tell just by the way you''re looking at him that you''re in love with him," Mary said to Kira, "But let''s see if he feels the same. I''ll ask."


    "Wait. No," Kira cried out not wanting to know. She was too afraid that Harry might not love her and so didn''t want to know the answer. And, more importantly, Kira wasn''t keen on having this other girl force the answer out. She began to run forward to stop her, but she wasn''t fast enough.


    "Tsk. Tsk," Mary whispered, "So forceful."


    "Three of you jocks tackle and hold that Kira girl down," Mary ordered, "But make sure to lift her head so that she can see."


    Three of her biggest students who were in the American football club tackled Kira to her surprise.


    She was suddenly on the ground. She struggled, but their grip was tight and strong.


    "I can tell that you don''t want to hurt any of these innocent students and I don''t plan to hurt them or you. And don''t worry, I''ll let him go in a bit," Mary reassured, but Kira began to get angry.


    "Stop this!" she yelled.


    Mary quickly grabbed Harry''s arm. She stood up on the back of one of her students to have her face right next to Harry''s.


    "Tell me, boy. Do you have feelings for Kira?" Mary asked.


    Kira was stuck in place and no matter how much she struggled, she couldn''t break free. If she transformed into her Light Guardian form, then the blow-back from the transformation might injure some of the students. And she couldn''t assure that Mary wouldn''t use those same students as human shields if they did fight.


    Harry opened his mouth. "Yes."


    Kira froze in embarrassment.


    "You do?" Kira whispered, but her words didn''t reach Harry''s ears.


    "Well, congrats, Kira. Was that so hard? Now, you know," Mary said, "Harry, do you have feelings for anybody else?"


    "Yes," he replied.


    "Oh, you have rivals, Kira," Mary said, "You better hurry before he decides to go after them."


    "Stop it. You''ve done what you wanted. Now, let us go," Kira pleaded.


    Mary laughed as she was having too much fun. She had fun in bothering others. Fun to make others squirm. It was fun when others begged. It was fun not to be on the other side.


    "Stop? Now? I can''t do that," Mary said as she threw her sunglasses down revealing her black scleras and purple eyes, "After coming back from the dead, I''ve been having trouble figuring out my place in the world - my purpose. If I had come back at a different time, then perhaps it would have been to kill the ones who killed me. I would have enjoyed getting revenge, but instead I''m stuck here, so I plan to at least enjoy my stay. Besides, you should be aware that if I did something, then God allowed it. God probably even enjoys this more than me for all the violence in this world. I just spent a couple of minutes on the internet and saw all the terror and chaos happening. Even without the existence of Night Demons, these people are just as ugly. There''s so much of it, so why wouldn''t He enjoy it. If He hated it, then He would have gotten rid of it, but instead here we are."


    "Stop it. Stop your rambling. Just let us go before you regret it," Kira threatened.


    "We both know that you can easily get through all of these guys," Mary replied, "You just need the courage to do it. Their lives are meaningless compared to people like us, anyways. So, what''s the big deal about it? Just transform and beat them all into submission. You''ll probably send some of them to the hospital. At worst, kill some, but as I said, their lives just aren''t important."


    "You''re a monster!," Kira yelled.


    "You''re not the first to call me that, so try being a little more creative," Mary said, "Maybe, I can give you some inspiration."


    Mary grabbed onto Harry''s shirt.


    "Have you ever kissed anybody before, Harry?" she asked.


    "No."


    And in that instant, Mary began to kiss him passionately. Her tongue began to swirl inside his mouth. All while she looked straight into Kira''s wavering eyes.


    Kira looked in horror as the boy he liked was being forced upon. Then, that horror turned into anger. Without a second''s thought, a bright light enveloped Kira. She transformed in a fury as the beams of light pushed the jocks away.


    Kira was filled with anger.


    "Get away from him!" she yelled as she conjured a number of daggers in her hand.


    Mary smiled and stopped kissing the boy.


    "Everybody line up around me," Mary ordered and so the students and the few teachers began to run to make a formation around her. She created a living shield of humans just like Kira predicted.


    "He wasn''t much of a kisser, anyways," Mary commented while holding Harry''s shirt tightly to taunt Kira further. She knew that she wouldn''t attack innocents. She could tell that Kira was still a kind girl.


    Kira''s hand gripped her knives tightly and then threw them to the sides. The knives pierced the walls surrounding the room.


    "Ooh, going to grow something? Grow some vines and drag them to the walls, perhaps? I wonder if you''ll be able to do that without snapping any of their bodies in half. I don''t think you have that kind of control over your plants," Mary said.


    Kira did think of that, but had another idea. From the knives, some vines began to grow out to the walls surrounding the whole room. Then, from the vines, flowers bloomed. White flowers. Some kind of Jasmine. The pleasant scent filled the room.


    Mary had no idea what they were or what Kira was planning, but one thing was for sure - Mary was getting bored of waiting.


    "Are you going to bore us to sleep, Kira. Fine, then. I''ll make the first move. First row and Jocks charge at her. Now, you''ll be forced to defend yourself," Mary said.


    They began to charge, but after a few steps, they began to tire out. Right before they reached Kira, they fell to their knees.


    "What''s going on?" Mary questioned, but then she noticed everybody else beginning to fall asleep. Even she was beginning to feel drowsy.


    "You were right about one thing," Kira said confidently, "I do plan to make you sleep. The smell of these Jasmines have been made to put any human to sleep."


    "Shit," Mary exclaimed as the scent filled her nose. A dark shadow enveloped Mary to Kira''s surprise. It was not like any other transformation. It felt almost as cold as a Night Demon, but that feeling faded a moment after it was finished. Mary finished her transformation and felt ready to fight - no longer feeling the effects of the flower''s scent.


    Mary and Kira stood in place. The room was filled with vines, but Mary was confident that she could cut down any that stood in her way. Meanwhile, Kira was fully ready to fight as the whole room was in her control.


    Mary smiled with glee as she felt enjoyment in teaching this child her place. However, the mask prevented Kira from seeing Mary''s facial expressions. Only the black and purple eyes were visible. Kira only crossed her arms and watched Mary like a hawk looking at it''s prey waiting for her inevitable charge forward. Kira looked down at Harry lying next to Mary''s metal boots and knew that she needed to finish this fight quickly and get him home safely.


    And without surprising Kira, Mary charged forward with her claws sharpened and out.


    Vines from all around the room sprung up and tried to latch onto Mary''s body, but she cut them down instantly. She dodged large sharp branches, and was making her way forward. When she dodged and was in the air, Kira threw a dagger towards Mary. She instinctively flicked the dagger away with her claws, but as she touched it, vines began to tangle itself onto her claws. She tried to scratch them off with her other hand, and as she did, she didn''t foresee the large branch coming right for her. It smacked her head on and pushed her back onto one of the walls filled with vines. As she landed, the vines grew thorns and stabbed into Mary''s back injecting some kind of poison. She tried to scream, but not air came out. Only blood. She landed on the floor trying to fall back, but the constant barrage of vines and plants made it very difficult. She continued to dodge, but the fight wasn''t going in her favor. As they fought, the vines dragged the students out of the room, just so that they couldn''t get hurt, but Mary was too far distracted to notice.


    She kept breathing heavily, but the poison caused her to be in constant pain. It wasn''t deadly enough to kill, just enough to weaken her.


    "Had enough, yet?" Kira asked.


    "Not even clo-" Mary was about to say, but was instantly attacked by a group of slithering vines with heads of venus flytraps. They bit into Mary''s legs and stuck themselves there even after Mary cut their roots.


    She now knew that she had no chance to win. Kira was able to make far more different and adaptive plants as the fight progressed.


    Mary had no choice but to retreat. She knew that she couldn''t go through the front door. The closest exit she saw was the window covered in vines.


    She quickly dashed towards the window and Kira realized she was planning to escape. She threw a dagger towards Mary, but she dodged it and cut right through the vines blocking her path. She, then crashed straight through the window as shards of glass pierced her body.


    Kira ran over to where Mary had leapt from, but as she looked down, she could see Mary slowly tread along the field leaving a trail of blood. Her whole body was bleeding and was on the edge of death. Kira wanted to finish her, but felt that she needed to see whether the other students were alright.


    She ran over to the students and began to notice them waking up. Kira transformed back into her regular form. The vines covering the room disappeared in a flash. She went up to Harry and asked, "Hey. Are you alright?"


    "Wha- What happened?" Harry wondered, "Did I doze off?"


    The students were no longer under Mary''s control, but they had no recollection of what happened either. Kira actually say this as a good thing. At least, Harry wouldn''t remember what Mary did to him, she thought.


    Kira grabbed Harry up and lent him her shoulder. The other students woke up from a daze, but Kira was pretty sure that they were all fine.


    "Take it easy. Let''s get back home, Harry," Kira said.


    "Yeah. Okay," Harry replied.


    And so, Kira and Harry walked out of the school along with a bunch of other students. The rain was still heavy, but had lightened up. Some clouds dispersed and the sun was seeping through.

 Chapter 34: A New Monster

    Jack walked along the streets of Janken City. As she walked away from the house, she eventually came towards a more busy part of town. She looked around and watched as others passed by her. She overlooked most if not all of them. Yet, even with all her power, she was nowhere close to finding Annie. The rain was heavy, but she didn''t falter.


    For a second, she thought about going back, but she turned that thought away. She couldn''t go back, now. She remembered her purpose. She remembered why she was a Light Guardian. It was either turn into a Light Guardian or get killed by one of those Night Demons that Annie unleashed. She reflected upon why Annie was summoning those monsters and could only think that she needed those black coins to "buy art supplies." It was a stupid reason to cause so much pain and suffering. All that sorrow created and attracted many Night Demons towards them at the time. Even if she needed a black coin, she would rather kill herself before purposefully bringing a monster out.


    As she thought to herself, the screams of men and women broke her concentration.


    Crowds of people began to run away from the direction she was facing. The clouds were dark, but small beams of light struck through.


    Cars being thrown around. People lying in their own blood. Children crying over the loss of their parents and loved ones. It seemed all too familiar to Jack. The sensation shook her to her very core.


    A screech cried in the middle of the street surrounded by dead bodies.


    A Night Demon. But how could there be one, Jack wondered. She couldn''t sense it at all as if it wasn''t a monster.


    It had the body of a man sewn together by strings. A squid''s head stapled to the front of his forehead. His eyes plucked out and placed on his chest. His arms replaced with a dozen sharp knife-like tendrils and tentacles. His legs were stuck with black scales. His feet webbed. It made a screech as it''s tendrils went for any surrounding civilian. It stabbed and pierced many. It''s tentacles attached themselves to cars and threw them at the sides of buildings. Utter chaos and destruction with no purpose.


    Jack had no time to think about why she couldn''t sense it or how it just appeared out of nowhere. As people ran away, she ran forward. A barrage of flame surrounded her as crimson armor covered her body.


    Jack furiously roared in anger. She stared at the monster. It gave no name. Just horrendous screeches and gibberish. "Eid em tel. Em llik esaelp. Em llik," it said through it''s gargling mouth.


    Jack charged at the monster, but noticed one of the children on the sides. She was trying to shake her blood-covered parents awake.


    The monster''s tendrils went towards the girl. Jack could have kept going to kill the monster, but she felt compelled to help the little girl. Jack dashed over and grabbed the girl.


    "Wait! My parents!" the girl yelled, but Jack knew they were dead as soon as she looked at them. Their bodies were mangled and distorted. If they were alive, they wouldn''t last a trip to the hospital.


    The tendrils collided with the ground and crashed into the wall destroying a part of the building. Smoke and dust covered the air and into Jack''s lungs.


    She put the girl down and yelled, "Get out of here!"


    Without looking back at the girl, she ran over to the monster. Jack conjured her flaming machete and charged forward. The tendrils were powerful enough to push Jack away. Without a second''s thought, she threw her machete straight at the monster. The blade struck the creature''s neck decapitating it. The blade landed on the concrete floor and vanished into a ring of fire and smoke.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    The creature fell on it''s knees and then straight onto the ground.


    The neck didn''t bleed as it had already been cauterized by Jack''s blade.


    Jack gave a sigh of relief. A torrent of flame quickly surrounded her and she transformed back into normal.


    She looked back to see if the girl was still there and she was. She went over to her mangled parents and knelt beside them in disbelief.


    "How could this happen? Why did this happen?" the girl said.


    Jack walked over to the girl slowly. Memories of herself sprung up. How her own parents were killed.


    "Hey..." Jack quietly said while reaching out. The whole portion of the city was destroyed. Sirens were blazing as they neared the scene.


    The girl didn''t respond.


    "Hey... are you..." Jack started to say, but she had no idea what to say.


    "Why didn''t you save them? Where were you?" the girl said as tears began to roll down her eyes.


    "I... I didn''t...."


    Jack froze. The scene felt so similar to her own memories. She just didn''t know what to say or do.


    The girl looked back at her and yelled angrily, "You should have saved them!!"


    When that yell came, Jack stepped back and looked away in sorrow. There was nothing she could say or do to help her. Absolutely nothing.


    Then, as the girl stared back at Jack with spiteful eyes, the shopkeep appeared.


    "Good grief. So much destruction. It''s gonna take a miracle to hide all this," he said as he approached the girl. He waved his hand in front of her, and the girl felt dizzy for a second.


    Jack stepped forward. "What are you doing!?" she yelled as the girl gently fell asleep.


    "I think you already know. I can''t let people find out about the existence of monsters and demons in the world," he replied calmly.


    Then, Jack even remembered that part of herself. Her own memories erased until she herself became a Light Guardian.


    "Man, there were a lot of witnesses and plenty of cameras. Luckily this job is easy for a thing like me," the shopkeep said to himself.


    Jack looked back at the Night Demon and suddenly became worried. It didn''t disappear. Whenever these monsters die, they fade and turn into black coins, she thought.


    A blaze covered her as she transformed back into her guardian form. The shopkeeper looked over towards Jack, but ultimately didn''t care.


    She created her machete and slowly walked towards the supposedly dead monster''s body. It must still be alive, she thought. She went up to it and started poking it with her blade. With every poke, she poked faster and faster until it pierced the body. She took her blade out and wondered why it wasn''t disappearing. It didn''t seem like it was alive anymore.


    She then remembered the head.


    "Damn it. It''s head must be the part to crush!" Jack yelled until she looked over and saw the monster''s head just lying there motionless. "Nevermind."


    Jack was confused as ever as she scratched the top of her head. She knelt down besides the creature, moved it around, and analyzed it. It was very squishy and felt boneless like jelly.


    But one thing caught her eye. Upon seeing a small inscription written on the bottom of the creature''s feet, there was a signature. A cursive ''a'' with a heart above it.


    "Impossible," Jack said in utter disbelief. This monster had Annie''s signature on it, but why would this thing have it, she wondered. It''s not a piece of art and she doubted that Annie was capable of controlling Night Demons.


    But then she realized it wasn''t a Night Demon. Usually, Night Demons stay in the shadows, but this thing was attacking in the middle of a busy street. Also, she didn''t even sense the creature. Not once before or during the fight, did she feel the presence of one such monster.


    Parts of the creature''s body felt human. Other parts were Night Demon. And the rest were like decoration.


    Jack couldn''t believe it, but as she thought about it, the more she believed that Annie created this monster like one of her art projects. She didn''t know how or why, but if this thing wasn''t once living, she could totally see it as one of Annie''s art pieces.


    "What is this?" Jack asked.


    But her disgust and horror turned to a feeling of happiness. A feeling that she was actually close to finding her. Bodies laid strewn for flies and crows. But at that moment, she didn''t care about any of them. The only thing that Jack cared about was that she was finally close to finding her and getting revenge. She made a horrid smile that was covered by her mask.


    "Finally, Annie. Now, I know you''re here. And I won''t let you escape this time."

 Chapter 35: Change of Plans

    As Jack was about to leave, she noticed Night Demons beginning to spawn near the dead, but right before Jack would attack them, they would scatter into the cracks of concrete escaping.


    It was unfortunate that more Night Demons had spawned, but she could no longer stay there. The sirens came even closer and the monsters had dispersed.


    She looked around and saw one car still running. An old red civic. It was roughed up, but the engine was still running. It seemed to be stuck in a pothole, but that was no problem for Jack''s strength. She went over to the driver seat and saw that the driver was still there hiding and shivering behind the wheel. His eyes were completely shut.


    Jack tore open the door and lifted the driver out of the car.


    "Oh, please don''t kill me!" he yelled frightened with his eye still closed.


    "Hey, I''m going to be stealing this car," Jack said.


    As soon as he heard that it wasn''t a monster, he became confused and opened his eyes.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "What the-!" the driver exclaimed before he took a look at her - a terrifying red demon. Just as frightening as the monster before. The next moment, he screamed and fainted. Jack dropped the guy on the concrete before lifting the car out of the pothole.


    Jack got in and the whole car drooped down. She transformed back into human form and began to drive away albeit with only a few swerving.


    As she drove away, the police cars passed by her as she slowly drove away. The loud sirens went further and further away as she drove back home.


    She knew that Annie was in the city, and now she had a reason to stay. She also thought about getting some help for it. She thought that Yune would help and although, she didn''t like the idea, she knew that having Mary would be helpful, too. Mary''s mind control powers would be very helpful in gathering information. She could easily ask anybody if they knew or saw Annie, and there would be nothing they could do. The only problem with it was that she couldn''t ask other Light Guardians, but even with that drawback, that was a major advantage to them.


    The more people, the better. And out of all the people she could trust, it would have to be them. She couldn''t rely on other Light Guardians. Luckily, she didn''t consider herself or Yune and Mary as Light Guardians, but something different.


    And throughout the whole drive back, she kept her sinister smile. But as soon as she saw her face in the mirror, she only stopped for a moment, but then kept smiling as if she couldn''t control it. But in the end, she didn''t care and kept driving.

 Chapter 36: To Find One

    Jack arrived quickly back to the dark gloomy house they called home.


    She crashed the car into the fence in front of the house and parked it there. Jack ran into the house to find Yune and Mary. The rain had disappeared and the sun was coming back. The school day had already ended for an hour already, so she thought that they would both be back at home.


    As soon as Jack came through the front door, she only noticed Yune microwaving some leftover food for herself.


    "Huh?" Yune exclaimed.


    "Hey, I''m back," Jack replied.


    "You came back?" Yune said as tear began to flow out, "I''m so glad."


    "Please don''t cry. I''m not good in these situations," Jack said, but Yune came and hugged her, "Please stop."


    "I can''t stop. I thought we were all going to go out separate ways. For some reason, I just couldn''t stand that idea," Yune said.


    She let go of Jack and wiped away her tears.


    "I''m only back because I''ve found a big hint to what I''m looking for," Jack said but noticed that Mary wasn''t there, "Wait a second. Where''s Mary? She should hear this, too. Unfortunately, I could also use her help. Not many places to actually go for help for people like us."You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "I don''t know. Mary should have come back by now, but I thought she just needed some time to walk off the argument you two had."


    "I didn''t like what she did, but we can argue about it another time."


    "We should go look for her. It''ll get dark soon."


    Jack nodded in agreement.


    "Any idea where to find her?," a young voice asked in the shadows.


    Jack and Yune both looked over and recognized the voice of a young boy.


    It was Hades. He flew in from the sides and landed on top of the table.


    "Hades, if you know where she is, you would tell us, right?" Yune asked.


    "Of course I do. I know where all of you are at all times."


    "What!?" Jack exclaimed.


    "Please don''t get surprised. You should be more worried about Mary than about what I know and don''t know," Hades said.


    Upon hearing this, Jack and Yune both felt a chill, but it wasn''t from a Night Demon. Their markings glowed black shrouding their entire arm. Yune''s mark of the cat. Jack''s mark of the snake. They were being drawn towards Mary''s own pain. Her frustration. Her anger. And especially her isolation. They felt it all. They felt a part of themselves beginning to rip. The sensation wasn''t painful, but it carried a strong enough shock to both Jack and Yune.


    "What did you do?" Jack said in a threatening manner.


    "I did nothing. But Mary''s in deep trouble. Not sure how long she''ll last."


    "Stop wasting time and tell us where she is," Yune said.


    "She''s near the back of the school."


    As soon as they heard that, Jack and Yune hurried outside. They transformed into their Night Guardian forms and dashed away. Hades quickly followed them without any trouble.


    Jack had no desire to help Mary, but knew that she would be helpful. Her powers would suit Jack''s needs very well, and she had to take advantage of it if she wanted to find Annie.


    Meanwhile, Yune really did care about Mary. Yune cared more about either of them than her own well-being, but this feeling felt misplaced as her memories still hadn''t sprung up. Still, there was no hesitation. She would help either of them even if she didn''t know why.

 Chapter 37: Lying on the Grass

    The sun shined atop of Mary''s body as she dragged herself across the mud and dirt. She was only able to go a couple of steps before her legs gave out. Blood began to slowly come out of her mouth. Her body continued to bleed a trail. If she didn''t stay in her guardian form, she would most likely already be dead. And her condition didn''t look like it was getting better. Her mask started to peel off as she moved forward. It fell on the grass revealing her face. It was almost human with the exception of her black scleras.


    She wanted to call for help. She wanted to call the shopkeep to heal her, but she couldn''t make a sound.


    As she laid on the grass, the sun shined brightly over her. The rain had made it too cold for her, and now the sun was making it too hot. As she looked up with almost closed eyes, the sunlight bothered her. It became too unbearable, so she just closed her eyes and kept dragging herself. She kept moving and movie ever so slowly. Nobody was there to see her. And nobody was there to help. She was all alone in any empty field away from any eyes.


    As she crawled further, her phone dropped out of her pocket. Realizing this, she slowly grabbed the phone. It took so much effort to even turn it on. She opened one eye and looked at the phone. She had to call somebody. Anybody. She didn''t know how long she was there or how far she was, but it didn''t matter. She didn''t think anybody would help her. Everybody betrays one another, she thought.


    And when she turned her phone on, a picture of the three of them appeared. Jack, Mary, and Yune right outside of the nurse''s office. Mary looked at herself in the photo. She was so happy. The three of them together. At first, she thought she was happy that Jack was being tormented, but now she realized she never felt that way ever before. Not when she was alive as a queen. Not when she was controlling all of those students. She never felt happy except for when another suffered. But the photo was different. Jack looked annoyed, but she could tell that they were having fun. All three of them. But even then, she felt betrayed. After Yune and Jack left, she felt that she had been betrayed once more. But this time, it hurt even more. She barely knew them, yet she enjoyed her time with them far more than any time before.


    A tear rolled down her eyes as more blood spurted out of her mouth. She had nobody. Nobody would come to help her.


    Was I going to die here, she wondered, was I brought back from the depths of hell to die abandoned once more on this muddy field. Even as I die, the rain stopped and the sun''s intensity shined brighter than ever before - perhaps I was meant to die here, she thought, as God intended - abandoned by everybody to be left here. The world is cruel, yet when I show cruelty back, I am the one who gets punished, she thought.


    As she tried to resist death, her body slowed. Eventually it became too hard to keep moving, and she just gave up. She laid there waiting for death to take her, but it never came.


    However, what she didn''t see was that her mark was glowing black. The mark of the crow. However, she didn''t feel or see it.


    Instead of death, what came surprised her.


    "Mary! MARY!" Jack and Yune yelled as they ran towards Mary''s lying body.


    She heard their cries and wondered if this was a dream. She couldn''t believe that they would come back for her. She thought that she was abandoned, but no. As they knelt down, she touched their hard armor. She still had some sensation left. She opened her weak eyes to see them and smiled gently.


    She tried to say, "You came back for me," but she was too weak to say it. Instead what came out were weak moans.


    "Relax. Don''t move, Mary," Yune said worryingly. She looked at the wounds and knew that no hospital would be able to help her at this point. The moment Mary transforms back, she would die, they all thought. But both Jack and Yune knew that there was one being who could help them.


    Both Jack and Yune screamed, "Shopkeep! Shopkeep! We need your help!"


    And with a gust of wind, the shopkeep appeared.


    "What would you like?" he asked.


    "Help Mary! Heal her wounds," Jack ordered him.


    The shopkeep looked at Mary for a second and said, "She has lost a lot of blood. At this point, she won''t make it. Of course, I could help, but I want payment."


    But neither Jack nor Yune had any black coins to pay.


    "Please... we''ll pay you later once we get a black coin," Yune begged as she applied pressure to stop the bleeding.


    The shopkeeper shook his head. "Nope. Not gonna do. I''ll need payment up front. And for these wounds, you''ll probably need around 50 black coins."Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "50! You can''t be serious!" Jack yelled, "She''s dying right in front of you, and all you care about are the coins. You can''t even be bothered to help!"


    "I don''t make the prices - I mean I do, but I''m a business after all. If you don''t want my services, I''ll just leave. Besides, I let plenty of other Light Guardians die if they''re unable to pay me. I couldn''t care less. There are plenty of other girls that can become one," the shopkeep said as he began to turn away.


    Mary opened her mouth trying to say something, but it was inaudible. She tried harder and harder. She couldn''t lay down and die like this. Not when Jack and Yune came back to save her. Just the feeling of being important to somebody who isn''t afraid or her or under her control made Mary feel special. She felt like she finally belonged somewhere. And she couldn''t just give up, now.


    With all the effort she could muster, she managed to say two words. "Use.... reserves...." she said quietly and hoarsely.


    Yune and Jack barely heard her, but the shopkeep was able to hear Mary very clearly and froze in place.


    He turned around towards Mary and replied, "I will be taking 100 black coins from your reserve pile. That will make your reserve total to be, uh, 1307."


    "thirteen-hundred black coins!" Jack and Yune both exclaimed.


    When Mary was a queen she had many other Light Guardians serving under her. She was able to collect many black coins for herself with the help of many guardians, however she didn''t know what to do with them at times and just saved them. She gave them to the shopkeep to keep them like a bank, and he had no objections to it.


    "Please say you agree or nod your head so that I can confirm with you," the shopkeep said.


    Mary tried to move, but she was too weak. She didn''t have the strength to nod her head ever so slightly. Then, Yune grabbed Mary''s head and began to nod it for her.


    "There, she''s agreeing to your terms. Now, help her," Yune said.


    The shopkeep sighed, "Alright. I guess that''s close enough."


    And with a motion of the shopkeep''s hand, Mary''s wounds began to seal themselves. Her skin regenerated. Life was being restored to her.


    "Lucky, she didn''t die. Then, there would be no power to bring her back," the shopkeep said.


    "Well, we all know that''s a lie," Jack said.


    "...Right. Well, I''ll be on my way. Let me know if you need anything else," the shopkeep said before he vanished into thin air.


    Mary''s eye sprung open and she coughed out whatever leftover blood was stuck in her trachea until there was nothing left to cough out. Yune tried to comfort Mary and patting her back like a child.


    Jack pondered on the shopkeep''s words. He said that the dead can''t be brought back, but that was exactly what they were. The only conclusion she could come up with was the even the shopkeep was limited in power. But Jack didn''t really care for that. She was just glad that Mary was alive, however she wasn''t sure whether she was relieved because Mary would be useful for her own means or if she actually was worried about her as a person. But it didn''t matter to Jack. She just had one goal in mind and that was to find Annie.


    As soon as Mary stopped coughing, she said to both Jack and Yune, "You came back for me. I thought you had left me."


    Mary transformed back into human form and felt normal. Yune and Jack proceed to, as well.


    "No. We wouldn''t leave you. We''re all in this together," Yune replied while Jack scoffed.


    Mary stood up with dirt and mud all over her. She looked straight at both Jack and apologized sincerely, "I''m sorry, Jack. I''m so sorry about what I did. Or what I didn''t do. I know you wanted to save those people more than killing the Night Demon. I didn''t understand it at the time. Well, I still don''t, but I want to try to make it up to you. For the both of you."


    Jack was utterly surprised by this. She didn''t actually expect Mary to apologize for that. She expected Mary to say something like ''I was handling it just fine without you two'' or ''I didn''t need your help'' as if she was a brat. But this apology really changed Jack''s perception of Mary.


    "You don''t have to apologize," Yune said.


    "I do," Mary continued, "I might not understand how either of you feel. You, Jack, probably wanted to beat me to death after that incident, but even if I don''t understand, I want to try to. You both saved me. I gave up until the two of you came. I thought you two abandoned me, but I was wrong. Utterly and completely wrong. Please - Please accept my deepest apologies."


    Mary really did feel sorry. She never felt this way before. It hurt, but she couldn''t leave the two of them again.


    Jack thought that perhaps Mary was just trying to trick them, but she just couldn''t tell. She nodded her head.


    "Alright. I do think you want to change, but I don''t accept your apology. Actions - not words - are going to show me whether you really do feel sorry."


    "I understand," Mary replied disappointed yet satisfied.


    "Thank goodness. So, looks like we''re back to being friends again," Yune said.


    "No. Not friends," Jack replied.


    "Huh?" Mary and Yune both exclaimed.


    "Family," Jack said, "The three of us aren''t related by blood, but this is the closest I''ve had to a family. None of us are perfect or get along well. And we each tolerate each other."


    Jack smiled and continued, "If that''s not how a family is supposed to be, then I don''t know what is."


    "Family?" Yune quietly said.


    Mary smiled and hugged Jack.


    "What are you doing? Stop that," Jack complained as Mary''s head would only reach Jack''s belly.


    "I can''t. Because you''re absolutely right, girl. This is a much better family than with my mom who''s been nagging me about my birthright and my traitorous sister who executed me," Mary said.


    "You had a strange family," Jack replied with a blank face as Mary continued hugging her, "Please stop. You''re all muddy and gross."


    "Family..." Yune said to herself. She felt something tug at her heart, but she didn''t know why. The memories still wouldn''t come. The only thing she remembered was the blonde girl who stabbed her in the back. However, she barely remember anything about her. And there was a third girl, but she had no idea who it was. She shook away the thoughts of trying to figure out her own memories and was just glad that the three of them were together again.


    Yune smiled and decided to jump in.


    "Leave some room for me," Yune said as she approached the two with her arms wide open.


    "Oh, please no," Jack said as she was now being hugged by two very small girls to her. The only thing Jack could do was remain static and keep her arms straight like a robot. She didn''t know how to respond to these hugs. But she didn''t complain after. She just let it happen.


    "So, this is what a family is like," Jack said, "I don''t like it."

 Chapter 38: Threat to Deal With

    As soon as they were done hugging, Mary grabbed her phone and put it away. She had no idea where the rest of her stuff was, but she didn''t care.


    As soon as they were about to leave, Mary remembered something.


    "Oh, shit!" she yelled.


    "What!?" both Jack and Yune exclaimed.


    "The one that almost killed me," Mary said, "I almost forgot since I was so happy to see you girls."


    "Oh, right. We did forget to ask you what happened. Were you fighting a Night Demon," Yune asked.


    "No. I was fighting that Light Guardian girl. What was her name? Uh. The one with the tree daggers," Mary replied.


    Yune said, "Hmm. I think that one was called Kira. Yep. Pretty sure."


    "You were fighting one of them?" Jack asked Mary, "Why?"


    "Well, things happened," Mary said, "And well, you could say that I instigated the fight with threats, but she was the one who actually started it with violence."


    "What do you mean ''you could say''?" Jack asked angrily.


    "Damn it. This is going to put a strain on our relationship. They can easily beat us in a fight and they already don''t trust us at all. This is going to end badly. We might be able to talk with them, but I don''t know..." Yune said worryingly.


    Mary said, "That''s not the real problem. She saw my transformation. She saw how my transformation was covered in shrouds of darkness. I don''t know if she even thinks we''re Light Guardians, anymore. She may think of us more as Night Demons than anything else."


    The sun began to set.


    "What did you say!?" Jack yelled angrily, "You''re saying that they know what we are."


    Yune thought calmly about the situation.


    "I don''t know," Mary replied, "But she saw my transformation. Even each of us thought that kind of transformation was strange for Light Guardians. And I may have even said some stuff while taunting her. I just don''t know."Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "Damn it!," Jack yelled.


    Yune, however, was calm and collected. If Nina, Anne, and Kira knew that the they were beings brought to life by a creature of darkness, they would definitely think of them as enemies. All Yune thought about is what she would do in their place. She thought that Nina would never try to reason with something that could be considered as a Night Demon. And the only road led to killing three monsters. It was the most obvious choice and the only one she could think of.


    As Jack panicked, Mary tried to calm her down by saying things like "Maybe, she didn''t notice" and "Maybe, she thought it was just like any other transformation." But no excuse would calm Jack as her ears shut out all noise from the outside.


    If Jack didn''t know that Annie was at the city, then she would just leave. She didn''t have any ill will towards these particular Light Guardians, although she didn''t have high opinions of Light Guardians in general. And every time they fought against them, they lost. The first time Jack fought against them, she died. And the second time seemed even worse as their experience gave them strength. She didn''t know how much time had passed, but it was enough to tell that they had grown.


    As they wondered on their next move, Hades flew in from above as the sky suddenly turned dark.


    "Hey. So, I do have some information that could help you on your decision-making, if you''d like it," Hades suggested.


    Yune, Jack, and Mary looked at the owl and listened. They didn''t trust Hades, but at this point, they all didn''t know what to do. Should they run? Should they fight? None of them knew.


    Hades coughed and said, "The girl, Kira, does know about your transformation. However, she didn''t tell her two friends about it."


    "Huh? Why wouldn''t she? Does she not think it was strange?" Yune asked.


    "Kira did think it was bizarre, but she was taking care of her boyfriend. As we speak, she''s walking him safely home. She does plan on telling the other two about her... encounter. That will put a strain on things. And she will mention the strange dark aura that surrounded Mary."


    "Damn it. What should we do?" Jack asked knowing they had limited time.


    "I gave you the information. I won''t decide what you should do with it. Do what you will," Hades said before flying away.


    "What the hell? What a useless bird," Mary said as she waved her fist at Hades.


    "So, any ideas?" Mary asked the other two.


    "We need to stop her from telling Nina and Anne. If they have the slightest clue that we''re not Light Guardians, then they will hunt us. And who knows how many others will hear about us," Yune said.


    "Agreed. Now, let''s go after her," Jack said as she began to run ahead, but then stopped in her tracks, "Anybody know where her house is?"


    They called in the shopkeep and asked for where Kira''s home was located along with the directions for the price of two black coins. He put the route on their phone''s GPS and also gave Kira''s exact location on the GPS after giving an extra black coin. They had no time to argue or haggle and could use any advantage.


    And so, they transformed and dashed away towards Kira. What they planned to do however, none of them quite knew. The only thing they did know was that they needed to stop Kira from telling others about what they were.

 Chapter 39: Deal with Kira

    Kira had already dropped her friend, Harry, to his place safely. She didn''t sense any Night Demons nearby as she walked towards her own home. It was getting late. The moon was covered in clouds while only the street lamps could illuminate the neighborhood. This part of the city was quiet compared to downtown. The center of the city was still rustling as usual. Lights at every corner.


    But Kira was not there. She moved through her dark neighborhood as usual. If there were any Night Demons she would sense them, and usually there were many near these hidden places. The houses themselves looked decent. Neither too eccentric nor run-down. It wasn''t a very dangerous neighborhood either, but she was still cautious.


    She was glad that Harry was safe. It was all she could think about. She didn''t have a single thought about Mary at the time. She assumed that she learned her lesson. Still, she was planning on letting Anne and Nina know what happened, but it was too late. She could call them, but she didn''t want to disturb them this late and it could wait until tomorrow, anyways, she thought. She began to walk faster towards home as she knew her parents would be worried. She didn''t even want to check her phone for missed messages.


    As she walked further down, she began to sense a Night Demon. A chill went down her spine.


    "C''mon. I''m already running late," she complained aloud. Kira transformed and dashed towards the creature. She sensed it coming from behind her and she hurried over. She hoped that she could defeat the monster quickly, so she went directly at it.


    She approached the park. It was dark. The lamp posts were shattered.


    The trees blocked more light coming in from the already cloud-covered moon. It was almost pitch-black. But Kira was not afraid. It was just another Night Demon, she believed. If it was too much to handle, she would retreat and call for her two friends to help. But with the new powers she obtained by fighting Mary, she thought that she could handle it herself. She walked straight into the dark park with invigorated confidence.


    She became very strong after her fight with Mary, she thought. She was sure that she couldn''t lose to any Night Demon now that she got this boost of power and confidence. Her abilities to manipulate plants was improving and she felt that she could get even better.


    As she walked further, she sensed being closer and closer to the Night Demon. She felt no fear from the darkness. She brushed off branches and bushes. Eventually, she reached the Night Demon. It was an small field surrounded by trees. The Night Demon was small and had three bulging eyes. It was salivating all over. It had two bat-wings and three long elongated legs covered in knives. However, she wasn''t the first one there. The clouds moved away from the moon and shined a light above the small opening withing the park.


    She saw the large, red-armored Light Guardian already standing atop it''s head. Kira remembered her name. It was Jack.


    She had forcefully ripped off the creature''s long legs and wings with her bare hands, all while the creature was still alive. And it stayed alive squirming, but with no chance of escape.


    "Ghouliga. Ghouliga," it cried.


    Jack didn''t look at the creature, but stared straight at Kira. Although, Kira believed that they were all Light Guardians, she knew that she was in danger. There was a feeling of a lion looking at an antelope. After her fight with Mary, she should have known that her other two friends would get revenge. Kira didn''t know whether she wounded Mary enough to kill her, but she didn''t care. She only cared about getting through this night. She wondered where


    Jack crushed the creature''s head in one stomp leaving only a black goo which started to vaporize into the air. She breathed hoarsely. Her red eyes glowed with the intensity of the sun. A mark also began to glow among a shroud covering her arm. A mark looking like a hieroglyph of a snake. However, Kira was unaware what any of that meant. She didn''t know anything about guardians brought back from the dead nor did she ever think about that.


    As soon as Jack took a step forward, Kira was about to create a dagger when suddenly lines of chains sprung up from the ground as if they were laid beneath the dirt. The chains first tangled Kira''s arms preventing her from creating any magical daggers. Kira gasped as the chains began to tangle all around her body. They wrapped themselves around the forest attached to the surrounding trees.


    In the end, she was wrapped like a fly in a web of chains. Atop of one of the branches, eyes of white could be seen piercing through the darkness. Yune. She held her chain in one hand and the hook with the other as she looked down at Kira with unnerving eyes. A car mark could be seen atop her shrouded right arm.


    Yune jumped down to the open field alongside Jack.


    "We hoped you would come after this Night Demon. I had to drag it closer to where you were so you would sense it," Jack said annoyed.


    Kira tried to struggle, but every time she moved, the chains constricted her even more. She coughed out blood trying to get out, but eventually she stopped and the chains relaxed.


    "Damn it. Do you think you can get away with this?" Kira said as soon as she was able to.


    "Yeah," Yune replied calmly.


    "What? Did I really hurt your friend that badly!?" Kira yelled angrily without a shred of sympathy, "Your friend''s a monster. I didn''t plan to hurt her, but she gave me no choice. And I''m glad I hurt her. She deserved far worse. Did she tell you that she turned Harry - I mean a bunch of students into her plaything?"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Jack shook her head and then said, "That does sound like what she would do. If you had told me at an earlier time, I may have cared."


    Yune paid attention to the name of Harry. He sounded like somebody important to Kira and wondered if she could use that to her advantage.


    Both Jack and Yune was somewhat aware that Mary must have done something horrible to provoke Kira, but in the end, neither of them cared about it right now. They believed that Kira saw and suspected too much.


    Yune spun her hook around her arm and asked, "So, what exactly do you think of us? Do you think we''re monsters like Night Demons?"


    Kira spit on their metal boots. She noticed that Mary was nowhere to be seen. She ignored their question and taunted them, "I guess little Mary couldn''t make it. Did I manage to put her in a coma? Maybe, I killed her? Is that why you''re here? To exact revenge? If you do anything to me, Anne and Nina will make you suffer far worse than whatever you plan to do to me."


    "You''re a lot more confident than what I previously thought," Yune said.


    Jack and Yune both just looked at Kira with unnerving eyes. They were still unsure about what to do. Yune didn''t want to kill Kira unless she really had to. And Jack would kill her without a second thought if she believed that Kira was like Annie, but her new experiences have shaped her perception of Light Guardians. Neither of them wanted to kill her just yet.


    Jack angrily questioned, "Damn it! What the hell do you think of us!?"


    Kira laughed and replied, "I think you''re the most disgusting and vile Light Guardians I''ve ever met."


    Once, they heard her say the word "Light Guardian", Jack and Yune knew that Kira was aware of nothing. If Kira suspected them of being something other than that, then she wouldn''t have called them that word.


    Jack and Yune looked at each other and nodded in agreement. They both knew that she knew nothing. But that didn''t mean they would free her without any conditions.


    Jack turned around and replied, "Looks like you do know nothing. That''s very lucky for you."


    Yune followed suit and threatened, "Uh-huh. But that doesn''t mean we''ll let you go without warning. Let''s make a deal. I''ll free you if you don''t tell Anne and Nina about what happened. And if you do tell them, then we''ll go after that boy you mentioned. What was his name again? Harry. Shouldn''t be too hard."


    Kira exclaimed, "You wouldn''t - you wouldn''t dare!"


    "I would," Jack replied, "I may not go after regular people, but I''m not so sure about Yune."


    Yune and Jack turned their backs to Kira and began to walk away.


    "I will let you go. But I will warn you, if you try to move before we''re gone or create any daggers...," Yune said without even looking back, "...you will die."


    The chains around Kira loosened and quickly jolted back. All one chain came back together towards Yune''s arm. Kira landed on the grass staring at their backs. She felt a flurry of rage swelling within her. She felt the need to protect Anne, Nina, and Harry. Especially, Harry. She wouldn''t let Harry be in any more danger after what happened today.


    Their backs were turned and, they were vulnerable to an attack. Kira felt confident enough to be able to either maim or kill one of them before retreating. And this time, she really meant to kill. She did believe they were Light Guardians, but they acted more like thugs and monsters. The world would be better off without people like them, she thought. They were a distance away, but Kira knew that Jack was more suited for close-range, while Yune''s chains would take time to reach her. Kira''s daggers were faster and flew further than what those chains could achieve in the same time.


    After she planned to throw the dagger, she would retreat and call her two friends. Then, they would be able to end this fight tonight. If all three of them teamed up, then Jack and Yune wouldn''t stand a chance.


    As soon as Yune''s chain fully wrapped itself around her arm, Kira saw her chance. She wanted to aim for Yune, since she was far more likely to get hurt compared to Jack. A bright light enveloped Kira''s hand in creating her dagger. It was too fast for anybody to react, except for one.


    As soon as Kira''s dagger was in the process of being made, a quick flash and cut zoomed past her.


    Blood spurted out. Large claws tore straight through Kira without any resistance. The arm that was creating the dagger was cut cleanly. And Kira''s body was intact, but full of rips and tears. She couldn''t even feel it until it was too late. When she did, she couldn''t even cry or scream as blood filled her lungs.


    Kira laid on the ground motionlessly. Kira had a look of surprise as she faced Mary standing above her.


    It couldn''t be, she thought. She was so self-assured that she had beaten Mary to the point of being sent to the hospital. Kira was in utter disbelief, but the pain was more extreme. Even though, she could move her body, she still felt the unimaginable pain like she was being eaten alive by wolves.


    "Surprised I''m better? Nothing a couple hundred black coins couldn''t fix. Even though, I couldn''t argue, I still feel ripped off about that," Mary said as she stared down at Kira''s dying body.


    Yune and Jack both walked over next to Mary and looked down at Kira.


    Mary''s purple eyes. Jack''s red eyes. Yune''s white eyes. All of those eye glowed in the moonlight. And their marks glowed as their whole body became shrouded in a dark fog. Mary''s crow mark. Yune''s cat mark. Jack''s snake mark.


    Even if Kira didn''t attack, the three of them were still going to kill her. If Kira told Anne and Nina what had happened, then they would have to fight a losing battle.


    The conditions for Kira to be free from Yune''s chains was to never tell anybody about what happened. Even if Kira was compelled by the threat of Harry being hurt, it wouldn''t last forever, and that by itself was a chance. The only sure way that she wouldn''t tell was to be dead.


    Kira tried to create one more dagger with her other hand. As soon as Mary noticed a small light being made, she took the claw on her index finger and cut that hand clean off. Blood spurted all over the grass.


    Mary felt her mask being loosened and tore it off. It took some effort, but as she pulled it apart from her face, she felt a feeling of relief. A heavy breath came inside her as the mask turned to black smoke and vanished. Her skin was dry with cracks. Blood began to drip out of where the mask was stuck to.


    Mary smiled with ecstasy and looked down at the dying Kira. She still had some resolve left to live.


    Kira wouldn''t accept dying. Not yet. She wouldn''t let them beat her, but even she knew that her mangled body couldn''t be repaired without the help of the shopkeep. And even if she did manage to call him, she didn''t have any black coins to use.


    "You have some endurance, girl. It would have been so cool if you didn''t try anything, but she did warn you. Although, I guess it wouldn''t have mattered," Mary taunted, "Maybe, I''ll go take a visit to Harry''s place. He will need some comfort knowing you died helplessly here. I can probably give him that. Maybe, I''ll force him to fall in love with you to the point where he couldn''t live without you. Wouldn''t that be romantic?"


    Kira tried to resist death. Her spirit was strong, but her body was too weak. She wanted to choke Mary to the point of death and do it again and again. She never felt so much hate until now. Her eyes swelled up with pressure. Every second she tried to move, her body would get colder to the point where she didn''t feel anything.


    Kira Lin died believing that she failed to protect Harry; that she failed to save Harry from those three monsters; that she failed.

 Chapter 40: Funeral Rites

    Kira''s body lied on the grass for all to see. She was left there ripped and crushed in pieces covered in blood. Five black coins were found at the scene. The trees and dirt had been destroyed and ravaged. It looked like the scene of a battle. The police were investigating the crime scene, but it looked like a scene from a horror movie. It was like the whole place was trampled upon by monsters.


    They couldn''t even properly bury Kira as her body was too messed up.


    Kira''s parents cried all throughout the funeral as they mourned their only daughter. Harry came and left her flowers.


    Anne and Nina sat together as they mourned silently. Both Anne and Nina dealt with the loss of their friend differently. They both initially thought that those other three girls must have done it. When they heard the news, they quickly summoned the shopkeep and paid him a black coin for answers. However, even he said, "Kira was killed by Night Demons."


    Nina looked like her whole body was shut down. She couldn''t comprehend what happened. How could Kira die like that, she thought. There were at least five Night Demons there. Did she go after them and get overwhelmed. The only thing Nina felt was that she should have been there with her. Kira didn''t deserve what happened to her, Nina thought. Her hard shell broke apart as her soul felt like it was ripped in half. She''s never experienced such loss before and blamed herself for not being there.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    Anne thought to herself and also wondered how something like this could happen. She knew that Kira would have called them for backup if there were too many of them. She wouldn''t have just gone in. She was far too careful to just jump into a fight. And she defeated five Night Demons by herself. It was possible, but still she wouldn''t have been so reckless. Anne became very angry at the thought of losing her friend. Those Night Demons must have surrounded her and left her no room to escape, she concluded. She clenched her fist and just couldn''t believe what happened. It was too unreal to lose a dear friend. And this was the beginning of a terrible feeling swelling up within her. A feeling of hate and anger.


    Jack, Mary, and Yune also came, but they stood in the back quietly.


    When they approached Nina and Anne, the three girls looked to be sympathetic. Each one of them gave their condolences and left. Nina and Anne didn''t feel like hearing that and just ignored them, so the three left without saying another word.

 Chapter 41: Plain Sight

    Jack, Mary, and Yune walked away from the funeral. They each gave their best shot at looking the part. And luckily for them, Anne and Nina were full of grief to think hard about Kira''s death.


    When they got back home, they all sighed and relaxed themselves.


    "Looks like everything went according to plan," Mary said.


    "Yeah. I was having doubts, but it looks like we did it," Jack replied, "Mary, I forgot to ask you, but were you serious about doing all that with that Harry kid?"


    "What? No. Of course not. He looks so boring. There would be no fun in it," Mary replied.


    Jack sighed and replied, "Sure. Well, as long as you didn''t actually do anything."


    "I''m trying. One step at a time," Mary replied.


    Yune sat quietly contemplating.


    Jack asked Yune, "What''s the problem? This was all your plan, Yune. Are you having second thoughts?"


    Mary laughed and said, "Hah! I wouldn''t have expected you to come up with something for hiding a body. I always thought you were the nicest one of us, Yune. Guess looks can be deceiving."


    "No. I''m not having any doubts, but it just feels familiar," Yune said as she rubbed her temples, "It doesn''t matter. I don''t think there is anything there that could link it back to us, but just make sure not to spill anything."


    Back on that night after Kira was killed, Yune was the one who came up with the plan for what to do with the body.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Jack suggested that they just leave her there. But Yune and Mary were smart enough to know that Nina and Anne would automatically suspect them of committing the crime. So, Yune came up with a plan to hide their actions. They weren''t worried about the police, but more worried about Anne and Nina.


    She needed to put the blame on another party, and the Night Demons were the perfect choice. There was already one black coin laying there, but Yune felt that one wouldn''t be enough. They summoned the shopkeep and asked to withdraw four black coins from Mary''s reserve pile. He was hesitant about giving up black coins, but gave them anyways. They laid them on the ground around the field.


    Yune also asked the shopkeep to say that Kira was killed by Night Demons if asked. However, to do this, Mary had to pay at least 200 black coins. And even if she did, if Anne and Nina managed to pay more than 200, then the shopkeep would no doubt betray them. So, reluctantly, Mary gave up 200 black coins from her reserve pile.


    By the end of that transaction, Mary was upset that her pile of saved black coins was getting drained.


    Jack, then, felt that the body was not destroyed enough to look like she was massacred by five Night Demons, so she stepped on the body and kicked it around a bit more.


    After that, Yune felt that the whole field needed to look like a battlefield. She also knew that their footprints would need to be erased. So to fix two problems, she and the other two girls started to destroy the environment randomly. Trees fell. The ground and dirt was uplifted. They kept doing this until the whole field looked like a a tornado came by it.


    And to make sure they wouldn''t leave any more footprints, Yune made sure that each of them would move by dashing across the treetops.


    The part that Yune felt would have been difficult was to make sure their condolences looked sincere. As soon as they got home that night, they all took a shower and cleaned the dirt off their bodies. Then, Yune made sure they practiced their lines until she thought they were perfect. And to make sure that they all had the same story. If anybody asked, they were all at home together that day. If they needed witnesses, Mary could use her powers to convince somebody to say they saw them at home.


    They practiced until Yune felt that they were perfect. Or at least until Mary fell asleep. But, fortunately for Yune, she thought that they were ready enough. And so her plan was set forward. And it seemed to work.


    The blame was set on the Night Demons, and Anne and Nina didn''t think it was any different.

 Chapter 42: Jacks Request

    The three girls took the rest of the week off just like the other students. The news of the grizzly murder has been spread all across town, but the police were unable to find any suspects. Many have been told to stay indoors as the investigation continued, but people still had to go to work. The city was still packed with people as if nothing had happened.


    And after the week ended, the children would have to go back to school, anyways.


    Jack was eager to start looking for Annie, but knew the timing to search was too soon after Kira died. But nonetheless she did need to tell Mary and Yune about it.


    And so on the last day of their surprise break, Jack talked to the both of them.


    "Hey, you two. I need to tell you something. I need both of your help," Jack said as she sat in the living room.


    Yune and Mary both listened intently to what she had to say.


    Jack told them all about Annie - a Light Guardian who she saw as worse than any human. And Jack also told them how she journeyed around the country looking for her. She even mentioned the killings, but Yune and Mary weren''t surprised by that. All three of them knew that each one of them must have done some kind of terrible sin to be brought back by Hades.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Jack ended her life''s tale by asking them to help her.


    "Please, help me find Annie. I know she''s here in the city. Don''t ask my why, but I know she''s here. If you want me to beg, I will," Jack pleaded.


    "Of course, we''ll help," Yune said without any hesitation. She knew that the only reason that Jack came back was because Annie was here, so if she refused, then their party would split again. She wouldn''t let that happen. And she even felt sympathy towards her.


    "Well, alright. I don''t mind helping, but what do you want us to do?" Mary asked.


    Jack replied, "Well, I don''t plan on searching every speck of this city. It would take forever. However, I do plan on using you specifically, Mary."


    "Me?"


    "Yep. With your mind control powers, you can easily obtain information. Whenever you get the chance, I want you to just ask around to see if anybody knows a high-school girl called Annie."


    Yune said, "If what you said is true about this Annie girl, then she may change her name and looks. We should be looking for somebody with her interests. Art, was it? I doubt that would change."


    "Oh. This sounds like a lot of work, baby. You want me to just ask randomly?" Mary asked.


    "You could, but we''ll start with people at schools, and whoever sells art supplies," Jack replied, "We can start looking after school. I doubt anybody will be going out during this week, but once school starts, then we can investigate."


    "Well, alright," Mary replied, "You both helped me and I''ll be glad to pay back my debt. And besides, I don''t turn my back to family. Although, I guess I did turn my back to my real family, but they were all not-so-cool backstabbing jerks."


    Yune nodded in agreement with Jack. The three of them stood side-by-side ready to face whatever challenges come at them.

 Chapter 43: Night Rises

    During the week, Jack, Mary, and Yune stayed in their homes to lay low. Meanwhile, Anne and Nina actively hunted for Night Demons. Throughout most of the day and nights, they took out their frustration of losing Kira on the monsters. They blamed them for their loss and were relentless in hunting. As they fought, Nina didn''t feel any better. She still felt that she was responsible for losing Kira. And as their leader, she took that responsibility to heart. The guilt within her wouldn''t fade away.


    However Anne felt something else. She felt a sudden feeling of bliss whenever she fought another Night Demon. And even more when she won. After losing Kira, she felt the need to fight - the need to keep fighting. However, she also felt something else stir within her, but couldn''t quite make it out. But she did feel relied as she fought, and so she continued to do so.


    Nina only continued to follow as she didn''t want to lose Anne. It looked as though Anne was leading, now. But neither of them thought that way. Anne still respected Nina and vice versa.


    The monsters mostly came out at night, or in dark alleyways and abandoned buildings.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    But there was one that surprised even them. One Night Demon that was more reckless than others.


    In the middle of the day, the Night Demon attacked a couple at the park in front of so many people. It didn''t feel the fear of being out in the light. It had pitch-black fur and looked almost like a werewolf. It''s eyes were sleek and red.


    When Anne and Nina arrived, they saw the Night Demon chewing on the couple''s thyroid.


    It roared as the other park-goers ran for their life.


    "What the hell? So out in the open?" Nina thought aloud.


    It roared and quietly spoke under it''s breath.


    "Why didn''t you choose me?" it said quietly as it chewed with a smile showing it''s grotesque teeth.


    Anne and Nina couldn''t hear the monster from where they stood. If they did, it would have been the first time that a Light Guardian heard a Night Demon spoke.


    Anne and Nina quickly dispatched the monster. It resisted by flailing it''s claws around. It as able to get a few hits in, but was defeated in the end. It would have been faster if Kira was there, both Nina and Anne thought.


    As they fought the monster, they were only reminded about their loss. The team felt incomplete. And that was the last monster they fought before heading back to their homes in silence.

 Chapter 44: Breaks Over

    And so Monday came. Their surprise break had ended. The three girls got themselves ready.


    Yune woke up first. She went to the bathroom and took a shower. She wore her school dress and put on perfume. She stretched and then went to wake up Jack and Mary.


    Yune woke up Jack first. She shook her a little, but she still wasn''t quite awake. Then, she went and shook Mary, but she was still fast asleep.


    So, Yune went over to the light switch and as Jack opened her eyes, she was greeted by the sudden outburst of light.


    "Ow." Jack said as she covered her eyes with her arms.


    Mary, however, was still fast asleep. But seeing that Jack was now awake, Yune said, "Good morning. After you get yourself ready, please wake up Mary."


    Jack yawned as she stretched out of bed. She went to the bathroom and got herself ready as Yune prepared breakfast. Jack put on a t-shirt and pants. She then put on the same perfume that Yune had.


    Yune started making sunny-side up eggs with toast for the three of them.


    When Jack went over to Mary, she was still very tired. But Jack knew they all had to go to school, so she started shaking Mary. However, her shakes weren''t doing anything as Mary continued to snore.


    And so, Jack being annoyed, lifted Mary up and threw her to the other bed. As Mary flew, she screamed with terror.


    "What''s going on!?" she yelled as she collided with the other bed. She jumped up and was expecting a fight, but instead it was just Jack.


    Jack replied as she threw a pillow at Mary''s face, "Oh, good. You''re awake. Get yourself ready."


    The pillow slowly fell to the ground as Jack left the room to go eat breakfast.


    And so Mary got herself ready.


    Jack sat there eating her toast while Yune was brewing some tea for herself.


    And then Mary arrived. She greeted them with a big "Hello!"


    When Jack and Yune looked at her, they both froze in shock with their mouths wide open.


    Mary was covered in make-up and wore large heart-shaped earrings. She wore a t-shirt with a miniskirt.


    "What are you wearing?" Jack asked rhetorically.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "The clothes of this century, fam. It''s so comfortable, don''t ya think?" Mary replied.


    "You can''t wear that," Yune said. She quickly grabbed Mary''s arm and dragged her to the bedroom. Mary struggled, but when Jack came, her struggles were pointless. Jack was still very strong even without her guardian powers. They cleaned away some of the make-up and put her in a regular dress for school.


    When it was done, she looked like a regular pouting student.


    "So uncool," Mary said.


    "Yeah. Get used to it," Yune replied as she stuffed Mary''s mouth with a toast.


    After that, they all took everything they needed and was off to school.


    When they arrived at school, they noticed Anne and Nina, but neither side were interested in talking, so they walked right past them.


    During the school day, Jack had put putting some books away in her locker, when two girls showed up to make fun of her.


    "Hey. Look at this girl if you can even call her that," one said.


    "She is more like a boy, eh," the other said.


    Jack was used to being ridiculed for her height before, and she just ignored it. However, when Mary saw them bullying her, she dropped her bag and dashed in. She dropkicked one of them in the gut.


    "What are you doing?" Jack asked.


    "Me? What are you doing? Letting them push you around," Mary replied.


    "They''re not Light Guardians. They''re just regular people."


    "So what? It doesn''t matter who they are or aren''t. If they push you, you should always push back."


    "Why you-!" the other girl said as she was about to punch Mary, but was stopped immediately. Jack grabbed the girl''s arm before it could reach Mary''s face. Then, she slammed it against the locker.


    Both the bullies were on the floor as they groaned in pain.


    Mary and Jack stood above the two bullies.


    "Maybe, your right," Jack said, "I am getting a little tired of people belittling me about my height."


    "Good. Now, that you learned to stand up for yourself, let''s start kicking," Mary replied.


    And so, without thinking both Jack and Mary started kicking the two girls as they were down.


    "Hey. Wait," one of the girls said, "Remember us, Mary. We''re your friends."


    Mary recalled the two girls as being the two who she manipulated into teaching her all about current events, make-up, and a bunch of other junk, but Mary didn''t care.


    "Sorry. Don''t remember," Mary replied as she kicked more.


    "Hey! Stop!" a teacher yelled towards Mary and Jack.


    Mary quickly tried to come up with something. Her eyes turned purple and said, "Wait. Look over there. There''s a guy wearing his hoodie up."


    The teacher under Mary''s influence replied, "Your right. I should go suspend him."


    "Hah. I didn''t even tell you to do that last part. Go right ahead. Always love the initiative."


    The teacher left to go suspend the kid with the hoodie while Jack and Mary continued to kick the two bullies down.


    Yune showed up and slowly walked over.


    "What''s happening here?" Yune asked.


    Both Mary and Jack spoke at the same time.


    Mary replied, "These two girls were bullying Jack."


    Jack replied, "These two girls were bullying me."


    Upon hearing this, Yune quickly joined in the kicking. She became extremely angry that those one of her own were being bullied. All three of them were kicking the two bullies as they were down until the bell for the next class began.


    Anne and Nina saw the three, but just kept walking. They just didn''t feel like doing anything. They just felt depressed about Kira.


    After school ended, Jack, Mary, and Yune went out to search for Annie. They asked around, but could find no leads. But none of them faltered. Jack still believed that Annie was there. Something in her made her believe. And Mary and Yune felt the need to help Jack. They felt the need to help one of their own.

 Chapter 45: Honor before Victory

    Where was the honor in her death?


    Anne and Nina went to school depressed and in mourning. They couldn''t get over the loss of Kira. Their teammate. Their friend. It was all too much to handle for these teenage girls.


    Nina tried to move her mind away from Kira''s death by focusing on her studies and work, but with each stroke of her pen, all she could do was remember Kira''s solemn and cute face.


    Anne couldn''t do anything, either. She just couldn''t concentrate on anything. When she hunted Night Demons, she felt a sense of purpose even after Kira''s death, but with each fight, she still didn''t feel whole.


    As soon as school ended, Nina and Anne promised each other not to fight Night Demons alone. If they sensed a Night Demon, they would immediately call each other for backup. They couldn''t risk losing another. However, they still had to go their separate ways. Nina had to stay for her student council meeting. And Anne had to go to her martial arts club.


    When Anne arrived at the martial arts dojo, she quickly put on her karate gi.


    She was already considered a black belt, and, even though the club was for both boys and girls, she was the best fighter they had. She even won some local tournaments with her as their ace.


    She didn''t rely on her Light Guardian powers. Even before she became one, she was proficient in fighting.


    The students lined up ready for their exercises. The instructor came out and always started with a chant. A saying that he used to describe his dojo.


    "Honor before victory!" he shouted.


    And all the students repeated after him the same line.


    "Honor before victory!" the students shouted.


    "H-honor before victory," Anne said at the very end.


    Anne usually repeated the chant with the most vigor, but today, her words stumbled and staggered. The instructor and the other students noticed this, but they knew about how Anne lost her friend. None of them could really know how Anne felt, but they understood that she was at a low point in her life and felt sympathy for her.


    When Anne practiced her punches and kicks, the only thing she could remember was seeing Kira. How quiet and gentle she was. She was always serious, but she knew her caring side. With every punch, her arms grew weaker.


    After they were finished with their basic warm-up exercises, the instructor yelled, "Alright, listen up! We''re going to have some sparring matches. Everybody find a partner!"


    And so, each student found a partner.


    "Hey, Anne. Want to partner with me," one of the boys said.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Anne attempted a smile and replied, "Sure, Ben."


    Ben was another student at the same school, however they only really met up during their martial arts club. He was an average height and weight. Nothing really special about him except for the fact that he was considered the second best martial artist they had at the club.


    It was just a simple sparring match. Each fighter would try to knock the other to the ground. Technically, there were no rules, however, each student knew that they had to fight honorably. No scratching. No breaking bones. No swearing. Nothing that would cause serious damage or insult.


    Anne tried to focus her mind to the match, but she just couldn''t concentrate. Ben noticed her wavering stance and took advantage of it. He was usually kind, but in the martial arts dojo, he always tried his hardest to win within the confines of what was considered honorable.


    As Anne threw a punch, Ben grappled her and tossed her to the ground.


    They were both surprised that that worked. She would have normally seen that coming, but not today. Today, her mind was elsewhere. Her mind focused on how Kira could get killed. How Kira''s kind and gentle soul was crushed by a horde of Night Demons. Where was the honor in her death, she thought.


    Ben gave her his hand to lift her up.


    "You alright?" he asked.


    "Yeah. Just... just not feeling all myself, today," Anne replied.


    The instructor noticed Anne''s behavior and went over to her.


    "Maybe, you ought to take the day off. I can''t imagine what it''s been like for you this past week," the instructor said.


    "No," Anne said quickly, "No. I need the distraction."


    "Take the day off. I don''t think you should give yourself any more stress," the instructor replied.


    "But I-," Anne was about to protest, but instead gave in, "Alright. I''ll go get myself changed."


    After she changed back to her regular clothes, she left the dojo with her bag behind her. She looked down on the cold pavement as the sun shined above.


    She looked around and saw everything being so normal. It''s like nothing changed after Kira died. Her death didn''t matter. All the other students walked around happily without a care in the world. The world kept spinning.


    But Anne couldn''t accept that. She walked away frowning. How could this cruel world take Kira? Honor before victory? Where was the honor in Kira''s death? Anne asked herself these questions, but found no answers.


    As she walked home, the shopkeep appeared before her. People walked around him as if he was just another pedestrian even though he still wore his gas mask.


    "Hello, Anne," he said.


    "What do you want?" Anne asked while still walking as the shopkeep followed behind her. She didn''t even want to look at him right now.


    "I have need of your skills in hunting a certain Night Demon," he said.


    "Alright. So, you want me and Anne to go find it?"


    "No. Not Anne. Just you."


    "Only me? That''s strange. Usually, you always ask the three...," Anne paused as she remembered Kira and then continued, "... of us. Why only me?"


    "Because this Night Demon is far more tricky. It hides in a human. And while it does, it can''t be detected by other Light Guardians."


    "You didn''t answer the question."


    "Listen. This monster craves being inside the strongest human it can get it''s hands on. By itself, it''s quite weak and vulnerable. It''s hiding inside a... fighter, of sorts. A fighter like you. Now, you could transform into a Light Guardian and kill the guy to drag out the monster, but that sounds like a terrible way to handle it. And there would be so much more work for me. Anyways, I have a plan if you are willing to take this job."


    Anne stopped for a moment and replied, "Fine. I need something to do. I hate feeling this way. If I do nothing, all I''ll be reminded of is that Kira died. I need something to take my mind off of that."


    "Good. Then, I will meet you by the left side of the downtown Precumber building entrance at 8 pm tonight. Don''t be late. We only get one shot. And I don''t want to get those other three guardians to get the job. I can''t imagine what they would do. They''d probably destroy the whole block in getting that one Night Demon. It would be such a headache."


    "Okay," Anne said as she looked up the location on her phone''s GPS, "I''ll meet you there."

 Chapter 46: Annes Cage

    Anne got to the place right before 8pm. As soon as the time reached 8pm, the shopkeep appeared.


    "Oh, good. You''re here. Walk with me."


    And so Anne followed the shopkeep down a decrepit alleyway. There were homeless people and hookers getting high off of whatever drugs they were using.


    As they walked, the shopkeep told Anne his plan.


    "As I mentioned, this guy is a fighter. I want you to beat him in a fight. However, I emphasize that you cannot use your Light Guardian form. If it knows your a Light Guardian, then it will stay hidden in that guy''s body. The ring is in an underground fighting arena. I already got you in as the next fighter. All you got to do is win. And as soon as the creature pops out, you will immediately sense it. When it goes to you, that will be your chance to transform and kill it. Any questions?"


    "Yeah. So, this Night Demon... it hides in the body of fighters. Does it do anything to them? Does it make them angrier or stronger?"


    "Not that I''m aware. It doesn''t do anything physically or mentally to them. Just hides," the shopkeep replied.


    Anne thought this was strange, but the shopkeep then said, "Well, just because I don''t know if it does anything, doesn''t mean that it doesn''t. It could be feeding off that fighters'' aggressive energy to make itself stronger until it becomes a real threat."


    "Oh. I see. That makes more sense for a Night Demon," Anne replied. She was sure that the Night Demon must have been doing something. All of them were monsters that only cared for destruction. She would have found it strange if one wasn''t doing anything.


    The shopkeep didn''t actually believe that the creature was doing what he suggested, but all he needed was to give Anne some kind of reason. The shopkeeper''s concern was only in obtaining the black coin. He couldn''t care less about what the creature does or doesn''t do.


    "Besides, Anne," the shopkeep continued, "does it matter? It''s a Night Demon. It''s a Light Guardian''s duty to protect humanity from the threat of those evil monsters."


    Anne nodded in agreement. "You''re completely right. They''re all monsters."


    They walked together for a minute until they reached a rusted door on the side. The shopkeep knocked three times and then once more after two seconds. A slide on the door opened revealing a man''s eyes. Anne didn''t think of anything at the time. The shopkeeper took out a card and showed it to the guy and he opened the door. He was a big burly man who kept his mouth shut.


    "Thanks," the shopkeep said as he motioned his hands for Anne to follow him.


    They entered into room that led downstairs into a basement.


    They both walked down together into what looked like a strange arena. The lights were dim purple. The spectators all wore masquerade masks. The men wore suits while the women wore elegant dresses. They all sat at dinner tables with gourmet food and wine.


    There was a wrestling ring in the middle of the room. The place was strange and Anne didn''t comprehend it. It seemed like an underground fighting ring for the rich and wealthy.


    "Don''t worry, Anne. All you got to do is win, kill the Night Demon, and then we won''t have to ever come back here," the shopkeep assured.


    Anne nodded with a gulp. She was nervous around this new crowd, but all she had to do was win a fight. She felt that would be easy. Even if it was a fully-grown adult, she was confident that she would win.


    "Ladies and gentlemen!" an announcer shouted into a microphone in the middle of the ring, "Today, we''re going to have a very special guest! The all-time champion of the national high school and middle school martial arts tournament; Anne Hill!!!"


    Anne was led to the arena and heard the whispers among the crowd.


    "A schoolgirl?"


    "That''s the fighter?"


    "That pipsqueak?"


    "That girl is going to get crushed."Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    They whispered amongst themselves, but felt no compassion. They just wanted to be entertained and wondered if they would. They each felt that the fight would last less than a second. They were all there to watch the most gruesome fighting that money could buy.


    "Don''t worry, Anne. I''m completely with you," the shopkeep assured her with a thumbs up from outside the ring.


    "Great," Anne said sarcastically.


    "And it the other corner, we have our favorite warrior. The deadliest and most gruesome twenty-streak victor. Cherry Jenkins!"


    A large man with scars all around his body walked towards the arena with a growl. The crowd cheered for him as he stomped onto the ring.


    "Yeah! I don''t care if you are a kid. I''ll make sure your parents don''t even recognize ya!" Cherry yelled.


    "A typical gorilla. Looks easy enough," Anne said.


    Then, some men came out and put a large shackle and chain around Cherry''s waist. And the same for Anne.


    "Huh? What''s this for?" she asked but the men didn''t say a word.


    The chain linked both Anne and Cherry together.


    "What is this? What''s going on?" Anne worryingly asked the shopkeep as he stood watching outside the cage.


    "Don''t worry about that. Just win the fight," he replied.


    She didn''t like this way of illegal fighting. She''s never been in a fight where the two fighters were chained together, but she didn''t worry about that. She just needed to focus on winning the fight.


    "I''ll just finish this quickly," she muttered.


    Cherry laughed.


    "Just cause you''re a little girl, doesn''t mean I''ll go easy. I''ll break your whole body before this fight is done," he said.


    Anne went into a fighting stance and prepared to fight.


    "Honor before victory," she muttered to herself. She was used to saying that chant before going to into one of her martial art fights. Unlike her fights with Night Demons, she always felt the need to be honorable in the ring with other martial artists.


    As soon as the announcer got out of the arena, a cage dropped onto the ring and a bell rung starting the fight.


    When the fight began, Cherry slammed his fist to the ground and was about to charge. Anne was ready for whatever he was about to do. But instead, Cherry feigned his charge and grabbed the chain. He yanked it pulling Anne and breaking her stance. Without a chance for Anne to react, Cherry elbowed her in the face, and before Anne was knocked to the ground, he yanked the chain again lifting her back up and then punched her in the gut.


    Then, he let go of the chain as Anne fell face first onto the cage and floor.


    "So boring. Is that all?" Cherry taunted.


    Anne got herself up. She coughed out blood and teeth. Cherry didn''t hold back and had no intention to.


    She wiped away her blood. She got herself up and readied to fight again. She looked straight at her opponent. Even if her opponent gave no respect, her instructor taught her to still respect them. She just had to adapt to this new ring.


    When Cherry tried to yank the chain, Anne stood her ground. Her feet and legs were firm. Even as Cherry yanked, Anne wouldn''t budge. Then, as soon as he yanked harder, Anne sprinted forward to her opponent''s surprise. She kept the assault. She punched and kicked, but Cherry kept blocking her moves.


    "Alright. You are pretty good," he said before taking out a pile of sand from his pants.


    Anne would have noticed this sooner and prepared for it, but her mind was preoccupied. She began to feel guilty for not being with Kira. Those feeling distracted Anne from the fight.


    Before she knew it, Cherry threw sand at Anne''s face. Sand got into her eyes and mouth before she could react. She closed her eyes and coughed.


    Sand? Throwing sand? How could somebody throw sand during a fight? The mere thought of that was dishonorable in any ring of battle, she thought. The thought of fighting dishonorably disgusted her.


    But honor or not, Cherry took advantage of whatever he had. He punched Anne back and forth while she was blinded by the sand. He kept her within arms reach by holding onto the chain. She had no chance of countering back. With every punch, a memory of Kira would appear.


    The first time they met as Nina created the team. Their first real fight against a Night Demon. The first fight they had about what to spend their first black coin on. Every time they hung out during the weekends. Every time they went out to hunt monsters. Every single memory she could remember sprung up. And all Kira could think of was how distracting they were. If this feeling of guilt wasn''t there, she wouldn''t be losing to this guy, was all she could think, and she hated herself for thinking that.


    And then when he was done, he let go of the chain and pushed Anne back. And her final memory of Kira showed right afterschool. The day she was killed. The last memory she had of her. And then a memory of being at Kira''s funeral. Was that going to happen to her, she thought.


    She took a couple of steps and then fell. She was bruised and bloodied all over. The beatings were too much even for a pro-wrestler.


    Cherry raised his arms high as he flaunted his strength.


    Anne lifted her head and looked at the shopkeep.


    "Get me out of here," she quietly pleaded to him.


    "I can''t do that. This fight won''t end until one of you is completely knocked out," the shopkeep said without remorse.


    Anne felt tired and weak, but kept going. She wouldn''t lose. She had no desire to lose. Kira lost and the price was her life. Anne wouldn''t let that happen to herself.


    She picked herself up and felt something stir violently within her.


    Where was the honor in Kira''s death? Where was the honor in getting ganged up by monsters and getting massacred in the night? Honor before victory?


    No.


    There is no honor. Victory is victory.


    Anne looked straight at Cherry with unwavering eyes. She felt her whole body feel hot with pain, but she ignored every ounce of it.


    "Oh. Looks like you still want some. Good. The crowd would have been disappointed and wanted a refund if you gave up now."


    But Anne gave no thought to Cherry''s taunts. She stood still with hate flowing through her veins. Now, she felt renewed and full of focus. She felt only a strong focus on winning above all else.

 Chapter 47: Broken Chains

    Anne stood there motionless as she stared down Cherry. Her resolve and fortitude strengthened as her she was able to focus her mind to the match. All she needed to think about was winning. There was no chance she would die here. Or die being attacked by however many Night Demons.


    Cherry laughed and said, "Time for another beatdown, kid."


    He pulled the chain, but it wouldn''t budge. He pulled harder, but Anne wouldn''t give an inch.


    Then, Anne held the chain in one hand and yanked back. Cherry tripped up and was dragged forward.


    "Alright. That''s enough games. I''ll just crush you," Cherry taunted as he charged forward.


    When he approached Anne, she moved to the side all while holding onto the chain that linked them. When she dodged, she wrapped the chain around Cherry''s left arm. Then, without any remorse, she pulled on the chain with all her might crushing Cherry''s arm. The sound of bones splintering and blood gushing out from Cherry''s constricted arm could be heard throughout the arena.


    The audience was surprised by Anne''s comeback and cheered.


    While Anne heard the cheers, she felt a surge of happiness. She felt happy in inflicting pain back. She felt happy in winning over anything else. There was no honor in what she did, but she didn''t care.


    Cherry screamed in pain and knelt down.


    Anne took the chain and began to wrap it around Cherry''s neck as he was down. She began to choke him out and he could do nothing about it. As he was about to feint, she stopped and let go. Cherry coughed and began to crawl away. He needed some time to breathe.


    Anne didn''t stop because she felt that she did enough. Far from it. She didn''t feel sorry. She just wanted to keep fighting. She had no respect for her opponent. And with her victory assured, she wanted to have a little more fun before she finished the fight.


    Anne kicked over Cherry to his front. The bones in his arm was shattered. The pain was too much for him. He was so used to giving pain that he was never accustomed to taking it.


    "Please... stop.... I..... give...," Cherry pleaded, but Anne didn''t want the fight to end. She quickly wrapped her hand with the chain. And with one hand, she held down Cherry by his throat. And with the other wrapped in chains, she started to beat the man senseless. She focused her fist on his face. His teeth broke off and began to choke him from the inside. His blood splattered and coughed out onto Anne''s face. His nose was flattened. His eyes were shut closed with bruises. His entire face was like a mosaic. He could make no sound as his entire body felt cold.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    With every punch, Anne remembered Kira. How her body was in pieces.


    There was no honor in beating a defeated man. But there was no honor in Kira''s death. So, the only conclusion Anne could come up with was that honor was meaningless. The only thing that mattered was victory above all else. Because otherwise, if she was not victorious, it would mean a cruel death. It''s better to be the victor than to be the beaten. And, for Anne, it was even better knowing it would feel good to dominate over another.


    She continued to beat him even after he feinted. And with every punch, she could hear the audience cheer. They loved her and enjoyed every second of this ruthless beatdown.


    The shopkeeper watched in silence without a care to how Anne was treating the defeated. All he wanted was the black coin and he knew he was going to get it.


    With her last punch, the chains wrapped around her fist snapped. With that, she stopped her assault. Cherry was barely breathing, but alive. But if he wasn''t, Anne wouldn''t have cared.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen! The fight is over! The victor is Anne Hill!!" the announcer yelled as the crowd cheered.


    She stood up breathing a sigh of relief. She enjoyed the rush of adrenaline come over her. She looked up remembering Kira from her caged ring.


    "Don''t worry, Kira. I will avenge you. I won''t let what happened to you happen to me. I will win. I will keep winning," Anne muttered.


    Then, without warning, a chill came over her. The night demon hiding in Cherry popped out of his mouth. It was a small serpent-like creature with two arms. It had bulging eyes that stared at Anne.


    She looked down at it with a smile. She still felt the need to fight. The need to win. Her fight with Cherry only started her insatiable thirst.


    The Night Demon screeched. It then jumped at Anne to try and get inside her mouth to hide.


    But as it was about to get inside Anne, she instantly transformed in a bright flurry of light. She grabbed the creature as it was blinded by the light and held it tightly.


    With a smile, she struck the creature onto the ground and crushed it like a bug with her metal boot. It''s eye popped out and the monster vanished leaving only it''s black coin.


    Anne grabbed the black coin and showed it to the shopkeep.


    He was satisfied and began to erase the memories of all the audience members.


    "Wait. Make sure they remember the fight," she requested as she wanted everybody to remember this.


    The shopkeep nodded. He wasn''t planning on erasing their memories of Anne''s fight with Cherry anyways. He only needed to erase their memories of the Night Demon.


    And when they were done, Anne left the ring with the audience cheering behind her. She followed the shopkeeper out of the underground fighting ring with a renewed sense of purpose. She felt reinvigorated with something that she has never felt before. She smiled deviously with only one care. Winning.

 Chapter 48: Annes New Life

    Anne went to school the next day without seeing Nina who was too depressed to go to school that day.


    Anne changed her outfit to reflect her new way of looking at life. She wore a red and black hoodie. She dyed her hair with white streaks. Anne didn''t care at all about how others saw her. She didn''t wear a smile. The only way she would smile is by feeling the same feeling she felt after winning that fight with Cherry.


    The school board wasn''t thrilled with how Anne looked, but she didn''t care and the school could do nothing about it.


    When school ended, she went to her martial arts club.


    "Are you sure you''re up for it? You can still take a few days off," the instructor asked out of concern.


    Anne shook her head.


    "No. I''m good," she said without feeling any emotion.


    She changed into her new karate gi. With the black coin she got, she spent it on getting a new karate outfit. It was black with outlining.


    Before their exercises, the instructor yelled his chant. "Honor before victory!"Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Everybody except for Anne repeated those words. "Honor before victory!"


    When they were finished with their exercises, they went onto their sparring.


    Anne chose Ben to spar with, and he had no objections.


    When they fought, Ben tried to grapple Anne, but without a shred of remorse, she grabbed onto Ben''s arm and twisted it. He screamed in pain right before Anne kicked Ben in the gut onto the ground. A smile was plain for all to see. She enjoyed the screams coming off of her opponent. It signified her victory over him. Ben grabbed onto his own arm in pain and gritted his teeth. The other students froze and watched as he writhed in pain.


    Anne walked over to him. They all expected her to apologize and give him her hand to lift him up, but instead Anne kicked him as he was down. All with a smile.


    "Anne! Stop!" the instructor yelled as he grabbed Anne''s arm and pulled her back.


    Her smile faded as she looked at the instructor.


    The instructor knelt down to look at Ben''s injuries. His arm was broken and he needed to go to the hospital.


    Anne began to walk away. She picked up her bag as the instructor began to apply ice to Ben''s arm.


    "Anne! Where do you think you''re going!?" the instructor yelled angrily.


    Anne looked back with cold eyes. She gave no reply before looking at the entrance.


    "I saw what you did! You-!" the instructor began to yell, but Anne interrupted.


    "Doesn''t matter. You have nothing left to teach me. And you won''t be seeing me here anymore," she replied with a cold voice as she left the dojo without looking back.


    She was no longer content with being there. They were all so weak. Each one of them didn''t understand the need to win. All they cared about was having an honorable fight. But she wouldn''t accept that. Not anymore. Honor was for the weak. The only thing that mattered was victory. And she left without any feeling of guilt.

 Chapter 49: Following Anne

    When Nina came back to school, she wanted to meet up with Anne. She still felt depressed about Kira''s death, but she knew that doing nothing wouldn''t help. She tried to contact Anne by phone. She texted and called, but there was no response.


    She became worried that something must have happened to her, so she went back to school. When she arrived, everything seemed normal. When she finally met up with Anne in the hallways, she was confused by how she presented herself. Anne looked more like a delinquent than anything else, but Nina was just glad that she was safe.


    "Hey, Anne!" she called out with no reply.


    Anne noticed her, but didn''t make eye contact. Instead, she walked past her without even looking at Nina.


    Any time that Nina would try to make conversation with her old teammate and friend, she would only get the cold shoulder. Nina had no clue as to why.


    Jack, Mary, and Yune were nowhere to be seen at the class. Instead, they focused their time into searching for Annie.


    Meanwhile, Anne and Nina both went to their classes. To figure out Anne''s strange behavior, Nina decided to follow her after school ended. She needed to know what happened.


    Nina expected her to show up at her martial arts club, but Anne instead went the opposite way. She continued to follow behind without her noticing. She hid behind street corners, poles, and dumpsters.


    Anne kept walking around the city aimlessly. She just kept walking until suddenly the both of them felt a chill on their spine. As soon as Anne sensed the Night Demon, she rushed off towards it while Nina followed behind.


    It was in an abandoned warehouse.


    Anne transformed into her Light Guardian form without any hesitation to who saw. However, her transformation was different. Instead of the usual light that surrounded her, a cocoon of metal covered her. It wrapped itself around Anne like silk until it shattered revealing her usual Light Guardian form. Her white streaks of hair flurried in the wind. She was different than the Anne she knew.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Anne rushed into the warehouse expecting a fight. Nina also transformed into her Light Guardian form. She wouldn''t let Anne face off against one of those monsters alone, she thought to herself.


    But by the time, Nina arrived inside the warehouse, the battle seemed to be already over.


    Anne held the large creature by its throat. It looked to be some kind of combination between a rhino and a warthog. And it had so many horns attached to it''s face. It squealed as Anne pummeled the creature to the ground. She even grabbed the creature''s horns and forcefully yanked them out spilling black ooze all over. She did this all with a smile.


    "Another win for Kira," Anne muttered.


    Nina was stunned as she watched her friend destroyed the Night Demon in front of her. It was more brutal or horrific than anything that she expected Anne to do. No words came out of her mouth.


    When Anne was done, the creature faded into black some leaving behind it''s black coin. She breathed heavily and felt a sense of satisfaction for another win. But it didn''t feel the same. This time she didn''t feel her life on the line as usual. It almost seemed too easy.


    Anne looked straight at Nina''s horrified face.


    "You enjoy the fight?" Anne asked, "I knew you''d been following me. But I didn''t want to stop looking for Night Demons to fight because you were there."


    "What happened to you?" Nina asked while her legs shook. She didn''t think that Anne was an enemy, but she felt a different kind of fear coming off of her.


    "Me? I''ve never been better."


    Nina didn''t know what to say. And Anne had nothing she wanted to say.


    Without a hint of a smile, Anne walked right past her. And when her foot was side by side with Nina''s, time felt like it had slowed. Nina had no idea what happened to her friend. But then she blamed herself for not being there for her. She realized that she should have been with her.


    When Anne left the warehouse, Nina fell to her knees. She was about to give in.


    "How could I lose both of my friends?" she asked herself quietly.


    But as she was about to give in to her defeated self, she stood up.


    "No. Kira may be gone, but Anne isn''t. She isn''t herself. Something must have done this to her," she said, "I have to be there for her. And I think I know just the people who could help me."

 Chapter 50: Opening a Door

    Jack, Yune, and Mary asked around the city for any information about Annie. Yune was fine with helping Jack, but it was Mary who did most of the work. She was tired of it, but felt the need to help after they helped her. She never did like to feel indebted to another. Her powers of mind control were essential to getting information. However, even with her powers, they were no closer to finding the girl.


    They also fought the occasional Night Demon, but Jack was disappointed that they haven''t found another one with Annie''s signature. If she found one similar to the monster she fought before, she would at least feel that she was getting close, but there was no hint to it. She even began to think that maybe Annie moved to another city. She wasn''t one hundred percent certain that Annie was at Janken City anymore, but she still wanted to be sure. Somebody in the city must have seen her, she thought. They went to art stores and nearby shops to ask, but no one has seen any girl with that description. A highschooler with blonde hair who has a fascination with art.


    They even tried to ask the shopkeep, but he wouldn''t give any answers.


    He said to them, "I can''t just give up the location of a Light Guardian knowing that you''ll kill her. No matter how much you give, she does rake in a lot of black coins. I would be losing money in giving her up."


    And so, even the shopkeeper was useless in their search.


    When the sun began to set, the three walked back home tired and hungry.


    Night approached as they relaxed at home. But they wouldn''t be relaxing for too long for Nina was close. She stood on one of the house''s rooftops and waited. Nina was already in her Light Guardian form. Her weapons sheathed. She could sense that the house was dangerous. It gave off the feeling of hundreds of Night Demons, but only if she had the thought of getting close to it. Perhaps, they had some Night Demons as pets, she thought, but she''s never heard of anybody who kept those monsters for their own personal plaything.


    Otherwise, it looked like any other old house. She didn''t know what to expect, but she needed those three girls. There was no turning back. She crept forward with her weapons drawn. Then, she began to think to herself about the phrase "weapons drawn".


    "My weapons are drawn. Why is it called when you take out your weapons, I draw them? I didn''t draw any weapons. I''m no sketch artist. Were pens and pencils involved in the creation of taking out weapons. Did knights perhaps kill people with pencils? I only thought Keanu Reeves could do something like that," Nina said while making her way forward. A mere distraction. A distraction that she had to create for herself amidst the terrifying feeling of getting closer to that house. And she needed some lighthearted humor, but none of her team were very good at it to begin with.


    As she reached just a step away from the door, her whole body began to quake. She didn''t know wat could be past that door, but whatever was there, she expected a fight.


    And with a swift kick, she kicked the door wide open. And what she saw was not what she was expecting. The chill in her spine disappeared.


    What met her was the sight of the three girls just... doing nothing. It looked like just a normal house. And a normal family.


    Yune was in the middle of cooking curry with rice.


    Jack was doing her homework while occasionally looking at her phone.


    And Mary was lying on the couch on her phone looking at memes while watching a magical girl anime on the TV.


    They all stared at each other with open mouths. None of them knew how to respond. It was just so sudden.


    The oven and stove sizzled. The TV kept running with Japanese voices being heard. A drop of sweat began to roll off of Jack''s face. Now, only a sense of confusion and awkward displacement could be felt throughout the room.


    And then the drop of sweat fell onto the floor. Nobody was sure from who. And all hell broke loose by the sound of it. The three girls suddenly jumped up in surprise.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Jack instantly transformed in a flurry of flame. And from the fires emerged her red-armored form. The kitchen table along with all of her work was knocked over.


    Yune and Mary also had no time to think and transformed as well. Their transformation plain for Nina to see.


    Mary threw her phone in the air and a dark shadow enveloped her. After the shadow left, Mary was fully transformed with her long sharp claws for all to see. Then, her phone dropped right on top of the TV cracking the phone without her noticing.


    Yune also transformed with the shadow coming over her. Chains began to swirl around her and knock over the kitchen appliances. Then, as Yune was finished transforming, she remembered that the stove and oven was on. She quickly turned them off and prepared to fight.


    As the three girls readied themselves for a fight, the only thing they could think of was that they knew what they did. Nina and Anne must have figured out that we killed Kira, the three thought.


    They took two steps forward, but unexpectedly, Nina threw down her weapons and they faded. She then transformed back into her normal form.


    Then, she began to plead. "Please, I need your help!" she yelled with her head down.


    Mary, Jack, and Yune suddenly went from an aggressive stance to just confusion. They had no idea what was happening. Jack even managed to control herself upon hearing that phrase.


    They looked at her in bewilderment.


    "Uhh... why don''t you take a seat and we''ll see what we can help you with," Yune said before looking around the house which from one second turned into a giant mess.


    Jack put the table and chairs back in place. Mary sighed in relief seeing that her phone was still working even though there was a large crack in the corner of the screen. Yune handed out bowls of rice and curry to all of them. However, Nina politely rejected it. Nonetheless, the three were hungry and decided to dig in while listening to her plea.


    Nina sat on one side of the table, while Jack, Mary, and Yune sat on the opposite side. They eyed her carefully and didn''t risk transforming themselves back. Luckily, the bottom portion of their mask would fade, so that they could still eat their warm rice. They munched and chewed on their warm food. Yune''s cooking was always pretty good. It felt like it had a mother''s touch.


    "So, why are you here?" Yune asked. None of three wanted to bring up anything to do with Kira. They knew what they did and had no regrets about it.


    However, Nina now saw their transformation, but she didn''t care. It was strange seeing a Light Guardian transform with a shroud of darkness, but after seeing Anne, she had bigger worries to think about.


    "I need your help. I think Anne is in trouble," Nina said while shaking. She wasn''t used to asking for help. She was more accustomed to being a leader; being the one who helps others, but now she felt reduced to nothing. Her two friends. One dead. The other became something different. It was like she was in a nightmare that she couldn''t wake up from. But it was real. She would remember Kira. Mourn her. But she wouldn''t let herself forget. And now she had to make sure Anne wouldn''t meet the same fate.


    She knew that Anne had changed, but not sure how. Was she under the control of some Night Demon? Or more likely, is that Anne was changed after Kira died, Nina thought. Still, she didn''t know. She didn''t like it, but she needed the help of Yune, Jack, and Mary. The last people she would expect help from.


    She explained her situation to them while Yune and Jack listened intently. Mary listened, but was bored of hearing her talk. Still, she didn''t do anything that would cause trouble.


    After Nina was finished, she requested once more, "Please. I need your help. I need you to find what''s wrong with Anne. She''s not talking to me. I don''t know what else to do."


    "Very sad story, but why should we care?" Mary asked unscrupulously.


    "Mary may be direct, but she makes a point. Why us? We''re not friends. And we don''t even pretend to be," Yune asked.


    Nina was silent for a moment and then replied, "Because she''s become more like you three."


    "What does that mean?" Yune asked calmly.


    "Last I saw her, she acted more... angrier. And more precisely, she''s become more like you, Jack," Nina said.


    Jack taking offense to that replied, "What the hell is that supposed to be mean?"


    "Like that. Aggressive. Angry. Scary. I thought... maybe... she would respond better to you. She once told me that she felt a connection with you, Jack. After she met you long ago. I was hoping that especially you could help. Please. I''ll go on my two knees if you would," Nina pleaded with all her strength. She didn''t have anything to give. Just the hope that


    "No. That wouldn''t be necessary," Jack replied embarrassed.


    "Well, it sounds to me like it''s more of a Jack problem. Not ours," Mary replied while looking at her phone.


    "I have to agree. So, Jack, it''s your choice, then. What do you want to do? Whatever you want, we''ll follow," Yune said.


    It was all too sudden for Jack. She didn''t know what to do. But she did feel a connection towards Anne when they first met. And now, she did feel sorry for her. She didn''t regret what she did, but was sympathetic towards what Anne was probably feeling. So, she nodded her head. She transformed out of her guardian form.


    Jack''s transformation faded into smoke. And with two words, Anne''s mood brightened.


    Jack said without any hesitation, "I''ll help."

 Chapter 51: Unlikely Help

    As soon as Jack agreed, Mary and Yune followed. Nina was happy that they would help. She needed someone who could break whatever was holding onto Anne. And she couldn''t do it alone.


    Mary asked Nina, "Do you know where she is?"


    "She was just wandering around the city looking for Night Demons to fight. She won''t pick up my calls or text back, so..."


    "Got it. You don''t know. Well, I don''t feel like wasting time. It''s already night and it''ll be just a bother to search. Shopkeep. Shopkeep. Shopkeep. Get over here," Mary said unenthusiastically.


    The shopkeep appeared and said, "Hello. Need something?"


    Mary then carefully said, "Use one of my reserve coins to send me, Nina, Yune, and Jack to where Anne is. And you know which Anne we''re talking about. Don''t do anything funny."If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Do I ever do anything funny?" he asked. With a blink, he teleported the four of them to a dark alleyway in front of a metal door. The stench was filled with alcohol and piss.


    He then pointed to the door and said, "She''s in there. I could get you in, but that would cost more."


    "Pfft. I don''t want to be bled dry any more than I already have. Get outta here, shopkeeper," Mary said rudely.


    The shopkeep vanished leaving the four girls in front of this metal door.


    "Where are we? Do you recognize this place, Nina?" Yune asked.


    "No. I have no idea about this place. And less idea why Anne would be here," Nina replied. She was becoming seriously concerned about Anne. This place looked like it was used by drug dealers and prostitutes. It was not somewhere she should be hanging out at.


    Jack transformed with a blaze.


    "No point in thinking about it," Jack said, "Let''s just find Anne and see if she needs our help."


    "You''re right. Even if Anne isn''t the same, I don''t think she''s changed that much," Nina replied reassuring herself. Nina transformed in a wave of light.


    Now, the four of them, one a Light Guardian and three secretly guardians of the darkness, go towards the metal door with Jack in front.

 Chapter 52: Breaking the Party

    Jack knocked on the metal door. A slider opened to the utter shock of the bouncer as he stared down a metal giant with a mask only showing black-red eyes.


    He screamed and feinted at the sight of what he would describe as a demon.


    "Hello?" Jack called out, but the bouncer was completely out. There were other guards there with guns wondering what could have scared him. The bouncer was at least twice anybody else''s size in the room.


    Jack scratched her head and looked back at her companions to ask if they had any other ideas. But all them just raised their shoulders.


    "Well, I guess we''ll just go straight through," Jack said as she wound up her fist. One of the other guards went to open the slider to see who it was with his sidearm in hand. Then, as soon as he opened the slider... CRASH!


    The door went flying open crashing through until it struck the wall.


    Silence befell them for a few seconds. When the smoke cleared, Jack was in front of the group. A giant demon, the other guards thought. They screamed and shot whatever they had. The shots were loud and disorienting. They took out handguns and machine guns.


    Jack instinctively raised her arms in front of her, but the bullets wouldn''t pierce through her armor.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Then, without thinking, she charged forward roaring. The others jumped into the frenzy to help.


    "Members of some gang? Doesn''t matter. Don''t kill any of them!," Jack yelled as she pummeled and threw them to the ground and at each other.


    "Fine. Fine. No fun at all," Mary complained as she used her claws to merely cut their guns and use her elbows to knock them out. Then, she would dash around the room avoiding the shots.


    "Stop complaining. Let''s just beat these gangsters," Yune said while using her hook and chains to push and trip them around.


    Then, Nina came in watching their hectic fight. There was so much going on that nobody could keep up. Bullets flied everywhere. Smoke was going everywhere. And the three girls were just winning among all the chaos.


    "This is just getting ridiculous," Nina said with nothing much to fight or do. Then, one of the bullets began to come towards her, but she reacted faster than the bullet. Her blade deflected the bullet back at one of the men''s legs. "Sorry," she said in a panic.


    When the fight was over, the guards were all knocked out.


    Then, more gang members in suits began to run up the stair with their guns.


    Jack, Mary, Yune, and Nina all charged forward down as there was nowhere else to go. Jack was in front charging like a rhinoceros throwing and bashing through. All, the others had to do was follow and knock out anybody who wasn''t fully knocked out as they came flying behind Jack''s charge.


    Then, they finally reached the bottom and found themselves amidst some kind of fighting ring with fancy dinner tables. The other gangsters and guards were all knocked out. They didn''t think they killed any of them, but in the end, none of them cared to really check.


    Then among the ring, there stood Anne standing atop of another more muscular and burly man.


    "I was wondering what all the commotion was. I was expecting Nina, but not you three," Anne said as she looked at them from the ring, "What fun."

 Chapter 53: Annes Fun

    Anne kicked the man she defeated in the ring.


    "All of the other party attendees left after hearing gunshots. And this buffoon I''m standing on began to run, too. What an idiot. He shouldn''t have looked away. What good are these fighters these days," Anne complained with a smile. She wasn''t in her light guardian form. Instead, she was wearing some kind of sports bra and sweat pants. Her white streaks of hair glittered with the raised lights. The man was beaten to a pulp. He was bruised and bleeding all over. His jaw was dislocated. And one rib was poking out of his skin. But he was still breathing through it all. Still alive.


    "Anne, what are you doing in a place like this?" Nina asked concerned with a hand raised towards her, "Please, come back with me. We can talk about whatever happened to you."


    "Talk? I''m not really in the mood for talking," Anne replied.


    "I don''t understand unless you talk to me."


    "Why''d you bring those three? You starting a new team or just going to follow a different one?"


    "No. I''d never. I just needed them as backup. I don''t know what''s gotten into you, but I want to help. I want to help you."


    "Shut up!" Anne yelled.


    Anne stared at Jack and smiled with an idea. She still desired a fight. The victory she earned from her previous fight was lackluster. There was no feeling of satisfaction.


    "Alright, Nina. I''ll come back with you and talk about what I''ve been feeling. But on one condition," Anne said then pointed straight at Jack, "I want a one-on-one fight with you, Jack. You seem like a capable opponent."


    Jack exclaimed, "You want to fight me? That''s not going to solve anything. I only came to help you in whatever trouble you''re in."


    "Oh, you''ll help me alright," Anne replied, "Or you could refuse."


    Then, Anne put her knees on the already-beaten fighter.


    "And then I''ll just snap this guy''s neck for not treating me with the fight I was hoping for."


    "You wouldn''t do that!," Nina exclaimed.


    As Jack looked at Anne, they both knew that Anne wouldn''t kill the man - at most, injure him more - but Jack was aware of her look. It was a look of hate and rage. Something that Jack recognized as she looked at herself in the mirror. She hated that face, but this time it was plastered on another''s face. And all she could be reminded of was herself.


    "Fine. I''ll fight you if it''ll help me - and your friend - understand what''s going on with you," Jack said as she walked towards the ring.


    "You sure about this?" Yune asked.


    "Yeah," Jack replied.


    "We could easily help you. I doubt Anne would be strong enough to take all of us if Nina is willing," Mary said.


    "No!" Jack yelled, "This is between me and her."


    Then, the three suddenly went quiet. As if something had come over them, they all rubbed their arms.


    All Nina could do was watch. She didn''t know why Anne was doing any of this. And also didn''t know why Jack was willing to fight. None of it made sense to her.


    "There are some rules, though. No killing. No help from the outside. And especially, no light guardian powers. There''s nobody here, anyways. So, if you care, nobody will know who you are," Anne said thrilled as she was ready for a fight. Her last fight felt like a warm-up to who she was about to fight next.


    Jack transformed back into her regular human form. She was still athletic and strong enough to have enough confidence to face Anne. When Jack got onto the ring, Anne kicked the other fighter''s body off.


    Yune and Mary then transformed back into their human forms. It didn''t matter how their transformation looked now. Now that Nina saw them with their shadowy transformation, there was no point in hiding it. Although, they didn''t expect the reaction she had. They took a seat at one of the fancy tables and sat themselves down. Both Yune and Mary tried to relax themselves and just watch.


    "How could you be so calm during all of this?" Nina asked them.


    "We''re not," Yune replied, "But we can tell that this is something that Jack needs to do."


    "What do you mean?"


    Then, Nina noticed that their arms glowing black with a mark. Each one of the three.


    "What are you?" Nina asked them as she wasn''t sure anymore.


    Both Mary and Yune ignored Nina''s question and just stood back as bystanders. The mark began to claw at them. It gave off a feeling that resonated with Jack''s emotions. It felt as if Jack needed to finish something. Something that was left off from her past life. Jack''s battle with Anne. Their feelings resonated together. The feeling of hate and revenge. And now, Anne was feeling the same exact thing. But not because of a mysterious mark, but because of her own experiences. And so, the three of them understood.


    Mary tried to settle down the intensity in the air. She offered Nina, "Why don''t you take a seat and watch? Besides, even if either one of us tried to stop them, we''d probably get swatted like flies by both of them. I know that Jack get especially angry. And, now, it looks like Anne has become something similar as you told us back at our home."


    Yune then said, "Maybe, Nina, you may learn something from watching Anne fight. Perhaps, you''ll be able to figure out what''s wrong with her from her actions rather than what she says."


    She couldn''t relax. All she wanted was for Anne to snap out of whatever was holding her. But there was no arguing. She was helpless for the very first in a long time. She transformed back into her human form and focused on watching standing up.


    Mary eyes the leftover food and said, "Looks fancy. Wish there was service."


    Jack and Anne eyed each other. They stared at each other with hate in their eyes. But their hate was not aimed at each other, but rather on their own specific circumstances.


    Anne readied herself in a fighting stance.


    Jack stood there with her fists up. She didn''t know how to wrestle or box, but she was still physically strong. Her mark faded and so did Yune''s and Mary''s. Anne didn''t know what those marks represented, but didn''t care.


    "How do we know if the fight is over?" Jack asked.


    "When either of us gives up. But if you give up while I''m still not satisfied, then I''ll ignore it," Anne replied.


    "How quaint."


    Then, Anne said, "We''ll start by the count of three... One... Three."


    And off the fight went. Anne charged forward with quick jabs at Jack''s sides.


    Jack''s insensitivity to pain helped her ignore those small hits and he went in for her own punches without caring for defense.


    When Jack went in for a strong punch, Anne quickly dodged it and went in with a kick to Jack''s ankles making her fall to the ground.


    Jack quickly got herself up while Anne slowly walked back.


    "You''re very disappointing," she said as both a serious comment and a taunt.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Jack tried to go in with her own set of punches, but she was sluggish and amateurish. She didn''t know how to fight professionally unlike Anne who had been trained in a martial arts club. And Jack was even worse off than what she had expected since she usually doesn''t do her daily exercises anymore. Nonetheless, she still kept at it.


    Then, when Anne was about to throw in a hard punch into Jack''s gut, she expected Jack to dodge and move out of the way. But there were no plans for that. She took the punch head-on without flinching. Then, Jack grabbed onto Anne''s arm with a tight grip. Jack punched her in the face.


    Jack lifted Anne up by her throat with both hand. When Anne''s head was at face-level with Jack''s, she spit blood out at her opponent''s eyes blinding Jack. This caused Jack to let go and move back.


    "Finally. There''s a little bit of fight," Anne said.


    Jack rubbed the blood off her eyes and face. They both breathed heavily, but neither were worn out. Jack was bruised, but had no feeling of it. Meanwhile, Anne only had a bruise on her cheek where Jack had punched her.


    "But it''s still only a little. Where was the Jack I knew when we fought before? The first time we fought and even the second?" Anne asked.


    "I was in my guardian form," Jack replied.


    "Maybe. You are very powerful when you put on that red armor. But guardian form or not, you had something the last time we fought. But whatever that was, it''s dwindled now. There was a fire that kept you going. A fire. And now, I can barely feel that fire coming off of you. Yet, now I feel that same flame from myself. Weird, huh?"


    "Don''t talk like you know me. You were nice to me once. And because of that, I decided to come here. Not to fight you, but just to get you out of whatever this thing you''ve become. This is just courtesy."


    "Become? This is what I''ve been all along, but just hidden and locked away. But enough talk. Keep fighting."


    They kept going at it for what seemed like forever. Jack kept mindlessly flailing her arms. She would get in a couple of good hits, but Anne was far more proficient at it. She kept dodging and weaving those unrefined moved. She struck at Jack, and, even though Jack couldn''t feel it, they were effective.


    All Nina could do was watch as the brutal fight happened. She didn''t know what else to do.


    Then, Jack thought about Anne''s words. That her "fire had dwindled". Did that mean she wasn''t as focused as before? Wasn''t as strong? These questions floated in her head. Then, Jack thought of something. She realized that her strength came from her rage against Annie - the Light Guardian who inadvertently killed her parents. Her flames was was fueled by hate and rage. She realized that she didn''t feel as angry as usual. She was used to being in a feeling of constant rage. Now, it had tired itself out, and upon reflection felt that she was beginning to let go of her hate. But how could this be, she wondered. All she devoted to was trying to find her, even now. Then, that is when it struck. Her time being with Yune and Mary affected her. Their time as a so-called "family" changed Jack. It was such an alien concept to her - to even have a family after so long. As she spent time with Mary and Yune, Jack began to feel like she had a place to belong. Something she hadn''t felt either in a long time. A tear rolled down her eye, but Jack knew what she had to do. She had to collect her memories. She had to remember her purpose before being distracted by her new family. She remembered her parents and Annie. All the nightmares about Light Guardians. Everything she hated about them. Everything she felt. That is what she recalled and an ember turned to a forest fire of rage.


    Jack screamed, and her fury returned once more. She became faster and stronger. Even without her guardian form, she started to become berserk. She just started to attack Anne from all directions pushing her back. All Anne could do was defend herself against the oncoming assault of bashes. Suddenly, Anne tried to kick at Jack''s shin, but this time, Jack still stood strong.


    Anne had to dodge out of the way and keep a distance away. When she did that, Jack began to calm down.


    "That''s more like the monster I know," Anne said, "I specifically wanted to fight you, since we never got a chance to finish either of our previous fights."


    Jack ignored Anne''s comments and asked, "What changed you?"


    Anne smiled and replied, "Since, beating you now feels like it''s going to give me an immense amount of satisfaction, I''ll tell you. But still, know that I haven''t changed. I always had this in me."


    Anne also said this while looking at Nina. She wanted Nina to hear this as well, and Nina listened.


    Neither Jack nor Anne relaxed themselves. Either one could attack, but Jack wanted to hear Anne''s story. And Anne wanted to tell it.


    Anne spoke straight from her heart, "I am this way because of Kira. Simple as that. Kira died. And I got angry. Angry at the Night Demons. Angry at the world. Angry at myself. But I had no outlet for my anger. Then, I found this place. This ring of dishonor. I hated it at first. It went against everything I believed in. But no matter what I believed in, the real world still existed. Kira was massacred and died alone. Her body just left in the mud for the vultures and bugs. She didn''t deserve any of it. And so, why should I uphold whatever sense of honor and justice I have, if the rest of the world won''t. I always believed that if you did good things, good things would come back to you. But that''s a disgusting lie, otherwise Kira would still be alive and we would still be one happy group of friends."


    Nina began to cry as she heard those words. Even, Anne was beginning to tear up after, but was still angry.


    "I''m so sorry, Anne. I should have been there," Nina cried.


    Anne paused for a moment and looked down at Nina. Anne continued, "But that wasn''t the only reason. The other is because you weren''t there, Nina. You weren''t there. We both mourned for Kira. But in reality, I felt that you didn''t want to talk about her death. So, we went hunting Night Demons as a way for payback. It was a nice gesture, but that only accelerated whatever you think I''ve become. I had no idea how to talk about it or how to deal with Kira''s death. I can''t even say that you tried."


    "No... I tried... I don''t want to lose you, too," Nina said with tear overflowing in her eyes. All Mary and Yune could do was watch as spectators. Those two did nothing to comfort or help Nina. They just watched as she broke down. Jack, Mary, and Yune knew the truth about Kira''s death, but they all kept their mouths shut about that. They weren''t going to say anything that would implicate each other the murder. If any of them said anything, it would have turned to an all-out fight. And none of the guardians of the night were planning to gamble on who would win.


    Anne had nothing more to say. She went back to focusing on the fight.


    Jack charged in and Anne was ready for her.


    "You''re tough and strong, Jack. Physically, you''re even stronger and faster than me. But..." Anne said right before grappling Jack into a choke-hold, "I''m just more skilled."


    Anne began to choke Jack until she was on the verge of feinting. Then, Jack tapped her arm to say that she surrendered. She was losing consciousness. If Anne had been fighting another fighter in the ring, she would have just knocked her out, but instead felt an ounce of mercy. She felt satisfied with this victory.


    Anne muttered, "There''s one more reason I''m like this. I found that winning is a better feeling than anything else."


    Anne was about to let go of her choke-hold and in that second, Jack became fully conscious. Jack broke out and began to choke Anne as she collapsed on the ground. Jack squeezed tightly as if she had no control over herself.


    "Annie... Annie...", Jack muttered angrily as if she was in a trance. She began to salivate like a dog with rabies.


    Anne couldn''t believe what was happening. She tried to break free, but Jack was too strong. She tried everything, but nothing worked. Jack''s hot hands began burning Anne''s neck. Jack''s eyes blackened with her irises turning crimson red. The look of death was painted all over her face.


    But Nina wouldn''t let Jack hurt Anne. No more. She quickly transformed into her light guardian form and held her blade to Jack''s throat.


    "Let her go," Nina threatened. She was crying in one moment, but as soon as she saw Anne in danger, she only had one thought. She had to save her.


    Then, Mary and Yune transformed and began to hold their weapons against Nina to threaten her if she did anything to Jack.


    The cold steel from Nina''s katana didn''t wake Jack up from her furious trance. Instead, she began to slowly come out of it by herself. Her eyes turned back to normal. Her grip loosened slowly. And when Anne could finally breathe, she kicked Jack and Nina away. Jack began to relax and sit herself down on the dirty ring floor. She was finally tired from the fight. Nina stood up and wanted to confront Anne. She now understood what Anne was feeling, but she had no idea how to respond to her problems.


    Anne quickly got to one side of the ring and became frustrated.


    "Damn it," Anne cried, "You should''ve just let me die after I was beaten like that, Nina."


    "I would never let that happen," Nina replied.


    "We let it happen to Kira. She was alone and died alone. How can we be so sure that it won''t happen again to one of us, hmm?"


    Anne ran off towards the exit with tears in her eyes.


    Nina gave chase while Mary and Yune stayed with Jack to make sure she was okay.


    Anne got to the top and as she was about to leave, she knew that Nina was right behind her.


    "Please, Anne. I know I wasn''t there for you, but I am now," Nina said compassionately.


    "I know. I know you''ve been trying. And I''m sure you took it the hardest. You were our leader. We both looked up to you like a big sister. And I''m sure you blame yourself for what happened the most," Anne replied with looking back. She shuddered and was on the brink of crying, but she couldn''t bring herself to do it.


    Nina reached out a gentle hand and Anne swiftly slapped it away.


    There was only a silence that filled the room.


    "Please, don''t follow me. I need to follow this path. I need to know where this path leads. I decided to become this way and I have to see it through. Just... let me go. Please. I just can''t... be with you right now. I need to sort things out," Anne said as if she was trying to convince both Nina and herself.


    "We can still be a team," Nina said, but Anne wasn''t listening. She walked through the exit where the door had been tossed aside leaving behind only a hole.


    "The team died when Kira died. I''m sorry," Anne said quietly before transforming. Sheets of metal covered her and she leapt up into the sky. Nina ran out, but Anne was already gone.


    Nina could do nothing, but look at the cold ground. There was nothing more she could do, but she smiled as a tear flowed down her cheek. At the very least, she felt that Anne would be safe. Nina knew that Anne was strong. And this didn''t change that. Nina walked away out of the dark alleyways and went back home. There was nothing more she could do. She had only wished that she had done what she could sooner, but she couldn''t change the past. The world kept spinning. Nothing could stop that. And so, both Anne and Nina went their separate ways. Both continued to get stronger alone until the time was right for the both of them to come together again. Even though neither knew when that would happen, both still held onto hope for the future.

 Chapter 54: A Threat Awakens

    As Anne and Nina went their separate ways for the time being, the three girls became the primary guardians of Janken City. They didn''t know it, but their shadowy presence loomed over the city.


    Nobody was aware of their effect, but more Night Demons began to flock towards the city from all across the world as if attracted to the aura of those three. Jack, Mary, and Yune continued to hunt Night Demons along with looking for clues on Annie''s whereabouts unhindered. But as they stayed, their presence stuck itself to the city like glue.


    As more Night Demons immigrated into the crowded Janken City, that inevitably brought more Light Guardians as well. The troubles that the three girls had about to become even bigger as the number of Night Demons and Light Guardians grew within such a already crowded city.


    And even worse than all of that was the return of an enemy that wasn''t seen in centuries. A creature that made both the light and the dark quake.


    Graverobbers and ancient tomb raiders have been looting a burial site far from civilization. The tomb of an unmarked grave. But there were rumors of hidden treasures beneath it. They explored it ignoring all of the ancient warnings. Pictures of terrible monsters consuming everything. Repeated hieroglyphs of hands and eyes. Serpent-like arms reaching to all sides. The catacombs itself looked like they were inside a rib-cage.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    As they dug to find ancient catacombs and treasures, they instead stumbled upon something that was thought to be long dead by both the light and dark. They came upon a small decorated chest hidden very beneath at the bottom of the unnamed tomb. So far down that no light would even penetrate through. The ancient rocks were moist. There were no treasures except for that box. How it came there was a mystery, but the graverobbers were eager to find any semblance of treasure. And without thinking, they opened the small chest to not be greeted by shiny gold coins or trinkets. But instead a black heart with a metal rod through it.


    "What is this? What a disappointment," one of the robbers exclaimed hoping to get rich.


    "Hang on. It might still be worth something," another said.


    "This heart? Maybe. It can''t be a real one otherwise it would have been eaten by bugs by now."


    One of them took out the metal rod, and he jumped back dropping the box on the ground.


    "What - What are you doing!?" one exclaimed as the box hit the ground, "Don''t damage it! It''s still a priceless artifact."


    "I thought I saw the heart move. It looked like it made a beat. I even heard it," he said frightened.


    "Don''t be stupid. Pick up the box and make sure you didn''t break it. I''m sure I can find some rich fellah who might want it."


    The graverobber slowly picked it up and opened the box. However, there was nothing there.


    "Huh!? Where did it go!?" he exclaimed.


    "You lost it? Idiot!"


    They tried to look in the dark and dank tomb. Their torches were the only thing that brightened the room, but it was not enough. Then, one of them saw it. The heart was on the floor near where they came in from.


    "Oh. Here it is. Must have rolled out," he said as he reached his hands over to grab it, "Hey, guys! I found it!"


    Then, without any sign... lub dub.

 Chapter 55: A Job Offer

    The three guardians of darkness relaxed at home during their weekend. Jack was beginning to get nervous that Annie may no longer be at Janken City. However, she tried to keep a cool head. They''ve already asked around so much that Mary and Yune began to tire from it. Jack understood. She would have done it herself, but looking with their help was far easier. And they didn''t want to get themselves in a situation like Anne and Nina who they occasionally crossed paths with once or twice. But they were no longer a problem, they thought. Anne and Nina maintained their focus on hunting Night Demons and there were so many than usual that they''ve been busy. And the lie that concealed Kira''s death has been keeping the peace between them.


    So, for this boring weekend, they decided to just stay at home.


    On the dinner table, the three decided to try out some games. Mary was enthusiastic about it. She wanted to show the other two how great she was at all of them. Although, she didn''t quite understand the rules of most of them.


    "Hah! Gold fish, bitch!" Mary yelled as she laid down a card atop a pile. A blue one. And Mary looked at her one card. A wild card. No matter what they did, there was nothing to stop it.


    "It''s Uno. And I''m pretty sure the game you were referring to is ''Go Fish''. Not ''Gold Fish''," Yune said and then proceeded to lay down her card. A blue five.


    "Ooh. Only one card, huh? Well, how about this!" Jack yelled as she placed down a skip card.


    "Ugh. Fine. We''ll just have to wait," Mary replied in full confidence.


    "Alright. So, my turn then," Yune said as she placed down another card. A blue eight.


    Mary smiled thinking that she had won until she saw Jack''s smiling face.


    "Take that! A reverse," Jack said. Mary leaned on her elbow waiting for her turn.


    "Okay. Then, I will go with my own reverse," Yune said as she placed a red reverse card down, "Uno, by the way."


    Mary was afraid of Yune''s unwavering face. She showed no emotion. The perfect poker face. Mary was unsure what Yune had. Was it a useless card that couldn''t be put down? Was it a wild card? Meanwhile, Mary''s face revealed all sorts of emotions. But she relaxed thinking it would be fine. As long as her turn came, all she had to do was put her wild card down.


    Then, Jack smiled deviously and slammed down a Draw 4 wild card, "Take this, Mary!! Draw 4!!"


    "Oh nooooo!!!!" Mary yelled as she drew four more cards. Her hand was ruined. A wild card, a red five and draw two, a blue reverse, and a yellow skip. Alright, Mary thought, as long as she could use one of those skip, reverse, or draw cards, she could at least stall for time.


    "What color?" Mary asked.


    Jack looked carefully at Mary''s face.


    "I choose Re...." and when Jack was about to say red, she saw that Mary had a smile, but then Jack changed her answer slowly, "...bl...."


    Mary still had her smile.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    And then Jack went, "...gre..."


    And Mary''s face was instantly filled with horror. Jack finished confidently, "Green!"


    "Oh nooooo!!!" Mary yelled.


    "Your turn, Mary," Jack said in a pleasant tone.


    "Right. Well, at least I have this," Mary said as she put down her wild card and as she had more red cards in her hand, she continued, "I choose, uh, red."


    "Oh. Thanks," Yune said as she put down her final card. A red nine.


    "Wha-!?" Mary exclaimed.


    "Mary, you helping the enemy?" Jack asked as a joke.


    "Wha-!?" Mary exclaimed once more, "Uhh... well, I... uhh..."


    "Easy game," Yune said with a straight face, "All within my intricate plans."


    "That''s a lie. That was just luck," Mary replied.


    And then Jack began to snicker. And the snicker turned into a wild laugh.


    Yune followed, too. The light game was fun. It took their minds off their worries.


    Then, Mary looked to the both of them upset. She just sighed.


    "Fine. Fine. Guess it was kinda fun," Mary said with a smile that eventually turned into a laugh.


    As the three laughed together over their little game, a voice spoke from the side.


    "Hope you''re having fun," he said making the other girls jump out of their seats. It was the shopkeeper in his regular attire.


    "Woah! Come on. Don''t scare us like that," Mary exclaimed.


    "What do you want, shopkeep?" Yune asked.


    "Well, I may have a job for the three of you," the shopkeep replied, "Since, you three are now considered to be the ''top dog'' of these parts, I''ll be occasionally giving out some information on some Night Demons that have been causing some trouble."


    "What Night Demon?" Jack asked.


    "This one is a strange one. Every so often, somebody gets kidnapped and goes missing for a few days. But after those couple of days, he or she will just reappear without anything happening to them. I know they''ve been taken by a Night Demon, but this one doesn''t seem to do anything to them. He holds them for a few days and lets them go."


    "Do the kidnapped remember anything?" Yune asked needing information on what they would be dealing with.


    "Nope. All of them don''t seem to remember anything. The only thing that they do remember before going missing are the numbers 314. Even though, none of them know what it means, I have been investigating. I know where the creature is hiding."


    "This sounds pretty easy. Sounds like a weakling if you ask me," Mary said.


    Yune thought about it and asked the shopkeeper, "Why us? You said you give out jobs to what you called as the ''top dog'', but I''m sure you give out these tips to anybody who would take them."


    "That''s right. I did give this job to another Light Guardian. However... that didn''t go as exactly planned."


    Jack eyed the shopkeeper suspiciously, "What do you mean? You saying that the Night Demon killed whoever you sent?"


    "No. Quite the opposite. I won''t give names, but she let the creature go. She wasn''t hurt anywhere. Nor did she seem to be under some kind of hypnotic spell. It was like she just refused to do it. It''s like she had a change of heart. "


    All three of the girls were surprised at this. Why would a guardian leave a Night Demon alone. Their sole purpose is to hunt Night Demons. And those monsters are just that. Monsters. There was no reason to let it go. It may not have killed, but it''s been clearly kidnapping people.


    The shopkeeper continued, "But you three are different. You three have no hearts. You each have no problem with killing anything. I want you three because I feel you''d be more... violent."


    "That''s a bit insulting," Jack and Mary said at the same time.


    "Alright. So, do you even know what it can do?" Yune asked.


    "No. I can only give you it''s location. You''ll have to fight it blind, but I think it wouldn''t be a problem for the three of you."


    The three thought about it for some time.


    "How about a deal. You''ll get your black coin, yes. But as a bonus, if you kill it, I''ll give you some information to Annie''s whereabouts," the shopkeeper said.


    "What!?" Jack exclaimed upon hearing those words.


    "I would only be giving a small hint to her location. I doubt she would be moving away from Janken City for a while. Or I could just give the job to Anne. I''m sure she''d be capable."


    "No. We''ll take the job," Jack said in an instant. Mary and Yune were dragged along, but neither of them had any problem with going to hunt a Night Demon anyways.


    "Good. I''ll send you the address by text. Should be easy to find," the shopkeeper said before vanishing.


    As soon as he was gone, their phones buzzed. There was a text with an address to an old hotel. The Trojan Hotel. Room 314.

 Chapter 56: The Trojan Hotel

    The three girls arrived at the Trojan Hotel - a three-story, old hotel. It was in a run-down neighborhood. Just like the outside of their house, they thought. The name flickered And the ''l'' on the sign was tilted to the point where one more gust of wind would tip it to the point of no return. Large rats scoured the corners, and was unnerved by the footsteps of pedestrians. Not many walked around these parts. Mostly gangsters, hookers, and drug addicts. That was the only business that the Trojan Hotel would get. Mary, Jack, and Yune stood out among the crowd, but none of them cared. They just wanted to get this over with and walked straight into the dinky hotel.


    There was a clerk at the front desk looking at his phone with earphones on. Just some young, teenage boy with black eyeliner. Nobody really special, but Yune thought he was cute. And because of that she suddenly became nervous.


    "So, who wants to ask where the room is?" Yune asked the other two. She had no desire to embarrass herself in front of him.


    "Why don''t you go?" Mary asked in reply.


    "Me? No. That''s a bad idea."


    "Just go ask for room 314 or whatever. It''s not like we''re actually going to pay. We just need the key. If we need to, we''ll just knock him out and take the key," Jack said aloud for the clerk to hear, but the music he played blocked out all the sound in the room.


    "Alright... here goes," Yune said with a gulp.


    She went up to the clerk awkward in her stance. She stood frozen. Why does it have to be a cute boy, she thought.


    "H-h-h-h-hello, there," Yune said quietly.


    The boy seemingly ignored her.


    Yune looked over her shoulder towards Jack and Mary.


    "What do I do?" Yune whispered quietly.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Jack heard her and said, "Tap him on the shoulder."


    Mary instead yelled, "Kick him in the balls!"


    "What?" the boy asked when he heard shouting and as he turned around to find Yune standinf in front of the counter horrified. She thought that he heard what Mary said, but he didn''t hear what exactly Mary shouted. He just heard the loud noise. He asked the girl in front of him, "May I help you? You lost?"


    "N-n-n-n-n-no. Not lost. I-I-I''m looking to rent a room. S-s-specifically, rooooom 314," Yune said with an awkward smile. She just stood there in silence and completely embarrassed.


    The boy nodded his head. He was completely cool-headed.


    "Ahh. I understand. You looking to see if the rumor is true. I don''t mind lending you the key to check it out, but I''m telling ya that you''ll be disappointed. There''s no ghost in that room. Not when I go clean it anyways," he said as he handed out the key to room 314. He didn''t care at all about giving away the key to a hotel room.


    "Rumor? Ghost?" Mary asked.


    "Oh, th-th-th-thank you. I''ll just be taking the key and we''ll be right off," Yune said as she slowly took the key.


    "Thank you so much, bro. We''ll go in an out," Jack said, "And there won''t be any need for knocking you out."


    "Huh?" he asked as he thought he might have misheard Jack.


    "Nothing," Yune said as she began to push Mary and Jack away towards the stairs, "We''ll be right back."


    When they left, another guy came out from a backroom holding a small paper bag of cash and a gun.


    "C''mon, brother. Let''s go," he said as he waved at the supposed clerk.


    "Right behind ya," he said as both he and who the girls thought was the clerk ran off.


    Jack, Mary, and Yune walked up the flight of stairs passing the drunkards, drug addicts, and prostitutes.


    "Hey, cutie. Want to have a good time?" one of the drunkards or drug addicts said to the three girls.


    Jack instantly grabbed him and threw him down the stairs.


    When the others saw this, they began to become angry.


    "What''s the big idea, you whores!?" one of them yelled.


    And then, the three transformed in a shroud of darkness. When they were finished, they were in their cloaks and dashed right past all of these lousy people until they reached the room they were looking for. Room 314. They didn''t sense anything, but they were still on their guard.


    They took off their cloaks and readied themselves for a fight. Their weapons were out. Jack was about to kick the door in, until Yune used the room key to open it.


    "At least, they won''t blame us for property damage... or just for now, anyways," Yune said.


    "Like we were going to pay for property damage," Mary said sarcastically.


    Yune opened the door and as soon as they entered a dark shadow consumed them.

 Chapter 57: Strange Soldier

    The three woke up on their nice comfy beds. They each got up and got themselves ready for work. They put on their military uniforms and badges along with a spare pistol tucked away. Afterwards, each of them sat down for a bowl of cereal. It was a small apartment.


    "Good morning, aunties," a girl came out from one of the other room.


    "Good morning," Jack, Mary, and Yune said at the same time.


    The girl smiled. Her name was Tasha Key. An orphan girl who the other three girls adopted after a terrible war. Many people lost their lives and home during that war. Tasha was just one simple girl that happened to catch their eye. She put on a face of happy-go-lucky, but inside she still felt the trauma of being through war. She was young, but seen so much. But she didn''t want to ruin her relationship with her three "aunties".


    Jack finished her cereal and decided it was time to leave.


    "Come on, Mary and Yune. We got to go to work," Jack said as she was ready to leave.


    "Wait. Hold on," Tasha said as she went up to her. Jack leaned down knowing what Tasha wanted. Tasha kissed Jack''s cheek. Then, she proceeded to kiss Yune''s cheek. And finally, Mary''s cheek. After that was finished, Tasha said, "Good-bye, aunties."


    "Sheesh. We''ve had you for a year, and you still won''t call us mom," Mary complained, "Ahh. It doesn''t matter. We only have a basic idea what you''ve been through, so I guess we don''t really a right for that."


    "Sorry," Tasha replied, "It''s still hard."


    "It''s okay. Mary didn''t mean any of that A year of living like this is nothing compared to the horrors you must have faced," Yune said.


    "Yeah. She''s just a little cranky after waking up," Jack said.


    "Hey. I don''t get cranky," Mary replied.


    Tasha laughed and the three girls went out for work.


    "Alright, sweetie. Just make sure you get yourself safely to school," Yune said.


    "And don''t get yourself in any trouble," Mary said.


    "Of course. Of course. Don''t worry, aunties. When have I ever done anything to upset you," Tasha replied.


    "I can think of a few," Jack said with a sly smile, "Well, we''ll be off. Just be careful outside. And come back before curfew."


    They waved and left. The three had complete trust for Tasha. She usually doesn''t do much. She would go to school, talk with her friends, and come home. There were the occasional being late, which made the three girls go out to look for her. When they found her, she was just distracted talking to friends or looking at the clouds.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    When they walked outside, it was a sunny day. The birds chirped. Meanwhile, children played. Signs and half-glued posters of their great leader were plastered all over the place.


    They went over to their national party''s office and readied themselves for their shifts. They left their pistol in their holster and held a small machine gun.


    All their job entailed was to keep the peace and obey any orders that came from above. They marched along roads just looking around for any signs of trouble, but it had been a quiet day. There was a pleasant breeze as they marched.


    The three girls felt like this had been a routine for most of their lives. They remembered becoming friends at the military academy. They even went through the war together and luckily not one of them died during it. They had scrapes with death, but at the end of the day, they were all fine.


    Jack, Mary, and Yune were content with their lives. They had no traitorous thoughts or dreams. All they knew was the life that was given to them was provided by their country. And they would serve their country in return.


    Yet, in these times, it looked like another war was brewing. They didn''t want to worry Tasha, but they couldn''t stop her from reading the news or hearing gossip. And Tasha was afraid although she didn''t show it. All the three girls could do was assure Tasha that there would be no war after what happened before, but it did nothing to quell her fears. Tasha kept her face smiling bright hiding her internal struggles, but this only made it harder for Jack, Yune, and Mary to understand what she was feeling.


    They walked around until one of their commanding officers called them over their radio.


    "We found some kids doing graffiti on our leader''s poster. We caught one. A boy in their early teens. The others have escaped. Possibly four. If anybody sees any teen children, stop and interrogate them. Over."


    "Boring. I kinda miss the action we used to get," Mary said.


    "Don''t say that. We''ve been peaceful for some time. And our economy has been growing. I wouldn''t want things to go back to the things they were," Yune replied.


    "Yeah. Yeah. Of course, you''re right, Yune," Mary replied back.


    "The economy was in shambles after the war, right? We only got out of it by the will of our great new leader. I personally don''t have any problems," Jack said.


    They chatted while they marched. There seemed to be no trouble at all. It was just a quiet day.


    When they got home, they found Tasha already there as she should be.


    "How was school?" Jack asked as she began to put away her military suit.


    "It was fine. Nothing really happened," Tasha replied.


    "Oh. Why don''t you talk about it while I get some dinner prepared? I think I''ll make some chicken, today," Yune asked.


    "Well, we just did the usual. But I heard some students were caught skipping class."


    "Oh. You wouldn''t happen to know anything about that?" Mary asked just trying to make conversation as she relaxed herself on the couch. She then turned on the TV and watched the news. Nothing really happened besides rallies for their leader. Mary sighed and turned it off. She didn''t know why, but for some reason, she was hoping to watch some cartoons about magical girls.


    "No. Not really," Tasha said sincerely.


    "Well, I''ve heard from your teachers that your grades have been slipping," Jack said without actually talking to her teachers, "Is that true?"


    "Uh, well, sort of."


    "I don''t want to hear it. Get your grades up and maintain them. We want what''s best for you and this country."


    Tasha smiled earnestly and nodded her head.


    When Yune was finished cooking some chicken, they all sat together and ate peacefully. They were mostly silent. The air had a looming presence like they were not alone. But they ignored those feelings and just went back to eating.


    When the day was over, they all went to sleep in their comfortable beds.

 Chapter 58: War Soldier

    They all woke up on time and readied themselves for a new day. They repeated the same cycle over and over. There seemed to be no deviation. Tasha went to school. Jack, Mary, and Yune had been marching the streets with seemingly no trouble at any corner. The war was coming, but it didn''t look like it at all. Everything seemed so peaceful for the three girls. As they walked, they saw some other group of soldiers dragging away a family of three. They were crying and screaming that they did nothing wrong. A mother, a father, and a young boy.


    "Strange. Sir, do you require any assistance?" Jack asked towards the soldiers.


    "No. We''re good. Get back to patrolling the area. We can handle these undesirables," the other soldier said.


    "Undesirables? What did they do?" Yune asked.


    "Nothing you need to be concerned with. Now, go," the soldier finished as he put the family in the back of a car with masks over their heads.


    Mary tugged at Jack and Yune.


    She whispered, "Let''s go. It has nothing to do with us."


    They all felt guilty, but continued on their way.


    When they were a distance away from the other soldiers, they began to speak amongst themselves.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Do you really think that family could have done something?" Yune asked.


    "I don''t know. The mom and dad, sure, but I don''t know how a child would be capable of doing anything wrong," Mary replied.


    "Shh. We shouldn''t be talking like that here. We''re soldiers for this great country. I''m sure they had a good reason. I won''t tolerate any further comments," Jack said trying to even convince herself.


    "Right, right," Mary said, "No point in arguing."


    It was another uneventful day for the three. They came home to see that Tasha had been working on her homework.


    "Hey, sweetie. How was school?" Yune asked.


    "Good. We learned the usual stuff," she replied.


    They sat down and ate whatever leftover food they had. It was quiet, again. But they all enjoyed each other''s company.


    Then, all of a sudden, Tasha began to tear up.


    "What''s wrong?" Jack asked out of concern.


    "Did something happen to you at school?" Mary asked.


    "Tasha... are you alright?" Yune asked.


    The three got up out of their seats to comfort Tasha. She began to cry. They each felt like they had to protect this girl - A sweet and caring girl. And not just any girl, but Tasha.


    "No. Nothing. It''s just that... I don''t want to lose you, aunties. Everybody knows a war is coming, and that would mean you''d have to fight. I don''t want that to happen. I don''t want anything to happen to you," she cried.


    "It''s okay. There won''t be any war. The world had enough war since the last one. Our leader wouldn''t let that happen," Jack said in earnest.


    "Yeah. You don''t need to cry. We''re all together. We''ll get through this together," Yune said.


    "Don''t cry, kid. We don''t plan on dying for another war," Mary said.


    "Promise?" Tasha asked.


    The three girls smiled and held out their pinkies.


    "Pinky promise," they all said together.


    "Now, come on. Let''s go wash your face. How are you going to get a boy looking like that," Mary said.


    "Aunty!" Tasha yelled blushing.


    They all laughed and enjoyed their quiet life.

 Chapter 59: Terror Soldier

    Another day, another patrol. Everything still looked normal on the outside. Everybody went about their daily lives, but there was a feeling of tension in the air. Nobody knew whether the enemies would strike first or our own country. Nonetheless, Jack, Yune, and Mary went about their daily lives.


    They said their goodbyes to Tasha and went to their daily patrols.


    Everybody seemed on edge. The windows on the houses looked like they were watching the streets more so than the three.


    Eventually, as the strolled around the city, a call came in through the radio.


    "Attention. Terrorist activity alert. More military police requested at the school district."


    "School district!?" the three exclaimed worrying about Tasha'' safety.


    They rushed over to Tasha''s school to protect her. They didn''t care at all about anybody else. Just Tasha.


    When they arrived, the stench of gun powder would crash into their faces. The other soldiers already rounded up all the other children and teachers.


    "What''s the situation?" Jack asked to one of the commanders there.


    "Oh, good. Some backup. Although not as much as I''d like, it''s not like we need much anyways," he replied.


    "Sir, what''s going on?" Yune asked.


    "Apparently, there have been some anti-war movements going around at these schools. Apparently, some of the teachers even decided to go against our leader''s wishes and teach the kids things they shouldn''t have. The younger ones can be reeducated. But we still need to place an example."


    "Example of what?" Mary asked before being handed a rifle. The other two were then also given rifles.


    They walked over and the commander continued. Gunshots could be heard from behind the school as they moved forward, but the commander wasn''t alarmed by them.


    When they reached the back of the school, they''ve left lines of bodies on the sides of the dirt. The luckiest ones, if you could call them that, were the youngest who were placed by the sides to watch.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The teachers were the first to go. All of them were killed and left there for all to see.


    Next were the teenagers. The commander felt it was necessary to kill some of them, so he decided to just choose the ones he deemed to be already corrupted by their teacher''s words.


    Jack, Yune, and Mary were all horrified. It was like they were back in the war, but for some reason, compared to their meek memories of a past war, this one felt real. The carnage and brutality of the executions. For the ones in command, it was just a matter of numbers, but not to the three girls. Not to them.


    "Alright, you three, you go up and execute the next batch."


    "Aunties!" Tasha yelled as she was being dragged along the dirt and other teens, "Please help."


    "There''s the next batch of people. Go shoot them. Then, we''ll bring in the rest of them."


    They lined them up in front for the three to see. They were horrified. Jack was about to throw up, but she swallowed it back in. The acidity of it felt like nothing compared to what she was ordered to do.


    Their hands and legs shook. They fidgeted their fingers unsure of what to do. They couldn''t disobey their commanding officer.


    "Alright, men. Aim your weapons," the commander said.


    "Please, don''t do this," Tasha screamed as her head began to spit blood. The others kids only closed their eyes in fear.


    "Sir, these are just kids. They didn''t do anything wrong," Jack pleaded.


    The commander saw his three soldiers wavering and couldn''t have that in his ranks.


    "Men, I''m giving you a direct order. If you disobey them, you''ll be joining them. Besides, this is for the good of the country. We can''t have these ''free-thinkers'' ruining what we''ve built so hard on. We must be united. So, execute them, or I''ll throw you in with them and get somebody else to do it," the commander ordered with a scowl, "Now, aim!!"


    The three girls aimed their weapons. Tears flowed down the cheeks of all the girls. Tasha, Jack, Mary, and Yune. None of the three wanted to do it, but if they didn''t, then they would be killed or, at the very least, thrown in a POW prison. Going against the orders of the commander was like going against the leader''s own commands.


    They didn''t believe that none of the kids did anything wrong, especially Tasha. They were all just going to school. And the three girls knew that as long as they followed orders, then they couldn''t be doing anything wrong.


    Then with a swift stomp, the commander yelled, "And fire!"


    And within milliseconds, the three girls closed their eyes and as they were about to pull the trigger, their marks began to glow. A shroud of darkness began to unravel around their arms. They opened their eyes.


    "This isn''t right," Jack said.


    "Something''s not right," Yune said.


    "This world is false," Mary said.


    They all spoke at the same time as they felt the world collapsing around them. They remembered their true selves. This wasn''t the real world. An illusion.


    "What are you doing, men!? I ordered you to fire!" the commander yelled.


    And as if the three were tethered together, they turned their guns around and aimed at the commander. They fired. The commander was filled with holes and then fell. When he hit the ground, his body turned into a black puddle. The whole world began to break apart into black mud. Everything except for Mary, Jack, and Yune. And Tasha.

 Chapter 60: The Mask of Illusion

    The three girls turned to look at Tasha who seemed to not be turning into the mud around them.


    "That''s a first," Tasha said aloud.


    "So, you''re the Night Demon," Yune said.


    Jack, Mary, and Yune were all safe and sound. They remembered their original life along with the memories that the creature gave them. Now, they were all in a black bubble.


    The last thing the three girls remembered doing was entering room 314 and then, suddenly, they were teleported to this new world. Yet, they also seemed like different people. They had memories of living at that place. They could recall things that never actually happened to them.


    "Yes. I am what you''d call a Night Demon," it said.


    "I never met one that could talk," Mary said in surprise.


    "While we''re connected, I can communicate with the three of you. Ever since you entered the room, we have been tethered," Tasha replied.


    "So all of that was just some kind of illusion? A hoax?" Jack asked. It all felt so real to her.


    "In a sense," she said.


    "Wait a minute," Jack replied thinking about the situation, "You''re... you''re actually the girl. You existed before. What happened there was like something out of a history book."


    "Sort of," she replied, "I have been around for a long time. What I showed you happens all the time. You could say it was during a different time, but I''ve lived for so long, I can''t quite remember which country or war it was, anymore. And there''s one thing you are wrong about. I''m not actually this girl from whatever year it was. I was the one standing in your shoes."


    Jack took a step forward. She was going to ask her to explain, but Tasha continued, "What you experienced, is what I experienced. The life I had. The choices. I was the one who found the original Tasha as an orphan and took her in. I only gave you the pieces of information that I knew. Even after all this time, I remembered those moments. But I wouldn''t dare try to figure out what Tasha was thinking. If she was some kind of conspirator or not. In reality, I didn''t know. But even if she was, I still cared for her. I still regret killing her to this day."


    There was a brief pause. The atmosphere was tense, but Jack wanted to hear this creature''s story. Mary and Yune, too, were also entranced by what they experienced.


    "Out of all the people who were with me, you were the first to actually decided to shoot the commander. I was quite surprised. Didn''t think you would do that. That takes real guts doing what you did. But what I did, I never forgiven myself for. I shot her. I tried to make it swift, but she still squirmed. I had to shoot once more to make it end. Then, I executed even more people. I kept doing it even if I knew what I was doing was wrong. I just couldn''t bring myself to go against orders. Then, the war started. I killed more and more people until I didn''t even care. We lost and I was put on a quick trial. I was called evil for just following orders. And then I was lined up, and the same thing happened to me. Killed by another solder just following his orders. When I first became aware of being this creature, all I could care about was getting revenge. I felt that I was wronged. I felt that the ones who called me evil were just the same as me. They would have done the same that I did if they were put in my situation. So, I brought plenty of people into my illusions. Gave them false memories of their life to speed up the process. Then, I watched as they did the same to prove my point. But nowadays, I feel more calm. Especially while being near you three. I feel soothed just being by you three guardians. But, now, I''ll leave you with the choice of what you want to do. I''ll tear this illusion apart. I don''t mind being killed. I was already dead before. I just hope that Tasha never became what I did, although I guess I''ll never know."


    The creature began to break apart the illusion.


    "Wait! When we got his job, we were told you never killed anybody. You let them go. Why?" Jack asked.


    As the bubble cracked and splintered, the creature melted away into mud and said it''s last words.


    "I don''t know. I just didn''t want to hurt anybody. Whether they wanted me harm or not, I couldn''t bring myself to kill again."


    And then the whole illusion shattered like glass.


    They were awake. They sat comfortably at the hotel room. The door was closed. And in between them was a small monster. It detached a small tentacle off the back of their necks. It was painless and left no mark. The three then felt a chill on the back of their spines. They sensed the Night Demon in front of them, but it did nothing.


    It was just a black spartan helmet with some small tentacles coming out from under it. It had glowing red eyes that would normally scare somebody, but not these three. It waited patiently for whatever the girls decided to do. It didn''t try to attack or escape.


    They all stood up and transformed into their dark guardian form. But the creature didn''t react.


    "So, this is the Night Demon we were hunting? It''s not much to look at," Mary said while gently poking it with her sharp claws.


    Yune crossed her arms and asked the other two, "I don''t have any desire for killing this thing. After experiencing what it does and considering it hasn''t killed anybody... but, then again, shopkeeper did say he wanted this creature dead. And we don''t know whether it would kill in the future."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Jack shuddered at the thought.


    "Well, I don''t care. It''s still a Night Demon. We should just kill it," Mary said to see if it would do anything, but the monster did nothing. It just looked at her with dead eyes.


    "Wait. Jack, what do you think? You''ll be the one getting the most out of the shopkeeper''s deal. Your choice," Yune said.


    Jack paused and approached the creature. She raised it up to look at it''s eyes. The eyes of something that was already beaten. It didn''t care whether it was dead or alive. It just lived day-to-day without trying to harm anybody.


    Jack then put the creature back down on the table and said, "You really haven''t killed anybody since you became this way. You''re just lonely after all these years. I have a feeling you just like being around others. You''re not a monster. You''re a better person than any of us."


    Jack then turned around and decided to leave.


    "What about the shopkeeper''s deal?" Mary asked, "It would be so much more helpful than me going around asking people."


    "Leave the creature. Don''t harm her. If she decides to hurt somebody, then we''ll put her in the ground, but as she is right now, she''s not a threat," Jack said.


    "Why do you keep referring to it as a she?" Yune asked as she still wasn''t convinced that it was harmless. But from that illusory experience, she also felt a small connection to the monster. She thought that maybe it was a special case.


    When Jack realized this, she did really think the Night Demon was more human than anybody she ever met. She smiled and then left. They walked away from the room and immediately, they couldn''t sense the creature.


    Then, the three girls left the creature in room 314. They walked outside of the Trojan Hotel to find the shopkeeper waiting for them.


    "Ahh. You return. So did you kill this Night Demon?" the shopkeeper asked.


    "Well... uhh," Mary began to speak, but Jack decided to talk.


    "We killed the monster. You won''t have to send anymore Light Guardians to hunt her," Jack said.


    "Her? Well, no matter. I assume you at least have a black coin to show as proof," he replied.


    "We''ll be holding onto the black coin," Jack replied.


    "Oh, really? And I assume you''ll be holding on to the actual Night Demon, as well," the shopkeeper said as he pointed at Jack''s leg.


    The creature seemed to have attached itself to Jack without her noticing. The three of them suddenly jumped up in surprise.


    Mary tried to control the situation. "How''d that get there. That''s so strange. Must be some kind of Halloween prop," she said with an obvious smile.


    "I didn''t even sense the creature," Yune said.


    "Well, the monster can hide it''s presence when it become attached to another living creature. That''s why I needed to give specific instructions on where it was," the shopkeeper said, "Anyways, I guess you can kill it now and I''ll give you the information you need."


    Jack spit on the shopkeeper''s feet.


    "No. We''re not going to kill this one. She doesn''t deserve to die."


    "Interesting. So, you''ll let this monster live? What about the information on Annie''s whereabouts? You sure you don''t want that?" the shopkeeper asked.


    "Actually, you already gave me enough information."


    "Hmm?"


    "He did?" Mary and Yune asked.


    "Yep. You confirmed that Annie was staying in Janken City and won''t be moving for a while," Jack said while pointing straight at the shopkeeper with a smile, "You mentioned it when you came to us. That must mean that Annie must be working on some big art project. I don''t know what she''s doing, but the fact that she''s not moving anywhere works to our advantage."


    The shopkeeper looked surprised at her even behind his gas mask.


    "M-Maybe, I was just saying that to make you think that she would be here. Did you think about that?," the shopkeeper said.


    "Oh, shit. I hate these mind games," Mary exclaimed.


    "I don''t think so, shopkeep. The only reason you''d lie is if you were paid to. And we know that the cost of your lie is a lot of black coins. We were just lucky to have an old grandma like Mary with us who had plenty of time to collect such an amount. It would be hard for somebody who hasn''t lived for as long as her to cough up that much for such a small lie. In the end, you''re a heartless beast who only cares for black coins," Yune said.


    "C''mon, Yune. I''m not a grandma," Mary said embarrassed.


    "Oh, yeah. Wh-what if Annie is that old? Maybe, she''s ancient. Hmm?" the shopkeeper said as a double-down.


    Mary replied, "Okay. Now, I can even tell you''re just pulling stuff out of a hat."


    "That''s not pulling stuff out of a hat. This is," the shopkeeper replied just as he materialized a magician''s hat in his hand. Then, he waved his hands over the hat and reached down into it. His whole arm was getting devoured by the small hat, and then he pulled out a rabbit plushie by it''s ears, "Ta-da!"


    The other three girls had no idea how to respond to that. They just stared blankly unsure what the shopkeeper was trying to prove.


    The shopkeeper disappointed that he couldn''t show off his new magic trick made both the plushie and the hat vanish.


    "Fine. It doesn''t matter to me right now. If you change your minds, just give me a call," the shopkeeper replied as he vanished in disappointment. Jack and Yune both had a feeling that the shopkeeper gave out that information at the beginning intentionally, but they didn''t know why. Did the shopkeeper have a change of heart? Was Annie not bringing in as much black coins as usual? These questions would never get answered by the shopkeeper. But they still loomed over their heads.


    Jack carried the creature in her arms like a cat. It even began to purr like one.


    "Woah. Now, that was something else. I never was good at these mind games. I always just let my tacticians and other hired Light Guardians do all that kind of work in figuring out the enemy''s next moves," Mary congratulated.


    Jack petted the helmet. It felt like smooth scales.


    "You know, we should give it a name," Yune said.


    Mary then suggested, "How about Murder Helmet? Or maybe just Murhelm? It sounds like a Night Demon name."


    The creature became a little mad about that name and shook her head. Jack suggested, "Let''s just call her what we''ve been calling her all this time. Tasha."


    Although the creature felt that she had no right to that name, it was the only name she could remember. So, the Night Demon decided to use that name. Tasha.


    Then, they walked back home in their guardian forms without a care.


    When they got back to their house, Tasha made herself at home and began to crawl around with it''s tentacles. She just walked around looking for a place to rest and it found a nice corner on the couch. It fell asleep peacefully as the other girls pleasantly enjoyed their new guest. Tasha felt like she would feel more at home with them than alone in a dinky apartment. The girls also realized that once the creature was inside their home, it stopped giving off it''s usual chill.


    Mary and Yune kept referring to the creature as either Tasha or as an it, but Jack felt a more human connection with it.


    Then, right before she went to sleep, she began to tear up. She began to remember all the Light Guardians she killed. Something within her began to question what she did. She finally began to feel regret as she thought that maybe some of them didn''t deserve what she did to them.


    She cried alone not wanting to bother the other two.


    But Mary and Yune heard her cries. They decided to sleep by her. Jack''s body was warm, but not too hot. They cuddled together as Jack''s tears continued to flow down her cheek. And even Tasha decided to be with them, too.


    The three guardians of darkness all felt different after that experience. Yet, none of them knew how to talk about it. So, for that night, they used the warmth of each other''s bodies to soothe themselves.

 Chapter 61: The Butterfly - Schmetter

    A battle ensued at the rooftop of a hospital. Two identically similar Night Demons fought side-by-side together. They had the majestic wings of a butterfly. Their bodies were smooth and moist. They looked like fairies as they sprinkled black dust around them. One had a ponytail, while the other was short-haired.


    They called out their names.


    The one with the ponytail cried, "Metterling."


    The other with the short hair cried, "Schmetter."


    However, when the dust gets inhaled by the people in the hospital, they begin to get even more sick. No matter what symptoms they had, their illnesses got worse no matter what medicine was given.


    Anne was there facing off against these two monsters atop that roof. They kept flying around like bugs. They weaved and dodged Anne''s attempts to hit them. She became increasingly agitated, but the dust didn''t affect her as long as she was in her Light Guardian form. All the creatures could do was try to create gusts of wind to knock her around or go in to try and cut Anne with their razor-sharp wings.


    That was until Anne grabbed a hold of an air conditioner box that was connected to the roof. She tore it off and threw it straight at one of the twins.


    It came too fast and unexpected that it struck straight at the one with the ponytail.


    "Metterling," it cried as it''s wing was torn apart. It fell to the ground defeated and in pain. Half of it''s body was ripped and torn like paper.


    The other one looked down and began to feel something. It was a strange feeling. It went down to see the other creature and held it in her arms. Then, the creature began to turn to dust in it''s arms leaving behind only a black coin.


    Anne cracked her knuckles and prepared to finish the remaining one off.


    "Schme..." the creature muttered, but didn''t finish. It began to feel sorrow for it''s fallen twin.


    Then, suddenly, it got an intense headache.


    "Schmet... Wha... What is this?" it muttered in a female voice as if she had just woken up from a dream. Anne didn''t hear those words. When Anne dashed forward and began striking, Schmetter tried to dodge her blows. Anne''s fists were fast and they scraped her and punched a hole into one of Schmetter''s wings. She had no choice, but to retreat. She created a strong gust of wind that blew Anne away a couple of inches. However, Anne was still on her two feet in a defensive stance. But it was enough for Schmetter to escape.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    She flew away and fled from the hospital leaving behind the Light Guardian she fought and the black coin of her fallen twin.


    She had to keep going. She had no idea what was happening to her. She began to realize that she was a Night Demon, but there was something more. She wasn''t always like this.


    Anne picked up the black coin and watched the Night Demon fly away. She had no plans of letting it go. It was damaged and weak. All she had to do was follow it from the ground.


    She ran and watched the sky as black dust would fall wherever she flew.


    Schmetter kept flying with it''s injured wing. It needed a place to rest, but when she looked down, she could see Anne following her from the rooftops. Then, as if she knew how to control her powers, she began to stop producing her dust. It was like an animal instinct, she thought. Then, when her dust faded away, she began to blend in with the dark skies above to the point where Anne couldn''t see her.


    "Damn it," Anne said, "Well, there''s still plenty more to fight."


    Anne then began to sense the appearance of another Night Demon close by. There were so many of them roaming around, she thought. It became very busy for her, not that she complained about it.


    As for Schmetter, she flew tired and cold. She kept going and felt a soothing presence. There was a place that gave off such a relaxing scent. She followed it thinking that it would be a safe place. Then, she arrived at a run-down neighborhood. There was one house in particular that she felt comfortable with. It looked run-down, but the feeling overcame her own reasoning.


    She flew down to the walkway, but her body was weak from her injuries. As soon as she walked to the front door, she fell to the ground only able to knock once.


    The door opened. A girl walked out in surprise. At first, the girl felt a sudden chill and when she looked down, she saw the Night Demon. She couldn''t feel it''s presence inside the house, but now that she was out, her whole body froze.


    Without thinking about it, the girl transformed. A shroud of darkness came over her revealing what Schmetter could only think of as a Light Guardian. But she felt different around them. She couldn''t see the guardian''s face, but this place felt safe.


    As the guardian raised her chained hook to finish it off, Schmetter said one thing that made her freeze, "Help... me..."


    That was the last thing, she said before feinting. And upon hearing those words, the girl froze in place shocked. Never has there been a Night Demon that could talk. The only one that they knew was Tasha, but that could only communicate when they were under it''s illusions.


    There were two other girls in the house, but they weren''t paying attention to the front door.


    "Hey, Yune, who''s at the door?" Jack asked.


    "Whoever it is, tell them to buzz off! I want you to show me how to make cookies," Mary shouted.


    Upon hearing those words, Yune didn''t know what to make of it. Was it a human afflicted with some curse brought upon by a Night Demon? Was it an actually a Night Demon? She didn''t know. But the thing she did know was that whoever or whatever it was, it needed help.


    Yune replied to the other girls unsure of the situation, "Looks like we have, uh... Jack, can you help lift our... guest?"

 Chapter 62: A Little Butterfly

    The Night Demon began to open her eyes slowly. When it awoke from it''s slumber, it turned it''s head to see some other kind of Night Demon - a scaly spartan helmet with small tentacles coming out of it - sleeping on top of it.


    Schmetter was about to lift her arm up to tap the creature, but it was suddenly jolted back down to the bed. She didn''t realize it, but she had been chained up around the mattress. All she could do was turn her head. The room itself looked like three girls had been living there. So, messy and disorganized.


    Then, her eyes locked onto three shadows in the room. They came out of the shadows and appeared before them.


    A red armored giant. A small girl with large claws.


    And to her dismay, a girl holding a hook with chains wrapped around her arm. Her chains were connected to the bed. The creature that laid on her chest moved away and wandered to the side.


    It looked to be morning outside from the windows, yet they maintained a shadowy presence.


    When she looked at the first two, she didn''t feel any sense of danger, but rather a soothing feeling. But when her eyes locked onto the last one, something within her snapped. She wanted to break free, but couldn''t. She didn''t quite know then, but something about that girl reminded her of something terrible.


    "Don''t try to resist, monster," Yune said.


    "You really think this thing talked?" Mary asked Yune, "You could have imagined it."


    Then, it began to relax.


    "I...I...I can talk," she said quietly to the surprise of all three of them.


    "Oh my God, it actually spoke," Jack exclaimed.


    "We can''t use God''s name in vain like that. But oh my God," Mary exclaimed.


    "See. I told you. It said it needed help before feinting," Yune said, "And you both wanted to smash it to pieces."


    "Where... am I?" Shmetter asked before Yune tightened her chains making her gasp for breath. She tightened for only a second and loosened.


    "I''ll be asking the questions. First of all, what are you and why are you here?" Yune interrogated.


    "My- my name is... Schmetter. I''m Schmetter," she said unsure of herself. It was the only name she was familiar with. Like a name tag drilled into her brain.


    "A name? Interesting, but I asked what," Yune said.


    "I.. I''m..I don''t know. A...Night Demon?" she said still unsure of what or who she was, but it clicked for her. Her mind began to settle down and she was thinking more clearly, "Yes. I''m a Night Demon. That''s what I am."


    The other three couldn''t believe it.


    "How could you talk like that?" Mary asked, "No Night Demons have been able to talk before. The closest was that helmet, and it can only talk to you when it has it''s tentacles up your brain."


    "I don''t know," Schmetter replied.


    "Alright. So, we have that established," Yune said, "Now, why are you here?"The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Schmetter thought carefully about her answer and the only reason she could think of was, "You three are soothing. I don''t know why, but when I''m near the three of you, I feel more relaxed. It''s like I as attracted by your smell."


    Mary began to smell herself, but couldn''t smell anything unusual.


    "What are you talking about?" Mary asked.


    "Even now, when I''m near you, my mind becomes more... clear. Before, I felt like an animal just following my instincts, but now I feel different. Clear."


    The three girls looked at each other confused at what to do. The creature in front of them was sentient and could clearly communicate with them. Whether it was a threat or not, they weren''t sure. It was still a Night Demon, but then again, so was Tasha who they kept around like a pet. And then Jack had an idea.


    "Hey, Tasha, do you trust the creature we got tied up this bed?" Jack asked the helmet lying on it''s side in the corner.


    She made a small yawning sound and crawled away. She didn''t really feel like doing any work for her hosts.


    "Or I guess you could just do that. Great," Jack said sarcastically.


    Then, Schmetter said to her capturers, "It''s alright. You don''t have to let me stay. I won''t last out there anyways. I''m too weak even by the standards of other Night Demons. Me and my twin sis- sister were already badly beaten by this other Light Guardian. But if you feel the need, you can just kill me."


    "You came here badly beaten, but all your injuries healed themselves. I guess that''s a standard ability for you monsters. Yet, you came here asking for help. That''s quite unusual for a monster," Yune said.


    "I wouldn''t know," Schmetter replied, "All I do know is that I wasn''t always like this. I remember only a vague sense of being human before."


    The three girls weren''t surprised considering what they learned from Tasha. And they themselves were products of darkness as well.


    "Did you kill anybody?" Jack asked.


    "Maybe. I don''t remember much. It''s like I didn''t have full control over myself like now. I was living moment to moment without any thought. We probably did. Me and my twin."


    "You mentioned the twin before. What twin sister?"


    "There was another like me. The same kind of creature except she had a ponytail. Otherwise, we were identical. I feel like we may have had a connection as twins in our past life. But... but now she''s gone. I don''t remember too much of it, but the Light Guardian who did this to me killed her."


    Mary scoffed. "Obviously. That''s what Light Guardians do. They hunt Night Demons," Mary stated.


    "But in my heart, I feel so hurt. That''s when my mind became clear. Once I saw her death, something in me sprung up. My mind. My consciousness. I can''t explain it nor do I expect to ever be able to."


    Mary, Jack, and Yune looked at each other and talked among themselves.


    "What should we do with her?" Jack asked.


    "Her? It''s a Night Demon," Mary said, "Tasha might be a special case, but we can''t expect every monster we encounter to grow a conscious. And besides, she even admitted that she killed."


    Yune stood quiet thinking about what to do while the other two discussed.


    Mary continued, "I saw we just kill it. Take the free black coin and be done with it."


    "I can''t," Jack replied, "I''m seeing things a little differently. Ever since our last monster hunt, I''m beginning to think that these creatures have a mind of their own. Of course, there are the ones that attack for no reason, but ones like these are more human than anything else."


    Yune took a look back at it and noticed that the creature had been staring intently at her specifically. Neither knew why, but each felt that they knew each other from before. The words "twins" began to form a semblance of a memory within Yune, but it just wouldn''t come. Yune just couldn''t figure out who it was.


    And Schmetter realized that Yune didn''t recognize her, but she began to remember memories from her past life. Although, it wasn''t complete, she felt a feeling of hate and aggression towards her. At the same time, she felt afraid from her. Yet, just by being with the three guardians, she also felt calm. These feelings fought within her over dominance, but none would take over leaving just an empty void.


    Yune turned back around to her teammates and while they were arguing, Yune suggested, "Let it go."


    "What?" Mary exclaimed, "You can''t be serious?"


    "I don''t agree with letting her go, Yune. She would just get killed out there," Jack argued.


    Yune whispered, "Let her go. I have an idea."


    The two girls looked at Yune''s unwavering eyes. She had a plan and even though the other two didn''t know what it was, they nodded their heads.


    Yune released her chains from Schmetter and the bed.


    "You''re free to go," Yune said, "We''re not a hotel for monsters. Leave this place and don''t come back."


    Schmetter rubbed her arms and nodded her head. She walked over to the front door and left the house. Her wings flapped and she flew to the skies.


    "Alright, she''s gone. Now, what?" Mary asked.


    "Now, we follow," Yune replied.

 Chapter 63: A Butterflys Friend

    As the butterfly flew into the skies, she looked down as if she was looking for somebody. It was a cloudy day, so she was able to hide among the clouds.


    The three girls wore their cloaks and hid within the shadows unseen from many eyes. They followed the creature''s shadows and as long as they could sense a Night Demon, they knew they were close.


    As they followed, Yune explained her plan to her fellow night guardians.


    "We''ll see if this monster really is what it says it is," Yune said determined to find out, "If it decides to attack anybody, then we''ll swoop in and kill it before it does anything. That will prove once and for all that these Night Demons are nothing but monsters that, even if one is able to somehow get a mind, will eventually resort to its primal instincts. Its inherent instinct to hurt. Its instinct to want nothing but cause suffering and pain for others."


    As the three girls followed their new Night Demon "friend", they each noticed that it had just been flying aimlessly. It''s like it didn''t know where it was going. Although, they guessed that there wouldn''t be many places for a Night Demon to just hang out especially in the morning. All it could do was hide in the clouds.


    Then, as they watched it, Schmetter began to circle around a certain area. It looked like an abandoned warehouse. The three girls looked at the place and noticed there were two kids there playing a video game on an old TV just outside the warehouse. Just a couple of boys enjoying their weekend.


    "What is it doing?" Yune quietly asked aloud.


    "It looks like it''s circling those kids like a vulture. But it''s a little hard to tell. We''re only able to barely see it by it''s shadow," Mary replied.


    Then, suddenly, Schmetter decided to lunge down towards those children.


    "Shit. We have to save them," Yune panicked.


    "Wait," Jack said as she held her arm to stop her, "Not yet."


    "What are you talking about? It''s about to go after those kids. We have to save them," Yune said.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Mary stood back and waited as Jack instructed. It felt strange for Jack and Mary that the creature would openly attack them.


    Then, suddenly, as Shmetter lunged towards them, another Night Demon slithered out from inside the dark and cobwebbed warehouse. It hissed and was about to sink it''s fangs into the two kids. It was a man-sized snake with two arms. It had claws that could tear through steel. And it''s fangs were twice as big as those claws. It wore a leather jacket with patches of bird heads stapled to it''s shoulders.


    None of the three could sense it as their senses were already picking up Schmetter.


    The kids screamed and just as the Night Demon was about to bare it''s fangs, a giant butterfly monster swooped in - Schmetter. It''s wings were elegant and beautiful, yet frightening to anybody who saw them. She grabbed the children, dodged the snake''s bite, and dropped the kids away.


    Then, the two boys ran away in fear from both the monsters. Schmetter landed some feet away from the monster. They were both in broad daylight, but neither cared.


    "Koblange," the creature cried with a hiss.


    Schmetter looked at Koblange''s eyes and saw just an animal without any control over itself.


    Her wings expanded and the patterns moved around. The black patterns turned into two unblinking eyes staring back at the snake. It hissed back, but was uninterested in fighting right now.


    Schmetter blew one gust of wind as a warning at the creature. It''s was push back, but held itself down. Koblange hissed while salivating. Poison came dripping out of her fangs. Each one that dripped to the ground turned the concrete into acid. Then, the snake began to slither back into the shadows within the warehouse.


    Shmetter sighed in relief. She wasn''t confident in winning any fight, but was glad she could scare it off. And most importantly, she was glad that those two boys were safe. She looked back to see that the boys had already run off. There was nobody around and she doubted that anybody would believe those two young kids. They''d just chalk it up as their imagination.


    Schmetter lunged up and flew back into the clouds.


    Meanwhile, the three girls hid in the shadows atop of the rooftops behind old pipes and air-conditioners.


    "So, looks like Schmetter isn''t all that bad," Jack said.


    "That seems fair. Want to kill that Night Demon hiding in there?" Mary asked.


    "Sure. Sounds good to me," Jack replied.


    "Wait. No. We still need to follow it," Yune said.


    Jack sighed, "Come on, Yune. She clearly has a conscious. She helped those two kids."


    "Don''t call it a she," Yune yelled, "That thing is a monster. Nothing else."


    "What does it matter? This one doesn''t seem any different than Tasha," Mary said.


    "It is. I don''t know how or why, but I feel it in my bones. Something about that creature is familiar," Yune replied, "Come on. Let''s not lose it."


    Jack and Mary looked at each other in confusion, but they continued to follow the creature. They were unsure why Yune felt such a strong connection towards this single Night Demon, but they couldn''t argue with her. She would just shut them down.


    Schmetter still flew aimlessly. And then Night came.

 Chapter 64: A Butterflys Revenge

    Once night came, Schmetter flew more erratically. The three night guardians had to pick up their own speed to catch up. It was becoming harder to follow until it finally stopped and circled around another area.


    "Where are we?" Jack asked.


    They looked around and it seemed to be the same warehouse that she was circling before. But this time there weren''t any kids or people in general around.


    Then, from one of the walkways, they saw one person.


    It was Anne walking straight towards the warehouse in her regular human form.


    "What the hell is she doing here?" Mary asked the other two, but they kept quiet. They watched to see what Schmetter was planning to do.


    Anne stood in front of the dark, old warehouse. She was there due to two kids seeing two monsters there. It might have been their imagination, but Anne didn''t believe so. One was a snake-like creature. And the other was a butterfly or a fairy, which Anne remembered not so long ago fighting a pair of them and one escaping.


    So, she stood there with her hands in her pockets as bait for either Night Demon to come out. She could definitely sense at least one nearby, but it''s been so hectic lately that it could have been anything and anywhere.


    The three girls stood atop a rooftop to watch what would happen unsure what to do. They had no plans for helping Anne.


    Then, without warning, the slithering Night Demon came out from one of the corners beside the warehouse. It hissed, "Koblange."


    "Well, there''s one of you," Anne said as she transformed. Sheets of metal surrounded her like a blanket. The metal cracked and tore apart revealing her usual Light Guardian form.


    With a swift kick, she struck Koblange under it''s jaw breaking one of it''s fangs in the process.


    Then, from the dark sky above, black pieces of glitter gently fell. And suddenly, Schmetter lunged down.


    The three girls wondered whether Schmetter was going to fight Koblange, but it seemed like a terrible idea considering Anne was already taking care of it. But that was not on her mind at all. Instead, she lunged straight for Anne. Her wings were sharp and she was planning on slicing through her enemy. She was angry and felt only hate towards that specific guardian.


    Schmetter came at the Light Guardian through her blind side, but Anne was always on her guard.


    "What is it doing?" Yune exclaimed.


    Anne then saw Schmetter come towards it. It was fast, but Anne reacted faster.


    "And there''s the other," Anne said not surprised as she prepared to wound up her fist to strike at the Night Demon she faced before.


    But that wouldn''t happen. Yune came in and threw out her hook and chain. She hooked Schmetter and wrapped it with her cold chains. Yune then pulled in back avoiding Anne''s hard fist.


    "What the-?" Anne exclaimed before being lunged at by Koblange from behind. It still had one fang and a wound still spraying out acid.


    But then Mary jumped down and was about to slash down at the creature, but it dodged at the last second.


    Then, Jack came down to face Anne angered by the interference.


    Anne became angry at the three girls who faced her and said, "Trying to steal my kills?"


    "Not exactly. Just can''t let you hurt Schmetter," Jack replied.


    Anne smiled and stated, "I don''t like you three interfering. But I always wanted a rematch with you, Jack."


    She started to strike at Jack who focused on defending herself from Anne''s brutal flurry.


    Schmetter was chained to the side of the warehouse''s wall as Yune jumped down to ground level.


    They locked eyes as Schmetter tried to struggle to break free but wasn''t strong enough.


    "I guess I was right. You''re just an uncontrollable monster in the end," Yune stated as fact.


    "Stay out of this. That girl - no, Light Guardian - killed my twin. Killed my sister. I''ll avenge her," Schmetter cried.


    Yune looked at the monster with unwavering eyes. All Yune wanted to know was why Schmetter attacked and now that she got it without even asking, she was prepared to kill the Night Demon even if it did have a semblance of a thinking mind.


    "I wanted to get some answers from you, but now I don''t really care. Your twin was a monster and so are you," Yune coldly replied as she began to crush Schmetter with her chains.


    Schmetter gasped for air, but as she looked down at Yune, she began to get even angrier. She wouldn''t accept dying like this. Not until she could at least get a pound of flesh for what she lost.


    Then, with a burst, she began to scream with all of the air inside of her. The cry was intense and broke windows all throughout the area. Luckily, there wasn''t anybody there besides the Night Demons and Light Guardians. That sound would have made any person''s ears implode.


    The sound wasn''t as devestating to the crowd, but it did do some damage. Everybody within that radius had to cover their ears from the terrible screeching. Anne, Jack, Mary, Koblange, and Yune were all stunned for a few seconds.


    While Yune was covering her ears, Schmetter saw her opportunity. Yune was distracted and the butterfly was able to use whatever strength she had to break free from the chains. With a burst of renewed energy, she began to focus her attacks on Yune.


    Schmetter remembered her life before becoming a Night Demon. She was human. But that ended and she knew why. She stared straight at Yune. She ignored the calm sensation she felt by being near her and focused her rage.


    She screeched as they fought. Chains flew around not giving much room for Schmetter to work with. They both worked well from afar. Yune could drag the Night Demon around with her hook if it would land.


    Meanwhile, Mary focused on slicing Koblange into pieces. The snake was agile and slippery.


    "Hold still, you reptile," Mary complained as she swiped her claws around, "Why did I have to deal with a snake?"


    Koblange hissed and continued to dodge and weave.


    Jack and Anne also continued to fight while Yune and Mary were busy dealing with their own battle. Jack conjured her flaming machete and began to go on the offensive. They were evenly matched. Anne had improved a lot since they last fought, but Jack''s sheer strength evened them out.


    Yune and Schmetter fought tooth and nail. Yune''s chains and hook knocked the Night Demon around. She even created a web surrounding the two of them, so that Schmetter had no place to retreat or run away to. And when the creature would try to fight head on, Yune would hold her hook and it would morph itself into a hook-blade. Yune was formidable at any distance.


    "Why do I get the feeling that I knew you before?" Yune asked as their fight continued.


    Schmetter growled, "You don''t remember, but I do. I remember everything now. I was planning on killing that other guardian first, then coming after you, but either way is fine by me."


    "What made you decide that? I don''t know what relation we had before, but you could have attacked me before when you were our guest. Why didn''t you?"


    "Something about you was different. Even now, you don''t feel like the same girl. You''re like a shell. As for our relationship, we didn''t even know you existed until the end."


    They fought some more, but Yune was clearly winning. But she needed to know more. Her memories had major gaps, and any little detail would help.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Schmetter tried to throw glitter and dust everywhere, but Yune still kept her eyes wide open even as dust hit her eyes.


    They continued to talk. Schmetter said, "I know your little gang has been following me. It''s like the exact opposite feeling of being near a Night Demon as a guardian. Instead of the chill, it''s a warm, pleasant feeling."


    "Is that why you saved those kids? Because you knew we were watching?" Yune asked aggressively.


    "No. I couldn''t care less what you think. I saw those kids playing there. I felt it was dangerous and I could see the reflection of the snake''s eyes as it stared at those kids. I waited around to see if it would do anything. That creature could have been like me, but clearly it wasn''t. It looked at those kids like prey. The moment it looked like it was about to attack, I swooped it. Not because you were watching, but because it was the right thing to do."


    Yune still had no trust in the creature even after hearing this.


    Then, while they fought, a drunk man was walking along unknowingly into a battlefield.


    "Woah. Must have been drinking a little too - hiccup - much," he said slowly. He could barely stand on his two feet as he wobbled back and forth.


    Yune then came up with an idea. It was a horrid thought, but she felt it necessary. Unlike Jack, she didn''t care about the welfare of other people. As long as it didn''t affect her or her friends, she was fine in hurting others whether they were Light Guardians or not. She was more like Mary in that sense, but she wouldn''t hurt people for sake of hurting or satisfying a hunger for sadism. Yune was more meticulous for her plans than just causing random acts of violence.


    She checked whether Mary and Jack were paying any attention to them, but they were all too busy with their own worries.


    "Let''s see if you really are so kind-hearted, Night Demon," Yune said as she spun her hook-chain around in circles. Then with the flick of her wrist, she threw out her hook which sharpened into a hook-blade in mid-air. But it wasn''t aimed for Schmetter. It was aimed right for that drunk man. A random bystander. Yune wasn''t planning on killing the man, but just injuring him. However, it looked like it was going straight for his head and not stopping. Yune was planning on just flicking the hook away at the last second. At best, the hook would completely miss the man. At worse, the man would get some gashes in his arms. Nothing that could be fixed with the shopkeeper''s help.


    The butterfly saw the hook going straight for the man''s head and quickly, without any regard to her own safety, swooped in to save that man. Schmetter felt that Yune wasn''t bluffing. She was completely sure that the girl she faced would kill some guy just minding his own business, but Schmetter was not one to leave another to their fate.


    The chains surrounded them, but Schmetter saw a path through as long as she could weave around them. But Yune intentionally left a path clear for the creature. To Yune''s disappointment, Schmetter took the path.


    The butterfly weaved around the chains and with a gust of wind pushed the hook away. Unfortunately for Schmetter, Yune flicked her wrist and the hook changed it''s course. It hit the side of the ground and it jumped back towards Schmetter. Then to her dismay, Schmetter''s leg got caught into one of the chains and wrapped itself like a snake. They then began to constrict around her wings stopping her from flying away or creating any unexpected gusts. The chains began to close in around the butterfly as the hook-blade came towards her. It was going straight for a killing blow to the creature''s neck.


    Just as Schmetter was about to give in to defeat, the hook-blade morphed into a more broad-shaped metal. It wrapped itself around Schmetter''s neck and body. It was like she was a butterfly in a spider''s web. A web of chains, Yune called it.


    "You actually went in to save that man," Yune said, "even if you knew that you were falling right into a trap."


    "I''m not a monster like you," Schmetter replied angrily as she tried to break free. But there was nothing she could do. The chains even began to dig themselves into her wings creating gashes and holes.


    Upon hearing this Yune began to reconsider her opinion of the creature. She began to believe Schmetter. She believed the Night Demon.


    "Maybe, you''re right, Schmetter."


    When Yune defeated Schmetter, Mary was also done with her fight. She managed to close the quarters by taking her claws and stabbing straight up the creature''s mouth. The acid dripped onto Mary''s claws. They stung and hurt her, even made her tear up a bit, but she managed to kill the creature. Then, the creature faded into a shadowy mist leaving behind it''s black coin.


    As for Jack and Anne, they were still waging a great battle away from the other two. Jack and Anne were destroying everything in their path, but Jack managed to get Anne away from them.


    As Schmetter began to weaken, her attempts to struggle faded. Her wings were crumpled and full of holes where black ooze began to pour out of them. She breathed heavily, but was still very much alive. Yune had no more plans to kill her. She was going to let her go and ask her some more questions. She even thought that given enough time, they could even be friends.


    But Anne noticed what Jack was doing. She looked back to see that her two hunts were already beaten. But she wouldn''t let them have it this time. She would even resort to taking those black coins by force.


    "I won''t let you take those two coins, Jack. It won''t be like the first time you stole from our team," Anne said before reaching down and grabbing a small pile of dirt. She threw at Jack''s face unexpectedly. Jack closed her eyes to avoid the dirt, but she expected Anne to start punching furiously, but those punches never came. While Jack prepared to defend herself by raising her arms, Anne dashed back towards Mary and Yune.


    When Jack opened her eyes to see that Anne was gone, she yelled, "Yune! Mary! Watch out!"


    But it was too late. Anne had already snatched Mary''s coin right from the ground before Mary could take it. Then, Anne was going for the next one. Schmetter was still alive, so Anne planned to finish it off and take the black coin.


    Anne tore a brick out of a nearby wall while still running forward. And without warning, she threw the brick straight at Schmetter''s face. Yune wasn''t expecting this. The brick past by Yune''s chains and crashed straight into the Night Demon. Anne didn''t hold back. The brick peeled off half of Schmetter''s face leaving only the other half. Schmetter barely had any time to react. She had no idea what happened to her as half her head was missing. Yune was shocked and horrified by what she has seen. It was not that a monster had it''s head smash in half, but that it was Schmetter''s face.


    "No! Get away from her!" Yune yelled as Anne was about dash forward to finish the creature with one blow from her fists. Yune threw in her hook and chains and grabbed Anne by the legs. Yune threw Anne unexpectedly away from the two and back towards Jack.


    Jack grappled Anne and held her down with all her strength.


    Yune released her web of chains around Schmetter. She ran over to her and grabbed her as she fell.


    She held the creature in her arms, but she could no longer see it as a creature. It felt like a human. There was a certain warmth coming off of her like she was touching a person rather than a Night Demon.


    Schmetter looked at Yune with only half of it''s face. It already began to fade.


    "Come on. Wake up, Schmetter," Yune cried.


    The butterfly''s wings tore themselves off and vanished into black mist. She looked at Yune weak, but still angry. But she knew she was long gone. She felt the cold embrace of death once, and this was no different. She leaned over to Yune''s ear and quietly said her last words, "I''ll never forgive you for what you did to us."


    And with that, the creature left it''s final message. It puffed into darkness and left only it''s black coin as it gently clinked with the concrete.


    Yune was left wondering what she did in her past life. Who was she? But those questions couldn''t be answered, now. A tear rolled down Yune''s eye as she felt only a terrible chill down her spine. It wasn''t the feeling of a Night Demon nearby, but her own self. She didn''t know why, but she began to want to uncover who she was even more.


    With a scream, Yune scratched her head erratically.


    "Why can''t I remember!? Why can''t I remember!?" she yelled in frustration.


    Mary and Jack didn''t know what to do to comfort Yune. They had no idea what was going on in her head. Jack continued to hold Anne down, but was distracted. Anne broke free of Jack''s grip and rushed forward to just take the last black coin. She didn''t hear the creature speak nor did she care about what the other three were staring for.


    When Anne was about to take the black coin, a look on Yune''s face froze Anne. Her eyes went pitch black and there were cracks coming out of her mask. A feeling of intense hostility and anger came out of her. As Anne felt a chill down her spine, the only thought was that Yune was a Night Demon, but that wasn''t the case. Chains surrounded Yune''s arm and as if it was instinct, she threw a punch at Anne with her chain-covered fist. It went right at Anne''s face. She wasn''t expecting that coming from her. Anne fell back without being able to take the coin. There was a strange aura coming off of Yune, but none of them knew what it was. Yune took the black coin into her hand.


    "Stay away from her!!!" Yune yelled once more as she held the coin with gently care. But her care was misguided.


    Anne smiled and said, "You three seem to have many tricks up your sleeve. I''ll give you that one. Next time, I''ll be ready."


    Anne jumped up to one of the rooftops and slowly walked away looking back at Yune who stared straight at her.


    Yune began to relax. She felt her compassion towards the black coin was misplaced. As if the anger wasn''t for Schmetter. But for another. Yet, the memories wouldn''t spring up.


    The only thing she could remember was being backstabbed by a girl. She was called Elizabeth or Eli for short. A blonde girl who held two yellow katanas. Similar to Nina''s powers, but slightly different.


    And there was another girl, but she was still blocked from her memories. It was all too confusing. It was like trying to put together a puzzle, but the pieces were all locked away in many drawers and cabinets.


    Yune''s eyes went back to a black sclera and white irises. Her mask fixed it''s cracks. She didn''t know what came over her, but she felt a sudden chill from it.


    Jack and Mary were about to approach her, but Yune took a step back carrying the coin in her hand.


    "Don''t come closer," Yune begged not afraid of them, but herself.


    "Calm down, Yune. You''re safe," Jack replied.


    "I need to figure this out for myself. There''s somebody I need to find. A girl named Eli or Elizabeth," Yune said.


    "Elizabeth?" Mary asked. That name was the same for the one who betrayed her. But it felt like a coincidence. There were surely many people with that name. And the one who killed her was probably long dead. But still, there was just a glimmer that perhaps it could be the same person.


    "Don''t follow me," Yune said.


    "Come on, Yune. You''re the one who talked the most about sticking together," Jack replied.


    Yune realized that they wouldn''t leave her alone, so Yune took her chains and hook and struck the dirt-filled ground with it picking a large amount of dust.


    "Wait, Yune," Jack called out as dust began to cloud everybody''s eyes.


    Mary closed one eye, but kept another open. She watched as Yune leapt to one of the rooftops.


    "Jack, get back home. I''ll follow her and make sure she''s safe," Mary said as she leapt up.


    Jack coughed and wanted to follow, but lost track of where they went. By the time the dust cleared, they were both gone.

 Chapter 65: Finding Eli

    Yune dashed away from the other two. Or so she thought. Mary wore her cloak and followed from a safe distance. Yune''s speed was nothing compared to Mary''s, but there was no attempt to stop her. Mary maintained a safe distance and watched. She was curious about this Elizabeth girl. It seemed too much of a coincidence that they would both know a girl with that same name. But at the same time, Mary didn''t keep her hopes up about it. Still, she felt a little bit of happiness fantasizing ways of getting revenge against her sister.


    When Yune got far away enough, she scratched her head some more.


    She needed to find Elizabeth, but had no idea where she was. Her first instinct was to call, "Shopkeep. Shopkeep. Shopkeep. Need you help."


    And the shopkeeper appeared in a blink of an eye.


    "Yes. You called for my services," he said.


    "Yeah. I need to find Elizabeth."


    "There''s a lot of people with that name. Be a little more specific."


    Yune began to get irritated.


    "Elizabeth. Eli. The girl. A Light Guardian back when you could consider me a Light Guardian. My... friend. Please..."


    The shopkeeper was silent, but replied, "Sure. I can tell you where to find her."


    He held out his hand for a black coin.


    Yune had one black coin in her hand, but she couldn''t let go of it. That coin represented Schmetter. She couldn''t give it up to the shopkeeper. She began to scratch her head even more unsure of what to do.


    "No. No. I don''t have any that I can give," Yune replied, "Sorry for the trouble. I''ll find her myself."


    Yune had no idea where to look. There wasn''t even a hint on where she could possibly be. Was she even in Janken City, anymore? Yune didn''t know. Her body became even more agitated and she began to scratch around her. She''s never felt this way before. Her body began to shiver and sweat. Her nervousness made even the shopkeeper and Mary nervous.


    As Yune began to walk away, the shopkeeper decided to stop her, "Wait. Your team is the best one around these parts. And your team does have the ability to make me even more rich. I can''t lose that team just yet. I might have use for you. So, as a favor, I''ll give you her location."


    Yune froze and waited for the shopkeeper to tell her.


    "It''s not like Elizabeth has been providing any black coins, anyways. Elizabeth Hershey. She''s at the Grand Memorial Hospital. Room 565."


    Upon hearing that, Yune dashed forward with her phone in hand. She quickly searched up the hospital on her GPS and followed a straight path there by continuing to jump on rooftops. And Mary was there close behind just following and hiding in the shadows.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Then, Yune finally reached the hospital. There were no visitors allowed at this time, but that wasn''t a problem. She scaled the walls until she reached the fifth floor. Then, she opened up a window and snuck in. While she wore her cloak, she was complety hidden as a shadow. She snuck past the other doctors, nurses, and guards. Then, she came up on the room. Room 565. She waltzed in seeing nobody there but one person lying on a bad strapped in with tubes and ventilation systems keeping her alive. A young adult. Blonde. Long hair. It looked like Elizabeth, yet older. She was fast asleep. The machine monitored her condition, but Yune couldn''t tell what any of those complicated numbers and graphs meant.


    She stood next to the bed staring straight at her thinking that this girl was the one who killed her and sent her to the underworld. This was the girl that made her come back as a guardian of darkness, she thought.


    But there was no context as to why. She didn''t feel any connection or reason to it. And she needed to know what exactly happened in her life.


    The girl''s eyes opened slightly to the sight of a girl in a dark cloak. Elizabeth was weak, but could see just fine. She breathed slowly, and lifted her upper body up with the bed''s controls. As she looked at the cloaked figure. The lights were still off, but she could clearly see the figure''s white eyes glowing thinking only that she had died.


    "So, are you the reaper?" Elizabeth asked weak. She wasn''t afraid. She was actually quite surprised her body lasted this long.


    Yune stood still unsure of what to do. She felt some kind of familiarity with Elizabeth, but didn''t really know too much about the relationship. Were they allies for a common goal? Were they rivals? She didn''t know.


    Yune planned to just threaten the girl for questions. It was the Light Guardian who killed her after all. She may look weak, but is she was a Light Guardian, then all she had to do was transform and a brawl would ensue.


    Once, Yune took out her hook and chain, and Elizabeth saw it, her eyes widened recognizing who it was.


    "Yune..." she said weakly. It was such a sudden surprise. There were no words to describe what she was feeling when she saw her friend who she had thought dead for so long. There was shock, glee, sadness. Everything rolled into one.


    But when Yune heard those words, she sprung quickly putting her sharpened hook to Elizabeth''s throat.


    "Don''t try anything," Yune ordered as her cold hook-blade touched Elizabeth''s skin.


    Tears began to roll down Elizabeth''s cheeks. Not because she was afraid. But because she had missed her friend for so long.


    "It really is you. Yune. I missed you," she said in a weak manner.


    "Who are you? Who are you to me? Why did you kill me? What happened? Give me answers," Yune quickly commanded as her headaches began to get even worse.


    "You... don''t remember?" Elizabeth slowly replied as she tried to grab a hold of a picture frame on the side of the desk.


    Yune quickly grabbed the picture. It was too dark to see at first, but her eyes adjusted to the dark very easily. Then, she looked at the picture. It was similar to the picture she took of Jack, Mary, and herself. Three girls.


    There was herself holding the camera. There was Elizabeth hugging Yune. And there was one more. One that was all a blur to her, before. It started off as a dark figure, but then once she saw the face. Another young girl. Younger than all three of them. But had a smile that brightened any day.


    She dropped the frame on the floor. The glass shattered and splintered all across the room.


    Yune grabbed onto her head tightly. Everything began to flood in upon seeing that picture. That face. That last face. It felt like every locked cabinet and drawer were yanked open shooting out pools of memories. Her whole mind began to flood with her lost memories. Everything all at once. She screamed violently as she scratched at her head to point of blood being drawn. And she continued to do so without realizing it.


    Elizabeth could only watch in horror as her friend began to break down in front of her.


    And then, Yune stopped. Tears began to flow out of her eyes at an alarming rate.


    She was quiet for a few seconds. Only the constant drops of tears could be heard as they fell to the hard floor. Then, her mask slowly peeled itself off. It fell to the ground revealing her sad and damaged face.


    And then, she whispered to herself two words.


    "Eli... Mizu..."

 Chapter 66: Yunes Childhood

    Yune was an orphan for as long as she could remember. She was brought in as a baby and lived with the others since then. Her parents were never found. Apparently, she had been told that a complete stranger found you on the side of a trash can abandoned for the street cats and rats. The stranger was nobody special. Just some teenager with a pompadour was all the headmaster could remember. It was a dark and rainy night. The man''s face was hidden and the headmaster never found out who that stranger was.


    Yune was aware of her story. She was told that story directly by the headmaster, who she considered the closest thing to a mother. The orphanage''s headmaster was named Janet Singh. She was an orphan as well. She was never adopted and eventually took over.


    The orphanage itself was in what Yune would consider a normal neighborhood. There wasn''t much that she saw outside of the place besides the orphanage and school.


    Even though she was surrounded by plenty of other kids who were in the same situation, Yune never figured out how to really communicate with them. She was always shy. The other kids didn''t bother or bully her, but never attempted to make contact with her either.


    She felt like she just existed in place and time. Everybody was aware of her, but all they did was walk around her. She didn''t feel sad or upset by it. It just felt normal.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    She did have the headmaster to talk to, but even Ms. Singh was always busy making sure the orphanage was organized. By the time Yune turned seven, she even began to help her. Before, she didn''t have the confidence to help. She was afraid that she might slip or drop something important. Yune was never really yelled at by the headmaster, but even Ms. Singh wanted Yune to go make friends with the other children ever since she was a baby. But even then, she just couldn''t make a lasting friendship.


    When pushed to it, Yune was able to talk. She could say the simple greetings and graces.


    "Hello."


    "How are you?"


    "It''s nice today."


    "Heard there was going to be a new movie coming out."


    Simple things like that.


    But she never could figure out how to go deeper. She could communicate just fine with others, but she never felt like she belonged to any one group. She didn''t consider any of them as friends. She wasn''t rude or mean. And neither were others. But people really just saw her as boring. She wasn''t terrible to hang around, but at the same time, she wasn''t any fun to be around either.


    Yune spent most of her days alone as a child. Occasionally, she helped Ms. Singh carry some papers or set-up something when she was finished with her homework.


    In the end of the day, Yune just felt fine. Never having a really good day. Never having a really bad day. Just fine.


    But these were the days that Yune would completely forget about once one girl decided to make contact.


    Elizabeth Hershey. Or, for short, Eli - which was the name she preferred anyways.

 Chapter 67: Eli and Yune

    Eli was far more sociable and popular around the other kids. However, her life wasn''t full of sunshine, either. She was still an orphan.


    Eli''s parents had died in a car accident when she was only seven years of age. What was worse was that she was in the car. She was young, yet had such a traumatizing experience. Having no other family, she was sent to an orphanage with little choice.


    There she was able to make friends with the other kids quickly. She had a charismatic personality and she excelled at her studies. Her presence was like royalty, yet she made everybody she met feel special about themselves.


    She smiled like nothing was wrong, but that was just a facade. She only smiled to make others think that nothing was wrong, but every night she would cover her face with her blanket to hide her tears. None of the other children were aware of this. Yune was only a bed away, so she had an idea, but she didn''t really know what to do about it, so she would just face away.


    Yune was around eight years old. While Eli was only seven, having made Yune her senior barely.


    While Yune was just standing around in a corner just keeping to herself, Eli was surrounded by other kids both her age and younger. She was like a role model to them.


    But when Eli saw Yune''s blank stare at the clouds, she was infatuated. They never met before nor did she know anything about her. She didn''t know why, but felt the need to introduce herself. Eli politely excused herself from a group of other young kids, so that she could say hi.


    While Yune stared into space, Eli came up to her with a kind smile.


    "Hi. I''m Eli. What''s your name?"


    It was such a simple greeting, but it didn''t need to be any more complex than that.


    Yune slowly replied with a blank face, "Hello. I''m Yune."


    They both just looked at each other. Eli put up a fake, but caring smile. Yune had just a blank expression. But this was the beginning of their friendship. Just a simple hello.


    A silence took the two. There was a pleasant breeze in the air. The grass danced in the wind. The feeling was serene.


    Yune didn''t know why Eli had decided to talk to her, but she didn''t hate the company.


    Over the next days, they would just hang around with each other. Eli would be more talkative, and Yune would try her best to respond. Then, one day, Yune decided to engage first by asking a more personal question.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    She asked Eli, "Your full name is Elizabeth, right? Why do you like to be called Eli? I heard that Liz is the common short-hand term."


    It was the first question that Yune was genuinely curious about and Eli was happy to reply.


    "Liz sounds too much like ''lizard''. I don''t really like that name. Makes me think that I''m like a scaly reptile. Elizabeth is too long a name, so I decided to just go by Eli."


    "Interesting. So you prefer Eli over sounding like a lizard. I never thought about it like that. Would it be funny if I called you E-lizard-beth?," Yune said. She wasn''t trying to make a joke, but it came across like one.


    Eli genuinely laughed. It was her first real laugh in such a long time since her parents died. She began to not need to fake a smile around Yune. She was smiling because she wanted to. When Eli began to laugh hysterically at the thought of being called Elizardbeth, Yune began to smile, too. A genuine smile that turned into a chuckle. She didn''t try to be funny, but enjoyed the feeling of making another person have a good time.


    As Eli seemed to attract the other kids with her personality, Yune began to create relations with them, too. At the orphanage and at school, those two were As Yune and Eli always seemed to be around each other, the other kids began to notice Yune. They thought of those two as the big sisters of the orphanage.


    And when Yune was helping the headmaster, Ms. Singh, Eli would also join in to help. And when both of them helped, the other kids followed their example.


    For that year, it felt like the orphanage was one big family.


    Then, the years passed. Many couples wanted to adopt Eli. But she wouldn''t go to any family unless Yune would be with her. And that usually would break apart any deals. Eli would give up those chances of being in one of those happy families.


    The first time a young couple came to adopt Eli, she refused because they only wanted her. She was adamant that if she was adopted, then Yune would have to be with her. But, like many other couples who wanted to adopt, they didn''t want to take in both children. They only wanted Eli.


    When the first couple drove away in disappointment.


    "You could have gone with them. They seemed like a nice couple. Why didn''t you go?," Yune asked.


    "Because we''re family, silly," Eli replied.


    Yune frowned and said, "I don''t want to hold you back from anything. If you ever feel like wanting to go, I won''t stop you. I want you to be happy."


    "I am happy. I''m the happiest I could be when I''m with you. You''re not stopping me from anything. I want this. This is my choice," Eli replied confidently, "And I''ll say the same thing to you. If a family comes and wants to adopt you and only you, and if you feel like you''d be happy, I won''t stop you."


    Yune nodded her head. She didn''t believe that would ever happen to her. Nobody every seemed to want to adopt Yune after all these years. But this didn''t bother Yune at all.


    But Yune smiled and replied, "Sure. But I doubt I''d leave without you, either."


    The two fist-bumped each other and walked away happily side by side.


    Other children came and went. Some stayed for longer than others, but what remained consistent was the fact that Yune and Eli stayed together. As long as they were, they felt like they already belonged to a family. Time felt like it passed by them so quickly. Suddenly, they were beginning middle school and another member of their family would soon join. A young girl named Mizuchi.

 Chapter 68: The Family Extends Mizuchi

    Yune and Eli were great friends by the time Mizu came in their lives. But she was a welcome addition to their family. She was short statured and had short pink hair that was dyed.


    Yune and Eli were just beginning middle school when they had heard news of another kid going to be transferred to this orphanage. Apparently, there were rumors she was a problem child.


    Mizuchi Yang was angsty and hard to handle. She was abandoned as a child. One day, her mother just left her on the side of the amusement park. When the authorities couldn''t find the mother, they put Mizuchi into the system. She became extremely agitated whenever anybody got close like a wild animal. She was hard to put up with in one of the other orphanages. She constantly ran away looking for her mother, but was always met with no luck. By the end of the week, she would be found somewhere in an alley eating leftovers from the trash, or, if she was lucky, something that she pocketed. She would get caught and put back into the orphanage, but none of them would pay attention to her. They would just think that there was no point in holding her since she would just run away again.


    Eventually, she ended up transferring to many other orphanages, but each time, she would run away. But then, miraculously, she was transferred to one place where she found purpose. The orphanage in Janken City. A small place, but it was there she would meet Eli and Yune, and her life would forever be changed.


    Mizuchi was escorted to the orphanage with some resistance. She did scratch one of the escorts drawing blood.


    When she was at the orphanage, she met with the headmaster first.


    "Looks like you''ll be staying with us," the headmaster said with a gentle smile, "I''m Ms. Singh. What''s your name?"


    "You already have my name in your papers. Let''s just get this over," Mizuchi replied.


    "I do, but I want to hear it in your voice. I wouldn''t want to get it wrong," she replied. She was patient and wanted to get to know the girl.


    "Ugh. My name is Mizuchi Yang. I''m seven years old. Can I go now?" she quickly replied back.


    "Sure. I''ll take you around the place and show you around."


    Ms. Singh could tell that Mizuchi was small because of malnourishment. Like so many unwanted children , she had many troubles and aggression towards the outside world.


    She first gave her a warm meal full of meat. Mizuchi chowed it down and enjoyed every single piece of it. She wouldn''t let such good food go to waste. And the headmaster wanted Mizuchi to feel at home.


    Yune and Eli came out to meet their new guest. They usually came out to greet new orphans. The headmaster left the three alone so that they could talk and hopefully be friends.


    "Hello, Mizuchi. I''m Eli. It''s nice to meet you."


    Yune waved her hand and attempted a smile. She was fine interacting with others, but still had much to learn. And Eli was much easier to talk to in general.


    Mizuchi ignored the two and continued to eat.


    Yune and Eli both just sat down with their new friend and watched quietly. They didn''t want to disturb her. She seemed to be very hungry.


    Once Mizuchi was finished, she breathed a sigh of relief.


    "That was pretty good. Much better than what the other places feed," she said.


    "So, your Mizuchi, huh?" Eli said.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "Yeah. What''s it to ya?" she replied with angst.


    Eli and Yune chuckled.


    Eli began to pat Mizuchi''s head.


    "What are you doing? What''s so funny?" Mizuchi asked.


    "How you talk? You talk so tough, but you''re voice is so small and cute." Yune said.


    "What? I am tough. Tougher than you punks," she replied as she pushed away Eli''s hand.


    Eli tried to defuse the situation. "Alright. Alright. I believe you. You must have had a hard time. Mind if I call you Mizu for short? My name is Elizabeth, but people call me Eli. And this here is Yune."


    "No," she quickly retorted without giving any reason as to why, "Don''t call me Mizu."


    Eli and Yune continued to be polite, but Mizuchi just kept shutting them down.


    Mizuchi said as she sipped some orange juice, "You shouldn''t try to be so friendly with me. It''s not like we''ll be friends."


    "Oh. And why''s that?" Yune asked curious.


    "I won''t be staying long. My mom is gonna pick me up soon. And even if she doesn''t find me here, I''ll just go to her," she replied.


    Yune and Eli were aware of the rumors. They were worried for Mizuchi, but wanted to make her feel at home. Eli used her fake smile, but Yune was no good at it, so she didn''t even try. But Mizuchi could see the look on their faces.


    She scoffed, "I don''t want or need your pity. Just leave me alone."


    Then, Mizuchi left the two to wander the halls. She didn''t attempt to talk to anybody nor did she want to. She was planning on running away from this orphanage just like any of the others.


    Yune and Eli followed her around to make sure she didn''t try that, but it looked like she was just scouting the area first. She walked by each and every window looking outside into their playground. Then, she walked around outside ignoring the other kids. She looked at the fence thoroughly. Eli and Yune were watching from the windows trying not to be noticed.


    Once night came and the other children went to sleep, Yune and Eli were pretending to sleep. They were expecting Mizuchi to attempt to run. They kept one eye open to keep watch on their new guest. They didn''t want her to leave. They felt an obligation to protect her like any of the other children. Yune and Eli felt like they were all a family.


    They kept watch on her bed, but it looked like she never moved. They continued to watch, but suspiciously it was like she was frozen. Yune and Eli both got up at the same time to check up on her. They pulled away the sheets to find it was just a pile of pillows with a face drawn on with strings taped as hair.


    "Not good," Yune exclaimed. The two ran off to look for her. They didn''t want to bother the headmaster or any of the other children, so while they slept, they ran off to find Mizuchi. They quickly put on their shoes and looked for any signs of where she might have gone. Yune saw one of the windows on the ground floor left open and saw that it led outside. They both jumped out to see that a piece of Mizuchi''s clothing had been torn from the gate. It looked as though she had climbed the fence.


    Yune and Eli both found themselves in a bind. They tried to climb up, but they were slow. Once they actually did manage to do it, they were both breathing heavily.


    "How could such a small child be so agile?" Yune asked aloud.


    They looked to side to side and wondered where she may have gone. They had no idea which way she would go.


    Then, suddenly, as both Yune and Eli looked at the open window that they came from, they saw Mizuchi standing inside the orphanage. It was a ruse. She had opened the window earlier and planted a piece of cloth by the fence. She gave a sly smile and wave holding the keys to the house. She then closed the windows and appeared to have run off. Eli started to climb back up the fence.


    "Wait, Mizuchi!" she cried.


    Yune tapped Eli and said, "She had the door keys. I think she is going to get out from the front. Let''s go."


    "Okay," Eli said as she dropped back down. They ran ahead to the front. Mizuchi peeked through the window carefully to see if those two were still there.


    She sighed and opened the same window. She snuck out and landed on her feet. She, then walked over to the fence and looked at it. It was high even for her. But she had noticed on the corner that there was a sight opening underneath. All she had to do was dig a bit. She began to dig with her hands quickly. It didn''t take too much time, but it was a small opening. Luckily for her, she was quite small enough to get through.


    She crawled underneath and got out of the orphanage.


    During this time, Yune and Eli had already made it to the front entrance, but didn''t see anybody try to leave. It was still locked. If Mizuchi had went this way, then she wouldn''t have took the time to lock behind her. Eli was perplexed, but Yune realized what Mizu was planning.


    "We got to get back to that fence. Hurry, Eli," Yune said as she began to run back.


    Eli followed right behind. Both of them were tired, but still felt the need to keep going.


    When they got back to the fence, they noticed Mizuchi just got past the fence.


    "Which way was the subway from here?" Mizuchi muttered to herself trying to remember which way to go. But then she eyed the two girls out of breath. Then, Mizu began running away from them.


    "Wait!" Eli yelled as they gave chase.

 Chapter 69: The Spider that Stalks the Mouse

    Mizuchi kept running away. She was faster than those other two. But Yune and Eli''s endurance was a different thing. They kept going.


    "Stop following me! You don''t owe me anything. Just let me go!" Mizuchi yelled back at them.


    Then, she turned a corner at one of the streets. It was crowded and became hard to move around, but she knew that she could hide better. As the other two girls didn''t get to the corner yet, Mizuchi went into an alleyway and hide behind a dumpster. She peeked out and saw the two run past the alleyway.


    Mizuchi sighed with relief.


    "Good. Looks like I''m safe. Now, got to figure out where the train is," Mizu said as she began to walk away deeper into the alley. But the alleyways were the most dangerous parts. The only place of darkness within these busy cities. Crawling on the side of the building, there was a creature looking down at the little girl. As Mizu was walking away, she felt a slimy drop touch her shoulders.


    "Yeek! Disgusting," she exclaimed as she wiped it off. As the slime kept dropping from above, she looked up in disgust. Then, that disgust turned immediately into fear. Her whole body froze like she was an antelope looking straight at the oncoming headlights.


    There it was. A creature that eerily looked like a mixture of a werewolf and a spider. It had eight eyes staring back at the girl. It''s body was composed of black fur. It had the jaw of a wolf, but used human teeth. It''s elongated arms and legs crawled along the surface of the wall. It''s abdomen looked almost human.


    It muttered one word and growled.


    "Wolfspinne."


    It''s teeth seethed out more saliva looking at it''s delightful meal.


    Mizuchi could only shake her body, but she wouldn''t move. Her body froze up. She began to piss in her underwear and it dripped down along her legs to her feet. She thought that it must have been a nightmare.


    Then, with a sudden burst of adrenaline, she screamed.


    The outside crowds heard them, but didn''t care and kept to themselves. However, when Yune and Eli heard those screams, they knew that Mizuchi was in trouble.


    As the monster was about to chomp down on it''s meal, Mizuchi began to run away. Once, the creature saw that it''s meal was going to give chase, it wanted to play along. It felt the need for a good chase before eating.


    Mizu kept running amidst the dark alleyways. The creature blocked her from going anywhere she wanted. Her body began to weaken and grow cold as the creature''s saliva began to drop on her back. But Mizuchi wouldn''t give up. She had to escape. She had to find her mother. But then all that hope drained away. She turned a corner and reached a dead end. And the creature blocked any way back.


    "Wolfspinne," it muttered once more with a smile. Now, that the chase was over, it planned to dine into the girl''s intenstines first. The creature placed one claw one Mizuch''s stomach. With just a little bit of pressure, it tore a hold in her clothes. The creature enjoyed playing with it''s food, but was getting hungry. It wanted the girl to feel every bite and rip before it was finished. As it was about to put a little more pressure into the girl''s stomach, it would have pierced right through.


    Mizuchi closed her eyes hoping that it was still just a dream. That she would wake up anywhere but here. It didn''t matter if she woke up in her mother''s arms or in an orphanage. Just anywhere. At the very least, if it wasn''t a dream, then she hoped it would be quick and painless.


    But neither came. She opened her eyes and the creature had been tangled in a web of chains.


    Chains crushed together the monster''s arms. There was a hook lodged into the creature''s abdomen.


    "Good. We made it in time," a girl said holding the chains together. It was that girl back at the orphanage. She remembered her name. Yune. But she was different. She was wearing white armor and a flashy dress. Her hair glared with the moonlight.


    "Good job, Yune. Now, let''s finish it," another girl said as she spun in circles around the monster holding a yellow katana. She wore a yellow dress and was just as flashy. Eli.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Mizuchi has no idea what was going on. She thought that maybe it was all a dream. She pinched herself to try and wake her, but it did nothing. It was real. All of it.


    Yune pulled the creature away from Mizuchi.


    "Wolfspinne," it muttered once more as it used whatever strength it had to break free from the chains. But the hook was still stuck inside of him. Yune used it to pull it further away from the little girl.


    Both of them were far different. They both acted confidently and as a team. While Yune kept a distance and made sure it wasn''t near Mizuchi, Eli kept making the creature focus it''s attention to her. She kept spinning around her katana. Then, she created a second one and was even faster than before. Sparks of electricity shot around the blades and into Wolfspinne''s body. Eli''s hair sparkled like a sun within the darkness.


    Eli was fast and could easily dodge any of their attacks. And Yune was cautionary and support. She made sure that if Eli was about to get hit, she would yank the creature or hit the creature with a chain. She kept the creature grounded in one place by wrapping her chains around it''s legs.


    They both smiled confidently.


    "Don''t worry, Mizuchi. We''ll get you out of this safely," Eli said.


    Mizuchi looked for a way to run away, but the only way out was through them and she knew that was a terrible idea. All she could do was watch in the corner.


    Then, she wondered aloud, "What are you people?"


    And then from one moment looking at them with such strangeness, she began to see them like super heroes. They were heroes. And they were super. She looked at them with amazement and awe.


    The two heroes fought the creature with brilliance and valor.


    As the two girls concentrated on taking down their foe, another creature decided to take this as an opportunity.


    Not a creature of darkness. But of light.


    A white mouse came crawling along the walls behind Mizuchi.


    It landed on Mizuchi''s shoulder and she shrieked in response. The mouse landed on the floor, but slowly moved towards her. It felt calm.


    And to Mizuchi''s surprise, it began to talk.


    "They are Light Guardians. Heroes that protect the world from creatures of darkness," the mouse spoke in a young boy''s voice.


    "Woah. What the hell? A talking mouse," Mizuchi replied.


    "You are watching a giant spider-monster fight against two Light Guardian girls. And yet you are surprised by a talking white mouse. I''ll never understand humans," he replied.


    "Light Guardian? What is that?"


    "A hero. Didn''t you ever wish that you could become a hero - a real super hero. You would no longer be weak. You could do whatever you wanted. Those two became Light Guardians years ago. However, they saw me as a cat. Not that it matters which form I take. They chose to become guardians initially to protect the orphanage from a Night Demon - a monster which you are seeing now. A creature attacked their headmaster and I came in to give them the power to save her. Now, they use those powers to protect the good people of this world as they are right now. I gave Eli the power to create electrical katanas. While, Yune got a hook and an arsenal of chains. I can give you a power, too."


    But Mizuchi was skeptical of the creature. Everything seemed so strange. And the offer seemed too good to be true. She lived on the streets for some time to know that there was always a catch. Nonetheless, she never knew anything about magical powers and creatures being real before.


    "What power would I get?"


    "I don''t know. Your power is a representation of your own soul. It can even change based upon your own life experiences."


    "So, it would be a mystery. It could be something as weak as being able to talk to fish."


    "I wouldn''t underestimate any power created from within. For example, your ability to talk to fish can evolve into something more. You may be able to learn to call upon ancient slumbering beings hidden beneath the oceans."


    "Do those actually exist? Does Cthulu exist, too?" Mizuchi asked like a kid. The white mouse ignored that irrelevant question. She became fascinated with the idea of becoming her own hero. But still, she wasn''t sure what the mouse wanted in return. There was always a catch, she thought.


    However, she didn''t have much time to think.


    In an instant, the tide of battle seemed to turn against the two girls. Wolfspinne began to spray out webs from it''s mouth. It quickly stuck itself to Eli''s blades and body. She began to slow as a result and get her feet stuck on the walls and floor. She had to take extra efforts to move. Meanwhile, the webs glued the chains together whenever they would come near the creature. The chains began to rattle without any control as Yune wasn''t able to properly move her chains as she wanted to. The creature used it''s strength to break free of whatever chains held it and yanked the hook out of it''s abdomen. It started to attack both Eli and Yune. Both of them were now in a bind as they defended themselves.


    "You should choose quickly. Looks like they won''t be able to fight this one themselves," the mouse said, "They need you more than they realize."


    Mizuchi started to become worried. Those two risked their lives to protect her. They tried to make her feel comfortable at the orphanage. They were good people, and she didn''t want them to get hurt any more.


    "Alright. I''ll do it. I''ll become a Light Guardian," she said and in an instant, her body began to tremble. A bright light enveloped her. It was strong, but she felt even stronger. Wolfspinne noticed the bright light and wondered what it was. Yune and Eli saw the light as well. It was coming from Mizuchi''s direction.


    The white mouse sat on her shoulder. She stood up with a new outfit. Mizuchi wore a light-red and pink dress. She didn''t appear to be holding any weapon or armament. But she stood up with confidence believing that she had become a super hero.

 Chapter 70: The Mouse that Stalks the Spider

    Mizuchi looked at herself in her new clothes. It felt so embarrassed, but she felt a surge of newfound power. Although, she didn''t exactly know what powers she did have. Unlike Eli and Yune who had physical weapons, Mizuchi didn''t have anything.


    Mizuchi looked at the mouse on her shoulders and asked, "So, I''m not going to ask what are my weapons. But I will ask where. Where are my weapons? How am I supposed to figure out what I can do?"


    The mouse shrugged it''s little shoulders and crawled away. She looked perplexed, but the creature would not wait for her to figure it out.


    Yune and Eli were stunned that Mizuchi was a Light Guardian, but they shook themselves out of it and focused on the monster. It began to charge at Mizuchi. Yune spun her hook-chain around and threw it at the monster. Then, Eli hopped on the chain and with the soles of her feet produced a steady stream of electricity. She began to skid on the chains giving her a boost in speed.


    But the monster had some eyes looking in the other direction. It wouldn''t just look away from one end without knowing what was happening on the other. It spit out some more webs at the chains sticking it to the side of the walls. Eli jumped off the chains and was about to strike down at the beast, it dodged and pushed her away.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Right as the creature was about to slash at Mizuchi, she screamed and closed her eyes. She tried to cover her face in terror not knowing what to do. But once she just thought about what she wanted to do, it happened. As she wanted to defend herself, two orange portals opened up beside her. Two large, black, rocky arms came out from it. They were in the shape of human arms. When the creature brought down it''s claws, the arms were in a cross-guard position in front of Mizuchi. When Mizuchi opened her eyes, she saw the two arms holding the creature back.


    Then, with just her thought, one arm wound back and punched the creature in the face. The arms almost looked volcanic. There seemed to be small streams of lava flowing from them. The creature shrieked in pain.


    By the time the creature could ready itself, it was all too over. The arms went back into the portal. And two more portals opened up in front of Mizuchi. She now understood how to use her powers. One arm came out and held the creature by it''s throat and brought it closer to the other portal which had another arm come out of it. The arm wound up it''s fist and began to pummel the monster. It continuously took the beatings. The punches from a single arm were fast, strong, and precise. It kept punching until with one last punch, the creature''s head vanished into dust. The whole creature began to melt away into black ooze. And finally, the remains turned into mist and all that was left was a black coin.

 Chapter 71: The Original Heroes

    When the black coin dropped to the coin, the battle was over.


    Mizuchi didn''t know what happened. The arms went back inside the portals and it closed behind them.


    "Mizuchi!" Eli yelled as both her and Yune ran over to her.


    Mizuchi told them what happened. That a white mouse came to her while they were battling. Yune and Eli thought that she was a Light Guardian before they met, but knowing that she just became one added some more worries.


    Yune sighed and wanted to confirm, "So, you just became one right now?"


    "Yeah. I didn''t know that super heroes really did exist. I thought that they were just on the tv," Mizuchi replied ecstatically. She was excited to becoming a hero.


    "A super hero? I guess you could say that''s what we are," Eli replied. She smiled but there was a hint of worry in her eyes. And Mizuchi could see it.


    "What? What''s wrong?" Mizuchi asked.


    "It''s nothing. It''s just that it''s going to be dangerous. Won''t just be fun and games."


    "I know that. We have to save people from monsters like that."


    Yune nodded her head and replied, "Yeah. More or less. But in hindsight, we haven''t really been using these powers. We have them, but never felt obliged to do anything."


    "What? You have these special powers and you don''t use them? We have super powers. We should use them for something like - I don''t know - justice," Mizuchi exclaimed.


    Eli and Yune chuckled.


    "Justice? You sound like a cute kid, again," Eli replied. They thought that Mizuchi was cute


    "I''m serious. And stop calling me a cute kid."


    "I know you''re serious, but it''s still dangerous. What else did your mouse tell you?" Yune asked.


    "Well, it told me you became these Light Guardians after the headmaster was attacked."


    "It told you that? Well, it''s kind of true," Eli replied, "I told Yune this before, but I was a Light Guardian before then. When my parents died in a car crash, I was in the car. It was painful. My whole body felt like it was on fire. There was blood everywhere. But then a white cat came to me. It crawled inside and said it could save me. As long as I became a guardian of the Light, then I would live - that the injuries would heal. And I immediately accepted. I became this way just to live, but I couldn''t save my parents. They were already dead."Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Oh. I''m sorry to hear that," Mizuchi replied sadly.


    Eli smiled and said, "It''s okay. It was a long time ago."


    "Long time ago or not. That feeling is deep within your heart. I know," she replied and Eli''s smile faded.


    "You''re right. But I don''t want to dwell on it right now."


    Yune then spoke, "As for me, I did become a Light Guardian once the headmaster was attacked. There was a creature that looked like a lizard with metal tentacles coming out of it. It had it''s tentacles inside the headmaster through every hole it could find. Her mouth. Her ears. It even ripped open her nails. Sorry. I was getting a too graphic there. Anyways, I saw Eli fighting the creature. Afterwards, she said it had been her first fight with a Night Demon. But even I could tell that. It was throwing her all around the place. Anyways, that''s when a white cat approached me. It said almost the same things to you that it said to me. It said that I could save her by becoming a Light Guardian. And I took it without giving any thought. We don''t usually go out of our way to find Night Demons. You could say that this creature was our second fight with one of them."


    "Second? It looked like you two were working in sync," Mizuchi exclaimed.


    "It was more like instinct. I just had a feeling on what to do," Eli replied.


    "Same. But I was thinking more," Yune said.


    "Thinking more? As if. You were just relying on your guts like me," Eli said with a smile.


    "No. I used my head. I was thinking about what to do at each step. I guess I didn''t think long, but I still thought about my actions," she replied.


    Mizuchi was stunned. It was only their second fight and they seemed like experts.


    Then, a man suddenly appeared.


    "Hello," he said. This made Mizuchi jump, but Yune and Eli knew who it was.


    "Wh-who are you? Are you a bad guy?" Mizuchi asked.


    "I don''t think so. I don''t see myself as a evil, but I''m sure from another''s point of view, I certainly am. I''m the shopkeeper. Of if you''d prefer, you can call me the shopkeep. I wanted to introduce myself to the new Light Guardian," he said. He wore a gas mask and a trench coat.


    "Yeah. That''s the shopkeeper," Yune said as she picked up the black coin on the ground, "Every time we beat one of those monsters, a coin like this will drop. The shopkeeper will take them and give you almost anything in return."


    "Anything?" Mizuchi asked to confirm.


    "Almost," Eli replied, "The one and only time we ever used his services was to heal Ms. Singh after our first battle was over. He also erases minds and evidence of Night Demon activities to regular people. He doesn''t want to start a panic. Or so he says."


    "Sheesh. It''s like I don''t even need to introduce myself when you two are here. Well, at least that means that we can get straight to business. You have a black coin and I''m willing to take it off of you," he said enthusiastically.


    "I don''t have anything I want right now," Yune said, "Do either of you need anything?"


    "Not me," Eli replied.


    But Mizuchi was silent. It was the perfect opportunity.


    She took the coin from Yune''s hands and gave it to the shopkeeper.


    "What are you going to ask for?" Yune asked.


    She was silent and then bowed to the shopkeeper and pleaded, "Please, can you take me to where mom is. I beg you, sir."


    Eli and Yune were surprised by this.


    "How polite. Sure I''ll even bring your two friends with you," the shopkeeper said and with a snap all of them vanished.

 Chapter 72: A Mothers Love; Mizu

    The three Light Guardians - Mizuchi, Eli, and Yune - along with the shopkeeper appeared in front of an apartment door - room 345 at some old apartment complex. There were rats scurrying along the walls. The stench from the place was strange. It was like every apartment had some kind of smoke coming out.


    The shopkeeper pointed at the door.


    "Your mother is in this apartment," he said.


    "Is she safe? Is she alright?" Mizuchi asked worryingly. She didn''t remember much about her childhood with her mother, but she did remember they were all good times. But this place looked nothing like where she they lived, or so she thought.


    "Just knock and find out. Now, if you don''t mind. I''ll be leaving, now," he said right before he vanished.


    Yune and Eli had nothing to say. This was Mizuchi''s choice. So, the other two walked far enough away to leave Mizuchi alone, but make sure that she was safe. They still had a responsibility to look after her.


    Mizuchi was right in front of the door. The mother she was searching for was just beyond this door. She tried looking for so long, but in an instant after becoming this hero, she got what she wanted. She wanted to knock, but fear set in. She didn''t know what to say. So many things could happen. So many ideas went into her head. She breathed in and relaxed. She just decided not to overthink things and just speak from her heart.


    She looked at herself and thought it was ridiculous to show up after all these years looking like some kind of pop star super hero. With just a thought, a bright came over her and she went back into her human form. Back into her regular clothes.


    She knocked on the door.


    "Coming," a female voice from inside went. She could hear footsteps coming towards the door. Her heart beat faster than when she was running from that creature just moments earlier.


    Then, the door opened. It was an middle-aged woman. Older than how Mizuchi remembered, but it was definitely her. She was speechless.


    The woman asked without recognizing, "Can I help you?"


    "Uh. Hi... mom," Mizuchi said with half a smile. She didn''t know what to feel. Happiness. Glee. Shock. Everything all at once.


    The woman was confused at first, but then it set in.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "Mizu...? Mizu, is that you?" she asked.


    "Yes. Mom. It''s been so long," Mizuchi replied with a full smile finally getting to see her mother.


    "Who the hell is it!?" a man yelled from inside, "Tell them to leave! Hurry up and finish! I don''t pay you for standing around!"


    "Who''s that?" Mizuchi asked without being able to see him. When she tried to look in, the mother walked outside closing the door behind her. Then, Mizuchi understood what was going on. It was nothing like her fantasies, but she didn''t expect her mother to be any kind of saint, either.


    "Now''s not really a good time," the mom said, "It''s been a while. You seem to have grown."


    "It''s been a while?" Mizuchi retorted, "Is that all you can say? Sorry. It has been a long time. I''m used to talking back to defend myself. Just a force of habit. Anyways, I came looking for you. And here you are."


    The mom said, "I''m sorry. It''s just that lots have happened."


    "What happened? One moment you were there and the next you weren''t. I thought... I didn''t know what to think."


    "It''s... complicated," she said with a sigh, "Listen. It was hard. Hard to keep up with everything. It was hard to keep up with the excessive bills. The food. The rent. Everything was so high. And you. The schools have been getting more expensive. One moment, I went into your room. You slept so peacefully. You didn''t cry like you usually did when you were younger. But when you did, it was excessive. Everything began to pile on. More and more. And I had enough. You were asleep, and one night, I had come back from very unhappy clients. I wasn''t getting paid as much as usual. And when I looked at you, I blamed you. You weren''t very different than any other kid. And when I saw the other parents look at me like they did, it just added more to the pile. But when I saw them with their children, they seemed so perfect. I thought that anybody would have made a better mother than me. I tried. I really did. But during the night, I dreamed that I was about to stab you with a knife. It was horrible. Blood everywhere. But I woke up. That''s when I realized I couldn''t take care of you. I didn''t know when, but I knew that I wasn''t fit for it. I took you out in the car and told you we were going to the amusement park for the weekend. I can''t even remember what day it was. It was you and me for that day. And when my back was turned, I didn''t see you. That was an accident. I looked around for you, but when I did find you, I remembered everything that was happening to me. I called the police to say there was a missing child. And then when I saw them find you, I left. I even figured any one of them would have made a better mother than me."


    Mizuchi didn''t know how to respond to that. There were so much feeling in her stomach. So much disappointment. She had a feeling that her mom didn''t want her, but that feeling never came out as fact. Now that it did, she felt hurt. But she still smiled and kept a facade.


    The mother continued, "I''m sorry. I have to go. Maybe... maybe, we can keep in touch."


    "Maybe, mom. Maybe," Mizuchi said as she began to walk away, "It was March 21st."


    "What''s that?" the mom asked.


    "March 21st was the day we went to the amusement park," she replied.


    They looked at each once more knowing that they would never see each other again.


    "Mizu, I''m sorry," the mom said.


    "I know."


    And then she left.


    Mizuchi walked away from the apartment as her mother walked right back in.

 Chapter 73: The Original Three

    Eli and Yune watched as Mizuchi walked towards them. They didn''t plan to stop her if she decided to stay. But, from her own volition, Mizuchi walked away. She found her mother. The thrill faded away as disappointment set in even deeper. Nonetheless, she stood as tall as she could be.


    "C''mon, Eli and Yune. Let''s go back home," Mizuchi said.


    "You sure?" Yune asked.


    "Yeah," she said with a smile. Not a facade, but a real one. Rather than looking back, she decided to look forward.


    "Alright, Mizuchi. We''ll be right behind you," Eli replied.


    "It''s Mizu," she replied, "Call me Mizu. I''d prefer that."


    Even though she always thought that name was reserved for her mother, she still thought it was a nice nickname. And it was a shame to let it go to waste.


    Yune and Eli smiled alongside their new member of the family.


    "Alright... Mizu," Eli said.


    Yune chuckled again.


    "What''s so funny this time?" Mizu asked.


    "Nothing. Nothing at all," Yune said as she thought how cute Mizu was.


    Mizu pouted and walked ahead.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    When they got outside, all three of them wondered where they ended up. Luckily, they were still in Janken City. They decided to take the subway to get back home.


    When they did, each of them were scolded by Ms. Singh for sneaking out. But also luckily, she made their punishment very lenient. For the remainder of the week, the three were on toilet duty.


    Yune and Eli were used to working for Ms. Singh on their own, but Mizu complained. She never did such manual labor. Nonetheless, the three girls worked together and finished their daily chores.


    And that wasn''t the end of it.


    When Mizu got her powers, she continued to want to help people. Yune and Eli never felt obliged to, but when their new member went out, they too would join. It was only for around an hour or so. And with their new powers, it was very easy to sneak in and out from just jumping out of any window. They could jump higher than every before. Each time, Mizu tried reaching for the stars before she would gently land.


    Everybody in the orphanage and at school thought of the each of them as sisters. But they felt even closer than that.


    They went out each night to fight Night Demons and protect people from them. They even occasionally brought down drug and prostitute rings. They were like real super heroes. But they''re troubles have only just begun.


    One day, Eli had the idea to take a picture of the three of them as a keepsake. Yune held a camera up as she was the tallest and oldest among them. Eli hugged Yune closely. And there was Mizu having a smile that could brighten up any day. They all came close and with a snap, a picture crawled out from the old camera. They framed it and kept it by Eli''s bedside who slept in between the other two whenever they were done patrolling the city.


    As they fought, they began to gain the attention of one Night Demon. A hunter that sniffed out new prey. It knew that they were new at being Light Guardians from the scent. A creature that looked like a shadow of a werewolf. It followed the scent and found it''s way back to where the three stayed. It howled in the night wagging it''s tail in delight and then stare straight at the orphanage from above a rooftop. Easy Light Guardian prey, it thought. And that''s all it could think of. It didn''t care for the children, but just the scent of the new guardians.

 Chapter 74: A Dark Orphanage

    One night, Eli, Mizu, and Yune were scouting the city jumping from rooftop to rooftop looking for anybody that needed help. They were aware of how Night Demons sensed and followed the chill whenever they got the chance.


    They didn''t encounter any other Light Guardians when they patrolled, although there were others. But the others didn''t go around during the night, so they had no conflicts. For all intents and purposes, they never even knew the other existed. It''s been a month since they continued to do this without anybody noticing.


    The girls also didn''t have any need for black coins for themselves. They were quite content living at the orphanage, but they knew there were problems within it. It was harder for the orphanage to stay open, so they would use any black coins they collected to make the shopkeeper give Ms. Singh unexpected donations which helped out very much. However as each day was different, the money varied day to day as well. A black coin''s value changed over time. It fluctuated back and forth, but the shopkeeper always had some use for it even if they didn''t know what it was.


    Then, one night as they came back from an otherwise uneventful evening, they sensed a Night Demon. They''ve never sensed one so close to the orphanage before. As they got closer, they realized that the chill grew as they came even closer towards home. They hurried.


    When they reached the orphanage, all of the lights had been off. But one of the windows had been broken into. They rushed in to try and save the other children.


    They ran around looking for the monster. They knew it was there, but they couldn''t see it. They spit up to look for it. Yune dashed across the rooms until she had found it. In the dark corridor, it saw the Night Demon. It was chewing on ligaments. The whole room was covered in blood. Then, Yune took her hook and chain and threw it straight at the dark shadow of a beast. It was like a shadow of a werewolf.


    She yelled, "Eli! Mizu! I found it!"


    Then, when the creature was wrapped in the chains, it looked at her. It made no attempt to talk. Just the sounds of chewing as it''s jaw opened up and down.


    Then, to Yune''s horror, that is when she could see the room clearly. She saw the body of the headmaster covering two other children. Then, there were a string of other bodies. Kids. Just lying there with claw marks on their backs as they tried to run.


    "We''re here!" Eli yelled as she and Mizu came.


    "Don''t come closer! Eli! Mizu!" Yune yelled. She wasn''t afraid of the monster, but was afraid of what they would have seen. If Yune wasn''t in her Light Guardian form, she would have vomited at the sight.


    But the two other guardians heard it as a cry for help.


    "We''re coming, Yune! Hang on!" Mizu yelled.


    "No. Don''t come any closer," Yune muttered, but then Mizu and Eli arrived.


    They came in crashing from below. As they saw Yune holding down the monster with little effort using her chains, they were relieved. But then they saw. They saw the bodies. Their friends. Their family. Eli and Yune took it the hardest. They knew them the longest. However, the mere sight was a horror anybody who would have come across it.


    Eli yelled angrily and charged right at the creature''s head. She spun around in a frenzy. The creature howled and without warning, it''s arm just moved right through the chains like gas. Then, it materialized it''s long claws and defended itself from Eli''s attack.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "What is this? This must be a dream. Yes. A nightmare. This couldn''t have happened," Mizu said frozen and in disbelief. Even though she had powers, she was still just a child at heart.


    But then Mizu awoke as Eli was pushed back. The creature moved out of the chains like a swift shadow and came right at the three of them. The creature attacked Eli and then went off against Mizu who conjured her obsidian and volcanic golem to protect her. At the last second, she defended against the attacks.


    They fought it off together, but it kept making itself ethereal whenever it would get attacked.


    But Yune tried to be calm and look for a way to defeat it. But her mind was erratic. She kept looking back at the others. The bodies laid strewn.


    Then, without noticing the creature was right on top of her. As it was about to claw Yune, Eli and Mizu shouted to Yune, "Watch out!"


    And when the claws were about strike down on her, she instinctively raised her hook and it sharpened itself like a blade. She cut the creature''s hand clean off.


    It screeched and jumped away. The hand disappeared and vanished into mist. It began to lick it''s wounds while continuing to watch the three girls. That''s when Yune realized how to beat it.


    "Eli! Mizu! Wait until it attacks you, then strike," she said.


    Eli nodded her head, but Mizu was still shaking. She didn''t feel this kind of fear since her first encounter with a Night Demon.


    "Mizu, snap out of it!" Yune yelled with a slap. That woke up Mizu.


    She felt bad about hitting her, but she didn''t have any choice. All Yune wanted was to defeat this creature and get revenge.


    When the creature rushed at them for it''s final blow, they waited. When the creature was right in front of them, it looked like it was materialized for an attack. That is when they struck back.


    Mizu conjured a portal beside the creature conjuring two arms that grabbed the monster''s legs. While that happened, Yune created a web of chains and surrounded the creature. While the chains moved around, it hid the fact where Eli was coming at it from. And with a final blow, Eli rushed in head first with her katana. She stabbed straight at the creature''s head.


    It was over. The creature turned to black mist and dropped it''s coin.


    Mizu was the first to transform out of her Light Guardian form and ran over to the other children and headmaster, but Yune and Eli stopped her.


    "Wait. You don''t want to see that," Eli replied with a sorrowful look. Yune and Eli stopped their transformation and went back to their regular form.


    "Maybe, they''re still alive. We have to be sure. We can still save them," Mizu cried.


    Eli and Yune hugged Mizu as she cried. Eli began to pat Mizu''s head as she cried to calm her down.


    While Mizu cried, Eli and Yune felt the need to cry even more so. They all cried together. Even Yune felt like her whole world fell apart and cried, even though she barely showed emotion.


    Later, the police were called in. They thought that a wild animal escaped from the zoo.


    Yune, Eli, and Mizu would have been transferred to another orphanage, but they didn''t want that. They didn''t want to abandon their home. They called in the shopkeeper and gave them a black coin. They made sure the orphanage stayed open. However, the place never got any more new children. Rumors of the deadly murders made the place notorious. The headmaster was replaced by a made-up figurehead. And whenever there was a meeting, the shopkeeper would appear as the head. He always wore his gas mask, a top hat, and a monocle whenever it was necessary to act as the headmaster. To regular people, he looked like anybody else. Many times, people came by to  shut it down or bulldoze the place, but as long as the three paid black coins every so often, they were able to pay off the city to keep it open. But as Yune watched as other people wanted to destroy what they considered home, she began to have a new mindset. A mindset of distrust towards anybody outside of her group.


    The only three children who were left were Eli, Yune, and Mizu. They were the ones who kept it open. It felt like the right thing to do. They wouldn''t let go. Especially, Eli and Yune who had lived there for far longer. But even Mizu did feel like she belonged. She was able to act more of a child her age during her time there. But that was all over.


    Time had passed.


    The three girls continued to hunt Night Demons. This time, they were far more active. They weren''t just limited to one hour every night. Now, they felt obliged to fight the creatures any time. And this time, they encountered others.

 Chapter 75: The Original Encounter

    Mizu, Eli, and Yune looked around for more Night Demons during one of their lunch breaks.


    Mizu still felt like she was a hero and acted with child-like pride, even after her experience. Eli continued to fight the creatures as long as the other two wanted. Yune, however, now felt a passion for hunting the monsters. She had a desire for revenge. She wanted to make the other monsters pay for their existence. She also had a newfound desire for black coins. It took resources to keep the orphanage open and clean. Their home was constantly in needs of cleaning and repairs. Yune learned the basics of cooking before, but now she was far more proficient at it. She was adamant about protecting Eli and Mizu over anything else. If it came down to it, she would even give her life for them.


    Yune needed resources and the shopkeeper was the easiest way to achieve them.


    Mizu also felt that the monsters were a threat. She didn''t feel the need for revenge, but had a pure heart. She just wanted to make sure that nobody else would have to experience what she went through. But Mizu always kept a kind and gentle smile. Her point of views have adjusted, but they were still very much child-like.


    As for Eli, she just wanted to make sure they were all safe. She wasn''t afraid or anything of the sort. She was just tired of the whole thing. She never talked about it with Yune or Mizu. Nonetheless, she had no problem fighting monsters if it meant protecting her two friends.


    Each one them considered each other as equals. As family. They never really interacted with many others besides themselves. Yune felt that everybody else was dangerous, and Mizu and Eli couldn''t really argue with her considering that they knew that people constantly kept trying to shut down the orphanage and separate them.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    No families came by to their orphanage. It was more like a house with many rooms. But to the three girls, the place didn''t feel like a home. Not any more. They kept the place open just for the sake of memory. But as long as the three were together, no matter where they were, they felt like they were home.


    As for their relationship towards other Light Guardians, that was a different story.


    The first time they met another team of guardians, they were already on bad terms. Yune, Eli, and Mizu saw a group fighting another Night Demon. It was metal and bulky, but was getting beaten down. The group of Light Guardians consisted of three other girls. One with knives that turned to plants. One with metal boots and gauntlets. And one with katanas.


    When Yune saw her chance, she dashed in and her two friends followed.


    Yune threw in her hook and pulled away the creature from what would have been a killing blow for the other group. Then, Mizu conjured a portal to summon one arm that threw Eli forward. Eli spun around in midair and sliced the creature.


    When the black coin dropped, Yune immediately used her hook and grabbed it before it fell. The first time they met another group, they stole the kill and it''s black coin.


    "Hey. That was ours!" one of them yelled.


    Yune didn''t care about that. She thought that they themselves needed the black coin more than them. Mizu understood the need to take from others if they needed to as she used to live on the streets occasionally before meeting up with the other two. Eli felt bad about taking the kill, but didn''t voice any objections. They all participated in it since they each believed that they needed the black coins more than others. And Yune was the senior among the group.


    "No. We got the last hit. This kill is ours. And so is the prize," Yune said with a blank stare.


    Tensions grew. But as soon as Yune finished her sentence, she dashed away along with her two friends.


    They didn''t realize it, but that encounter changed things for all three of them.

 Chapter 76: Original Tensions

    Eli, Yune, and Mizu had been increasingly fighting Night Demons.


    When they did fight one, Mizu began to come up with names for her attacks like how a hero would name their special moves.


    Some examples were "Rock punch!", "Super Flurry!", and "Golem Twist!"


    Then, Yune would sometimes suggest some.


    "Well, your golem looks to be made of obsidian. Why don''t you try something like ''Obsidian Strike'' when you punch something? A very hard punch and ''Obsidian Strike''!"


    And Mizu loved Yune''s ideas. Although, Yune''s impression of a super hero was lacking. Mizu still implemented plenty of those attack names because they sounded cool.


    They continued their hunts with very little resistance. They became known as the strongest three Light Guardians of Janken City. Even the shopkeeper would give them some tips on Night Demon locations.


    However, they weren''t the only Light Guardians in Janken City. Yune''s team had been constantly stealing kills and had no plans to stop.


    So, during a school break, they had to meet up with another team to try and work out an agreement between them.


    There, they formally met with Nina, Anne, and Kira. Three other Light Guardians in the city.


    Mizu had a good time talking with Anne and Kira. She was super impressed by Anne as she was in a martial arts dojo and was the leading road to becoming a pro.


    Eli also enjoyed their company. She had no problems with the other group. She felt they were similar to their own.


    However, Yune was more skeptical. She didn''t trust them any more than anybody else.


    During their talk, Nina suggested, "How about just a simple deal? Whichever team starts fighting the Night Demon will get the black coin at the end. That sounds like a fair deal."


    Eli and Mizu were both fine with that, but Yune had other thoughts.


    Yune looked at her own two friends. She saw her team as far stronger than anybody else''s in the city. If they were stronger, then they wouldn''t need to come up with such a compromise. Also, there would be no guarantees that the other group would hold up their end. With that thought in mind, she shook her head.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "No. There will be no compromise. The three of us deserve those black coins more. We''re also stronger than your group," Yune said as she walked away. Eli and Mizu were disappointed, but didn''t want to voice their concerns out in the open. They both didn''t want any fighting to happen between the two groups. Mizu, especially, didn''t want to fight them. She felt like they could be friends.


    When they were back inside the school away from the other group, Eli spoke to Yune about the decision.


    "Look. We know you don''t trust people. We get it ourselves but we can''t keep making ourselves hostile to the other Light Guardians," Eli said.


    "No," Yune replied with a cold, "The only people we can''t trust is ourselves. Besides, they can''t stop us. The three of us are much stronger than anybody else in this city. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have met with us."


    "Are you suggesting that their willing to negotiate a weakness?" Eli asked.


    "It proves that they aren''t strong enough to fight back against us," Yune replied. She thought that if Anne, Nina, and Kira were stronger than them, then they would just fight back against them. Instead, they held themselves back from doing that. Yune saw this as weakness.


    Mizu was silent as Eli and Yune argued over the decision. Yune was considered the leader of the group because of her smart wits and cunning in battle. And the fact that she was the oldest of them helped cement that position.


    But Mizu had other feelings. She wanted to be friends with them. She felt like they were just kids like her. Which was true. Anne, Nina, and Kira were still in elementary school just like Mizu. Meanwhile, Eli and Yune were just starting middle school. The both of them argued at home about what they should do, while Mizu was just in the middle.


    However, during the school day, Mizu still talked to the other girls. She became close friends with Anne and Kira especially. She hung out with them during whatever time they had, but she kept it a secret from the other two. Both Anne and Kira had no quarrel with Mizu. They thought she was quite cute. Anne and Kira continued to be friends with Mizu. Nina also occasionally talked with Mizu, but she never really became good friends. However, Nina thought it was a good step in becoming allies or even friends with Yune and Eli. Although, she never forced or suggested Mizu to do anything.


    One day, while Mizu was walking home, Eli went looking for her. She had forgotten one of her school books at class. There, she saw Mizu talking with Anne and Kira. Eli came forward, but she didn''t stop Mizu from making friends. She could see how happy she was by being around them. Eli even managed to become more acquainted with the other two girls.


    But while Eli and Mizu were alone, Eli told her, "You can be friends with them. But don''t let Yune know. I don''t think she''d approve."


    Mizu was happy that she wasn''t scolded for being their friends behind both of their backs. She nodded her head. Years passed without Yune finding out. Eli had also tried talking with the other Light Guardians in the city as a means of negotiating. For example, if their team had stolen a kill, Eli would personally help them with another fight. However, she didn''t tell Yune about these deals. She knew that Yune would be against the idea of talking with other teams. But Eli saw that communicating with others was the only way that their own group wouldn''t be targeted.


    Years passed without any problem for Yune, Eli, or Mizu.

 Chapter 77: Family Argument

    Yune, Eli, and Mizu continued their daily hunts as usual.


    Then on one after school day, Yune walked to a supermarket to pick up some groceries. There was a half-off sale for cookies, and she thought that Mizu would like them. She also got milk and other groceries that she thought would be needed. One the way back, she saw Mizu at the park. She had been talking and playing with Anne and Kira. She looked so happy, but Yune was concerned. Yune thought that perhaps those two other kids would bully her. She didn''t intervene until she thought it would be necessary, but she still watched from a safe distance. Yune thought that the two girls may try to hurt Mizu, and if there was any indication to that, she was ready to transform and step in. But that didn''t come. They just talked and played. Even though, she was relieved that Mizu wasn''t hurt, Yune still felt ill will towards the other girls.


    When they all got back home to the orphanage, Eli was already home finishing up her homework at the counter of the kitchen.


    Then, Mizu came smiling about her day. She came in dropping crumbs of chocolate on the kitchen floor.


    Yune came at last and put away the groceries. She had to throw some out due to them from being outside for too long. A waste, she thought, but there was nothing she could do. She put the cookies away on one of the shelves.


    "How was your day, Yune?" Mizu asked as she bit into a chocolate bar.


    "It was fine," Yune replied, "How was yours? Make any new friends?"


    Mizu paused for a second to chew. Eli was also there listening. All three of them in the same room.


    "No," Mizu said, "Same old, same old."


    "Where''d you get the candy?" Yune asked.


    "Oh. I, uh, bought it at a vending machine. Got a little hungry."


    "You sure you didn''t make any new friends? I''m sure somebody would be happy to be your friend."


    "Well, there''s plenty of other kids at school. I play with them during lunch. I guess you could call them friends."


    "Right. Of course," Yune said. She felt betrayed that Mizu was lying to her, but didn''t show it. She thought that perhaps those other girls got inside Mizu''s head.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    However, Eli could tell that Yune was asking those questions for a reason.


    "Hey, Mizu. Can you go to the bedroom? I think I left my math book up there," Eli said to get her out of the room.


    "Sure," Mizu replied as she left the two of them. However, she wasn''t naive. She knew that whenever Eli or Yune would ask her out of the room, they would argue like a married couple. Whether it was about stealing Night Demon kills or how much they spent on food. There was usually something that those two argued about. However, they didn''t want any of that to spill over to Mizu. They felt that she had enough problems after seeing what happened to the other orphans. For students, they seemed to be already adults.


    As soon as Mizu looked to be out of the room, Eli began to talk to Yune.


    "Yune, what''s wrong? You''re acting suspicious," Eli asked.


    Yune talked quietly not wanting Mizu to hear from the other rooms.


    "Remember what I said about trust."


    "Yes. Of course. We can only trust ourselves. So, what''s the problem?"


    "I don''t know, but I''m pretty sure that Mizu has been hanging around with those other Light Guardian kids."


    Eli didn''t try to act surprised about any of this.


    Yune continued, "You knew? How long has it been going on?"


    "Relax, Yune. They''re just kids."


    "Relax? They''re not just any kids. They''re like us. Light Guardians. They''re probably using her against us. We can''t trust them."


    "You''re acting paranoid," Eli replied, "Not everybody is out to get us. Besides, Mizu''s happy. She''s always acted happy-go-lucky, but now she really is happy."


    "Then, why didn''t she tell me? Why didn''t you tell me?" Yune asked aggressively.


    "Because I knew this is how''d you act. Unlike you, I''ve been trying to make sure others didn''t see us as a threat. I''ve talked with Nina, Anne, and Kira. They''re good people."


    "You talked to them? You didn''t bring me with you for these talks. I thought we were a family."


    "We are. This is the closest thing we have to a family. I feel closer to this family than I have had with my own parents."


    "Enough. Let''s get Mizu down here now. We''ll talk as one big happy family," Yune said angrily, "I want to hear what she thinks."


    "That''s a good idea. I don''t want to drag her into this, but you just won''t stop until you get your way. She''ll tell you how happy she''s been," Eli argued.


    As they stomped away, the two girls marched over to the bedroom.


    "Mizuchi. I''d like to talk to you," Yune ordered, but Mizu was nowhere in that room. Yune''s anger turned into worry, "Mizu? Mizu, where are you?"


    Eli shouted, "Mizu, where are you!? Come on out! We''re not angry with you!"


    "Mizu, it''s fine. You''re not in any trouble!" Yune yelled as they both looked around the house.


    They couldn''t find her anywhere. Then, Eli found a pile of chocolate pieces and the wrapper left near the doorway to the kitchen where they''ve been talking. Eli called over Yune to see it. Mizu must have been listening to their conversation. They didn''t know for how long, but Mizu was there.


    Then, they realized that the front door had been unlocked. They rushed outside and yelled, "Mizu!!! Mizuchi!!!"


    But only silence returned. Not even an echo of their own voice.

 Chapter 78: Mizus Worries

    Mizu knew that they were going to argue, but she didn''t know about what. She usually did listen from a corner hidden away. However, once she learned that Yune and Eli were arguing about her and her friends, she felt a sudden twist in her stomach. She became upset and broken, and assumed the worst. She assumed that Yune would make her not talk to those other kids, but she had no desire to. Not that it mattered. Mizu loved Eli and Yune, but always felt that Yune was controlling at times. But because Mizu felt like they were a real family, she could bare it. But she couldn''t handle not being with her friends. As soon as she figured this, she dropped the wrapper and ran away. She wasn''t planning on running away, but needed some time to think.3 It was dark and cold, but she didn''t mind.


    She ran and ran until her legs began to give out. When she was done running, she thought to herself. She ended up at the park. She sat down by one of the benches and regained her breath.


    She thought that maybe that she could convince Yune. Eli had no problem with her friends, so why wouldn''t Yune? But Mizu knew it would take more than one play-date. She understood Yune''s paranoia. However, she became determined to show her that there were people other than themselves that they could trust. Anne and Kira were kind girls. They cared for others. Even Nina who looked very similar to Yune from the outside was soft on the inside.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Mizu just needed time to convince Yune. And she knew that Eli would help. She thought that Yune was like an egg. Hard on the outside, but once you break the shell, she''s soft and caring. That''s how Yune acts around Mizu and Eli. At least when they''re not arguing. And most importantly, Yune was still family. Yune was half-right. They were the closest thing to a family, and they needed each other. However, for the other half, Mizu knew that Yune needed to learn to trust others.


    With a newfound resolve, she planned to head back home and try to convince Yune. All she needed was a little luck and persuasion.


    She was about to head back home, but then one of those dark monsters appeared nearby. She began to sense the Night Demon close to her. A chill ran up her spine and she knew.


    "Yune and Eli aren''t here. No worries. I''m still a hero. And heroes don''t give up whether they''re alone or together," Mizu said aloud to give herself some confidence. She transformed and continued, "Don''t worry, Yune. Eli. I''ll convince you that there is good in other people. Not everybody wants to take things away from us. We''ll be together and our family will grow even stronger."


    An orange portal came out from underneath Mizu as she appeared to hover. Obsidian began to cover her as she transformed. And when it was done, her pink and light-red outfit glared out.


    Then, when the transformation was done, she smiled with a new sense of resolve. She dashed forward towards the creature.

 Chapter 79: The Grass Filled Mizu

    Yune and Eli transformed into their Light Guardian forms and began to jump around the city looking for them. They continued to yell out Mizu''s name, but they couldn''t find her. The night was dark and the moon shined above. They split up to cover more ground. If one found the other, then they would call.


    Yune and Eli couldn''t care less about what they argued about. Both of them were just worried whether Mizu was safe. Even if their fears were unwarranted, they still felt a trembling feeling in their gut.


    The two girls met up near the park.


    "You haven''t found her?" Yune asked panting.


    "No. We need to keep looking," Eli replied panting just as much.


    "Right. She couldn''t get too far."


    Then, the two of them began to sense a Night Demon.


    "We don''t have time to fight. We have to find Mizu." Yune suggested and Eli nodded in full agreement. They weren''t concerned with fighting the creatures. They kept looking around. Neither of them expected Mizu to fight a Night Demon alone. When they circled back and sensed that the creature was gone, they wondered whether Mizu was there.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    They immediately searched the park thoroughly. That is when they came upon Mizu. Or her body in plain view. The moonlight lit up the area without any cloud blood it.


    Eli began to shake Mizu heavily.


    "Mizu! Mizu! Wake up! Mizu!!!" Eli yelled.


    Yune covered her mouth and tried not to cry, but neither of them could hold back the tears.


    Some lights Her body wasn''t very cold. She had just recently died. But they were too late to do anything.


    Yune tried to take her mind off of it and analyzed the scene.


    "There was a battle here. She''s in her guardian form. A black coin on the grass. A wound which looked like a jagged blade. But it has been cauterized. Barely any blood from that. Large footprints walking away," Yune said coldly.


    "How can you think about that right now!?" Eli yelled until she saw Yune.


    Yune''s whole body shook. She collapsed to her knees and scratched her head until it bled. Yune took it just as hard as Eli. Perhaps even harder. Yune began to blame herself. If they hadn''t argued, then Mizu wouldn''t have run away.


    "Mizu... Mizu..." Yune muttered quietly. And then with one cry, "MIZU!!!"


    Yune fell by Mizu''s body and cried. A cry that made even the stars weep. The tears that would overflow oceans. The sound pierced the heavens and universe itself.


    Eli and Yune stayed by Mizu through the whole cold night.


    Rest in peace, Mizuchi Yang.

 Chapter 80: To Begin in Darkness

    As usual the police couldn''t do anything to find out what happened to Mizu. The shopkeeper hid any evidence of Light Guardians and Night Demons, but did nothing else.


    However, that wouldn''t stop Yune and Eli to make their own investigation. While both of them mourned, Yune felt a sudden sense for revenge. When she recalled the scene, she thought that it was strange. At first, they both assumed it was the Night Demon, but Yune began to doubt that. She found a black coin there, but that would mean that Mizu was able to defeat the creature. It would either mean that Mizu and the creature killed each other, or that there was a second party. It could have been another Night Demon, but when Yune looked at the tracks walking away from Mizu''s body, they looked like footprints. They were big and could have belonged to a bipedal monster, but Yune just had a feeling in her gut. She began to suspect that it was another Light Guardian. It was instinct and previous assumptions that led her to believe that. But there was no proof on who or what did it.


    But out of everything, Yune just couldn''t believe it that Mizu was dead. She only thought about the scene just to get her mind working.


    Eli took Mizu''s death hard, but Yune took it even harder. Her opinion about needing to stay together cemented. And when she began to suspect another Light Guardian of doing it, she began to suspect any of them were responsible even if it didn''t seem likely. Her opinions cemented from an egg shell into steel. And Eli had nothing to say about it. She couldn''t deny it. Even she had begun to feel angry at the world, but she also knew that there was nothing that could be done to bring Mizu back.


    Yune began to lie around depressed while Eli had to take care of the food. They didn''t go to school for a while, but the teachers understood their situation.


    For a week, the two just stayed inside their home quietly. The whole world began to look grey as her depression continued to sink in. They barely talked to each other. Sometimes, they would just acknowledge each other and that was it.


    Then, all of a sudden, Yune had enough. She was sick and tired of laying around. She needed answers as her head continued to try and make sense of it.


    Yune got up and began to stomp around. Eli followed Yune wondering what she was doing. She paced back and forth scratching her head. Then, she remembered that they still had the black coin that dropped near Mizu''s body. It was put away in a drawer and when Yune took it out, she looked her own reflection. Her sadness grew to anger. There was a hint of madness in her eyes.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Yune yelled, "Shopkeep. Shopkeep. Shopkeep. Get over here!"


    The shopkeeper appeared and said, "What do you ne-?''


    Yune held out the black coin and quickly commanded, "Tell me. Who killed Mizu?"


    "I can''t tell you who killed her," the shopkeeper replied.


    "So, it is a who. Not a Night Demon," Yune concluded holding back her coin.


    "Oh, uh," the shopkeeper said without knowing how to respond.


    Eli looked in stun and exclaimed, "What? A Light Guardian did this?"


    "I-uh-can''t tell you that," the shopkeeper replied.


    "If it was a Night Demon, you wouldn''t have any reason to protect it. You would have actually given us it''s location by now just so you can get a coin. That is all you care about," Yune said. She was angry and cold.


    The shopkeeper went silent. Eli was surprised and began to tear up, but wiped away her tears. She also wanted to find who did it.


    "We''ll give you the black coin if you tell us who killed her," Eli said.


    "He won''t. It has to be a Light Guardian, otherwise he would have told us already. He wouldn''t want to risk losing a potential source of income," Yune said, "Don''t worry, Eli. We''ll find this murderer and make her pay."


    The shopkeeper was impressed by Yune and Eli. Their resolve and wits. They were no longer considered the top guardians of the city, but he still thought they could be helpful in hunting Night Demons. Unfortunately, he still couldn''t give out the Light Guardian who did the crime. She was also good at getting black coins at times.


    Yune then asked the shopkeeper, "Maybe, you can''t help us. But how about a hint? Anything that would help us, and we''ll give you this black coin."


    She held out the coin and the shopkeeper did want it. It''s attraction was impossible to counteract.


    The shopkeeper took the black coin and said, "Alright. I''ll give you a list of Light Guardians who were in the area at the time. They were spotted near the area by security cams and my own eyes. Any one of them could have done it. That should be sufficient to start your investigation."


    Yune smiled and nodded her head. Then the shopkeeper disappeared leaving behind a paper. He didn''t care about what would happen to those girls. He just wanted that black coin no matter what trouble would happen to them. It included names of Light Guardians. Eli and Yune looked at the list.


    Yune couldn''t remember every name on the list, but she did remember the first two.


    The list contained:


    -Ava Reid


    -Mia Reid


    It was a short list of names, which made the search even easier. They both knew that one of these girls killed Mizu. Yune and Eli both looked at each other with resolve. They both wanted to find the murderer. Yune had no plans of letting this go. And she had no plans for mercy.

 Chapter 81: To End in Darkness

    They started with the first name. Ava Reid. Who was coincidentally a twin sister. Mia Reid.


    They broke into school databases for information and found all the information they needed.


    During the night, they found the twins dashing across the rooftops. They seemed to be enjoying the nice pleasant breeze. Their costumes looked like red kimonos. The one with a ponytail was Mia. The one with short hair was Ava.


    Since, Yune and Eli weren''t Night Demons, they had no reason to be alarmed. Not until a barrage of chains began to tangle the two girls. They were left in shock thinking that they were being attacked by a Night Demon, even though they didn''t sense one. They didn''t expect another Light Guardian to fight them.


    When they were chained up, Yune and Eli revealed themselves. Yune held her chains tightly with one hand while holding her hook in the other. Eli motioned to loosen up the chains to which she proceeded to.


    "Don''t try anything," Yune threatened.


    Eli began to speak to them in a more kind way, "Sorry about that. We just need to ask you some questions."


    "Questions!? You tied us up to question us? What is this!?" Mia replied angrily.


    Eli continued, "Tell me. Have either of you seen this girl?"


    She held up the photograph of the three of them, but pointed only at Mizu. Eli began to have some coughs, but quickly gulped it down.


    Ava and Mia both shook their heads.


    "Sorry. We haven''t seen her," Ava replied, "Is she lost?"


    "We haven''t seen her. Now, get us out of these things!" Mia demanded.


    Eli put away her photo. She believed them. They both looked honest about it. They didn''t even look at all like they recognized the girl.


    "Thank you. I''m sorry for your trouble," Eli said as she walked back to Yune.


    Yune whispered to Eli, "What do you think?"


    Eli replied back in a whisper, "They didn''t do it. Let them go."


    But Yune didn''t. She began to tighten her grip.


    "Stop," Eli demanded.


    Yune seemed to listen and loosened her grip on the chains. Yune walked over to the two girls to seemingly untangle the chains.


    But Eli knew that Yune could untangle them without doing that. She looked back at Yune wondering what she was doing. Was she planning on asking them something else? Did Yune have a question that would trick them like what she did with the shopkeeper? Eli didn''t know what Yune was thinking, but she trusted Yune to act rational. She always had a cool head. That was when Yune decapitated one of the girls. Mia died without feeling anything.


    "What are you doing!?" Eli yelled as Yune''s hook-blade cut Mia''s head clean off spraying blood all over.


    Ava looked in horror as her sister was just killed in front of her. It took a couple of seconds for her process it. It was all so sudden. Then, it hit her. She screamed as blood splattered on her face.


    Then, when Yune was about to kill Ava, Eli dashed in with her katana in hand. She quickly blocked the attack protecting Ava.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Stop, Yune. They''re not the ones. They didn''t kill Mizu," Eli begged not wanting to hurt Yune. But she looked straight at Yune''s cold, dead eyes knowing full well that she wouldn''t listen to reason.


    Eli struck at Yune''s other hand loosening the chains. The chains around Ava loosened to the put where she could move.


    "Run! Get out of here!" Eli yelled to Ava. And without thinking, she began to run.


    Then, Yune jumped back to create some space between her and Eli. But she wouldn''t stop. Not until it was over.


    Yune spun her hook around her arm and threw it straight at Ava. Eli prepared to deflect the hook away, but without noticing, there was a chain on the ground that grabbed a hold on her legs. She tripped and the hook kept going. Ava ran, but she wasn''t far enough. And she didn''t realize there was a hook behind her. As soon as the hook was in front of her, Yune yanked it back. The hook itself placed itself around Ava''s neck. It didn''t pierce of kill her, but with a single thought, Yune sharpened the hook. It sliced Ava''s head clean off as she yanked it back. Mia was dead. Ava was dead. Both twins gone.


    When it was finished, Yune began to calm down. Eli ran up to her and slapped her with the force to push away an elephant. And Yune stood there and took it.


    "What the hell are you thinking!?" Eli yelled.


    Yune was calm. The sting of the slap resonated with her. She looked straight at Eli''s eyes. And Eli looked straight at hers. Cold. And unforgiving.


    "They were responsible for Mizu''s death," Yune stated.


    "How could you know that? I talked to them and they had no idea who Mizu was," Eli replied angrily.


    "And how would you know that? Intuition? Feelings? We didn''t know for sure. It would be better to get rid of them," Yune said.


    "I can''t believe you said that."


    Yune turned around and looked at the city view. Everybody walked around without any care in the world, even though there were all sorts of monsters hidden in the shadows. Even a place that such as Janken City, where the lights shine brightest, there were plenty of shadows.


    Yune said without looking back, "Anybody on the list could have done it. That''s what the shopkeeper said. But even if we investigate, we''ll never be a hundred percent sure. So, it''ll be safer and smarter just to get rid of all of them."


    Eli shut her fist tightly, "If Mizu was here-"


    "Mizu''s not here!," Yune yelled as she looked back at Eli. For a second, her eyes and face began to darken. Veins popped out. She almost looked like a Night Demon. Eli felt a chill down her spine. She''s never seen Yune like this before.


    Yune continued angrily, "Mizu''s not here! We should have been there, but we weren''t! She was alone! And died alone. Everything that''s happened is because of me."


    Yune wasn''t sure whether she referred having that argument on that day, her suggestion to ignore that Night Demon, her not doing enough to protect Mizu from others. She just didn''t know. But whatever it was, she blamed herself the most.


    "Yune... it''s not your fault. If anybody''s to blame-" Eli began to say, but was cut off.


    "Don''t. I don''t want to hear it," Yune said with a sigh, "We still have plenty of work to do. Plenty of names to go down. Maybe, we should also look into Nina''s group. They knew Mizu probably more than me considering I didn''t know about it."


    Eli looked back at the bodies and back at Yune. She was different, but didn''t want to say it. But Eli was sure that she could convince Yune not to go down this dark path. There was still good in her.


    However, a chill ran down her spine. And when she saw Yune, a dark shadow began to cover it. It looked like a Night Demon was about to attack her. The same Night Demon that attacked the orphanage back then. She began to lose control of her own body. Without thinking, Eli began running towards the creature with her katana in front. She yelled, "Yune! Watch out!"


    And without having time to turn back, Eli charged forward. She stabbed straight through the dark mist. And then in an instant, the mist disappeared. And the blade went right through Yune from behind.


    Yune looked at the blade that pierce her. It went straight through her stomach. She didn''t feel it at first. She even poked the blade and felt the blood around her waist. It was so shiny and metallic when the moon reflected the blade with the blood. Drip. Drip.


    "Yune... Yune!" Eli yelled as soon as she realized what she had done. She could have sworn there was a Night Demon behind Yune.


    Then, Eli heard running from the shadows.


    "Who''s there!?" Eli yelled thinking there actually was a Night Demon, but the rapid footsteps went further away. And she couldn''t sense any monster nearby.


    "Why?" Yune asked as her eyes went dark. She began to cough out blood. Eli had no answer. She thought there was a Night Demon, but there clearly wasn''t.


    Eli laid Yune down and sat besides her. As Yune drifted away, it felt a lot more pleasant than she expected.


    "No, No, No. This can''t be happening. Not you, too. Yune, please. Yune, please wake up. Wake u-"


    And that was the last thing that Yune could remember.

 Chapter 82: Back at the Hospital

    Yune remembered. She remembered everything. It all came back to her. And then, she realized where she was. She was back at the hospital room with Eli lying on a bed.


    Eli was clearly older than Yune remembered, but that didn''t matter.


    "Eli... Mizu..." Yune muttered.


    Her mask shattered. Her cloak vanished. Eli saw Yune for what she became, but wasn''t afraid.


    Then, Yune held her hook-blade to Eli''s throat, again.


    "Why? Why did you betray me?" Yune asked, "I don''t understand. Did you think I was so far gone?"


    Eli coughed and replied, "No. Never. I regretted what I did to you all those years ago. I thought there was a Night Demon behind you. It looked as though it was about to attack you, but the next thing I knew it was my blade piercing through you."The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    There was no lie in Eli''s words. And Yune knew that. She pulled away her hook-blade.


    When one of the late-night nurses came inside the room to see what was all the noise, she immediately turned on the lights. There was only Eli there lying on her bed awake. The window was wide open as the breeze came in.


    "Is there something wrong?" Eli asked the nurse.


    "I should be asking you that. I heard some sounds. Everything alright?" the nurse asked politely.


    Eli was silent. At first, she believed that what she saw was just a dream. But there was a feeling in her gut that told her it was real. She smiled at the open window where Yune left from.


    "I''m glad you''re safe, Yune," Eli whispered hoping that it would reach her friend. And it did. Yune was just outside hanging on to the exterior of the building with her hook. Yune heard the footsteps and left before she could be seen.


    Then, Yune leapt off into the night. Her memories returned, but she needed time to think. There was so much emotion in those memories, that she could not hold back tears.


    "Mizu..." Yune muttered once more as she disappeared.

 Chapter 83: Thought

    Yune came back home to seeing Jack just lying on the couch reading one of Mary''s manga.


    "Hey, Yune. You''re back," Jack said as she got herself up.


    Yune noticed that Mary wasn''t there and asked, "Where''s Mary?"


    As soon as she finished answering that question, Mary came up from behind holding a box of pizza.


    "Hi. Didn''t know if you were gonna come back, so I went ahead and brought some food. I heard pizza is pretty good," Mary said.


    Yune didn''t realize that Mary had been following her, and she still didn''t think any different. She was preoccupied with thoughts about what she should do.


    Mary had no plans of telling Jack what she saw. Instead, she told later Jack not to worry about it. She had other plans that she didn''t want interrupted.


    But now, she had to try out this food that she picked up. Mary had no idea how pizza tasted like, but heard it was pretty good from the other students'' descriptions. It was just a regular cheese pizza.


    The three sat down and each took a slice.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Jack went right into it even though it was still hot.


    Mary looked at it strangely and was analyzing it not knowing what it was.


    Yune saw Mary do this and said without any emotion, "Don''t play with your food."


    Mary had never had this kind of food before, but after seeing how Jack ate it, she decided to try it. Then again, Mary thought, since Jack couldn''t feel anything, maybe she couldn''t taste anything, either. Then, she did take a small bite and her eyes lit up like a star. She felt like her mind flung up at the moon and back again. It was the most exhilarating thrill she''s ever experienced. The oil seeped through her teeth and mouth. The delectable cheese that could fill the stomachs of a fully grown man. Then, she started to quickly chow down every bite. Her new favorite food. Cheese pizza.


    Yune stared her food blankly. She stood up without taking a bite.


    "I''m tired. I''m gonna go to bed," Yune said, "Put away the leftovers in the fridge."


    Jack was about to open her mouth to ask what was wrong, but Mary tapped her and shook her head to not bother her. Mary knew that Yune regained her memories from watching her. Although, she didn''t quite know what Yune experienced, she was sure that she needed time to sort through them.


    Mary finished her slice of pizza quickly and then grabbed Yune''s slice and began to eat that.


    Yune sat on her bed and looked around. It was like living at her original home. But she couldn''t see this place as home. Yune put the black coin that dropped from Schmetter and placed it on her small table next to her. Although, she barely knew Schmetter or the Light Guardian she was before, Yune felt like she owed her something for pushing Yune to find Eli.


    She decided to sleep and go through her newfound memories slowly. To her, she experienced them all at once like a bolt of lightning. Now, she just needed time and a good rest.

 Chapter 84: To Investigate Further

    Jack, Mary, and Yune went to school. They went to their respective classes and two of them did what they usually did - Mary slept in the back, while Jack rapidly clicked her pen. Both of them were just waiting to leave. However, Yune who usually did pay attention in class, was different. Today, she didn''t feel like listening. It was pointless, she thought. Then, her anger began to set in as she looked out the window. She spun her pen around while thinking about her original life. She remembered everything, and that made the life she was living now feel so empty.


    And then, she remembered Mizu''s happy face. And then the face she made when she lied dead on the grass. There was a fire burning in Yune''s heart. She couldn''t just wait around at school and act like everything was fine. It wasn''t. She needed answers. She needed to find Mizu''s killer.


    She thought about using however many black coins to make the shopkeeper tell her who killed Mizu, but she didn''t want to use any of Mary''s reserves. Yune felt like it would be a waste, and after spending time with them, she didn''t hate them. However, she also began to doubt whether the feeling was just a ruse - whether she had been feeling this sense of family only because Mary and Jack reminded her of Mizu and Eli respectively. But Yune didn''t know. Nonetheless, she had no desire to hurt them.


    As for Eli, Yune did believe that she was telling the truth. But Yune still needed answers. She wanted to just leave and go to her right now.


    As for Mizu, there were plenty of Light Guardians who could have had a motive. Their team had been stealing kills for a long time, so anybody could have done it. However, she began suspecting the two of her friends. She first thought of Mary, but found that very unlikely considering she was still in the grave. Then, her mind went onto Jack. That seemed more likely.


    The more Yune thought about it, the more she began to believe that Jack may have killed Mizu. Yune knew that Jack was violent and had uncontrollable anger. Also, Jack told her about many times where she killed Light Guardians, though Jack never did go into specifics. Then, there was the scene. It flashed before her and felt like she was there. Unconsciously, she even used that scene as an example to try and cover up Kira''s murder. She didn''t remember the details at the time, but figured that since whoever left Mizu''s body left plenty of clues to indicate it was a Light Guardian, Yune knew, without realizing it, how to cover one up by hiding those same kind of clues.


    However, Yune didn''t want to think about that time. She tried to recollect her thoughts on Mizu. Mizu''s body laid there with a jagged blade wound. The wound itself was cauterized which would indicate that the blade was burning hot. Jack''s flaming machete would probably fit the wound as well as explain the cauterization.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Then, there were the large footprints that could have belonged to a Night Demon. But those footprints were bipedal. And when she remembered Jack''s huge armored body, she thought that those footprints could match. However, she still wasn''t sure.


    There was also a black coin that was left there. Yune didn''t know if it was intentionally left there or not, but it did make her question for just a moment that it could have been a Night Demon. However, that was not the case. She knows that a Light Guardian did it.


    When she thought that Ava and Mia were possible culprits, she immediately killed them and came to regret it later. Although, she barely knew them, as she thought about it, they couldn''t have been the killers. But there was the distinct chance there might be, and she just committed to it. Her anger was just like Jack''s in that moment.


    The more Yune thought about it, the more likely it seemed Jack was the killer, but she couldn''t quite believe that. She needed proof. She needed to be sure. Just as there was a small chance that Ava and Mia did kill Mizu, there was a chance that Jack didn''t kill Mizu. And Yune didn''t want to hurt her after their short time together. She needed proof and confirmation to act on it. She wouldn''t try to jump to conclusions like she did with Ava and Mia.


    When the teacher saw that Yune wasn''t paying attention. He yelled, "Yune, can you answer question five in your textbook!"


    Yune ignored the teacher''s questions. She focused on figuring out whether Jack could have killed Mizu or not.


    But the teacher insisted.


    "Yune, are you listening!? I want you to answer the question."


    The noise began to bother Yune. She couldn''t concentrate on what was important. The scene began to vanish. Her thoughts became muddled.


    "Quiet," Yune muttered and the teacher heard it.


    "What did you say!? Do you want me to call the principal? Just answer the question," the teacher pestered making more noise that bothered Yune even further.


    Then, Yune remembered Mizu and Eli. Mizu on the ground lying dead on the floor. Eli in a hospital bed with tubes keeping her alive.


    Yune closed her ears and muttered, "Stop it."


    But the teacher kept barking. It eventually just turned into white noise that Yune couldn''t understand. The crackling. The incessant nature of it. It annoyed Yune to the very core until she stood up and snapped angrily, "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!"


    Yune''s hand shrouded itself in a misty shadow and was about to conjure her hook and chains. She wanted to throw it at him, but she stopped herself. In that instant, she stopped, and the shadows disappeared without doing anything. She was lucky that nobody saw it. The class was even luckier that Yune was able to control herself. If she hadn''t, she might have turned out like Jack with almost zero control over herself.


    Yune was standing up for a few seconds while the whole classroom went silent. She turned away with a look of heated fury and walked away from the classroom. She would have usually told the teacher that she wasn''t feeling well, but she didn''t care.


    "Hey, where are you going? You can''t talk to your teacher that way," the teacher said furious with her for snapping like that.


    "Don''t push your luck, teach," Yune replied rudely before she slammed the door behind her.


    She left the school without looking back. And without informing Jack or Mary.


    As soon as she was outside the school, she transformed and leapt up to the rooftops. She dashed straight towards the hospital.

 Chapter 85: A Second Talk

    During visiting hours, Yune walked inside in her regular form. She held up a vase of flowers that she stole from a convenience store outside using her hook.


    She went up to the counter and asked, "Hello. I''m here to see Eli."


    "Full name?"


    "Elizabeth Hershey."


    "Really? I didn''t think she had any friends or family. She hasn''t gotten any visitors while I was here," the nurse replied.


    "She was a... childhood friend. I was hoping we could catch up. I heard she was here," Yune said.


    The nurse looked at the teenage girl for a moment and replied, "Shouldn''t you be in class right now?"


    Yune lied, "My teachers know I''m here. They said I can visit during break. Should I come back at another time?"


    If it didn''t work, Yune just thought that she could just break in like last time. But she felt that it would be a nice gesture if she could show up without committing a crime.


    "No. It''s alright," the nurse replied believing the girl, "I think it''d be good for her to get a visit from a friend."


    Then, Yune was escorted to the room where Eli was.


    Eli was looking outside from her bed. It was a nice and sunny day. And when Yune came, the day got even brighter.


    "I''ll leave you two alone," the nurse said, "I''ll come back in a while. Then, you''ll have to leave."


    Yune nodded as Eli still looked outside. Her blonde hair flowed with the wind as the window was wide open.


    "Hi, Yune. I knew last night wasn''t a dream," Eli said quietly as she turned around with a smile. She was hooked up to many machines, but still kept her optimism. Her voice was low and hard to hear, but Yune could understand.


    Yune put the vase down by the side. She had noticed that the picture was still on the table. The frame had been taped back together, but the glass was still shattered.


    "How long has it been?" Yune asked as she sat down right beside Eli.


    "Too long," she replied.


    There was a long silence between them. Neither knew what to say, so Yune decided to just go right into it.


    "What happened to you?" Yune asked.


    Eli sighed, but kept her smile.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Yune continued, "That smile isn''t the same. That''s the one which you use to hide behind."


    "So you knew. You never told me," Eli replied.


    "I guess we both kept secrets. But please tell me what happened."


    She paused not knowing what to say, but considering it was Yune, she was honest, "I developed lung cancer. I don''t really feel much of the pain because of all the pills they give me. Not to mention the machines."


    "Lung cancer? Don''t be ridiculous. You''re too young to get that," Yune said.


    Then, Eli took off her wig made from her own hair.


    "How could you be developing it at such a young age? You''re not even twenty," Yune continued, "Even if you started smoking after I was gone, it still wouldn''t explain it at this age."


    "The doctors don''t know either. Yet here I am," Eli said as she put her wig back on with a small laugh and cough.


    Yune was silent. She didn''t know what to say, but instead continued with another question.


    "So, have you found out who killed Mizu?" Yune asked to change the topic, but Eli knew Yune.


    "I see you haven''t changed. After all this time, you still try to avoid topics and switch them to something else if they make you feel something."


    They fell silent, so Eli continued, "No. I haven''t found out who did it. I was going to continue our investigation, but that''s when I fell ill. My body ached. It was hard to breathe. It wasn''t long until I was admitted to a hospital."


    "How do you pay for it?"


    "Apparently, I''ve been getting donations from anonymous guests. Or at least that''s what the shopkeeper told me when I asked him. Were they from you?"


    Yune shook her head. "No. Maybe, you have a guardian angel."


    "An angel? I doubt it. After what I did to you, I don''t deserve it. Now, that you know what happened to me, I''d like to know what happened to you. When you came yesterday, you felt different. If I couldn''t sense Night Demons, I would have mistaken you for one."


    "Lots have happened. I''ll tell you another time," Yune said not wanting to tell Eli that she did kill her. Eli was curious to know but didn''t push the subject.


    "I guess I''ll just have to keep living until you tell me," Eli replied with a laugh.


    Yune smiled. She still loved Eli like a sister. She felt more like family than the one she decided to make.


    Yune frowned, "Eli, I remember a list. A list of possible suspects."


    Eli replied, "I know."


    "Where is it? Do you still have it?"


    Eli shook her head and replied, "It''s been a long time since I looked at it. But it should still be at the orphanage. Our home."


    Yune nodded her head. She still had plenty she wanted to talk about with Eli, but they would have to wait.


    "I''m sorry, Eli. I''m sorry for what I did. I''m sorry for everything."


    Eli wasn''t sure what Yune was apologizing for, but replied, "You don''t have to apologize. You didn''t do anything wrong."


    But Yune still felt like she was the reason that Mizu was dead. She was also the reason that Ava and Mia died without any reason for it.


    Eli patted Yune on the head and her worries vanished.


    "There, there" Eli said.


    "This is what you used to do with Mizu when she was upset or having a tantrum," Yune replied.


    Eli was silent and continued to pat Yune''s head. Then, Yune relaxed and began to cry next to Eli''s bed.


    "I''m sorry. I''m sorry. I''m the oldest. I''m the one you''re supposed to lean your head on. And I can''t even do that right. You were a much better big sister than I ever was. You still are," Yune cried.


    "I should be the one apologizing. I should have told you about Mizu''s friends. We shouldn''t have kept any secrets. You were only trying to protect us," Eli said while also beginning to tear up, "To protect her. And I shouldn''t have stabbed you in the back. I should have opened my eyes more. I shouldn''t have rushed in like that."


    "Mizu... To me, it feels like yesterday," Yune cried.


    "To me, it still feels like yesterday," Eli replied with tears down her cheeks.


    They both closed their eyes and cried together. Their tears washed away each other''s guilt and sorrow.

 Chapter 86: A Night at the Orphanage

    Yune looked at her phone and saw missed calls and texts from Mary and Jack. They were wondering where she went. But Yune didn''t reply back to them. She shut off her phone and continued forward to find answers. And the answers she was looking for was at her original home. The orphanage. When she got there, it was run-down and abandoned. Lucky for her, that other companies that once tried to demolish it have given up on it. There was a rumor that it was cursed.


    And to Yune''s surprise, she did feel a Night Demon nearby. It must have been hiding inside the orphanage, but she was ready.


    She transformed into her dark guardian self. But this time it was different. She felt a new power surge within her. Chains came out of the ground like tendrils and wrapped around her arms and legs. They bound her together, but Yune didn''t resist. Then, the chains swirled around her and wrapped themselves into spherical cocoon. The chains bound her to the past. They bound her to her family. They bound her to the fact that she hasn''t brought Mizu''s murderer to justice. As long as she binds herself in chains, she will never be free. And then the chains shattered apart, and she was there in her full night guardian outfit. The moonlight gleamed over her armor, chains, and hook. However, her mask was nowhere to be found. Her eyes were still white with black scleras. But she no longer hid her face with a mask.


    She wrapped the chains around her arms and walked forward in search for the proof she hoped not to find. She didn''t remember the exact list of people, and she hoped that she was wrong. But once she found the list of suspects, then she could at least start from there. She just hoped that Jack''s name wasn''t on it. And if it was, she didn''t quite know what to do.


    But she didn''t think about that for now. She just focused on the task at hand. Then, when she looked around the abandoned orphanage, she began to imagine the children running around. She imagined the three of them together. She looked at a nearby window. It was cracked, but she remembered how Mizu tricked them on the first day. The whole experience felt nostalgic. But that feeling would fade away.


    A Night Demon was there watching from the shadows. It''s yellow eyes watched as Yune searched the building. She didn''t remember where she put the list, but it had to be around somewhere. She knew that she didn''t take it with her.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Yune sighed while spinning her hook around her around.


    "Alright. Why don''t you just come out," Yune said as she looked at a corner.


    The Night Demon came out of that corner with a look of surprise. "How did you know I was there?" it asked. The creature looked like a big, black frog with fangs. It had two bulging, yellow eyes.


    "Your eyes glow in the dark. Well, at least you can talk. Since you can, I would recommend you leave," Yune said.


    "I suppose I will. You''re not a Light Guardian, but I can sense you are still strong. I prefer my children to be weak and small. Much more fun to watch them squeal," the creature said as it backed away.


    But when Yune heard that, she quickly threw in her hook without thinking. The creature jumped out of the way and towards Yune.


    "Fool. Now, that you threw your weapon, you are defenseless. Puny and weak. I''ll have much fu-," the creature said right before it got crushed by a series of chains. It wrapped around the monster and strangled it.


    "I don''t have time for this," Yune said. With the flick her wrist, the chains tightened and sharpened themselves. In a mere second, the creature was struggling to break free to being cut into pieces. Then, when each piece fell to the ground, the pieces vanished into a black smoke leaving behind a black coin. Yune grabbed it and held onto it.


    Then, Yune visited the kitchen. This was the last place that she saw Mizu before her death. She was eating a bar of chocolate. Then, Yune went over to their room. There were plenty of beds for the other children when they were around, but the ones that they used with on one side of the wall in the middle. The whole place was filled with dust and cobwebs. There were a couple of mice that made their home on one of the other beds.


    Yune looked through her table and found no list. Then, she checked the one that belonged to Eli. Nothing.


    Then, Yune checked Mizu''s table and there it was. Dusty and old, but still eligible.


    The list contained:


    -Ava Reid


    -Mia Reid


    -Venomion Venomion


    -Mirey Jyle


    -Annie Weldsfield


    -Cainus Jebel


    -Alice Jiren


    -Jacqueline Unique


    -Bojo Jowba


    And when she finished reading that list, her fears came true. It was true. Jacqueline Unique. Jack''s full name. Yune now knew that out of all of the possible Light Guardians nearby that night, Jack was there.


    Yune began to feel angry, but she kept herself in control. She wanted Jack to say it herself. She needed Jack to confess.


    Yune walked home thinking about what she should do. But her mind was only focused on one thing. Revenge.

 Chapter 87: A Choice for Revenge

    Yune walked back home normally. She transformed back to normal. She didn''t want to rush back. She still had a lot of thoughts. She wanted Jack to confess and suffer for it. She was sure that Jack did it. There was so much evidence already pointing to her. The cauterized wound that could have come from her blade. The large footprints. The fact that Jack has been hunting Light Guardians in pursuit of looking for one of them. It was obvious. But Yune still wanted to hear it from her own mouth. ''I killed her'' was all Yune wanted. Nobody would turn out like Schmetter. And even if Jack, who was already a revived Light Guardian, came back as a Night Demon, Yune would have no quarrel with killing her a second time. Or a third. Or however many times, she wanted.


    A shadow came over Yune without her noticing. But the shadow did nothing. Nobody else saw it, but it was there. Always there. Then, it was gone.


    She came up to the house she lived in. She didn''t even consider it as home, anymore.


    And there she saw Mary and Jack breathing heavily as if they were running around. And then they came up on Yune.


    "Where the hell were you!? We''ve been calling and texting," Jack yelled.


    "Hello," Yune said coldly, "Sorry. My phone ran out of battery."


    "Oh, then let me see your phone," Jack said.


    But the tensions were already high as it is.


    "It''s alright. It''s alright," Mary said as she went in between them, "I can''t believe I''m the one doing this. Usually, it''s you, Yune, you who has to get in between fights. Sorry, we were worried that something might have happened to you."


    "Of course nothing happened to me. I was just visiting a friend," Yune replied.


    Mary could think of which friend it was, but didn''t want to say anything.


    "For somebody who is so worried about sticking together, you really know how to actually do it," Jack complained.


    Yune was sick of Jack''s words, but she didn''t show it. Not yet. She couldn''t do anything, yet. Instead, she practiced what she learned from Eli a long time ago. To smile.


    Yune smiled and replied, "I''m sorry, Jack. Won''t happen again. Why don''t I prepare us some grilled cheese sandwiches? That should make it up."


    Jack sighed, "I''m sorry, Yune. I''m sorry I shouted like that."


    "Oh, it''s okay. I would have been worried, too," Yune lied as they went inside the house together. Tasha was there on the couch sleeping.


    "Well, I''m glad that went well. I''ll just go watch my ''Bojo''s Magical Adventures'' while dinner is prepared," Mary said as she ran to turn on the TV. The news was the first thing that played.


    The reporter said in a worrying tone, "A giant lightning storm has been sighted over two cities. On it''s current course, it seems to be heading straight for Janken City. However, our meteorologists can''t seem to figure out why it is moving against the winds and going in a straight line. We urge our viewers to stay indoors when the storm hits. Our source indicate that during the storm many people seem to go missing in those areas. We suspect that the storm may have swept off some people and their bodies just haven''t been found, yet. However, some of our other viewers who were in the storms claimed to have seen some kind of strange shadows within the clou-"


    "Boring," Mary said as she changed it to her magical girl anime.


    She looked for her show on the program and pressed play.


    "Hahahaha! You cannot defeat me, Bojo," one of the villainous female characters said with long blonde hair, "My powers are double that of your usual magical girl."


    "Good grief," Bojo replied, "That may be so, but my powers are triple."


    The main character, Bojo, looked like a Light Guardian or a magical girl with a blue baseball cap.


    "WHAT!!?" the villain exclaimed before Bojo began to punch her.


    "Bobobobobobobobobo!!!" Bojo yelled she repeated to punch the villain.


    Mary watched and commented aloud, "Now, this is entertainment. This is so much better than anything my court jesters could come up with."


    As Mary watched, Yune decided to interrogate Jack.


    "Jack, sit down and relax. I''m sorry for making the two of you run around looking for me," Yune said as she dragged back a seat. One that looked away from the kitchen.


    "Alright. I really am sorry for snapping at you like that. I''ve been trying to keep my anger issues at bay, but clearly it hasn''t been working. Usually I only get that way after I transform, but after thinking that something might have happened to you like Kira, I just began to get angru," Jack said.


    Yune ignored Jack and looked around the cabinets for a pan that would work. Mary was focused on watching her show. Yune then started up the stove and began to cook grilled cheese sandwiches. The smell of toasted cheese glided through the air.


    "I understand. It''s alright," Yune said without trying to smile. Her face was cold and dead.


    Yune continued, "Your full name. What was it again?"


    "Jacqueline Unique. Why do you ask?"


    "No reason. Just wanted to make sure. We are a... family, right?"


    "That''s what you said we are. A family. Which I don''t mind. I don''t mind calling this team a family. We are basically going through the same things," Jack replied.


    "Maybe, not exactly the same. Doesn''t matter. I''ve been remembering some stuff about my past."


    As soon as Mary heard that, she began to listen in to their conversation. She didn''t know where it would lead, but was curious. Yune gave Jack the sandwich on a plate when it was done.


    Jack said, "Oh, good. You remember anything important? This food looks pretty good. I think I''ll dig in."


    "Yeah. I did remember some important stuff. But I''d like to ask you some questions before I go into my own past."The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "Sure. Go right ahead," Jack replied.


    "You told me that you killed other Light Guardians. That you basically hunted them."


    "Yeah. I believed that all of them were in it just to get black coins. I know I''m wrong about that now. People in general are more complex than that."


    "Right. Do you remember any specific ones?"


    "Not really. I remember a couple."


    "Any details about them?"


    "Why are you so curious?" Jack asked as she turned around to see Yune. Yune quickly put up a fake smile. It wasn''t the greatest, and it was a pain to maintain, but Yune needed to keep the appearance of somebody that was friendly.


    "Just wondering. I think a family ought to know more about each other."


    Mary thought Yune''s behavior was strange, but mostly because Yune never really asked her about her life experiences. She felt a little jealous, but thought about sharing some of her stories as well. Although, most of her stories would have been about being a queen. There weren''t many stories where she had to transform and turn into a Light Guardian. She would just make others do the work for her.


    Jack continued thinking that Yune was just being curious. She knew that Yune was more of the thinking type, and thought that there was a good reason for asking.


    "Well, I remember a few of them. Most of the ones in the middle become a little muddled. I definitely remember my first. A Light Guardian with flintlocks. She seemed like a nice girl, but she was more interested in killing Night Demons that saving people."


    Yune didn''t care about that one.


    "Anybody else?" Yune asked. She wanted to hear it. She needed to hear it.


    "Well, as I said, the ones in the middle of my hunting spree got all muddled together. Can''t quite remember specifics. I do remember fighting Anne, Kira, and Nina before, but as you can guess, I didn''t kill them. They actually got me. They''re the ones that put me in the grave. And subsequently got me to become this thing."


    "Is that all you can remember?" Yune asked.


    "Yeah. Sorry. I haven''t thought about keeping a record of who I killed," Jack replied.


    Yune was disappointed, but she was still sure that Jack did it. She was about to cook up another sandwich for Mary. Before Yune put another piece of bread and cheese on the pan, she remembered that Jack was fighting Anne, Kira, and Nina before. That means that Jack was in Jankens City at a point. But Yune was unaware of when they fought. She was going to ask Anne or Nina what day Jack fought them. They probably don''t remember, but Yune would even accept a month or year. If it was at least on the same year, then Yune would be one hundred percent sure. However, Yune never needed to do that to confirm her suspicions.


    Jack continued while chewing her food, "Oh, yeah. Before I fought those three girls, I did fight some other girl who led me to them."


    Yune froze and put the bread away.


    "Really? Was she wearing pink? Or maybe she used some kind of golem powers?"


    Those questions were very specific, Mary thought. Were they related to Yune''s memories, she wondered. However, Jack was too busy enjoying his food to think about why Yune''s questions were that specific.


    "It was dark, but yeah. I think she was able to bring out some kind of rock creature from an orange circle. I remember she even used attacks shouting things like ''Obsidi-"


    That was all Yune needed to hear. She grabbed the still-hot frying pan and hit Jack over the side of her head. Yune was sure. There was no doubt in her mind. No chance of getting it wrong. Jack was referring to Mizu.


    Clang! Jack didn''t feel the blow, but she was pushed away to the side of the wall. She fell to her sides dizzied and confused. She wasn''t sure what happened, but her head was bleeding.


    Mary jumped out of the couch, waking up Tasha in the process.


    Yune dropped the frying pan and walked up to Jack slowly. There was anger and hate burning within her eyes. She couldn''t think straight. But she didn''t need to. Mizu''s killer was right in front of her. She didn''t care for making Jack suffer. Just to kill her and end it.


    Yune transformed in a cocoon of chains. She held up hook-blade and as it swung down to finish off the dizzied Jack, Mary came in between them to stop it.


    Mary transformed, but this time it was different. Red spikes grew around her and she came out of them. She furiously slashed herself out and as she did so, her mask didn''t come with her. She no longer needed it. This time, she didn''t transform to kill. This time, she transformed to protect. She still had her purple eyes and black scleras. She was fast. Faster than the blade dropping down.


    As Yune''s blade was about to strike Jack, Mary''s claws defend her. The clash between the dark red claws and Yune''s almost grey hook-blade sent sparks flying.


    "Get out of the way, Mary. This doesn''t involve you," Yune said.


    "Like hell it does. Now, I''m surprised that I have to try and breakup a fight twice in one afternoon. Never thought I''d see the day where I wouldn''t want to see my vassals fight between each other," Mary said.


    "You talk too much, Mary. I won''t hurt you. I don''t have any problem with you. You even decided to go out of your way to go in between us. I didn''t expect you to do that, so I feel you really are improving yourself," Yune replied, "But her! She doesn''t deserve to live after what she did!"


    Jack began to stand up slowly as Mary and Yune were in the middle of a clash. Jack didn''t understand why Yune would want to fight her.


    "Why, Yune? Was it because... did I do something that upset you? Did I kill you in my previous life?" Jack asked.


    "Don''t flatter yourself. I wouldn''t mind getting killed. But you''re nothing but a monster. And I''ll put you down for what you did," Yune said before a series of chains began to surround Jack. But the chains didn''t reach her.


    Tasha grew out just as many, if not more, tendrils to hold the chains back from Jack.


    "Even you, Tasha?" Yune asked, "I do admit that I would have killed you if Jack didn''t say otherwise. But after meeting Schmetter, I don''t want to hurt you either."


    "Then, why, Yune? This isn''t like you?" Jack asked as blood was still seeping out. She began to get a heavy headache. She couldn''t even concentrate hard enough to transform into her guardian form.


    Mary pushed Yune back.


    "Talk, Yune. I know you got your memories back," Mary said as she was ready to protect Jack. She did feel like she owed her life to both Jack and Yune. They did come back for her, but she didn''t think she''d ever get into a situation where she had to protect one from the other.


    "Talk, huh? Is that what you want to do, Mary? Jack? Jacqueline Unique? You didn''t kill me, but you might as well have. You''re the reason our life got so damn distorted," Yune said as she tried to hold her head together. She was thinking of a way to kill Jack without getting Mary or Tasha hurt. But her chains were all tied up and Mary was fast enough to parry her hook.


    And Jack just looked in confusion. She had no idea what Yune lost nor know how she was the reason for it.


    Mary said, "Yune, I''m sure we all have had our differences. But you were the most adamant about us being together. And, like you put it before, we''re a family."


    "NO! We are not! We are not a family!" Yune yelled angrily, "I just wanted a family. All I had was a void in my heart that I thought that I could fill with the two of you. But neither of you can fill that hole. Nobody can! Even though I didn''t remember it at the time, I subconsciously wanted a semblance of a life I had before. But, Jack, you killed any chance of that. You killed Mizu. I''ll never forgive you for that."


    "Mizu?" Mary and Jack asked. Mary heard that name before as she was following Yune. She was aware of Yune''s meeting with Eli, and listened in from outside.


    "Why did you do it, Jack?" Yune asked as tears began to flow down her cheeks. Her arms and legs were trembling, but she was still quite furious.


    "I..." Jack began to speak, but she had no answer. Jack killed Light Guardians because she thought that all of them were just as rotten as Night Demons. Now, that she knew better, she had no answer. And Yune knew exactly what Jack thought. There was no answer. Mizu''s death was pointless and had no meaning. It was just a random act of violence committed by a Light Guardian who couldn''t control her own rage.


    Yune saw that there was no point in arguing, but she didn''t want to hurt Mary or Tasha.


    When Yune looked at Mary, she really did see somebody who was improving as a person. If it was the same Mary she first met, she would never have gotten between them. She would have let the two of them fight and kill each other for her own entertainment. But Mary didn''t do that. She stopped the fight because she really did believe in being a family.


    She transformed back into her regular human form. There were no more tears. Just anger and hate. Jack saw those same eyes before. The same eyes as Anne.


    Yune walked away from the house as Mary, Jack, and Tasha watched her.


    "Where are you going, Yune?" Mary asked as Yune opened the door outside. Rain had just began to set in.


    Yune looked back with darkened eyes. She felt only hate and anger. She directed it at Jack. And now, she directed it towards the world in general, as well.


    "We''re not a family. My family is dead," Yune muttered just before transforming once more from a cocoon of chains. Mary thought that she was going to try and attack again, but the attack didn''t come. Yune leapt away into the shadows.


    Yune wouldn''t have minded staying with Mary. But the thought of sharing the same bedroom with Jack was disgusting and horrid. And so, she left.

 Chapter 88: Jack and Marys Search

    After Yune left, Mary called in the shopkeeper to heal Jack''s wounds. Yune was too far gone for the two of them to search, and even if they did find her, neither of them were sure that they could even convince her to come back.


    Jack didn''t personally know Mizu, and Mary barely knew anything about Yune''s life.


    However, Jack still continued to look for Annie with Mary''s help.


    "You sure you want to keep searching? We''ve been asking around for a long time. And by we, I mean me," Mary complained.


    Jack sighed, "Let''s just ask this local hardware store first. Then, we can just go home. I don''t really feel like doing this right now, anyways."


    "Yeah. Ever since Yune left, the team hasn''t really felt the same," Mary replied.


    Jack didn''t think highely of Mary, but after seeing her protect Jack, she had a different opinion. It didn''t feel like it was something Mary would do. So, Jack decided to test her to see if she had indeed changed. She put her expectations, low, though. She may have just protected Jack since she could have plans in using her.


    "When you go in there, I want you to threaten the guy," Jack said, "Also, if he doesn''t give you information, cut off his hands."


    "What!?" Mary exclaimed, "What is with you? Why would I do that?"


    "Yune was right when she said that you were improving. You really are getting something of a conscious. If it had been the old you when we first met, you wouldn''t even think twice about threatening some random guy. You might have actually got a bit of a kick at hurting him."


    "Was that supposed to be an out-of-season April fools joke? Or was that supposed to be mocking? I can''t tell," Mary said confused, "Nevermind. Let''s just go."


    Mary didn''t believe that something within her was different. She always felt a pride in being a queen, but now that she isn''t one, she didn''t really have much of a superiority complex anymore. She began to think of others as human beings. Nonetheless, Mary was insulted that Jack insinuated that she couldn''t threaten somebody. She had done it plenty of times before.


    Mary and Jack entered the small hardware store. The place sold basic equipment and paints, so Jack thought that Annie might have visited.


    Mary went up to the counter and rudely asked the clerk, "Hey, punk. Have you seen any teenagers come by here? Preferably a blonde one. Would have gone by Annie, probably."


    Mary''s eyes went black and purple, and the clerk answered honestly, "No. I haven''t"


    "You better be telling the truth, or I''ll cut yer arms off. Ahh, who am I kidding? Of course, you''re telling the truth. Alright. Thanks, anyways," Mary said.


    "See, I can threaten people just fine," Mary said to Jack.


    "Yeah. Nice threats," Jack replied sarcastically.


    "What? You didn''t think that was good enough. Watch this," Mary replied. She pointed to a random stranger in the room wearing an old leather jacket and yelled at him, "Hey, you! Your jacket sucks!"


    Then, the man muttered, "My jacket?"


    And then he began to tear up.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Wait. I''m sorry. Don''t cry," Mary said compassionately.


    And while Mary was trying to apologize to the random stranger, the clerk asked the two girls, "Hey. Would you like to pick up some more supplies?"


    "No. We''re not here to pick up supplies," Mary replied.


    But Jack looked back at the clerk confused. There was a strange word included in that question, Jack thought.


    "What do you mean ''more''?" Jack asked.


    "Well, you are a regular. I got some more paints and hardwood that you could use," he replied.


    "I don''t understand. We haven''t even met before."


    "Really? I''m sure we have. There''s not many girls that look like you."


    Mary stood up to defend Jack, "Hey! Don''t try to insult my pal just because she''s super tall and scary!"


    "Thanks, Mary," Jack replied sarcastically.


    "No problem."


    "Oh, I wasn''t trying to insult anybody," the clerk replied, "But I know it was you. Unless you have a twin or something."


    "What was ''I'' doing here?" Jack asked. It seemed strange that there was another girl who looked like her picking up supplies. Paints and hardwood.


    "Well, you came and bought whole piles of paints, hardwood, nails, and a bunch of other stuff like wires. You didn''t really talk much, though," the clerk replied.


    "Mary, ask him some more details. I want to make sure he''s telling the truth about it," Jack whispered.


    "Gotcha. Hey, Paint-boy, were you telling the truth? Are you certain it was this girl?" Mary asked.


    "Yes. I was almost a hundred percent sure. But I guess I was wrong. Sorry to have disturbed you," the clerk replied.


    Jack then tapped Mary and whispered, "Ask him if he knows where we can find this other ''me''."


    "Do you know where we can find this doppelganger? Or maybe somebody who knows where we can find her?"


    "No. Sorry. She picked up the materials herself. She took all the supplies in both arms and walked straight out. I asked her if I could help, but she shook her head every time. I don''t even remember which direction she went towards. She came in lots to pick up more, but I never really checked where she went."


    Jack nodded and thanked the clerk. They both left the small hardware store.


    "I think we''ve been looking at this wrong," Jack said.


    "Yeah. I didn''t know you bought so much junk. I hope you haven''t been spending my black coins on them," Mary complained.


    "What? No. I''m saying that we''ve been asking the wrong questions. We should be looking for somebody that looks like me. I don''t know how, but it looks like Annie was able to make a copy of me," Jack replied.


    "A copy? Do you think she made like some kind of android or something like on the TV shows?" Mary asked.


    "I don''t know. Probably just somebody that Annie found that might look like me. Annie''s powers included shooting lasers and that was all. But then again, her signature was on that creature that I found. She may have found some way to make her own demons, so if that''s the case, I don''t know what she''s capable of," Jack said.


    "Sure. But we haven''t come across any other creatures that had a signature. And you were the only one who saw it."


    Jack looked at her angry thinking that Mary didn''t believe her, but Mary continued, "Don''t worry. I believe that you saw what you saw. A lot of strange things have been happening, anyways. First, the three of us come back from the dead. Next, Night Demons have grown something of a mind since our arrival, and we even keep one as a pet. I wouldn''t put it past us if we found a Light Guardian who could do all the things you suggest."


    "You''re right. The world has changed after we came back. It''s like everything around us is changing because of us."


    "And I thought I was so self-centered. But, I do think you''re right. When we find this Annie, do you think we''ll need help. From what you''ve told me, she sounds like a long-range fighter. Yune would be helpful against somebody that prefers to fight long-range. She could use her chains to make sure she doesn''t try to get far."


    Jack thought about it, but she doubted that Yune would help her. Although Jack didn''t know how much damage she caused to Yune in the past, she still felt sorry for what she did. However, Yune would rather accept Jack''s body in pieces rather than an apology.


    "No. We can''t rely on her," Jack said, "We''ll have to fight as a team of two. We should be fine."


    "If you say so. I just hope she''s safe. I always felt like she was a better mother than my own," Mary replied.


    "Let''s go home. We''ll pick up some pizza on the way back," Jack said. Upon hearing the word "pizza", Mary began to jump up in excitement. And as they walked, all Mary could think of was getting pizza.


    Meanwhile, Jack thought that they finally found something that could lead them to Annie. Somebody that looked like herself, she thought.


    They worried about Yune, but they couldn''t do anything about it. All they could do was hope that Yune was safe, but they were sure that she didn''t feel the same about Jack.


    They continued forward clinging to whatever hope they have.

 Chapter 89: Yunes Penance

    Yune sat alone on a train going nowhere at all. She was unsure of what to do. Mizu was dead. Eli was hospitalized. She was basically a zombie. While she sat alone, there were two other guys just talking with each other. They were well-dressed and strong-built. Yune just listened in.


    "Yeah, man. She''s so annoying. Might just end it with her," one of them said.


    "Really? Then, you wouldn''t mind if I take her for a while one of these nights," the other replied.


    "Sure. sure. Not like she''s very smart either. Always talking about some new purse or clothes. All these women want is money, anyways."


    "I know the feeling. After we finish dealing with the old man and get the money, we should go get some drinks at one of the clubs nearby. Heard there were some pretty women in that section. Might get your mind off things."


    They laughed as if it was a joke. Yune couldn''t stand it. Why were people like them still alive, when innocent people suffered? She didn''t know why, but she couldn''t keep listening. She stood up and confronted them.


    Yune said with only a cold feeling inside her gut, "Why are you able to enjoy yourselves? Why are you able to live so freely?"


    The two guys looked at each other confused.


    "You know this kid?" one asked the other completely ignoring Yune.


    Yune''s eyes turned white with black scleras. In a blink of an eye, she transformed with a barrage of chains. The other two froze in shock as the girl they were looking at transformed into something dark. Something sinister. She even kept the mask on.


    Yune held her hook high and struck down against one of them. He didn''t even feel a thing as his brain splattered across the seat and windows. The other shot up with a scream. He quickly reacted by taking out a switch-knife to defend himself.


    Yune kept striking at the already dead man with cold, dead eyes.


    The other man didn''t know what was happening. All he could think of was that he faced a monster. Then, Yune looked right at the other man''s eyes. Her white irises. Her black scleras. They gave off an aura of fear and death. Her white armor was shrouded within a shroud of black.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The man screamed as he tried to defend himself. He tried to stab the monster he saw before him, but when the knife hit her, it broke in two. And right before he could bring back his arm, the girl grabbed it. With one flick of her wrist, chains slithered onto the man''s arm and constricted it. He screamed, but there was no one else on that train-car.


    Then, Yune let go of his arm. Not because she felt remorse, but she didn''t want this to end. She wanted to feel something. Anything. And she thought she would feel better by getting rid of these two scumbags.


    The train came to stop and the man ran. There was nobody outside. He ran as fast as he could, and tried to hold his arm together at the same time.


    But Yune didn''t need to give chase. She walked right outside and spun her hook around her hand. Then, as the man was running away, Yune threw in her hook. It hooked straight into his calf. Yune pulled him back dragging him on the floor as he screamed. But nobody would hear his screams. And even if they did, Yune didn''t think anybody would or could do anything.


    Then, when Yune was right on top of him, he begged and pleaded for his life.


    "Please. Please. Don''t kill me," he begged.


    "Why were scum like you allowed to live?"


    "Please... I don''t want to die."


    "Your begging disgusts me."


    "You can''t do this to me. I''m a member of the Dragon Kaiser Gang. You can''t do this to me!"


    Yune''s chains moved without her even needing to. They wrapped themselves around the man''s neck and choked him. The sound of his chokes and gargling were abhorrent. But Yune didn''t care. When it was over, all Yune said was, "Why are scum like you allowed to live? Why are scum like me allowed to live? Why isn''t Mizu alive? Why couldn''t Mizu be alive instead of me?"


    Yune hated everything around her. She walked away with no hurry and transformed back into her normal self while nobody was around.


    She walked into the busy streets. The blood that was on her disappeared as with her transformation. As she looked around and saw all of the people ignoring everybody else, she began to hate them all. She hated Jack for taking away Mizu. She hated the world and fate for allowing Mizu to die a pointless death. And most of all, she hated herself the most. She looked at a reflection of herself in one of the glass panes and saw a monster. A cold-blooded creature no different than a Night Demon.


    And she walked away not caring about the two people she killed, but she did have a thought. She remembered the man giving her the name of the gang he belonged to. The Dragon Kaiser Gang. She thought it would be worth finding out more about this gang and putting them all in their place. She didn''t care about hunting Night Demons. She cared about hunting monsters. Humans. Light Guardians. Night Demons. They could all be monsters.

 Chapter 90: Gang Fight

    Yune found another member of the Dragon Kaiser Gang and threatened him to find out where they hid. However, it wasn''t too hard. They actually maintained a business as a front. And it was flashy one at that. Their main headquarters was a large skyscraper near the middle of Janken City. It was like they owned the city. She also learned that this gang was the primary dealer of drugs, prostitutes, and weapons to all of the other gangs. There were others, but Yune was only concerned about the big target. They were powerful enough to control the city, but Yune bet that they wouldn''t be able to handle her.


    She was already transformed and in her black cloak as she strutted towards the front of the building. The gate was heavily guarded, but Yune didn''t care. She could have sneaked in, but she was confident that they couldn''t stop her anyways. She didn''t think their bullets would even harm her. And she wanted to have some fun in breaking down people she didn''t deem worthy enough to live. People who made their livelihood making others suffer.


    When she came up, two of the guards held out their hand to stop her. They held just normal pistols and wore fancy suits, but Yune was sure that they had more powerful weapons inside.


    "Stop right there. State your business," the guard said. There were others posted along the sides who watched. They were all on edge as they saw this hooded being approach, but they just assumed it was just some beggar wanting some change. They were wrong. The cloak hid Yune''s face which was covered by a mask.


    In less than a second, a barrage of chains came out from under the cloak. They came out like tendrils and tentacles. When the guards went for their guns, they were too late to defend themselves. The chains slashed, choked, maimed, and ravaged the group of guards like dolls.


    Then, from inside the building, some of the guards saw his friends being attacked. They weren''t aware of Light Guardians or Night Demons, but even if it was a monster, they prepared to fight without any fear or hesitation. They were trained soldiers.


    Yune threw away her cloak and it vanished in the air. She charged in with her chains and hook-blade fighting her way through the guards. She dashed with a furious frenzy. None of the other guards could stop her. She entered the building and made her way to the top. She knew that was where their boss was located. The guards called for backup. They sent in more heavily-armed soldiers, but their tactics and weaponry was no match for Yune''s innate powers. She was a monster on a rampage. She continued to break, maim, and kill those who worked for this gang without mercy.


    The shots were being deflected by Yune''s arsenal of chains. And those that did hit Yune barely left a scratch on her. Then, one of the shots came and hit straight towards Yune''s mask. It collided shattering the mask in half. Yune was stunned for that one second as she put her hand above her face. The guards took this chance to fire, but each shot would just get deflected away by the chains even without Yune looking. It was as if they had a mind of their own.


    Then, Yune looked straight at the guards with one eye. One cold and dead eye. The white iris stared straight into their souls. And it reflected nothing but a chill within themselves. At that moment, the soldiers were stunned themselves. They weren''t fighting some other gang or a drug addict, but a monster. Then, with only half a mask, Yune smiled with glee. She was excited to be able to make people who made others suffer suffer themselves.


    Then, the shots kept going. They kept firing, but nothing would reach her. The chains even began to deflect the bullets back the guards. Then, Yune began to walk forward slowly, and all the other guards could do was walk back.


    Yune peeled off her mask slowly like a scab. Then, she completely took it off for everybody to see her face. The face of a normal girl. A monster.


    They kept firing and firing, but there was nothing they could do. Sirens began to blare outside, so Yune hurried. She had no desire to hurt police officers who to her seemed, for the most part, honest and good. Her smile faded as she went faster up the building. She maintained a cold expression as she was faster and more efficient, but still maintained a level of bloodlust within herself. All she could think of while she murdered and killed was ''Why are we alive? Why are you alive? Why am I alive?''.


    Then, she finally did reach the top. It was a nice and comfortable apartment. There was only one more guard left who fired everything he had left in his gun. He panicked and begged, "Get away from me! Get away from me!"


    He kept firing until he ran out of bullets, and when he tried to reload, Yune threw her hook straight into eye, and then proceeded to yank it out along with his nose. Then, her chains held him by his throat and threw him against what seemed to be the last door crashing it open. Yune walked over the body without feeling any remorse for any of them. But she wasn''t quite at the end just yet. It was  a large room. A lavish apartment filled with the finest works and decorations.


    There was one girl there. She looked to be around eighteen or so, Yune thought. She blocked the entrance to one last door which looked like it was made of pure steel. Nothing that Yune couldn''t handle. She wore a black kimono and high heels. And she stood her ground confidently.


    "So, you''re the one causing all this trouble," the girl said with a devious smile.


    "Let me guess. You''re a Light Guardian," Yune replied coldly.


    "That''s right. My name is Mirey Jyle. I''m like you."


    "I doubt you''re like me. For a Light Guardian who is supposed to protect people from monsters, you really chose the wrong profession."The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "You''re not the first Light Guardian to come here with such thoughts. Although, you are the first to cause such a violent scene. Your whole body is covered in grime and blood."


    "Get out of my way, Mirey."


    "I don''t think you''re here because of some wild notion of justice. Were you hired by a rival gang? Or perhaps an up and coming member? You know, I''m sure my fath- I mean the boss - wouldn''t mind hiring you. Whoever is paying you, I''m sure we can pay double."


    "I''m not getting paid. I''m not some mercenary who''d do this for a paycheck. I came here because your people cause too much harm in this world."


    As Yune spoke to the girl, she noticed some snakes crawling through the ducts and holes within the room. She wondered whether this was Mirey''s abilities, but she wasn''t sure. It was like she was the one who didn''t notice them.


    "You are a strange one. You killed so many of our men, yet you think you''re so high and mighty. Talk about a hypocrite."


    Upon hearing those words and thinking that she was preparing to strike with snakes, Yune snapped, "Enough talk."


    Yune threw in her hook, but Mirey was ready for it. The room was large enough for the two of them to fight on equal terms. She jumped back and conjured an assault rifle with a happy face attached to it''s side. When she did that, Yune realized that the snakes weren''t her ability, but something else entirely.


    She began firing as she jumped away. Yune tried to deflect the shots, but they were too fast for her chains to react. She ran to take cover and as she did, one bullet grazed right by her right shoulder. It left a stinging sensation. The bullets were enhanced magically. They were faster and stronger than the usual projectile. Yune needed to close the distance. She carefully moved the chains around the room to lay a trap.


    She charged forward trying to dodge and deflect as many bullets as she could. Mirey was also cautious. She watched around and noticed the chains and shot at those she saw coming too close.


    Mirey then conjured an entire row of assault rifles above her all aimed at Yune.


    All Yune could do was defend herself. She created a shield around her made of chains. The bullets fired, but they couldn''t penetrate through the chains. However, there were so many bullets that some got through holes and openings. They pierced through Yune''s left foot, but she ignored the pain. It was nothing that couldn''t be fixed.


    Mirey taunted her, "As I said, you''re not the first. And I''m sure you won''t be the last. However, I do like your style. You sure you don''t want a job? I wouldn''t mind working with you. We could be partners."


    "I would rather die than be partners with shills."


    "I thought you''d say that," Mirey said before conjuring an RPG. She shot one rocket straight at Yune''s chain shield. The chains broke apart and Yune was pushed back as more bullets fired by her. Yune threw in her hook, but it passed right by Mirey. The constant barrage of bullets continued, but she was resilient. She used her chains to protect herself as best as she could do.


    "You missed? What a lousy shot," Mirey said as she conjured a sniper rifle.


    The hook bounced around the room behind Mirey and left a trail of chains. Then, the hook was about to come right at Mirey from behind. But she then thought about it. She thought that Yune intentionally threw in the hook from behind. She looked back and fired the sniper right at the hook flinging it away.


    "Hah! You can''t fool me tha-" Mirey said before she was tripped up by a trail of chains underneath her feet. Yune had made Mirey focus on her shield of chains before that she didn''t realize the small string of chains that circled behind Yune and back until they reached her.


    And then with a flick of Yune''s wrist, she was able to take control of the hook as if it was a part of her just like with the rest of the chains. The whole room began to become enveloped in a web of chains.


    And Mirey''s feet were already tangled.


    "I''ll end this quickly. If you decide to come back as a Night Demon or whatever I am, I''ll kill you again," Yune said.


    However, Mirey didn''t admit defeat. Far from it. There was a sly smile as she conjured an entire arsenal of assault rifles, pistols, and rocket launchers around herself.


    "You have your shield. I have mine albeit far more destructive," Mirey said as she began to fire everything, "Daddy''s probably going to punish me for destroying this place, but it''s already destroyed anyways."


    Yune tried to take cover and dodge the bullets and explosions, but there were so many of them. Bullets flied around without any direction. Rockets flung around the room destroying everything in her path. The chains were pushed away and began to lose their integrity.


    And with a few more bullets, the chains began to snap and break apart. Yune was thrown back with bullet holes in her arms, legs, and abdomen. She spit out blood. I lost, Yune thought to herself.


    The broken chains and hook-blade fell to the ground vanishing into a dark mist.


    When Yune opened her eyes, she looked at Mirey holding up an assault rifle to her face. Mirey smiled victoriously and said, "That was fun. Although, completely avoidable."


    Yune breathed heavily with one eye open. Her black and white eyes stared back at Mirey. But she couldn''t speak.


    "Well, I guess this is where we part wa-" Mirey said just before getting bit by a snake on the neck, "Ow."


    And then Mirey began to get a headache. The snake injected a vial of venom into her, but it wasn''t enough to kill her. But when she looked back a whole army of snakes began to bite into her injecting more venom. She fired a shot, but it only grazed Yune''s head. And without any resistance, Mirey''s gun vanished and she fell.


    Yune watched as it happened. She saw those snakes before but thought they were a part of Mirey''s powers, but now it seemed like she was saved by them. Yune tried to lift herself up, but she needed help from the bullet holes. Blood began to ooze out when she moved. And when she looked up, she saw a Light Guardian. The snakes went back up the guardian''s robes and yelled extravagantly, "Victory! Another win for the greatest Light Guardian in the universe, Venomion!"


    She wore a green hood and robes. Snakes slithered out of her arms and hissed in celebration. She began to cheer for herself. She looked to be like a middle-school student, but acted like an elementary school one.


    And then Yune coughed out another litre of blood.


    "Oh, right. Shopkeeper. Shopkeeper. Shopkeeper. Come and be graced by my call!" she yelled.


    The shopkeeper appeared and said, "What a mess..."


    The girl replied, "Wasn''t me this time. Anyways, use one of my saved black coins to heal this girl."


    The shopkeeper looked at the dying Yune and nodded. Then, all of the holes healed themselves and she felt better in seconds.


    "Now, if that is all, I''ll be going," the shopkeeper said just before he vanished.


    "Bye-bye," she said in a cheerful manner.


    Yune stood up feeling around herself to check for any other wounds, but they were all gone. She looked at the girl confused as to why she saved her.


    "Who are you?" Yune asked.


    "What a silly question. I''m the greatest Light Guardian to have ever lived! I am the great Venomion!," she yelled cheerfully.

 Chapter 91: The Great Venomion

    And when Yune heard that name, Venomion, the only thing she could say was, "Never heard of you."


    And Venomion was stunned and astonished as she replied, "What!? You must be mistaken! I''m famous from all around taking odd jobs and facing the most dangerous Night Demons around. I am the great Venomion! The strongest and best Light Guardian to ever face the earth."


    "Right. Of course. How could I forget?," Yune replied coldly just wanting that conversation to end. Venomion was eccentric and child-like, but Yune didn''t mind. She was fond of those characteristics. Yune checked up on Mirey, and she didn''t seem to have a pulse.


    "You killed her," Yune mentioned.


    "Did I? Well, no matter. She was a villainous fiend. A real pain. Although, I thought my snake''s venom was just going to paralyze her," she replied.


    Yune ignored her and walked up to the steel door. It was a panic room. Yune conjured another set of hook and chains. She tried to wrap around the door, but something was creating a magnetic field. Her chains would spark and be reflected off the surface. Yune tried to open the door with her strength, but it was no use.


    Venomion spoke, "You won''t be able to open it even if you have Light Guardian powers. Mirey, along with her abilities to get out whatever gun she wishes to use, can also enhance or enchant stuff. She could make a regular gun shoot the same kind of projectiles she would normally use. In this case, she used her powers before the fight began to strengthen that metal box."


    Yune sighed, "You got any ideas?"


    "I do," she replied with a smile as she sent in some more snakes. They squeezed and slipped through the small cracks within the metal room. They squirmed inside the locking mechanism and began messing around.


    Yune asked questions to Venomion while her snakes were doing work.


    "So, Venomion, was it? Why are you here?"


    "I''ve been watching this gang for some time planning meticulously on breaking into the boss''s quarters. I was planning on getting rid of the boss of the Kaiser Dragon Gang. My biggest obstacle was Mirey, but you were an excellent diversion."


    "Doesn''t sound like normal Light Guardian activities. Shouldn''t you be fighting Night Demons or something?"


    "I could be asking you the same. Yet, here we both are. And before you ask, no - I was not hired by a rival gang. I have some integrity as a guardian for hire."


    "Guardian for hire?"


    "Oh, it''s not like my clients know that I''m a Light Guardian. Just that I get the job done. Sometimes I get paid to help a woman with her groceries. Sometimes, it''s to assassinate a low-life thug. All depends. But one thing for certain is that I don''t do it for free. And my prices vary depending on the person."


    Yune never heard of a Light Guardian doing work like that. It was strange for her to hear such a thing existed.


    Venomion continued pridefully, "Well, as I said, I wasn''t hired for this one. This one is a Night Demon hunt."


    "Night Demon? I don''t sense any."


    "I know. Neither did I, but I saw it with my own two eyes including those of my snakes''. Let me explain it in full detail."Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Yune didn''t feel like listening to the specific, but she didn''t have much of a choice. The metal door was locked and enchanted by some kind of magic.


    Venomion coughed and spoke like she was telling a tale, "I saw it as clear as day, although it was night. There I was eating a submarine sandwich outside on a nearby rooftop, and all of a sudden I saw a spider the size of my hand. It stared right at me. However, knowing how brave I am, I quickly jumped back with barely a scream. Just a little bit of a scream, really. Nothing that would wake up the neighbors. And then the spider jumped back in response, but as I looked closer, it was more than just a spider. It''s body looked like it was made of blackened bird bones. The creature had something like a mask for a head. Half of it white while the other black. It looked to have no eyes, but I could tell it was looking right at me. Then, the creature opened it''s mouth which separated the mask into it''s two separate colors. It revealed multiple lizard-like tongues with rows of teeth. It was not a normal spider to say the least. That''s when it tried to jump at me. It went straight for my face. Luckily, I was able to transform in time. My snakes protected me, and before I knew it, the creature fled as soon it saw me as a threat. It was smart to do so because I am the strongest Light Guardian around. Anyways, more the point, my snakes and I chased it around in circles. That was until it found somebody it could latch onto. It jumped onto a man''s face just having a nice dinner outside. Nobody else saw it, but me and the poor unfortunate man. The spider burrowed it''s way underneath the man''s eye. He screamed for people to help and his guards showed up, but then he became silent. He became as calm as anybody else. And when I jumped in to try and get the spider out of him, his guards attacked me. They weren''t much of a problem, but then Mirey came. I barely got out of there. Ever since, I''ve been watching that man. He was the boss of this prestigious gang, which you turned into a bloodbath. I planned to try and sneak in, but then you came along. You just walked right up to the building and attacked. I thought you were crazy, but I saw it as a chance. Then, you reached Mirey and we both know what happened there. I watched your battle, and decided to help you out. A little thanks for getting me this far."


    "So, you said that there was a Night Demon inside the gang boss. You plan on just getting rid of the monster? Nothing more?" Yune asked. Venomion didn''t seem like a bad person. Yune could believe that there was a Night Demon involved even if you couldn''t sense it. She was unable to detect Tasha the first time they went after it. But Yune wanted to know whether Venomion would try to stop Yune from killing any more people, but it didn''t look like that. If she wanted to stop Yune, then she wouldn''t have used a black coin to heal her.


    Venomion was a nice person. But she was greedy. She liked money and all the material things she could get with it. However, that didn''t mean that she was without morals. If she felt like she owed somebody, then she would immediately try to owe that person back. That was what she felt when Yune fought Mirey even though that they have never met before.


    "Well, this guy is a real piece of trash. I''ve done my research on this gang and even before this spider entered inside him, their gang has been doing a lot of damage to poor folk. However, ever since that spider entered inside his head, the gang has been increasingly violent," Venomion said.


    "When did this spider get inside of him?" Yune asked.


    "Around a month ago."


    "A month? And you didn''t do anything about it in that time?" Yune exclaimed.


    "I wish I could have, but all I''ve been able to do was watch at a safe distance until today. As I said, Mirey was the biggest issue, but those two were very close. They''re daughter and father after all. However, I don''t get the appeal."


    Venomion stared straight at Yune''s black and white eyes. She didn''t think there was anything strange about it. She just thought it was part of her transformation - purely cosmetic.


    Then Venomion continued, "If you do plan on killing him, I won''t stand in your way. It might make the world a better place without him, anyways. Night Demons. Criminals. All the same to me. It feels like justice what you did. Although, your methods are very much brutish."


    "Night Demons. Criminals and, generally, Humans. Even Light Guardians. I''ve begun to realize that they aren''t so different from each other," Yune replied.


    "Then, we can both agree to that," Venomion said.


    Yune felt a connection with Venomion. It was like they were similar. However, their main difference was that Venomion was motivated by money. Yune''s motivations was that she felt like the world betrayed her for killing Mizu. And all she could think about was getting back at the world.


    Then, as Yune was about to ask another question, the locks on the door sprung open.


    "Ahh. There we go. My lovely snakes never let me down," Venomion said.

 Chapter 92: A Little Spider

    Yune went first and pushed the door open. When she did that, gunshots began to fire from inside the room. Two men were in front of who seemed to be the boss. The two men fired their guns, but Yune''s chains were too quick. She deflected the bullets. And then Venomion''s snakes dropped from above and bit the two men on the back of their necks. They injected their venom and they fell to the ground.


    "Do you have any idea who you''re messing with?," the boss said. He was a middle-aged man with a mustache. He wore a fancy suit holding a cup of expensive wine. He drank it calmly.


    Yune dashed forward and held her hook-blade to the man''s throat cutting the drink in two as she did. Then, Yune thought to herself why men like him who lived in luxury didn''t suffer. She was angry and emenated an aura of fear. She looked straight at the man, but he didn''t look scared at all. His life was about to end, but as he stared death, he wasn''t afraid.


    "You should beg. I might spare your life. Maybe, if I see groveling like a dog, I may let you live," Yune threatened as Venomion just watched with her arms crossed.


    Venomion didn''t care whether the gang boss lived or not. If Yune wouldn''t do it, then she would have. Neither of them could care less about some guy who makes his living off of making others suffer.


    Then the boss said, "Go on, then. Kill me. I will not beg to a monster. You''ve already made up your mind when you slaughtered your way up here."


    Then, Yune thought to herself why men like him who lived in luxury didn''t suffer. She was angry and emanated an aura of fear. She clenched her teeth, but the boss wouldn''t tremble. He just sat there as the hook-blade touched his throat. It even began to draw blood.


    Then, Yune sighed, "Even your daughter put up a fight. You''re a disappointment."


    "My daughter was valuable to me. I am aware of her gifts like yours. But like you, she is just a weapon. Nothing more."


    "You don''t even have the good will of being a loving father. You really are just a piece of garbage," Yune replied.


    Then, Yune decapitated the him in one swift blow. The body dropped to the ground with the head falling on the opposite side.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    And when Venomion went to investigate the head, it''s eyeball began to squirm around. A spider-like creature jumped out and lunged straight at Venomion.


    However, she was quick. Without any resistance, she took out her palm and smashed it. Then, she stood up and stomped it a couple more times.


    "Well, that''s that. Another victory for the great Venomion!" she cheered.


    "Right," Yune replied sarcastically.


    Then Venomion became confused. She stomped on it some more, but it wasn''t vanishing. Yune wondered what she was doing and also noticed that the creature didn''t disappear.


    "That''s strange. I could have sworn this thing was a Night Demon. Is it just a product of mother nature?" Venomion asked as she looked closer at it.


    Yune examined and picked up the whatever was left. She examined it and noticed something strange on the dorsal side of the spider''s abdomen. There was a marking that remained even after it was squashed. It looked like it was paint. She tried to smush the abdomen together with a napkin.


    "What are you doing? Playing with a dead spider?" Venomion asked.


    "Wait. There''s something strange about it. I can feel it," Yune replied.


    Venomion shrugged and searched the boss''s pockets. She found some notes and keys. She then wandered the room and found a safe. She smiled and said, "Do whatever you want. I''m going to try and crack this."


    A number of snakes came out of her arms as she tried to unlock the safe.


    Meanwhile, Yune pieced the creature back together. It was sloppy, but enough to see the marking. It was a cursive ''a'' with a heart above it. A very precise marking made of gold paint. And then Yune remembered Jack saying something about something like that. A signature, Yune remembered. The signature of the girl that Jack has been looking for. As Venomion unlocked the safe, her snakes began to envelop whatever money and jewels were in there, and slither away.


    "Jackpot," she exclaimed, "So, you done playing around with a spider corpse, weirdo?"


    Then, Venomion came and looked at what Yune was doing.


    "Do you recognize this marking, Venomion?" Yune asked.


    "I don''t. Looks like a heart and an ''a''. Is it supposed to mean something?"


    "I remember one of my... acquaintances talking about it. It''s a signature left by another Light Guardian."


    "Hmm. Interesting, I guess. What does it mean?"


    Yune looked at the spider and wondered about the signature. She remembered it belonged to the Light Guardian named Annie, but why was it on this creature. Then, she recalled that Venomion told her that the gang acted more violent during the month while the spider was inside the boss''s head. But Yune had no idea why. She had no idea what this Annie could be thinking. There wasn''t enough information to go off of. But there wasn''t much time to think about it. The police were on their way.


    "I''m not sure," Yune replied. Then, the two girls jumped out of the skyscraper through an already broken window.

 Chapter 93: Awoken World

    A girl, taller than most, stood hanging with metallic tendrils chaining her to the room. Her eyes shut, but awake. The tendrils wrapped themselves around her arms as they pulled her above the ground. Her body bare for only one to see. There were scars and stitches all over her body. She didn''t feel pain nor humiliation. She was unable to. There was also a signature. A cursive ''a'' with a heart on top placed right on the back of her neck in gold.


    A creature stood feet away from her. It had a female figure, but was covered in scales and feathers. It''s head was that of a lizard with it''s eyes sewn shut. Needles punctured every inch of it''s forehead. It''s sharp hands split in two revealing a mouth. And from that mouth grew metallic tendrils. They moved like the tentacles of a squid. Each one moved themselves onto the girl''s body. They stuck themselves inside the girl''s ears, but she didn''t feel anything. The process continued for what felt like hours, but in reality only a couple of minutes. The creature shrieked as it finished.


    And then came a girl. Most beautiful and elegant. Her figure was that of a model. She had long blonde hair that shined in the blackest of nights. She wore a light green vest with yellow stars. Dark jeans with rows of stars. A dark green baseball cap. She held a golden cane or a rod with a sparkling diamond skull on top.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    She smiled gently as the creature finished it''s work. When the metallic tendrils came out of the girl''s ears, the creature left the two. However, the tall girl was still hanging with her arms spread wide held up by other fidgeting tendrils.


    The blonde girl finally spoke passionately, "How is your head, my dear assistant?"


    The girl opened her eyes coldly. She stared at the blonde and replied, "Fine. I am ready to help you with your project, Annie."


    Annie clapped her hands and the tendrils let go of the tall girl.


    "Excellent to know, my sweet Jacqueline. Or would you prefer Jack, assistant?," Annie replied as she caressed Jack''s rough face. Annie''s hands were soft and delicate, yet they carried a powerful will.


    "Either is fine," Jack replied without any emotion.


    Annie was unsure what happened. She was aware that there was somebody that destroyed her work, but didn''t know who. She suspected her Jack to have done it, but after her creature slithered around her brain, there was nothing in her memories that could indicate that. She stayed inside for most of her time, yet she was aware of all the other Light Guardians in the area. The three guardians of darkness eluded Annie''s eyes. She was still unsure what happened, but didn''t let it get to her. Annie''s gentle smile turned to that of a demon.


    She said only one word, "Good."

 Chapter 94: A Day in the Life

    Annie skipped happily along empty main streets fully transformed into her Light Guardian form. Jack was there walking alongside her. Jack wore a regular t-shirt and pants.


    "So, assistant, did you bring in the supplies we need?" Annie asked.


    "Of course. Do you need any more?" Jack replied.


    "No. Even if we did, I wouldn''t be able to send you to get them. Apparently, one of my pieces reported seeing you destroying one of my other pieces of art."


    "Is that why you needed to scan through my memories?"


    "Of course. If it was you, then you''d know that I''d have to fix you. But no. It seems there is another. Another assistant out there just like you. But I''ll deal with that when we get there. For now, I''ve just kept watch."


    As they strolled along, the entire street began to de materialize. Everything broke apart revealing a strange realm. The world looked as though it was made with paint. Everything seemed to expand infinitely. There were different colors all around them. The raging red clashing with the soothing blue. The swirls of storms made up of yellow and orange. A radiant galaxy made up of the rainbow above their heads. The ground of colorful concrete beneath them formed as they walked.


    "It''s always so pleasant walking around this place, my sweet Jacqueline. I''m sure it''s almost ready for the public to see. Just a few minor touches on some of my art and then I''ll be inviting my first guests. Isn''t it exciting, assistant?"


    Jack coldly replied with little choice, "Of course."


    As they took their stroll, they began to see more bizarre and menacing creatures just watching and wandering aimlessly. However, neither Annie nor Jack could sense them. However, neither of them were alarmed by their presence.


    Then, Jack and Annie walked through what looked like a door. They entered what looked like a dungeon filled with Night Demons. Cages made up of Annie''s lasers held them as they bunched together. But they couldn''t be felt. Their chilling presence silenced. Then, there was one creature standing outside the cages. The same reptilian-like monster that had it''s tendrils inside Jack.


    The metallic tendrils slithered around the room. There was a table with what looked like a decaying corpse on top. There were stitches and glue holding it together along with parts and pieces of other Night Demons and animals. She was waiting for the glue to dry properly.


    Annie took a look at it and said, "Not one of my best works, but art is art. It''s all subjective."


    She then took her finger and created a small beam of light. She burned an inscription along the creature''s leg. A cursive ''a'' with a heart on top. Her signature. And when it was finished, the mark glared and looked like it was made of gold. And Jack just watched as Annie completed her final touches without any sense of remorse or guilt.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "It will have to do. I might send it out into the real world for all to see. Or I could put it on display like some of my others," Annie remarked as she placed her hand on the creature''s abdomen. And with a single colorful spark, the creature began to move. It moaned and writhed in pain and agony as it struggled to comprehend it''s existence. Everything it felt was pain, but Annie didn''t care. It was a piece of art to her. And just like any piece of art that she created, she loved it.


    However, all of a sudden, Annie began to cough violently. She held tightly to her chest as her heat stopped beating. She knelt down clawing at life. She called out hoarsely, "Shopkeep. Shopkeep. Shopkeep. Come."


    And the shopkeeper appeared.


    "How may I h-?" the shopkeeper asked before being interrupted.


    "Use a reserve. Heal me," Annie said.


    And within a moment, Annie''s heart began to beat once more. Her lungs functioned. The pain was gone. She stood up and then tended back to her piece of art.


    Then, the shopkeeper replied before vanishing, "You''re welcome."


    Annie was aware of her failing body, but she didn''t let it stop her. She stayed in her Light Guardian form knowing full well that if she transformed back into her human form, then she would most likely die right then and there. Yet, she also knew that the guardian form was the reason for her failing body. It was taking a toll on her, but she couldn''t die now. She still had so much to do, she thought.


    Now, that she thought the piece was complete, she waved her hand to say hello to it with a smile. But it did nothing, but continue to writhe.


    Then, Annie said, "Tendra, fix this one''s mind. Turn off his pain receptors if you have to."


    The lizard-like creature nodded it''s head. It''s name was Tendra, and it was completely under Annie''s control. Before Annie found Tendra, it was a regular Night Demon. Physically, the creature didn''t do anything, although it could have. It focused on mental torture. It captured people and made them relive nightmares for as long as it wanted. It continued to torture them in their minds for as long as it wanted. And even after they longed for death, Tendra wouldn''t give it.


    Annie sensed the monster and planned to kill it, but instead thought of another use for it. Ever since Annie found the Night Demon, she had desired to use it for her own purposes. As long as it had those needles stuck inside it''s forehead, Annie could control it. And it made no attempt to break free. It''s eyes had been sewn shut by Annie, but it was still aware of it''s surroundings. It even had Annie''s signature burned gold on it''s back.


    Tendra could feel the pressure within the air to detect things. And Tendra was also aware of Annie''s control and everything that it has been doing, however it could do nothing to disobey. However, even if it did, it wasn''t sure it would be doing anything different. It still felt like it tortured people and other of it''s kind alike while under Annie''s control.


    And with Annie using it, she was able to manipulate the inner minds of her pieces of art. She was able to control them to do whatever she wanted whether it was to wait patiently like a statue, attack and capture Night Demons, or to kill others and cause chaos to spawn more Night Demons. All of it depended on Annie''s decisions. And she enjoyed every second of it.


    Tendra put it''s metallic tentacles inside the creature in every spot it could go through. After a few seconds of the tendrils moving around the monster, it calmed down. Annie then ordered it''s new piece of art, "Go out and collect some tree branches. I will need some for one of my pieces."


    And it obeyed without question.


    As for the Jack that Annie had under her control, that was a different case. She felt like she owed her assistant credit. She didn''t feel like she would have gotten this far without her.


    Now, Annie had a whole world of art to display.


    "After I finish the last one, I''ll be ready to open my exhibition. I can''t wait," Annie said with a bright and optimistic smile.

 Chapter 95: Jacks Revival

    Jack was sitting along an empty street as she bled out. Her eyes were heavy, and right before she closed them she saw a shadow. But when Jack''s eyes closed shut, the shadow vanished.


    And Annie, still in her Light Guardian form, was there watching atop a building with binoculars alongside her trusty servant, Tendra. And as long as Annie''s needles were stuck on Tendra''s forehead, it didn''t give off the sense of a Night Demon. They dropped down to see Jack.


    "I wasn''t expecting you to drop dead, yet, assistant," Annie said, but there was no reply. Jack was already dead.


    Tendra picked up Jack like baggage and shrieked. Then, they dashed away to find a place where Annie could work.


    And Annie found the perfect spot. An abandoned toy factory on the outskirts of the city. She entered and instantly began to redecorate. She started destroying everything that looked filthy and unpleasant to the eyes. And with her lasers, she added a random assortment of colors in the place of burn marks.


    They entered into an old office and cleared a desk. Jack was placed atop the desk, and Annie went to work.


    "Don''t worry, assistant. You have been most helpful to me. All those Light Guardians you killed along the way will be quite fun to play with. But first, I shall operate on you," Annie said with a sincere smile.


    Tendra began to cough and spit out tools and equipment. Mostly sewing needles, hot glue, and duct tape. Annie started to extract all the daggers and tree bark inside of her with her bare hands. It was a grueling process, but she enjoyed every second of it. It felt like doing a restoration piece. She wiped away her sweat with her blood-filled hands and continued.


    As Annie worked, she began to ramble and talk to her dead patient or piece of art.


    "Assistant. Assistant. You''ve done so much damage to your body even before you died. So many scars and scratches. But then again, art is imperfect. Don''t worry. When I''m done, you''ll thank me. I''ve collected so many bodies over the years. However, you will be the first that I''ve tried to make use of. I''ve tried to on dead rabbits and cats, and for the most part it seemed to work with varying success. But I''m sure you won''t let me down. You never have."This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    She filled the rips and tears with leftover fluff that she found at the factory. They were usually used for teddy bears, but she didn''t find any problem with it. They felt soft and usable. She sewn shut Jack''s wounds and once she was done, Jack looked almost like Annie wanted her to look.


    And with that done, Annie took her finger and placed it on Jack''s chest. She created a spark of rainbows and inside of Jack''s body, her organs began to repair themselves. Annie laid her head down on Jack''s chest to listen and feel a heartbeat.


    One. Two. Three. Thump thump. Thump Thump. And Annie smiled with success.


    Her heartbeat was steady. She breathed in her first breath. Her brain sparked to life.


    But there was a problem. Jack''s eyes wouldn''t open. She was alive, but her body was still.


    Annie called over her creature, "Tendra, restrain her while you implant some memories. Make it to the exact specifications that I want."


    And so Tendra did. It nodded it''s head and began to work. It grew out metallic tendrils to hold Jack in place. And then, some entered Jack through her ears.


    And then the monster gave Jack false memories and what seemed like a soul. But it was merely a fake.


    Jack opened her eyes. Her breathing was erratic. She growled like an animal. Then, she transformed on the table. A blaze of fire emerged as she roared loudly. But the tendrils inside Jack''s brain calmed her.


    Annie went up to Jack and asked, "Do you remember me?"


    But Jack couldn''t reply. Her mind was incomplete. It was like a soulless animal. However, Tendra continued to work to Annie''s specifications. Jack was given memories that Annie wanted her to have. The memories that Annie and Jack had when they were at school. The memories of Jack''s animalistic rage.


    And when Tendra was done, it took out it''s tentacles.


    Annie asked once more, "Do you remember?"


    Jack looked at her with dead and unknowing eyes, and replied, "Annie."


    Jack transformed back into her normal form as Annie seemingly hugged her.


    "It''s been too long, assistant. I missed you," Annie said as she placed her finger on the back of Jack''s neck. Jack recalled the past that Annie wanted, but Jack felt nothing from them. Not happiness nor sadness.


    Annie continued as she began to burn her signature on Jack''s neck, "What do you remember?"


    Jack replied, "We were friends. Best friends. I helped you with many things. Mostly, art. Then, we became Light Guardians. And you were missing. I searched for you. There were others that tried to stop me. I killed them."


    "It''s okay now, assistant. I''m here," Annie said as she finished the heart. Then, her signature glowed like gold paint.


    Jack remembered Annie, but didn''t feel anything towards her. Nor did Jack feel anything towards the Light Guardians she killed. But the memories didn''t feel like they belonged to her. It felt more like it was from an outside observer, but that was all she recalled.


    Annie let go of Jack and walked away. Jack followed her unafraid of Tendra. It was as if she didn''t feel any fear. As a matter of fact, she didn''t feel anything. Not just physical sensations, but emotional.

 Chapter 96: A Digging Spider

    Jack, Annie, and Tendra walked around the abandoned toy factory.


    Annie coughed a little, but assured the other two she was fine. Then, she stomped on the ground five times and waited. After a few seconds, the ground began to shake. A hole was being formed in front of Annie as she stood motionlessly.


    Then, when the hole broke through the concrete, a giant spider-like creature appeared. It was as large as an elephant. It had Annie''s signature on it''s abdomen. It was seared with hearts strung along it''s body. It had a human-like face, but it was masked. The right side of it was painted white, while the other half of the mask was black. The whole spider was shrouded in a dark mist. It''s legs were covered in thick bones.


    However, Annie and Jack felt no presence of a Night Demon from it. This one was different than a Night Demon. It was Annie''s first experiment into making a sort of hybrid. She found the spider which could create tinier versions of itself.


    The first Night Demon that she experiment on was Tendra, who she found and took control of. It took many attempts to figure out how to make it obedient, but she was eventually smart enough to figure it out. She was able to conduct her energy into the needles and place them inside the monster. However, she was unaware of the effect, but she had found that she was no longer able to sense the creature. The needles conducting her Light Guardian energy mixed within the Night Demon. She had only done this technique for two of her creatures. Tendra and one other.


    It was luck that Annie found a way for the creatures to hide their presence by experimenting with Tendra. She had found that mixing a bit of Light Guardian or human with a Night Demon, it wouldn''t give off that specific aura.


    However, the method she used was time consuming. It took a month to get Tendra to obey Annie. But after getting Tendra, it was easier to control others. As long as Annie had that monster within her grasp, she learned that she could manipulate other Night Demons to her will with it. The tentacles that the monster had could calm them down. Then, Annie was able to mix and match other creatures with Night Demons essentially creating hybrids. Annie focused on the aesthetics, but she was smart enough to figure out the details on getting it to work.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    For the spider, Annie wanted complete control over it, so she used her needle technique on it''s queen, the matriarch, which lived underground. For everything after, she let Tendra manipulate their mind to work for Annie.


    "Good digging, my printer''s pawn. I have decided that I''d like to stay at Janken City. I want you to dig underneath this building. Make passageways like a cathedral. Make a world underneath my very feet. Make it fit for somebody like God to enter. And while you''re at it, spawn more of yourselves. Have the small spiders take control of a couple of humans and cause some chaos," Annie said to the spider without any fear, "Oh, that reminds me. When you create chaos, always remember to let little girls live. There''s always use for fresh Light Guardians. And make sure to report and follow any Light Guardians in the city. I want to know everything about them."


    The creature opened it''s mouth to reveal rows of teeth and tentacles. There were also many other smaller spiders that it spawned within it''s mouth. It shrieked and then closed it''s mouth. The monster went back underground understanding it''s task. It was just a mindless drone after Tendra and Annie were finished with it. And it wouldn''t be the first. Annie continued to create more like it. She called them her pieces of art, and each one fully under her control.


    Jack was unaware of creatures like these, but she felt no curiosity for their existence nor disgust towards Annie''s orders for it. Annie would have given her an answer about what they were, but Jack didn''t care to ask. Nonetheless, Annie still felt the need to reassure her assistant.


    Annie said, "Don''t worry, my sweet Jacqueline. These creatures are my pieces of art. And soon, there will be so much more. This city is huge and bustling. There are so many Night Demons already here, but I will make sure that there are more. They will be used to fund my project. Or to become used as art material. Either way, when it''s all over, I will gain the attention of the world through the captivity of my art."


    Jack only stared silent with dead eyes. She couldn''t care, but, as long as Annie was there, she felt like there was a leash around her neck.


    Jack nodded her head, "Alright, Annie."


    Annie smiled back, but then coughed violently. When she was finished coughing, she replied, "Assistant, I will need your help to get some materials. We have gotten enough Light Guardians to work on right now. I hope they turn out as well as you. If not, I''m sure their bodies can be repurposed for something else. Now, we have a lot of work to do. Let''s all ready ourselves for my final piece."

 Chapter 97: Venomion and Yune

    Venomion asked Yune if she had a place to stay, and since she didn''t, Venomion offered hers.


    The two of them dashed along the rooftops to reach a simple apartment building. Yune followed her new acquaintance with little reason to trust, but she felt something within her that liked her. But she just thought it was the child-like charm that made her cute.


    Then, they reached to an apartment that Venomion was going to open, but upon hearing sounds inside, she froze. It sounded like arguing and fighting. Some glass broke.


    "Oh. They''re usually out gambling by now," Venomion mumbled.


    And then, she walked away from that apartment and over to the next one. A snake came out of her arm, and it slithered underneath the door. The door unlocked from the inside, and Venomion opened the door.


    "After you, pal," Venomion said as she opened the door for Yune, "Don''t worry. The last guy was evicted. Too bad, though. He was a nice enough guy to let me stay during the nights."


    "Right," Yune replied as she walked into an empty room. There were a couple of old mattresses left on the floor. It didn''t seem like the last tenant cleaned up after himself. There were cans of soda and boxes of pizza left on the floor. And then Venomion''s snakes started cleaning up the place.


    "Sorry about the mess. I didn''t know we were going to have guests," Venomion said to Yune.


    "We?"


    "Oh, you know, me and my snakes. Each one is like a brother or sister. I even named them, but it would take too long to remember each. By the way, I never got your name."


    Yune thought about giving her name, but then thought that Venomion was too strange a name to be real. It must have been an alias, she thought. However, she didn''t mind. She was sure she had her reasons.


    "If you''re named Venomion, then I will be... Chain-Killer Queen," Yune replied.


    "Chain-Killer Queen? Awesome!" Venomion shouted.


    "You really are a child. Not that I mind. All Light Guardians are children. Well, except for one, but she''s now in a child''s body anyways," Yune muttered aloud.


    "So, Chain-Killer Queen, I think we should team up. Imagine what we could do - what we could accomplish. You and me doing odd-jobs together. The perfect duo," she replied eccentrically.


    "No thanks. Not interested. The name I gave sounds ridiculous, yet if I make a superhero comic, I''ll be sure to include it. My real name is Yune. You can keep calling yourself Venomion, if you''d like."The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    She looked confused and replied, "Well, of course, my name is Venomion."


    Then, she shook her head and continued, "Anyways, besides the point, Chain-Killer Yune, I am serious about the offer. Although the money part is there, we could do so many things to help out the neighborhood."


    Yune did think about the offer. It was tempting, and she did enjoy Venomion''s energetic attitude. As she continued to think about it, Venomion kept talking like a sales-person, "You and I can be the ultimate duo. You wouldn''t even need to do anything different. You would distract them and get shot at, while I go in and do the rest. Now, that I said that out loud, I don''t think I''m making my case."


    Yune replied without hearing anything that Venomion was talking about, "Odd-jobs, huh? Like just doing random work. Well, as of now, I don''t really have any plans. If I can stay here, then I''ll help you with whatever work you need, as long as it isn''t for any bad guys or whatever."


    "Well, bad and good depends on your point of view. A spider''s actions are bad and chaotic to a fly. A farmer''s actions are good to the people who eat his livestock, but I bet the livestock don''t think that way."


    And Yune stood there surprised and silent. And when Venomion saw her, she exclaimed, "What? Did I say something wrong?"


    "Nothing. I just wasn''t expecting, uhh, you to be giving a philosophy lesson."


    Venomion smiled. "You really think so? Hah! I was just saying something I saw in an anime!"


    Then, Venomion laughed. And as she laughed, Yune began to smile and laugh, too.


    They transformed out of their guardian forms and enjoyed the rest of the night. Venomion felt it was like a sleepover, while Yune was glad to have someplace to sleep.


    And while Yune slept peacefully, she muttered a couple of words, "Eli... Mizu..."


    Venomion listened and thought those were her friends, but as soon as she saw Yune tearing up, she also began to get sad. Although, she didn''t know why.


    The next morning, Yune and Venomion hung out on the rooftop. It was a pleasant day with a cool breeze. Venomion transformed. A bunch of snakes slithered over her body and the next moment, they flattened into clothing. Then, with a smile, she sat down.


    They ate some bagels for breakfast that Venomion stole from one of the bakeries nearby using her snakes. For the most part, Venomion stayed in her Light Guardian form. She felt safe in her green cloak with her hood up and sleeves down.


    Yune was aware that the bagels were stolen, but understood their position. Yune didn''t have any money, and she didn''t think that Venomion had any either from the way she''s been living. But then she remembered that she stole a bunch of money and jewels from the gang hideout. She became confused, but more importantly, her stomach was growling. She took a bite without trying to think about it. She decided to try and make conversation. She said, "Y''know, taking these bagels would be seen as evil by the baker, right? Does that make us evil?"


    Yune felt awkward saying that, but the girl didn''t listen. Instead Venomion was silent as she ate and looked up at the clouds.


    Yune decided to as well, but really didn''t feel any comfort at looking at them. They were just a bunch of blobs. But to Venomion, she liked making little pictures out of them.


    And as soon as she finished eating her bagel, she jumped up and shouted, "Alright, partner. Let''s go do some neighborly good deeds for a price!"


    Yune stood up and transformed into her guardian form.


    "So, what do we do? Fight some thugs? Apprehend bank robbers?" Yune asked.


    "I think you''ve been reading too much comic books," Venomion replied.


    "I would say that about you."


    "Nothing too fancy. If we find something like that, we can do it. But I actually have the perfect job."

 Chapter 98: A Cat in a Tree

    Yune and Venomion stood side-by-side against an enemy that far surpassed Yune''s expectations.


    A cat stuck in a tree.


    It meowed and slept peacefully on top of there in the middle of the park.


    "Remind me what we''re doing here?" Yune asked confused.


    "Simple. We got to save that cat," Venomion replied cheerfully.


    The cat stretched it''s legs and took a nap.


    "It doesn''t look like it needs saving," Yune said.


    "Of course it does. This rich guy says he''ll pay five hundred bucks for anybody to find his cat."


    "And it''s... this cat?"


    "Well, yeah. It matches the description. And there aren''t any other cats around, probably," Venomion replied semi-confidently.


    Yune wondered how Venomion could find the cat so easily, but just assumed it was the work of her snakes. But then again, Yune didn''t see any snakes come out of her. She thought that Venomion took the cat and put it there for the two of them to find. But it sounded too ridiculous. Then again, she barely knew the girl, and she could believe that she could have done it. Yune sighed not trying to think about.


    "Fine," Yune replied as she began to spin her hook, "Let''s not waste any more time."


    "Don''t hurt it!" Venomion exclaimed.


    "I won''t. I''m not crazy. I''ll be gentle."


    Then, Yune gently flung her hook. She had hoped to just get her chains around the cat and bring it back towards her.


    As the chains were about to wrap around the cat, another thing collided with it. It was a yo-yo attached to a thread, but it was stronger than any toy. The hook and chains wrapped around the cat''s front legs, while the yo-yo and thread wrapped around the cat''s back legs. The cat jumped up in surprise and looked like it was about to get dragged on opposite ends.


    Yune was shocked to see that. She stopped pulling and so did the thread. She looked on the other end of the tree and saw another Light Guardian. She had short hair dyed purple. Her outfit was yellow with streaks of white. And she had a glint of anger. And she had a cigarette in her mouth.


    "Ahh! Cainus!" Venomion yelled in surprise.


    "You know this girl?" Yune asked.


    "She was my last partner before we split up. Cainus Jebel. A Light Guardian who specializes in using a yo-yo as a weapon."


    "A yo-yo is hardly a weapon. So, this girl is - I mean, was - your partner?"


    Cainus yelled, "Hey! She cheated me! She promised we''d go to the Wetallica concert. But on the day, she had to cancel. Apparently, she sold the tickets to buy cheesecake for all her snakes!"


    "Cheesecake?" Yune asked confused, "I''m pretty sure a little cheesecake wouldn''t cost two concert tickets."


    "When I said all the snakes, I meant ALL of them!" Cainus yelled.


    Venomion smiled innocently and replied not wanting Yune to think badly of her, "But I remembered that I promised my snakes all the cheesecake in the world after we finished that, uhh, mission."


    "I can''t believe I was betrayed for a bunch of snakes!!"


    "Jeez. It seems I''m in the middle of a lover''s quarrel," Yune said.


    "Don''t let go of that cat, Chain-Killer Queen. That cat is worth five hundred bucks," Venomion said.


    "I knew it had to be something," Cainus replied, "You wouldn''t have stolen that cat and put it up there without good reason."


    "I knew it!" Yune yelled getting caught up in the excitement.


    "Hey, my snakes brought it food every day. It didn''t complain when I grabbed it," Venomion said to the both of them.


    "So... Chain-Killer Queen, was it?," Cainus asked.


    "My name is Yune. It was stupid of me to suggest that," she muttered.


    The cat meowed in panic as one half was being pulled by chains while the other was pulled by a thread. But both Yune and Cainus were careful not to yank. Neither wanted to split the animal in half. The thought of that disgusted the both of them.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "Whatever your name is, let go of the cat," Cainus said, "Venomion will betray you like she did me."


    Yune looked back at Venomion who began to sweat. She smiled innocently, but Yune could tell that she was hiding something.


    Yune was thinking about letting the cat go to the other girl. It didn''t feel worth it to fight about, but Cainus continued to talk and taunt.


    "And, by the way, Chain-Killer Queen, a yo-yo is a far better weapon than what you have. Your chain-hook thing is just an inferior version of my yo-yo. You may have copied my techniques at grappling, but they lack the grace of my weapon. You''re just a Chinese bootleg!"


    She said something that hurt Yune where she didn''t think she could get hurt. Her pride. Yune didn''t even know she had any pride. She may not like being betrayed or lied to, but the feeling of being called a "Chinese bootleg" sparked something within her.


    And then Yune looked back at Cainus with new vigor.


    "Who ya calling a Chinese bootleg!?" Yune yelled angrily, "Your yo-yo is more of a toy made in China!"


    "You dare!? My yo-yo requires more skill! Something that you don''t have!" Cainus retorted back.


    Both of them clashed verbally as the cat just laid there on a tree branch with it''s arms and legs tied. It meowed a yawn and began to fall asleep. As they argued over who was better, park-goers walked by without the faintest idea of what was going on.


    Yune yelled, "Why don''t you come over here and we''ll see who''s stronger!?"


    "Oh, you wouldn''t stand a chance, punk!" Cainus yelled.


    As they continued to bicker, Venomion scratched her head wondering what to do. She thought about using her snakes to inject poison into the both of them to knock them out, but then she thought about what they would do afterwards. She began thinking that they would team up against her. The mere thought of that gave her chills.


    She tried to use her snakes to loosen the threads, but they were ineffective even though neither Yune nor Cainus noticed.


    "How about a fight?" Cainus taunted, "That''ll prove to you that my skill is better than yours!"


    "Fine," Yune said as her hook-chain let go of the cat''s front legs. As soon as it did, the cat was flung back towards Cainus. She held the cat in her arms, and it fell asleep.


    "Oh, nooo!!!" Venomion yelled, "All that work sneaking around and stealing catnip for nothing!"


    Cainus dropped the cat down as it slept.


    Yune knew that Cainus wouldn''t run away. She wasn''t saying those words as a trick.


    "Now, let''s fight. One-on-one. Fight until the loser surrenders," Yune said.


    Cainus smiled and replied, "You got guts. Too bad it won''t save you from humiliation!"


    Venomion whistled as she was about to create a snake to drag the cat away. She had hoped that their fight would be the distraction needed to take the cat and the reward. But as soon as the snake touched the ground, Yune and Cainus both stared at Venomion with heated eyes. She and her snake were stunned. The snake crawled back up her arm, and the two girl were preparing for a fight.


    The shopkeeper appeared and began to wipe away memories.


    "Good grief," he muttered to himself as he had to continue wiping out the memories of anybody who passed by.


    And so, the two stared each other down like a western showdown. Then, as soon as it started, the fight ended.


    At the same time, Yune and Cainus sent out a barrage of chains and threads respectively. And in a second, the both of them were stuck. Yune was covered in threads over her entire body up to her neck, meanwhile Cainus was covered in chains in the same way.


    They both fell down squirming trying to get each other''s weapons off of them.


    "Surrender. You can''t escape from my web of threads!" Cainus yelled.


    "Web of threads? Hey! You stole that name off of me! I had the name of that move as web of chains!" Yune yelled back.


    Even as they squirmed to break free and argue with each, neither one of them wanted to really hurt the other. Neither felt the need to crush each other like Night Demons, although they did threaten to.


    Venomion sighed and muttered, "Is it me or do I just attract the same crowd? Did the author just want me to have a bondage fetish or something?"


    Then, as she noticed that the two of them were arguing with each other and stuck, she thought it was the perfect opportunity to take the cat back to it''s original owner. However, when she looked towards where the cat was placed, it was gone.


    "Huh!? Oh, no," she said aloud, "Uh, do-"


    "Shut up! We''re in the middle of something!" they both yelled at the same time.


    Venomion quickly said, "Do either of you know where the cat went?"


    Then, there was silence. They all looked towards where the sleeping cat was placed, but it was gone. The three of them suspended their fight as a tie, however, it took time before that happened. Before then, they argued about who was going to let the other go.


    "Undo your chains!"


    "You undo yours first!"


    This went on for about twenty minutes until Venomion came in and declared it a tie. Both were disappointed, but had no choice but to agree at least for the time being.


    For the rest of the day, they forgot all about their fight and argument, and they began searching the park for the missing cat.


    It was long and tiresome, but eventually they found it. However, it wasn''t where they wanted to find the cat. Apparently, it walked back home by itself. The reward was nullified. Venomion would have cried, but was too tired to do so. Cainus also felt tired and just walked in the opposite direction. Yune, however, felt like she was enjoying herself. Yune followed Venomion home and they stuck around for a while longer.


    For a while, the two worked on other odd-jobs - occasionally bringing Cainus along - as long as Venomion wasn''t doing anything illegal or immoral, which Yune kept a close eye on. Yune and Cainus continued to argue all day about a number of things, but eventually Yune was used to it. It felt like relief.


    Every night, Yune would visit Eli and cheer her up. Technically, she was breaking into the hospital, but neither of them cared. They talked about their day or stayed silent for a while. And then, after an hour or so, Yune would vanish into the night and find wherever Venoniom was staying and sleep there. The void in her heart wasn''t filled, but at the very least, Yune could live with it.


    However, every night as she slept, something comes to her in a dream. It was like a shadow coming over her. It had no single form. Sometimes it could be an animal, a person, or just a blob. It didn''t want peace. It wanted more suffering. To Yune and to everybody else. And there were many eyes watching amidst the void. The shadow continued to lurk waiting for it''s chance. It wanted for the three to get together. The ones who came back from the darkness of the underworld. And then, it could fully realize it''s desires. But when Yune woke up, the dream was already gone and forgotten.

 Chapter 99: Mireys Gang

    By the time the police arrived to the top of the building, Yune and Venomion were already gone. However, Yune''s rampage and carnage was still left behind for all to see. Many of the officers puked and felt wheezy from the scent of death that lingered.


    However, when they examined the girl with the black kimono, their was seemingly no pulse. That was until she suddenly awoke in shock. The police were all startled, but she raised her hands up. Venomion''s venom did knock her unconscious, however her heartbeat was so low that she seemed to be dead.


    Mirey thought to herself that the situation was similar to something out of Romeo and Juliet. Luckily for her, she didn''t wake up to find that some past lover to kill himself.


    Then, her only thought drifted towards her father.


    When she saw her father, she gasped in shock. His head displaced from the rest of his body. Then, the police escorted her out of the building. She didn''t feel the need to resist the police. She saw what she needed to see. She gave a very quick grievance to her father who she cared for since she was a little girl, and move forward.


    But the next thing for her was business. Within the next two days, she met up with the other high members of the Dragon Kaiser Gang. She was the last to show up and sat down with the others. She was familiar with each one of them, but she had no connection to any of them. She still wore her black kimono. She never liked to drop her guard around these people.


    There were guards surrounding the room from each of their respective gangs. All of them, however, wore fancy suits.


    "Well, now that everybody is here, we can start," one of the gang leaders said trying to sound sympathetic, "I''m sorry for what happened to your father, Mirey."


    "Of course. Let''s skip the pleasantries and get straight to business," she replied coldly.


    "Right. Well, the Dragon Kaiser Gang has been in charge of most of the operations in this city because of your father," another mentioned, "I know your father let you attend these meetings, but we need to approve a new head."


    "Yes. That''s why I''m here," Mirey replied with a sly smile, "Now, that my daddy is gone, I''ll be in charge of everything from now on."


    The others froze for a moment, but then they all started to chuckle.


    "I apologize, Mirey, but you are still young. You should let some of us handle these operations."


    Mirey was unimpressed with all of them and replied, "I''m twenty years old."


    Another laughed. "You heard her. She''s twenty. Well, I guess we should all let her take care of everything," he said sarcastically.


    Mirey stood up with a glint of hate in her eyes. She never did like the work that her father did. However, she knew the value of what he achieved. She wouldn''t let just anybody take it away. And Mirey had a dream of her own that she wanted to achieve. Something that her dad wouldn''t approve, but now that he was gone, she no longer felt that soft constraint around her neck.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "You all know the reason why my father brings me," she stated, "Or at the very least, you all have a sense of it. I know the shopkeeper keeps your memories erased, but I''m sure that each of you can feel when there is a predator in the room. You have to constantly be on edge."


    "What are you talking about?" one asked. They were all confused. Mirey''s father had used her for assassinations and other such jobs to keep people in line, as well as being a faithful daughter and bodyguard. At least until now.


    "Now, let me ask this to any of you. I know that each of you do this for the money. That enough is obvious," she said ignoring all of their confused faces, "But I want to know whether anybody here needs the money for something honorable. As far as I know, none of you have families. Or you just don''t care to take care of them. So, I want to know if anybody uses their profits to do something like build schools or pay medical bills for dying kids, then I want you to leave."


    She waited for a while, but nobody moved. They were all still confused, but then one stood up and said, "I''m sorry for what happened to your father, but you are not in charge. We''ll be the ones taking care of things. We''ll pay for you to attend college and continue your education. Even though I promised your father to personally make sure you get to be in charge after he leaves, now that he''s gone, I don''t feel the need to uphold that."


    Mirey ignored his statement and waited a couple more seconds. She didn''t want to do anything to hurt somebody who she thought didn''t deserve it. If they left now and never returned, she would have spared them. But none were afraid of her. However, there was a feeling in their guts that made them feel a slight tingling sensation. It was uncomfortable. They began to sweat for unknown reasons. They may not have memories of Mirey with her Light Guardian powers, but they still had an instinct that told them to run. But none of them listened to that feeling.


    Mirey sighed, "Oh, well."


    She conjured lines of magical assault rifles floating in the air around the room within seconds. Then, they all remembered. They remembered her terrifying powers that kept her father in control.


    When the guards began to take out their guns, the guns fired, but they didn''t kill them. They merely shot their guns out of their hands and pockets. She didn''t want to kill men who could work for her. But she knew that the ones in charge wouldn''t surrender their power.


    One of them begged, "Please. We''ll do whatever you want. You''re in charge."


    "Yes, I am."


    And then the firing started. The chaos. The bullets sprayed all over the room missing the bodyguards who were left paralyzed. The other gang leaders were killed mercilessly. One of them tried to escape, but when he opened the door, a barrage of bullets came firing out. Mirey had conjured a sentry gun there. It was quick and bloody.


    She then ordered the guards if they wanted the same fate. They all shook their heads and pledged their loyalty to Mirey. The new boss.


    Now, there was only one thing Mirey wanted to do. She wanted to find the two Light Guardians who attacked. The one with the chain-hook and the one with the snakes. However, there was plenty of work left to do before that. She knew that her men were not equipped to fight other guardians.


    She first gave the bodyguards some of her own conjured weapons. As long as Mirey was alive, they would work. And none of them were brave enough to use them against her. Even if they did, the weapons would automatically blow up in their face if they were intentionally trying to harm Mirey with them. Luckily for them, none attempted deceit.


    She casually walked away from the bodies and looked forward to a new day. She wanted to find the two guardians who killed her father. But she still had a dream for more than vengeance and running a gang.

 Chapter 100: Marys Revenge

    Yune sat alone with Eli during a dark night. They didn''t speak, but enjoyed each other''s company. It was quiet and serene. A few clouds outside. No wind or chills. Nothing that could ruin their night.


    And when an hour of silence passed, Yune said her goodbyes and leapt out the window. And Eli was alone again. The silence carried over, but Eli wasn''t alone.


    Mary hid in her cloak among the shadows of the room. Darkness was all around them, but it soothed her. She looked at Eli and was reminded of her sister. The one that betrayed her. It was around a couple hundred years ago, but to Mary, it still felt like yesterday.


    But this wasn''t the first time that Mary saw Eli. She saw her when she first followed Yune there at that hospital. She recognized the girl, but couldn''t believe it. However, it wasn''t the same. Eli was far younger than her sister. So, Mary did her own research into the girl.


    And when she found out the truth, she approached out of the shadows. Eli noticed her and thought it was Yune, but she was different. The cloak was the same, but the eyes were purple.


    Mary took off her cloak and mask. They vanished into a dark mist.


    "Who are you?" Eli asked weakly.


    Mary looked at Eli with dark and purple eyes. She saw her treacherous sister and knew the reason. But she didn''t know what to do with that knowledge. So, first, she wanted to speak with Eli.


    "You don''t know me," Mary replied, "When I first laid my eyes on you, I saw somebody who I didn''t think I''d see again. But that is still the case. You are not who I thought you were. When I awakened into this world, I didn''t feel like I had a purpose. And then I followed Yune after she mentioned a girl called Elizabeth. Since I was brought back from hell, I thought that maybe my sister could have come back, too. But I wanted to be sure. So, I took some of your hair and sent it to some legit-looking family site to figure out whether we were related. Turns out what they found is that you are related to me, but not as a sister. Apparently, you are a lost descendant of hers. So, I guess that makes me like a very great-auntie."


    Eli seemed to listen, and Mary continued, "Before, I would no doubt have just killed you if I knew. I would have considered it an act of vengeance. My sister took my life, and, since I can''t get her, I''ll take the closest thing to her. Her blood. But when I look at you, I don''t feel so certain. I''m sure that I wouldn''t be struggling. She''s probably watching from heaven or hell, and I would gladly rip her descendant apart to get back at her. But she''s dead. And you''re not her. I don''t feel any want or need to do anything to you."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Mary walked over to the window and looked out at the bright full moon that lit the city brighter than any of the artificial lights.


    She continued, "Since I met Yune and Jack, I felt like they were a better family than what I used to think a family was. I know that Jack is just using me to find some other girl. And Yune probably doesn''t want us as a family. But ever since they saved me, I''ve never felt this feeling. A feeling of gratitude towards somebody else. While I was a queen, people only did things for me just because they feared me or because I had some mind control powers. Those two don''t fear me at all and are completely unaffected by my powers. It''s a whole new experience. As for you, I don''t feel any kind of fire towards you. Unlike Jack whose flame burns brightest for revenge, I don''t have that feeling. I just don''t have it in me to do anything to somebody whose only sin against me was being born with my enemy''s blood."


    Mary was ready to leap out of the building to leave Eli alone. With one foot out the window, she continued, "Whatever happened to you and Yune doesn''t relate to me. I will leave your fate to whatever she decides."


    But before Mary left, she found it strange that Eli wasn''t saying anything to her. She looked back at Eli whose eyes were closed. She hurried back inside and checked up on the girl. Mary became worried that she just witnessed the girl''s death, but she was snoring to her pleasant surprise.


    And then Eli suddenly awoke.


    "Oh, I''m sorry," Eli said, "I dozed off there. So, uh, I think I missed your introduction. Who are you?"


    Mary walked back to the window and was ready to leave. And since she knew that Eli wasn''t listening at all to Mary''s heartfelt speech, she yelled, "You''re a bitch and so is your great-great-great-great-grandmother!"


    Then, Mary leapt out as Eli became confused rather than insulted.


    Mary didn''t feel like harming the girl. She had no reason to enact vengeance to somebody who had died so long ago on somebody who had zero idea about it.


    And then Eli was seemingly alone again.


    But then she looked to another corner and saw somebody walk backwards into the shadows.


    "Who''s there?" Eli asked as she began to see another cloaked figure, but she faded back into the shadows and vanished. At first, she thought it was just her imagination, but after seeing Yune and some other dark girl, she wasn''t certain of that. There was a semblance of a mask before it faded back into the shadows. It was black with two eye holes, but there was no color coming out of them. And there was a drawn-on eye on the mask''s forehead.


    She knew that she was being watched, but she felt no aggression coming from it. It just stood in the dark keeping a close eye on her as if it was a guardian angel.


    Eli closed her eyes and before she slept, she said aloud knowing that there was somebody else there, "I''m getting a lot of visits, today. I must be famous or something."


    But the cloaked figure hid in the shadows with no intention of introducing itself.

 Chapter 101: Annies Invitations

    Annie worked tirelessly on her "art". There were still many Night Demons locked away in cages made of her rainbow lasers. They gave up on struggling to get out and only writhed and groaned in the background while Annie worked.


    And when she was done, she called in Tendra to finish with the memories.


    Jack watched and as time passed, more memories filled into her. However, unlike the other Jack, she didn''t feel any emotional attachment to them. She felt like a hollow shell than the one in her memories. There felt no rage or violent tendencies. She felt no happiness or sadness either. Nothing but a shell.


    But Annie enjoyed Jack''s company even if she wasn''t emotionally capable. She felt an inert beauty coming off of Jack, and she expressed interest in her constantly. They looked at the vivid imagery of the world around them together. So many colors randomly bursting from one place to the other like a torrent. The creatures that Annie created stood still like displays. Everything looked like it was ready to be presented to the world.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    When Tendra was finished working, Annie was called in by a shriek. She took a pen and notebook paper.


    "Time to finally open my art gallery, Jack. I hope our first guests will enjoy what we''ve done here," Annie said as Jack stared into the paint with dead eyes.


    She entered the room for a couple of minutes and came out with two letters inside their respective fancy envelopes. She signed her signature on the back and sealed it. She handed it over to one of the small spider monsters that were crawling around.


    "Make sure our soon-to-be guests get this," she ordered with a pleasant smile.


    They took the letter and made their way into an opening underground.


    "Aren''t you excited, assistant? All my work and effort," Annie said.


    "Yes. It''s certainly something," Jack replied without any emotion.


    Annie smiled as she caressed her face and marveled at her beauty. But this Jack was incomplete, she thought. However, now she was aware of another Jack roaming the city looking for her. She felt satisfied with her own, but she still wanted to meet this other Jack. Even if it was only a copy, she thought.

 Chapter 102: An Invitation from the Dead

    Anne was finishing a fight with a Night Demon. It didn''t stand a chance and began to cower right before getting crushed by her metal fists. It turned into a black coin. While Anne knelt down to pick it up, a letter appeared by her legs. The spiders quickly scurried away, but she didn''t sense anything off about them. She picked up the pristine letter and opened it.


    Nina was busy doing her homework, and while she did, a letter came by her window without her noticing. She picked it up and opened it.


    When they did, they felt a sudden shock from the bottom of their hearts.


    At that moment, they each called each other at the same time in a panic. They found that they got the same letter. They didn''t know how to react to it. It was all so sudden, but Nina tried to remain calm. She thought that it must be some kind of trap set by a Night Demon. But reading the letter made the two feel irrational. If it was a creature that tricked them based on their own desires, then they would need help from somebody that could watch away.


    Unfortunately, they only knew one other group of guardians. And they knew that they weren''t the helpful kind. However, Nina did go to them for help with Anne and they obliged. So, it was at least worth the risk to ask.


    So, Anne and Nina both went over to their house together to get their help.


    While this was happening, Jack and Mary were busy trying to make dinner. Mary wouldn''t mind getting another box of pizza, but Jack was sick of eating pizza every day. They tried to make something simple, but they had no idea what they were doing. They scrambled a bunch of everything into their pot and hoped for the best.


    Tasha watched them struggle, but felt no desire to help them.


    Meanwhile, Anne and Nina arrived at their house. They arrived in the Light Guardian forms. Nina no longer felt the cold presence coming off of it, but Anne did. It was a feeling of immense pressure and terror, but Anne wasn''t afraid. When they approached, Anne held her arm to make sure Nina stayed back. She assumed that there were some kind of monsters guarding the old house, but Nina knew otherwise.


    "Don''t worry, Anne. It''s safe-" Nina started to say before Anne kicked open the door.


    And when she did that, Mary and Jack froze in place as they cooked. Tasha jumped up and rolled away into another room to sleep.


    It was awkward for all of them. Anne assumed that there were Night Demons or monsters, but as soon as she forcefully opened the door, there was nothing. Just a normal looking home. And she no longer sensed anything as well.


    While they were all frozen in confusion, the pot of food lit up in flames breaking the silence.


    "Put it out, Jack! Put it out!" Mary yelled before Jack transformed and hit the pot a bunch of times.


    "I''m sorry for disturbing you, but I need your help again," Nina said, "We need your help."


    Mary and Jack nodded their heads. They didn''t plan on helping them for anything, but they both felt they should at least listen.


    After that was finished, Jack threw away the destroyed pot and burned food. Then, she transformed back into her regular form.


    Then, they sat together in their human forms around the table.


    "Next time just knock," Jack said.


    "Where''s Yune?" Nina asked curiously.


    Jack and Mary didn''t want to discuss their own problems, so they ignored her question.


    Jack said, "You said you needed our help. Last time you came, Nina, you needed me to get to Anne. Considering she''s right there, I don''t think that''s the case."This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Anne replied boldly, "Don''t refer to me as ''she''. I''m right here. We don''t expect you to help, but your team''s help would be good. We''ll get straight to the point."


    Anne and Nina took out an opened letter. They took out the note inside. It was written on a decorated notebook paper. And there was handwritten message on it.


    It stated:


    "You are invited to a special gallery preview. Come anytime. We hope to see you there.


    Janken City


    5140 Columbine Street. Lot 145."


    Jack and Mary read it, but found nothing interesting about it.


    "You''re being invited to some boring gallery. So what?" Mary asked.


    "It''s not the message. It''s the handwriting," Nina said.


    Anne continued, "The handwriting belongs to Kira."


    Mary and Jack froze for a second. They knew what happened to Kira more than anybody else. They were certain she was dead. There was no way she could have survived, but they were aware that the two of them were also supposed to be dead.


    "What do you mean?" Jack asked for clarification.


    "We know she passed," Nina said, "But we recognize Kira''s writing. Everything about it feels like it was written by her."


    Mary and Jack had to carefully choose their words. It could be a trick set up by the two of those girls. But it wasn''t any trick. At least not by them.


    Anne said, "I know Kira is gone. I accepted that. But this is message is from her. I just know it."


    "So, you think the message is from your dead friend," Mary said, "But that doesn''t explain the message itself. Why does she want you to go to this gallery?"


    Nina was about to speak, but Jack interrupted, "More importantly, what does this have to do with us? You wanted our help for what exactly?"


    Anne and Nina looked at each other briefly. Both of them were unsure that they would help, but it was still safe to ask. And then they continued.


    Anne said, "We just want the three of you to be backup in case this is some kind of trap."


    Nina said, "We both know Kira is gone. We saw her. We think that it must be the work of an enemy Night Demon. I think that it''s trying to lure us at that address using Kira''s handwriting. I''m not sure how one of these creatures would be smart enough to do that, or why for that matter. We just want you guys to be there hidden away in the likely case it is a trap. If this monster is able to fight us using our own emotions, I want some others there as backup."


    Both Mary and Jack could believe that a Night Demon could do something like this. They were aware that they can regain their minds. There could be a number of reasons for setting up a trap like this. It could have had a grudge against their team. It could just want to fight Light Guardians. They didn''t know.


    Jack and Mary then thought about whether it could be Kira back from the dead. Jack, Mary, and Yune were all beings who died before. However, If Kira did return from the dead, they both thought that Hades would tell them about her. It would have been an unwise move to revive her of all people.


    Then again, that owl did bring back Yune who had a very strong grudge against Jack. And they haven''t seen Hades in a long time, as well. And if Kira was really back alive, why would she send such a strange message. They just didn''t know what to do.


    If Kira was alive, then the two of them knew that they had a huge problem. They couldn''t risk it.


    Both of them nodded in agreement to helping.


    Anne and Nina smiled as they were all in agreement. They shook each other''s hands.


    "Do you plan on going, now?" Mary asked.


    "Yeah. We plan to scout the area first," Anne said, "The message says to come at any time, and if it is a trap, I doubt it will be going anywhere."


    "Alright, then. It''s settled," Jack said.


    "We''ll meet you there in a bit. I''m hungry and going to get some pizza, first," Mary said.


    Nina left the letter there. They still had the address on the second one.


    "By the way, I was serious when I asked about Yune. Is she alright?" Nina asked.


    "She''s fine," Mary said, "But she won''t be helping us. You can can count on me and Jack, though."


    They left while saying a small good-bye. They knew they would meet up soon, anyways. The two girls transformed and left towards the address. Jack was unaware of Yune''s situation, but Mary had seen her with Eli at night, so she knew that she was safe.


    Jack and Mary went out to bring back a box of pizza. Mary enjoyed every bite, but Jack was sick of it. However, Tasha wanted a slice. It crawled up Jack''s back and took the slice that she wasn''t eating. It dragged the pizza into the void of it''s helmet. Instead of eating, Jack decided to take a look at the letter.


    Nothing about it seemed to be strange. Then, she turned it around and her eyes immediately opened wide. Her body shook not with fear, but with excitement and rage.


    Mary saw Jack''s reaction and asked, "What''s wrong, Jack?"


    Jack smiled with a glint of rage. A cursive ''a'' with a heart on top. It was on the back of the letter in gold ink.


    "Finally," Jack said, "I finally found something. We should go now."


    Mary didn''t see the signature. She asked, "Now? What about dinner?"


    "No time," Jack said as she took Mary by the arm and ran outside. Jack


    "Okay, okay! We can eat pizza after," Mary exclaimed. She transformed as a blood-red crystal surrounded her. Her claws scratched through the crystal like paper before it shattered.


    Jack transformed in a blaze of fire. Red metal melded onto her body making her bigger.


    They dashed away towards this so-called gallery with haste.

 Chapter 103: Annies Gallery

    Annie awaited her first guests. She waited in her art room. The other creatures writhed and squirmed, but made no noise. She sat alone looking at the surreal ceiling painted with many clashing colors. It helped her think.


    She knew that the girls named Anne and Nina would be very receptive to coming by her letters. While Annie never personally met them, she maintained a close watch over them. And not just them, but all the other Light Guardians using her spiders. However, none of them grabbed her attention.


    She sat awaiting their arrival. She knew it would be soon. Either today or tomorrow, she hoped. There was no desire to rest until her first two guests came. Of course, she knew that those two would be cautious about it, so she didn''t get her hopes up too much. It was night as well, so she wondered whether they would come in the morning. Annie was sleep deprived, but still looked radiant and longing for her guests. Annie was certain that they would especially enjoy her art gallery.


    Jack entered and saw Annie waiting patiently. Annie smiled at her presence and asked, "So, assistant, have those two girls arrived?"


    "Yes. They are outside, but they are looking around the area as they enter."


    "Hmm. I know the outside of the gallery isn''t anything special. Didn''t want to put up a sign just yet. Give them a little eye candy," Annie said, "Show them a glimpse of what they want to see and bring them in."


    Jack nodded her head, but didn''t leave. Jack remembered when she chased Annie for ages just to make her suffer, but now she didn''t feel anything like that at all.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Jack approached Annie.


    "What is it, assistant?" Annie asked before Jack grabbed her by the throat.


    Jack lifted her up with both hands and began to choke her. Annie coughed loudly before all the air in her lungs were gone.


    Jack looked at Annie''s dying eyes, but she still felt nothing. Not hate nor satisfaction. There was just nothing.


    And then, Annie looked back at Jack and smiled. She didn''t try to struggle. And then Jack knew that Annie enjoyed it. She wanted to die by Jack''s hands rather than to whatever illness she contracted.


    When Jack realized that, her grip loosened, and Annie''s smile faded. Jack dropped her down to her knees. Both of them were disappointed.


    Jack left to make sure that Annie''s guests would enter.


    And then Annie stood up and followed suit. She wanted to greet her guests when they came. She looked at a mirror in the corner and made sure her hair was nice and even. She conjured her rod and walked out.


    As Annie looked at her art one last time before the guests would arrive, she began to remember how they came to be.


    For Annie to get all of these art pieces, she needed bodies. She didn''t care whether they were human, Light Guardian, or Night Demon. To her, they were all important parts.


    She just waited for them to die, so she could pick them up later for her art projects. Then, Tendra would worry about adding the memories that were required using whatever the spiders reported.


    But there were those who only came recently. The three guardians of darkness. Annie''s orders were explicit in watching Light Guardians, so the spiders never felt the need to watch or report Jack, Yune, and Mary. The spiders didn''t see them as anything but shrouds. The spiders were like machines only following orders rather than thinking for themselves. Occasionally, they would be given freedom to control others to cause chaos in the world, but that was it. If Annie knew of their existence, she would have been most interested in them, especially Jack.

 Chapter 104: Art of Entry

    Anne and Nina arrived at the address. The moon and stars shined brightly above them. There were no street lights for miles. The address led them to an old toy factory in the outskirts of the city. Everything around was rusty and abandoned.


    They scouted around the building without entering. Neither of them sensed any Night Demons nearby. Anne wanted to just enter and fight her way through if it was a trap, but Nina didn''t want to just jump into anything without backup. So, they waited atop a nearby building that overlooked the factory.


    Some spiders hid in the dark watching them. Each one with the same mask and signature, but too small to see from their view.


    Then, Anne noticed a shadow peeking from inside the warehouse. As soon as she saw it, she recognized the silhouette. It was Kira. But the figure hid back into the shadows. Anne knew that Kira was dead, but the sight of her made it hard for to think straight. She knew that it must have been her imagination or some kind of illusion.


    But Anne was tired of waiting around. She wanted to find out what it was and get it over with. She jumped down as Nina followed trying to stop her.


    "Let''s go, Nina," Anne said.


    "What about Jack and Mary?" Nina asked.


    "We don''t need them. I know you''re worried that we might end up falling into a trap, but I don''t care. We''re doing this, now," Anne said without looking back.


    Nina couldn''t argue with her and decided to reluctantly agree.


    "Fine. Let''s get this over with," Nina said.


    They went inside the toy factory side-by-side. They had their weapons ready for anything except for what they were about to find.


    As soon as they entered the whole room was brightened with magical colors and rainbows that streamed throughout the walls and ceilings. There were bats hanging with their feet nailed to the ceiling, and their wings have been replace with butterfly wings. They chirped out slow orchestral music.


    There was an arch and an entrance way down. A sign above the arch said: "Welcome to Annie''s Art Gallery."


    And there was a girl standing in front. She dressed with a fancy, long, white dress while holding onto a golden rod. She bowed elegantly and said, "Welcome, Nine and Anne. I hoped that you would get my invitation. My name is Annie Weldsfield."


    Nina and Anne raised their weapons against the girl. They had a serious glint in their eyes. Nina didn''t know anybody by that name, but Anne did remember a long time ago hearing that name, but she couldn''t put her finger on it.


    "I don''t sense anything, but I''m sure this is the work of some Night Demon," Nina said.


    "Oh, you mean my fantastical landscape. Don''t worry. This is not the work of some evil entity, but all my own. And there is much more for me to show," she replied as she made a welcoming gesture towards a stairway leading down deeper into the ground.


    "Don''t be coy. I know what I saw. Where is Kira? What did you do to her, Night Demon?" Anne angrily said. Nina was surprised that Anne saw Kira, but made sure her emotions were in check. They both still thought that the world around them was a mere illusion created by a monster. They were half-right. It was no mere illusion. Everything was real. But they were right about it being made by a monster. Annie made sure that she was calm and elegant throughout the whole ordeal.


    "Kira? Ahh, yes," Annie replied, "You will find what you''re looking for further down into my gallery."


    Nina raised her blade up against Annie, but she didn''t flinch or feel fear.


    "You first," Nina said.


    "As you wish. Follow me," Annie said as she walked down the stairs maintaining her innocent smile.


    Nina and Anne remained cautious as they followed her down.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    When they reached the bottom, their eyes were met with an entire new world. There didn''t seem to be any walls or ceiling. It looked like a recreation of a city. The road was only one-way, but everything seemed too real and yet dream-like. There weren''t any people and the buildings were filled with many different kinds of paintings. The space was occupied with what looked to be surreal statues of bizarre creatures. They were of varying sizes and colors. Each one very different than the rest. However, when Nina and Anne looked at them, they felt like each one looked back at them.


    They kept their guard up around the place even though they didn''t sense anything. No matter how much Annie would assure them that it wasn''t, they still suspected it to be some kind of Night Demon''s power.


    "Please. Enjoy your visit. Walk around and explore. If you have any questions about my art, please feel free to ask. However, I would like you to keep an open mind. Art is subjective with no real right answer," Annie said.


    Anne retorted, "Enough of this! We know this is just some illusion. Kira is dead. And I''ll tear apart the creature that brought us here to try and deceive us."


    "If you would ple-" Annie said, until Nina interrupted.


    "If you want to help us, why don''t you just show us to what we came for. We won''t be playing whatever game it''s playing. If you can''t show us, then we''ll just leave," Nina said.


    Annie bit her lip, but maintained her smile.


    "Good grief. I was hoping to show you that last, but if it will keep you here, I guess I can make an exception," Annie said, "Follow me further in. What you''re looking for is in the next section of my gallery. We can just start backwards."


    They walked past the exhibits that Annie worked tirelessly to put together, but didn''t feel any ill will towards the girls. She knew exactly why they came, so she expected them not to really appreciate the art that surrounded them. But she was sure that they would appreciate her latest work. Annie snapped her fingers and the world around them began to break apart.


    "You know what. I''ll save you some effort. I''ll just show you now," Annie said.


    The sky was filled with dark red paint and bright blue stars. The whole unraveled revealing the next section of the gallery. Paints swirled in the sky like a torrent of color. But Nine and Anne didn''t come to look at the art. There were still plenty of statues placed all around. Some looked to be floating in mid-air. Yet, all of them looked monstrous and terrifying. Both big and small.


    They just prepared themselves for a fight while wondering why they couldn''t sense any Night Demons nearby. They still didn''t believe anything that they were seeing was real, but Annie wanted to rectify that.


    They walked a bit further until Annie stopped.


    She said, "I will bring the piece you want here if you agree to at least take a look at my other works, too."


    Nina and Anne didn''t plan on keeping that promise, but nodded anyways. They assumed that the girl was going to bring out a Night Demon to fight and readied themselves.


    Annie smiled and snapped her fingers.


    All of the seemingly still statues came to life. They scurried away to the surprise of Anne and Nina. Each one of them were alive and acted like Night Demons, yet neither of them sensed it. They seemed like Night Demons, but Annie knew better. There were so many of them all huddling around each other and crawling on the sky. Each one unique to the next in shape, size, and colors.


    Then, vines began to grow from beneath the ground in front of Annie without Anne or Nina sensing or seeing it. The two girls stood side-by-side ready to fight all of the creatures, but they wouldn''t come.


    She turned around to face Anne and Nina who were in shocked by the number of monsters around them. But the creatures had no plans to attack without Annie''s orders. Each one stayed far away just watching.


    Then, the ground beneath Annie slightly shook. The ground opened up like a mouth with rows of wooden teeth. A rose larger than many constructs grew out from underneath. It hadn''t bloomed yet, but Annie was waiting for the perfect time. It''s elongated thorns shined like a diamond. The scent of the rose filled the room with an ambrosial aroma.


    Anne and Nina focused on the giant rose that appeared before them. Both of them regretted not having Jack and Mary to back them up, but it was too late now. They knew that they fell right into the trap that they knew they''d spring. They just didn''t know what kind of trap it was.


    It towered over all of them. Annie walked over to the side of the rose and a large vine grew from underneath her feet. It carried her over to the closed petals. She rubbed her soft hands over the smooth, yet overpowering petals.


    And with a small pinch to the petal, the rose bloomed as elegantly as Annie wanted. It acted just like how she wanted.


    And when the rose opened up, both Anne and Nina were shocked and disgusted at what they saw.


    They saw Kira''s body roped up to a wooden stake by sharp vines. Her arms replaced with tree bark that attached to the ground. Her bulging eyes forced out with metal wires holding back her eyelids. Her wounds sewn shut and filled with writhing plant life. It groaned and muttered with her open mouth, even though it looked like it had been loosely sewn together with black wire. Her red eyes scanned the area with erratic motions. Veins popped out of her eyes and as those unblinking eyes remained open, tears flowed out of her sockets. On the back of her neck was Annie''s signature branded in gold.


    Both Nina and Anne were left speechless by the monstrosity. Their friend hung up like a display. Nine began to shudder. Anne clenched her fists angrily.


    Annie smiled at their reaction. She hoped that it would get a reaction like any good art. There was so much emotion. Alas, Annie didn''t want to break the silence, but felt the need to.


    Anne said with a broad smile, "As you can see, the art piece you have waited for. I call it ''Kira''s Rose''."

 Chapter 105: Art of Roses

    Kira didn''t struggle, but moaned in pain. It''s ever staring eyes pierced harder than any blade.


    "Kira''s Rose?" Nina muttered while still shaking. Nina shook her head to try and overcome her fear. She stood her ground with her katanas out.


    Anne felt more angry than afraid by what Annie did. She used their friend to make a grotesque monster.


    Both of them knew that they had to fight. It didn''t try to harm them, but, no matter how hard it was for them to witness and remember this thing, they had no choice but to destroy it.


    "Please tell me all your opinions about my latest piece. Are you thrilled to see a monumental piece of history to come?," Annie said.


    "Piece!? You took our friend and created a monster!" Anne shouted.


    "Aww. Is that any way to speak to a fellow Light Guardian," she replied.


    "I don''t care what you are. You''re just a monster," Nina said.


    And it wasn''t the first time that Annie was called a monster. And she certainly believed that it wouldn''t be the last. It wasn''t the first time she used another''s body for her art. She watched plenty of Light Guardians. Annie just waited for them to die, so she could pick them up later for her art projects. Then, Tendra would worry about adding the memories that were required using whatever the spiders reported.


    She said, "If it''s any consolation, I didn''t kill her. I think that was the work of a couple of Night Demons."


    "I don''t care if she wasn''t killed by you!" Anne shouted, "I''ll make you suffer for what you''ve done!"


    Nina continued, "You''re worse than the five monsters that took her away!"


    "Five?" Annie muttered quietly without the other two hearing, "I thought my spiders saw three."


    While Annie was thinking about that, Anne and Nina both charged forward. They tried to go towards her, but Kira blocked the way with a wall of prickly vines. Some prickly vines grew around the rose''s large stem like armor. Other vines came out from underneath the ground. They had dinosaur-like heads with jagged thorns on the ends of each vine. They slithered around and hissed towards Anne and Nina.


    Annie said aloud no longer caring about the slight discrepancy, "It doesn''t matter. My art piece will protect me and itself. You''ll have to destroy a valuable work of art and your friend if you want to get to me."


    Anne and Nina looked at each other.


    "We need to fight that rose," Nina said, "I know it''s hard seeing Kira again, especially like this, but we need to work together. We need to end her suffering, then we can make that girl pay for what she''s done."


    "Right," Anne replied, "Let''s try to destroy this plant first."If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    They nodded in agreement and went in to fight. It was hard and grueling, but they fought valiantly. Anne continued to punch and kick her way through. Nina cut down the vines with her blades.


    Meanwhile, Annie felt frustrated that they were damaging her art. Her face turned red and her facade vanished. She no longer maintained an elegant smile. She yelled, "Damn it. Vandalizing my art? When Kira''s Rose kills you, I''ll use your bodies for something next!"


    But Anne and Nina ignored Annie''s comments. They focused on fighting the monster in front of them, then they would deal with the other monster known as Annie.


    While they continued to fight while paying no attention to Annie, she tried to revert her posture back to the way she preferred. She still felt like she was in control, however she was disappointed by her first guests. She had hoped that they would at least appreciate the effort. They should even be happy at seeing their once dead friend used for such a piece of art. She was intelligent and creative, but didn''t understand people that weren''t like herself.


    And when Nina and Anne were being pushed back, the vines bit into their arms and legs spraying blood.


    Annie stared at the sight of blood with the usual feeling of ecstasy. She licked her lips and was reminded how good it felt to see it after so long. She always enjoyed seeing others suffer. She always kept the Night Demons alive while she worked on them. But it was so much more satisfying to see it happen to a human like herself. The fact that she knew that her sadism was wrong meant nothing. All that mattered what that It made her happy. Just like how keeping Jack around makes her happy. Just like making new pieces of art. It''s all that she cared about. Just feeling happy and in control.


    The fight continued for some time. Neither side looked to be winning, but Kira was far more resilient. She kept growing more and more serpentine vines. Meanwhile, a small spider had to bring some news to Annie. It avoided all the fighting and crawled up the vines. It crawled up Annie and went up to her shoulder.


    "What is it? I only told you to contact me if there were any problems," Annie said.


    The spider made a couple of clicking sounds. It began to make clicks in Morse code that Annie understood. Annie taught the spiders Morse code, or, more specifically, made Tendra work on the mother spider''s mind to know Morse code.


    "Visitors? More Light Guardians?" Annie asked. She wasn''t expecting anybody else to come, but she was thrilled in having more guests.


    The spider shook it''s head.


    "No? Night Demons?"


    It shook it''s head again.


    "Just regular humans?"


    It shook again.


    Annie sighed, "I didn''t tell you to tell me if an animal like a cat wandered in. I told you to just shoo those kinds of pests away."


    It made some more clicking sounds.


    "Not an animal? What is then?"


    The spider started to click, but didn''t finish. It shuddered.


    "Mon...sters...Dark...Stars," the spider muttered to Annie''s surprise. They were never able to speak before. She''s never met a single Night Demon that could speak and have a conversation. It was impossible.


    A roar trembled throughout the gallery. Everything froze. The creatures that watched the fight looked towards where the sound was coming from. Kira held Anne and Nina down with her vines. But the roar was familiar to all three of the girls.


    Other monsters were there and were getting thrown around. A blaze of fire erupted amidst the chaos. Anne and Nina recognized that raging power. And even Annie recognized it, although she didn''t believe it.


    A blade came flying out from the flames. It went straight at Annie with haste and without any time for her to react. Luckily for her, Kira''s amalgamation of vines bundled together and shielded Annie. The blade was a flaming machete. It was stopped by the vines, but it pierced deep and caused the whole part of the plant to burst into flames.


    Annie knew who that was, but couldn''t believe it.


    Then, there she was breathing heavily with a horde of her art pieces decimated behind her.


    "Annie!," the girl yelled with hate and excitement, "Annie! I found you! I FOUND YOU!!"


    She couldn''t believe her eyes. It wasn''t the same one that she had kept, but that rage was all too familiar. Annie muttered with disbelief, "Impossible. Jack?"

 Chapter 106: Art of Following

    Yune, Venomion, and Cainus were in the middle of raiding a local robber''s house. Apparently, Venomion heard that a pair of robbers took some priceless jewels, so she asked if Yune wanted to join her in taking the jewels.


    Yune agreed, and Cainus heard their conversation and popped out from under a floorboard to join them as well.


    Venomion''s snakes knew where they were, and the three of them easily charged in and beat them to a pulp. Yune was even planning on killing them, but decided just to hand them over to the police. They weren''t anybody special, and she found out from the news that those robbers didn''t hurt anybody in the robbery.


    Venomion''s snakes gulped down the bags of jewels and slithered away.


    However, when Yune was about to leave the robbers, she had noticed that their eyes were wriggling. Then, suddenly, two spiders came out of the two''s eyes.


    Cainus and Venomion thought they were disgusting and were about to squash them, if Yune hadn''t stopped them.


    Yune grabbed one of the spider''s and held it to her eye. It was tiny, but she could tell it was the same kind of spider that was inside the Dragon Kaiser gang leader''s. It had the two-faced mask and a very small signature on the abdomen. It was smaller than the other one, but still the same. And she didn''t sense any feeling of it being a Night Demon.


    Yune had another idea. She suspected that the small creature must have come from something bigger. It was just a child, she thought, of a much bigger Night Demon.


    Then, from outside, they heard screams. They rushed out to see that the streets were covered with spiders. They all marched forward and came out of other people''s eyes without hurting them. They all had the same mask and signature. And they crawled in a hurry.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "What the hell is happening!?" Venomion exclaimed.


    "There''s so many of them," Cainus said.


    Yune looked at the little spider she carried and let it go. The spider began to crawl in the same direction as the others. Then, they reached a sewer grate and crawled underneath. Yune felt like they must have belonged to a much bigger spider like a queen or a matriarch. And when she noticed them coming out of people, the spiders mostly came out of people who looked dangerous or violent. She suspected the spiders having to do something with all the rampant crime going on.


    "I don''t know," Yune said trying to convince them, "But we should follow them. They''re in a rush. And we''ve seen them crawling around before. They came out of that gang leader''s head. Who knows what kind of things these spiders have been up to. And... who knows? Maybe, they''re keeping treasure down there."


    Once, Venomion heard the word treasure she sprung up.


    "I don''t mind. As a fellow hero, it would be my duty to help those in need from giant hordes of spiders. And as a fellow money lover, if there is a slight chance that those spiders are hoarding plenty of stuff like my snakes, then I''m in," Venomion said.


    Cainus coughed. Her heart beat faster at the sight of bugs. They scared her ever since she was a child. She said with a shaky voice, "Sounds like a lot of work for nothing. We don''t know if they''re really hoarding anything. And they''re not Night Demons, so we wouldn''t be getting any black coins for it."


    "I wasn''t expecting you to come, Cainus," Yune said seeing her reaction to the spiders, "After all, I''m sure you''re afraid."


    "What!?" Cainus exclaimed, "I''m not afraid of a couple of... bugs."


    Yune continued to press her, "And I''m sure you wouldn''t be able to help. Not like your toy can do anything against them. Let the big girls handle this."


    Cainus growled without even thinking about the spiders, "Damn you. I''ll show you."


    Cainus began to attack the spiders. They didn''t fight back, rather they continued to march forward like drones. Then, Venomion and Yune went forward. The three of them saw that they entered into the sewers, and decided to follow them in there.


    "We''re all going to have to take a long shower after this," Yune commented.


    "That''s okay. I barely shower, anyways," Venomion replied.


    "Gross."


    And the three jumped in following the spiders. What they didn''t know was that there was somebody following them - Mirey.

 Chapter 107: Art of Knowing

    "Jack?" Annie muttered. She was perplexed at who she was seeing. It was her. Not the empty shell that she kept around.


    Jack roared and conjured another flaming machete.


    Mary hopped off of Jack''s back and commented, "Wassup, homies. We made it. Although, we would have gotten here earlier if Jack let me check the address on the GPS first before running. "


    She also looked at Tasha who was attached to Jack''s back, as well. It shivered hanging on for it''s life. She didn''t even know that Tasha came along, but didn''t mind.


    Now, there were four guardians on one side, and a giant rose with the corpse of one guardian and a sparkling Light Guardian on the other. Nina, Anne, Jack, and Mary stood side-by-side ready to fight.


    Annie bit her lips in frustration, but it was only for a moment. Then, she was feeling a high in her head. She didn''t believe that the Jack she was seeing was real, but just a fake. She owned the original''s body. The one in front of her was a very good mimic, she thought.


    "How are you, my fake assistant?" Annie asked.


    Jack roared shaking the entire building in response. Now, that she was face to face with the girl she was searching for so long, she felt a surge of rage. She wanted revenge for what Annie did to her parents. She wanted to make her suffer for all those who died because of her. She no longer could control herself. She breathed erratically. She didn''t see anything but the target in front of her. Everything else seemed like a blur or a shadow. However, Jack knew that the other girls were there and didn''t want to hurt them, so she struggled to maintain herself.


    Mary took one look at her and knew that she was barely holding onto her sanity.


    But that sanity was gone by the time Annie said, "I wonder who made you. Another artist and admirer like myself. I can''t have that."


    Jack charged forward in a blaze of fury.


    Kira looked down at Mary and silently groaned. A flurry of sharp vines and large bundles of thorns shot at the girls. And the fight continued.


    Annie aimed her rod at Jack as she was cutting down the plants with ease. The flames easily burned through whatever Kira threw at her. Mary, Nina, and Anne were able to get closer in as they now had the advantage. While Jack continued to go berserk, the other three girls were able to close the distance.


    Annie was about to fire her rainbow beams, but then a sudden violent cough came out instead. Blood splattered out onto her arm as she covered it.


    "Not now," Annie muttered. As she saw that Jack was closing in and Annie was too weak to fight, she had no choice but to retreat. However, she still wanted this version of Jack for herself. She had one, but thought another would just be splendid. She jumped back and yelled out, "Thank you all for coming, but I''m going to have to cut this opening short. My rose and arachnid artwork, protect your creator. Kill those girls! Oh, but make sure to try and keep Jack alive."


    Annie didn''t expect any of her creatures to be able stop Jack, but the other three seemed easy enough. At best, they would slow her down. However, if they were able to knock her out, she planned to experiment with her to see how she as made, but she knew how strong Jack, so she had to come up with a plan. She still didn''t think that it was a real person, but just something like her own pieces of art.


    "Annie!" Jack yelled before Kira bundled together a large amount of vines to push Jack back.


    The ground shook like an earthquake. Spiders of all sizes dug out and began to join the assault. Each one had the same mask and signature on their abdomen.


    It was chaos. Jack was able to destroy most of the creatures that attacked her, but the other three girls weren''t as strong as her. However, luckily, the monsters focused their efforts at capturing Jack. They could feel that Annie wanted that the most. Mary, Anne, and Nina had to work together as Jack was experiencing a large amount of aggro.


    The three girls couldn''t go near Jack without getting burned themselves, so the three girls focused their fight to Kira. Giant arms made of vines and thorns grew out from the ground.


    They dodged and slashed at waves of vines and monsters. Blood made from paint splattered from the torn up spiders and onto a canvas composed of the ground and guardians.


    The spiders just kept coming. Occasionally, they would strike at one of the other pieces of ''art''. Annie made sure to send the spiders out as they were expendable. But the pieces of art she made felt like a part of her, so she didn''t want to send them on a suicide mission.


    After a while, the pieces of art that Annie displayed retreated away from the fight and left the work to Kira and the spiders.


    Jack was surrounded by spiders, but continued to fighting them back.


    Meanwhile, Kira''s focus was on Anne, Nina, and Mary. She groaned in pain all while sending large serpentine vines to attack the three girls.


    Amidst the chaos, Mary, Anne, and Nina were separated. They had to defend themselves against an onslaught of plants and spiders. Clicking noises echoed throughout the room with shrieks adding to it from the vines.


    Then, while Mary was defending herself against the spiders, she didn''t notice as a large bundle of vines were coming down on top of her until the last second. Mary was fast, but not fast enough. She dashed forward, but the vines morphed themselves into a hand and held her down. It squashed the bottom half of Mary and the other spiders. Mary fell unconscious for a moment and when she awoke, she was stuck. She struggled to get out, but it was no use. The more she struggled, the harder the vines constricted around her body. The only parts that were free was her head and one arm. She looked around and saw how they weren''t going to last. The spiders kept coming, and Anne and Nina were no where near Kira. Jack was even having trouble. Tasha even tried to help while on her back keeping the spiders away with it''s tendrils. But there were too many of them. They began to swarm Jack and cover her in a thick viscous ooze that drooled out of their mouths.


    Then, Mary looked at Kira and noticed her eyes staring straight at her. It continued to groan, even though it was painful. It tried to speak, but nothing would come out.


    Mary lifted her arm up and thought that it couldn''t end like this. She couldn''t believe that she would die after all that happened. She couldn''t believe that they would all die to these monsters.


    She struggled as the vines continued to constrict. She once thought that God enjoyed violence, but after spending so much time with Jack and Yune, she didn''t believe that was the case anymore. That was just an excuse to inflict violence. She enjoyed it only because that was what her mother taught her. She was always taught to believe that those who followed a different religion or belief were nothing but monsters that needed to die. She learned not to trust others, but now that she opened her heart to Yune and Jack, she never felt betrayed by those two. There was so much that she was taught that turned out to be wrong.


    She just wanted to be a part of a family. Not like the family she had. And as this feeling reached down into her guts, her claws began to tremble. They glowed bright purple with streaks with red. And before the vines could reach their way inside of Mary''s mouth and eyes, her mark glowed brightly. The mark of the crow.


    Jack''s mark glowed as well giving her a boost in power.


    And wherever Yune was, she felt stronger.


    Their bond strengthened them wherever they were.


    And with one chance, Mary''s claw shot out of her index finger. It flied straight past the other vines. And when Kira saw it coming for her, she tried to stop it, but it was too fast. It flew faster and faster. The space around it began to break apart like glass. And with swiftness, it flew straight into Kira''s right eye.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    It screamed in pain and shook it''s body around. The other vines trembled and began to writhe. They were all stunned for seconds.


    The vines that closed in around Mary loosen, giving her the chance to escape.


    As Kira flailed around trying to get the claw out of her eye, the vines flailed with her as they were a part of her. They accidentally hit the spiders that surrounded Jack giving her enough time to free herself from them. The spiders backed away.


    With one eye, Kira began to focus her attacks on Mary. But to Mary''s surprise, Nina and Anne came in to help her. They all grouped together to face whatever came. Even these girls, Mary thought, were a better family than what she used to have.


    The spiders began to click to each other and as they saw Jack, they only saw a red demon. They began to retreat, but not because of fear. They seemed to have new orders. They dug down and left Kira to fight alone.


    Jack roared with a fury of a thousand lions. The only thing she wanted to do was chase after Annie, however that would mean leaving the others. She tried to control herself. All that rage and hate was far harder to control now that she was so close. She didn''t want her to escape again. But then Tasha came to help her. It attached it''s tendrils onto Jack''s head and she began to calm down. Everything began to seem more clear. All that Tasha did was calm her down, but it was enough.


    She looked at the injured rose. It was weakened, but not down.


    Jack conjured her machete, but grew it ten time larger with fire spewing out of it. She concentrated her powers rather than letting her rage control her. It grew larger and larger until it could no longer be seen as a sword, but just a slab of volcanic iron. She struck at the stem from where she stood and cut it down with one strike.


    The whole rose began to set ablaze. As the fire grew, it quickly reached the top. The petals began to fall apart and turn to ash. It fell lifting up paint, dust, and ash from the ground into the air they breathed. The dust settled. The flames dispersed. The scent of the rose''s aroma turned into the vulgar scent of death.


    The rose was defeated. But Kira was still alive groaning in constant pain.


    Anne and Nina rushed to Kira''s side. They tried to comfort her, but she only felt pain. Even the slightest touch caused nothing but an intense burning sensation. The claw in her eye vanished and came back to Mary''s finger.


    Kira knew who Anne and Nina were, but only because Tendra gave her those memories. She didn''t quite feel anything from them, but when she looked at Mary, she did remember her. She remembered seeing her as a monster, and wanted to warn the other two about it. Even though she wasn''t the same Kira that they were friends with, she still wanted to tell them, but all she could muster was a few groans.


    She saw that Tasha was behind her and petted it knowing that it helped her regain control of herself.


    "Good girl," she said while it enjoyed receiving it''s scales being rubbed. Jack wanted to chase Annie, but had a feeling that she wouldn''t run. She could tell that Annie put her heart and soul into this horrid and nightmarish art gallery. She didn''t think that she would abandon it. After Tasha was able to keep her calm, it felt good to be in control. Rather than going berserk, she felt like she was in far more control over her actions.


    Mary approached the three girls. Anne and Nina tried to reassure that Kira was fine, but it was obvious that she was suffering. Every second, Kira looked like it would die, but it would just spring back up. It spewed out blood and paint from it''s destroyed eye.


    Mary began to remember what she did to Kira. She remembered all the horrible things she said and did to her. Mary had plenty of time to reflect on it. After all this time, Mary now felt guilt for what she''s done. A sharp pain entered her stomach. She hated it. This feeling of something she did before.  She''s never felt like this in all her life until now. She''s never felt guilt or remorse for the other people she killed. But now, after experiencing her own feelings merging with Jack''s and Yune''s, she felt different. The mark that the three of them held on their arms linked them together far more than what they thought to be possible. It changed her from the inside.


    She reminisced about that time. She was childish, bratty, and sadistic, and she caused Kira to suffer for it. The only reason that Kira won that fight, she thought, was because she had something to fight for. Mary had nothing to fight for at that time. She only taunted the girl because she enjoyed watching her like everybody else suffer, but now she felt differently. It seemed abhorrent and putrid, now. And then only after the fight she was able to be friends with Jack and Yune. Or family as Yune once said back then. And Mary enjoyed the thought of that and it was because of her battle with Kira. And how Mary repaid her was by killing her.


    She had no chance against the three of them. It wasn''t even close to fair. And when Kira died, Mary remembered what she said to her. She remembered taunting her about her boyfriend as she died, and now it made her sick thinking about it. Back then, they thought that if Light Guardians saw their dark transformation, they would instantly think that they weren''t Light Guardians. Now, plenty of guardians knew how they transformed, yet none of them suspected. Kira''s death in hindsight was pointless, Mary thought. They may have come to blows with their team after, but after thinking about it, she was sure that Yune would have been able to negotiate their way out of a clash.


    Kira''s death was pointless and she suffered for Mary''s mistakes. And she''s still suffering, Mary thought. And now, Mary felt like she was suffering with her.


    Mary went over to Nina and Anne. She looked at Kira. Her one eye stared straight at her. With that look, Mary knew that Kira was aware of her death and who did it. It continued to groan as her arms were splintered like wood chips.


    Mary felt her heart stop for a minute. Even though she now felt guilty for Kira''s death, she now felt scared to being found out. But she didn''t want to kill Kira again, but when she saw how Kira was living, she didn''t consider it a mercy to let her live. It would be more merciful to let her die.


    She touched Anne''s and Nina''s shoulder and said, "She''s suffering."


    "It''s alright, Kira. It''s alright," Nina said. Both of them tried to comfort Kira, but it did nothing to help her. Anne and Kira were tearing up as they saw her friend like this. They felt a strange sense of happiness seeing her alive, but seeing her alive in this state made them feel terrible. There was nothing they could do. It was like a doll.


    "Anne. Nina," Mary said in a depressed voice, "The Kira you knew is dead. What Annie did to her is make her into a puppet. She''s suffering. She needs to go back - back into the grave."


    "No!" Anne yelled angrily, "She''s fine. We can take her to a hospital. We can call the shopkeeper. She can be fixed."


    Nina called out, "Shopkeeper. Shopkeeper. Shopkeeper. Help!"


    The shopkeeper appeared and Nina continued quickly, "Please save Kira. Please help her."


    He looked at the girl and said coldly, "Do you have a black coin?"


    Neither Anne nor Nina had a spare black coin to use. However, Mary had plenty in reserves.


    They begged. They said that they could owe him later, but the shopkeeper didn''t accept that.


    Mary thought to herself and wondered if she should use one of hers. But then if the shopkeeper does fix Kira, then she would tell the others that the three of them killed her. She felt sorry for what she did, but she knew that there was no excuse.


    The mark glowed. Jack felt Mary''s internal conflict. She didn''t feel like they should spend a black coin to save Kira, but understood her struggles. Jack didn''t want to fight them right now. She just wanted to make sure that Annie didn''t get away.


    Then, finally, Mary opened her mouth. Whatever the consequences were, she would shoulder them. This feeling of guilt in her stomach felt terrible, and she hoped to ease that feeling.


    "Use one of my res-" Mary said before being interrupted by the shopkeeper.


    He said, "And fix her how? I can''t bring back the dead. That''s nothing but a corpse with a mock brain. It''s not the real Kira that you knew. It''s a doll"


    "Please just help her," Nina pleaded once more.


    "I can''t. No matter how many black coins you give, I don''t think I can do anything about it. Of course, if you want a realistic doll of Kira, I can provide that. It''ll be like a little robot."


    "Damn you," Anne said before throwing a punch at the shopkeeper, but he instantly stopped her strike with one hand. The shopkeeper pushed her away and vanished after saying, "I won''t help you."


    Then, Mary said to the two girls who looked like they were in mourning again, "Please. Let me end it''s suffering. You don''t need to do that."


    After a couple of seconds, Anne and Nina nodded.


    They said their final good-byes to Kira and walked a couple of steps away turning their backs on Kira. It continued to groan to try and tell them about her murder, but still nothing came out. Then, it looked at Mary. It felt no hate or sadness. It was just an empty shell, after all. A body with implanted memories. This doll just felt like it had a duty to tell Kira''s friends.


    "You remember what happened," Mary whispered as she put her claw to Kira''s throat, "I''m sorry."


    With one swift swipe, Kira''s neck was cut off. The body and head fell. It no longer felt anything. Kira Shine was dead once more. The body began to deflate and melt away. A random assortment of leaves poured out of her.


    Anne wiped her tears and walked forward.


    "Let''s go, Nina. We got to stop Annie. We can''t let what she did happen to anybody else," Anne said with new resolve. Anne and Nina looked at the body once more.


    "We can''t leave Kira like this," Nina said.


    Although Anne felt the need for revenge, she knew that it wasn''t right to leave the body, there.


    She said to Jack, "I remember, now. You were looking for her a long time ago. Make sure that girl pays for what she''s done."


    Jack, "I plan to. Let''s go, Mary."


    Mary felt no kind of relief for her newfound guilt. She knew that if she fixed Kira, then Anne and Nina would surely want to kill her, Jack, and Yune. She thought about telling them, but shied away from the thought. She didn''t mind dying, but couldn''t risk her two friends to die with her.


    She pushed forward. "I''m right behind you, Jack," Mary said.


    The two Light Guardian dashed away holding Kira''s body and head wrapped in a piece of the rose''s large petals. Meanwhile, the two Night Guardians dashed forward with new resolve. Both ready to face whatever monsters hid in this gallery.

 Chapter 108: Art of Retreat

    While those guardians were still fighting Kira, Annie retreated back, but had no plans to leave. Like Jack thought, she put too much time and effort into making this gallery. It felt like a home. She wouldn''t abandon it.


    At first, she was dashing away, but slowly it turned into a limp. Her throat was coarse and rough. Her coughs continued to get worse. But she held together. She just needed to call in the shopkeeper to help her.


    Eventually she reached her Jack, who gave her her shoulder. Annie drew a line in the ground with her lasers. She was almost there until she reached her art studio. The one place where she felt like she could rest.


    She said to her assistant, "Don''t let anybody past that line. Kill anybody who tries to get through."


    The fake Jack replied, "Yes, Annie."


    "Nobody can come through except for Jack."


    The fake Jack was confused by the wording, but she would soon understand what it meant. She didn''t question her orders.


    Annie limped into her art studio where Tendra stood waiting inside. The creatures in their cages made of light began to rattle more violently. The Night Demons. The pieces of art that Annie didn''t finish with. They were all getting louder. It felt like a zoo. Annie knelt down leaning on her rod and work table.


    Annie coughed and whispered, "Shopkeeper. Shopkeeper. Shopkeeper. Come here."


    The shopkeeper appeared and asked, "Another fit?"


    "Use a reserve to cure me."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    "I can''t do that."


    "Why not?"


    "You have nothing left in your reserves."


    Then, Annie immediately shot out a beam at one of the Night Demons inside their cages. It cried a shriek of pain before being eviscerated and turned into a coin.


    "Take that black coin and heal me," Annie said.


    The coin floated in the air towards the shopkeeper. He grabbed it and waved his hands around. Annie''s coughs vanished along with her damaged throat.


    She was able to stand up properly, but she still felt weak. Her body was still failing, but she was given time. She hated her weak body, but there was nothing she could do. No matter how many times she called the shopkeeper to heal her, each time the healing did less and less while the cost would increase.


    The shopkeeper vanished leaving Annie alone.


    A spider came up to Annie shoulder.


    "Well, spider, I never knew that you could talk until a few moments ago. What news do you bring?" Annie asked. She was surprised a lot today. First, she found another Jack and then she discovered that her spiders could speak.


    It spoke, "Two more... guardians...and one Dark Star. Attacking the matriarch."


    Annie still had no idea what a Dark Star was, but she assumed that was whatever the Jack she saw was. She thought that it must have been something similar to her pieces of art. Something that wasn''t Light Guardian or Night Demon.


    But Annie had no time to think about it. She complained, "Damn it. This is getting out of hand. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Why couldn''t things just follow the itinerary? Continue sending whatever spiders you have in capturing Jack. I may lose my printer, but that''s a small price to pay."


    The spider stood silent and shuddered, "No."


    "What!?" Annie exclaimed, "What do you mean ''no''!?"


    "We are no longer required to follow your orders," it said before Annie squashed it with her hands.


    "What the hell? These spiders couldn''t talk or disobey before. Why now?"


    Then, Annie looked at Tendra and spoke to it.


    "Tendra, those girls will probably beat my rose. The spiders don''t look like they''ll help. I''d rather have that other Jack than the other pieces of art that I have. If they proceed further in, send in the other artworks. Kill them, but make sure Jack is alive."


    Tendra nodded its head. And Annie was at least a little happy that not everything was disobeying her at this crucial point.


    Annie continued, "Also, I will need you for one more thing."

 Chapter 109: Art of Spiders

    Yune, Cainus, and Venomion ventured forth through the sewers following the spiders. They ignored their presence, until they reached a place that didn''t seem like a part of the sewers. There were black webs and slime all over the place. The place was dug up. Cocoons with light fixtures were placed around. The space grew wider.


    And once they stepped foot into their area, the spiders noticed them. However, most of the spider continued to march away sending in only a few at them. The three of them were easily able to destroy them. The path led them deeper and deeper.


    They kept moving forward fighting until they reached what seemed like a large room filled with spiders. There were tunnels connecting all over the area.


    And in the middle was one spider larger than the others - the size of a three story building. This one was different. The abdomen was filled with human faces continuously screaming in terror each with Annie''s signature branded on their foreheads in gold paint. It had the body of a young woman placed where it''s head should be. And it''s face was covered in a black mucus and needles. It''s hair was shrived and torn.


    And it saw the three guardians.


    "Shit. What the hell is this thing?" Cainus exclaimed.


    "It''s not a Night Demon. I don''t sense it," Venomion said.


    "Ignore your senses," Yune said, "Night Demon or not. It''s a monster."


    It shrieked with a large cry.


    "Why''d it have to be spiders?" Cainus complained while lighting another cigarette.


    They began to fight against hordes of spiders. The webs tangled the chains and threads that flew all over the place. Venomion sent out her snakes. The number of spiders began leaving the matriarch through one tunnel.


    The monster still followed Annie''s orders. As long as those needles were stuck in it''s head, then it had no choice. This monster was similar to Tendra. It didn''t have it''s memories altered, but the needles made sure they were under Annie''s control.


    Then, the matriarch began to fight the three girls. The three girls worked together to defend themselves against the monster''s webs and fangs. It''s legs crushed anything underneath them, but the girls continued to fight. The creature was relentless, but it was far easier since the other spiders were ignoring it.


    Eventually, the creature began to flail around and as it began to feel it''s mind becoming less muddled, it grabbed the needles that pierced her head. They were dug in deep into her. The headaches increased as it tried to take them out.


    Yune noticed the creature''s actions. It saw the needles generating some kind of radiant energy. She suspected that to be causing it''s rampant behavior. It wasn''t something that was a part of the creature.


    "Cainus. Venomion. I have a plan," Yune said as the creature flailed around.


    "Plan?" Venomion asked.


    Then, Yune told them what to do. Venomion agreed to the plan, although she didn''t really think anything about it. Cainus was reluctant to follow a plan that Yune came up with, but there wasn''t any time to argue during a battle.


    The matriarch shrieked and continued to fight as it''s head became muddled once more.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Cainus threw out her yo-yo and wrapped it up around the spider''s legs. Then, Venomion launched snakes out of her arm that flew towards the giant spider from one side. As the spider was distracted by the constant hissing and venomous bites of the snakes, Yune ran up Cainus''s yo-yo thread. When Yune was closer, she jumped higher and threw out her hook towards it''s head.


    The plan that Yune told them about was that she was going to throw in her hook and sharpen it to cut off it''s head. But Yune had another idea. She needed to get closer towards the monster''s head. She flicked her wrist and the hook wrapped itself onto one of the needles. Then, the chains all began to constrict around the others. As Yune fell, she yanked hard. They didn''t budge. And then, she yanked harder. They didn''t budge, again.


    Suddenly, Yune''s mark glowed in a shadowy mist. The mark of a cat on her left arm. She remembered Mary and Jack. She felt that they were also in a fight. And then her mind wandered to Eli. Her electricity flowed from her old friend into her. Her chains began to spark black lightning. And with a third hard yank, a surge of black electricity flowed through the chains. The monster cried in pain, but each needle came rushing out of the monster''s head. Yune didn''t know how she managed to do that.


    The creature cried in pain. The yo-yo threads came loose and it began to flail again. The snakes were getting knocked around.


    As the three girls jumped back, the other two wondered how Yune was able to conduct electiricity, but more importantly why Yune took out the creature''s needles rather than finishing it off.


    However, before they could voice their complaints and questions, the creature began to speak.


    "Why...are you here?" it asked in a soothing female voice.


    "What the hell? It speaks?" Venomion and Cainus exclaimed at the same time. And at the same time, the three of them began to sense a Night Demon. The creature in front of them was now giving off that sense. A chill went up the three of their spines.


    Yune wasn''t surprised that it could speak. She''s met other Night Demons that could talk. She didn''t know whether this one could, but felt like those needles in it''s head were causing it to lose control of itself.


    "I''m Yune. Your spiders have been causing a lot of trouble up in the city."


    "Yune... A Dark Star...Yes...," it replied, "I remember. I am referred to as the matriarch. Strange. Now, that I''m near you, I feel far more smarter. My mind isn''t being held down by blinding lights and metal."


    The three of them had no idea what a Dark Star was, so they just ignored it.


    "Now that you have your mind is back, what are you going to do?" Yune asked.


    "So much. So much pain I had to endure because of that bitch," it cried, "I will rip her skin off and feed it to my children."


    "Damn. I can''t tell whether it''s changed or just gone from crazy to crazy with a mouth," Venomion said.


    It continued, "But you creatures. You Light Guardians. You humans. You all deserve the same fate."


    "Wait. What are you talking about?" Yune asked. Venomion and Cainus readied themselves for a fight as well as the matriarch.


    The monster said, "All of you humans are the same. I was just a small spider born in a lab and experimented on. Then, I was another spider who was stomped on. And another eaten by a bird. So many spiders. But all of them small and insignificant. But now all of them amalgamated into a Night Demon after death. All of them into me. I will try not to kill you, Yune. You are different. I can see you for what you really are. A Dark Star in the world that gives me thought. But everything else should be stomped on for what they did to me and my kind. The world of men will fall. And the Dark Star will become tangled in my webs forever."


    It screeched and a bunch more of it''s spiders came crawling in.


    "Great job, Yune," Cainus said sarcastically, "Should''ve just stuck with the original plan."


    "Shit. Now, we''re going to have to fight even harder," Venomion complained.


    "I''m sorry, Venomion and Cainus. This is my fault," Yune said.


    "I know. But let''s survive this first and then I''ll say how much of a loser you are," Cainus replied with a smile.


    They were surrounded by spiders of all size with the same mask and signature. All of them under the matriarch''s control. A small spider came up to it''s ear. The matriarch ordered it to go to Annie to give her an update. She didn''t know that it wasn''t under her control anymore, but as long as she thought it was, it could at least try to get Annie to send some more help that can be food for later.


    The small spider crawled through one of the tunnels with haste.


    The giant spider said to the three girls, "I may be referred to as the matriarch. But call me by my Night Demon name. Spinnenwolf."

 Chapter 110: Art of Progression

    The spiders were nowhere to be seen in Annie''s gallery. All of them have been recalled back by their matriarch.


    Instead of spiders, Annie sent out whatever creatures that she sewn together and made to stop the guardians that came forward. They were all freaks of nature. Every single one an amalgamation of horrid monsters and human flesh. No longer alive yet neither dead. Just continued to obey as long as Annie was alive. Her powers flowed through all of them. Her spark of life that she discovered.


    Slow orchestral music still played from above. The scent of lilacs covered up the scent of rotten flesh.


    Jack made sure that Meanwhile, Mary was in between the circle. She began to figure out for herself how to fire her claws out. From never being able to think it was possible to being adept at it. With just a thought, she was able to fire each every one of her claws. Then, within the second, the claws were regenerate back onto her finger. She would just keep firing all around her.


    Tasha continued to lay on Jack''s back with two tentacles attached to her head. Jack no longer felt a berserk rage within her. She was able to control herself and not harm her friends in the process of fighting.


    The whole team continued to move forward slashing at the monstrosities that laid before them. None of them were any match to the four of them.


    But then, the creatures began to retreat. The longer they were near Mary and Jack, the more calm their minds felt. And the longer they fought, the more they began to realize for themselves that it was a suicide mission. They backed off slowly ignoring Annie''s orders.


    Eventually, one-by-one, they retreated into the shadows only caring about their own safety.


    The team moved forward faster as less resistance came to them. But once they made it to a point, they were stopped in their tracks.


    They all stood frozen at what they saw. The monsters fled back and revealed what was ahead of them. It was Jack. But not the same Jack that was with them. This one was different. For the most part, she looked the same with some minor scars and stitches. And Annie''s signature was on the back of her neck. But otherwise, it was an exact model. It was a fake, though, the girls thought. An art piece known as Jack made by Annie standing in front of them.


    Both Jack and Mary were shocked and perplexed at what they were seeing.


    But when the fake Jack saw the red-armored girl in front of her, she knew what Annie meant. Annie had ordered her to only allow Jack to go through. She was referring to the one that stood with the other guardians.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Impossible," Mary said, "This is getting out of hand. Now, there are two of them."


    The Jack that stood in front of them blocked their way forward.


    "Since, there is two of me, you can refer to me as one of Annie''s art or as assistant Jack," the fake Jack said.


    Jack bit her lips. She felt angry and insulted that Annie would create this imposter. And even more so that the fake Jack would call itself as an assistant. It brought up naive memories of Jack and Annie that she didn''t want to remember.


    "What the hell are you?" the real Jack asked. They saw the Annie was able to create some kind of life using dead bodies, but it felt unreal to see two of the same. The Jack they faced looked almost identical to the Jack that Mary knew.


    However, unlike the Jack that they all knew, this one was colder. It didn''t give off any emotions.


    The fake Jack transformed in a blaze of fire. Red armor surrounded her body and when the flames dispersed, she stood there in her guardian form. Almost the same as the other Jack with the exception of a mask and black eyes. She even conjured a flaming machete to hold.


    "I have been ordered to stop anybody from passing," the fake Jack said, "Only you can pass, Jack."


    "Me?" the real Jack asked.


    "I thought that Annie meant that only I could enter, but now that I see you, those orders extend to you as well."


    "You didn''t answer my question," Jack said, "What the hell are you?"


    The fake Jack was silent for a couple of seconds, but then replied, "I''m Jack."


    "That''s not possible. I''m the real Jack."


    "Are you? The real Jack is... well, this conversation would be too personal for everybody to hear. You should speak to Annie about it. I am not even a hundred percent sure what either of us are. You''re similar to me, but your mask and black eyes, and my own stitches and internal monster organs. We''re not exactly the same, but I will not fight you. You can go forward past this line and through that door. And I assure you that there are no more creatures ahead. As far as I know, only Annie is waiting for you."


    Jack wanted to go forward, but that would mean leaving Mary there. Mary noticed that Jack was hesitating, and said, "Go, Jack. Go find Annie and end this. I can handle myself."


    Jack nodded her head to Mary. Meanwhile, Tasha continued to be attached to Jack like an accessory. The other Jack saw this, but assumed that it was a part of her like her mask and eyes.


    Jack walked forward. When the real Jack was side-by-side with the art piece Jack, she stopped and asked quietly between themselves, "Why are you helping Annie?"


    The fake Jack replied, "I don''t know. I don''t feel chained to her. I am aware of what she has done to us. She killed so many. She didn''t kill directly kill our parents, but she didn''t save them either. We were her art assistant, and we even saw her as the only friend in the world. Our best friend. But then, she went on a rampage one night. We were there. She''s the reason we became Light Guardians because that''s what she wanted. I remember having so much rage over her actions, but not anymore. I am nothing but an empty shell, now. A body with memories. But I can still see that you have it. The emotions. Although, you aren''t as full of rage as I was expecting."


    Jack didn''t know what to think of those answers, but before she took another step, the fake Jack muttered, "Annie will enjoy being killed by the thing she loves."


    Jack stood still for a moment to try and understand what that meant.


    The fake Jack continued with just one more statement before Jack walked away towards the door.


    "Avenge us."

 Chapter 111: Art of Spinnenwolf

    Yune, Cainus, and Venomion were surrounded by spiders both large and small. Spinnenwolf stood towering over them all.


    Without any warning, the spiders lunged at them. The three guardians fought together once more. The battle was a lot harder than before. The Night Demon now grew passionate for the battle.


    Venomion sent out hordes of snakes to counter against the hordes of spiders, but there was only so much that she could do against them. None of the snakes were as big as the large spiders.


    Cainus and Yune threw around the yo-yo and hook-chain respectively. They avoided the webs that were spit out by the creatures. Then, Spinnenwolf would jump into the battle flailing it''s long legs and shooting black tar-like webs. Throughout the whole fight, the three stood together. They knew that if they got separated, then they would be picked off one at a time.


    However, as they were jumping around avoiding all of the hordes of spiders that crawled all over each other, Spinnenwolf shot out a web towards where they were going to land. They landed without realizing that they were now stuck. They tried to struggle, but the black webs were too strong. The spiders rushed at them like prey. They defended themselves with all the fight they could. Venomion had her snakes try to rip apart the webs while Yune tried to cut them with her hook-blade. However, neither of them worked.


    As the spiders continued to close in, all they could do was fight on the ground they stood. It was hard and grueling. And all hope for them seemed to be lost.


    But then a gunshot was heard. A spider''s head blew into a million pieces. And then another shot straight at Spinnenwolf, but the bullet only grazed past it''s head.


    A girl appeared before the horde of spiders. She smiled at all the chaos that she was witnessing. Spinnenwolf looked over to where the shot was fired from. Yune and Venomion recognized who it was to their surprise. Although, they didn''t know whether it was a welcome one or not.


    "Hello, boys," Mirey Jyle said as she held a glock in her hand.


    Then, an entire militia marched in firing assault rifles. Each one heavily armored with the latest military equipment. And their guns created from Mirey''s magic. If they weren''t magical guns, then the spiders wouldn''t be affected, but because of Mirey, they were able to pierce through them like nothing.


    When the bullets came towards Spinnenwolf, it created an armor of hair around it''s already thick exoskeleton that protected it from the bullets.


    Mirey threw away her glock and conjured two handheld gatling guns. She jumped up in the air and began to fire towards Yune, Cainus, and Venomion. However, none of the bullets were aimed at them. They pierced through the spiders that came towards them and at the webs that trapped them.


    She landed beside the three girls all while continuing to fire her weapons pushing the army of spiders back. Then, all of them began to fight once more with new resolve. The soldiers continued to stay in formation and make a path towards Mirey. They threw magical grenades and fired an endless amount of bullets without feeling any fear from the spiders because they feared Mirey more.


    "Who is this person?" Cainus asked aloud.


    "Mirey Jyle!?" Venomion exclaimed, "You''re supposed to be dead!"


    "Disappointed?" Mirey replied.


    "I knew that my venom just paralyzed you," she replied upon realizing that she didn''t kill anybody.


    "Sure..." Mirey said sarcastically not believing her.


    "Why are you helping us?" Yune asked. It wasn''t too long ago that they fought. She even thought that she killed her.


    "Lucky for you that you got rid of my daddy. He was a good father, but now that you got rid of him, I feel like I owe you."


    "What?" Cainus asked not knowing what they were talking about. Neither Yune nor Venomion understood what Mirey was going on about.


    "After you killed my father, I no longer felt required to help the family business of drug dealing. Instead, I was able to follow my own dreams," Mirey continued, "With all my newfound money and power, I stopped the drug and prostitution rings. But that was just a side mission. My dream. My real dream. What I really wanted to do was to finally open up my own bakery!"


    "A bakery!?" the three girls exclaimed in disbelief.


    Mirey nodded happily. "Yep. At first, I was thinking of ways to kill you two for revenge, but now I''ve come to realize otherwise. I''ve come to thank you two."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Uhhh, you''re welcome," Venomion muttered. They were all speechless after hearing that bizarre statement.


    And with that last sentence, Mirey conjured an entire tower made up of random floating guns. There were different rifles, snipers, rocket launchers, and pistols all floating around them and her soldiers. And without any thought, began firing everywhere.


    Spiders were being destroyed left and right.


    However, Spinnenwolf shrieked louder. It spawned even more spiders from itself. They just kept spawning in and rushing forward. There was no end to the bullets or to the spiders.


    Yune wanted to create that electrical surge to fight, but had no idea how she managed to in the first place.


    The three of them dashed over to the main monster as the spiders were being distracted by Mirey. They suspected that if they defeated Spinnenwolf, the other spiders would stop attacking. The three girls jumped on top of the Night Demon, and it felt it. They were like fleas, the monster thought.


    However, even as they were on it, more spiders grew off of it''s skin on top of it''s back and attacked them. Each one with the same black and white mask.


    As they continued their fight, Yune threw in her chains all over the room to try and surround the giant monster. However, the webs continued to stop the chain from bouncing around. Each time a chain was stuck, the only thing Yune could do was make her weapon vanish and reappear in her arms again. The same went for Cainus. Both of them had the same exact problem. As for Venomion, her snakes were getting overrun by the number of spiders.


    They all tried so hard, but nothing they did worked. Their weapons were ineffective towards this massive beast. Yune was able to pierce Spinnenwolf''s body, but there were so many layers of hair over the exoskeleton.


    And then, there were the small spiders. They crawled up the three''s legs and bit hard. They swiped them away, but more and more kept coming. There seemed to be an infinite supply of them.


    Venomion looked at Yune and Cainus who seemed to be doing most of the work. She couldn''t produce as many snakes as the number of spiders increased. The spiders overran and killed all of Mirey''s soldiers. No matter how many bullets they went through, there were just too many. Mirey was even getting overwhelmed.


    As all hope seemed lost, Venomion gathered all the strength she could muster from within her heart.


    "Damn it," Venomion shouted, "I''m not going to die here with all of these bugs. And I''m especially not going to die being called the useless one here."


    The ground shook, not because of the spiders'', but because of something underneath them. A giant, green serpent stormed from underneath Spinnenwolf to everybody''s surprise. It hissed with the might of a thunderstorm. It bit straight into the monster''s abdomen and lifted it up. With all the strength that Venomion could muster, she created the biggest snake that she could. Rocks and boulders were being thrown around by the serpent''s impact crushing the smaller spiders and knocking them away from the sheer force of the snake. Mirey jumped up and dodged the coming boulders.


    Spinnenworld cried out a shriek of pain. The three girls fell off the creature and were falling underneath the giant spider.


    Yune and Cainus both exclaimed, "Woah! When could you do that?"


    The two of them looked at each other mad that they said the same thing.


    Venomion sniffled and replied, "I didn''t know I could. All I did was think of a big snake and there it was."


    She maintained high spirits, but her body was tiring. Summoning that creature took it''s toll to maintain. Soon, the serpent began to vanish into a bright light. They knew that the snake wouldn''t last for long, so they had to finish the monster quickly while it was down. Or rather up in the air.


    However, while Spinnenwolf was stuck with the serpent''s fangs inside it, Yune threw out her chains. She knew that they would get stuck from the webs that surrounded them, so she tried to do the same thing as Venomion. She tried to think about it, and as an image of Eli appeared in her head, the electricity surged through the chains. It''s power burned away the webs. It bounced all around the room destroying any spider it touched. And then, the chains wrapped themselves around Spinnenwolf.  Yune then remembered Mizu and suddenly shouted like how she would shout her moves like a hero, "Web of Chains Plus Lightning!"


    The monster screamed even louder in pain as electricity flowed through it''s body like a conductor.


    "Electricity? Big Snakes? Looks like everybody is getting new powers. I wonder if I will get any," Cainus said, "Unfortunately, I can''t see anything changing about me. Oh well, I''ll just do something that I learned how to do before."


    Cainus held her yo-yo and then threw it straight at the creature. As the yo-yo body approached Spinnenwolf, it grew larger and larger. Then, the body impacted the creature with enough force to tear down a building. And with haste, Cainus would bring the yo-yo back and forth constantly hitting the creature. As she continued to do this, the creature began to break through the ceiling above them. But she didn''t let up. She kept pushing through.


    Then, Mirey wanted a piece of the action. She conjured more floating rifles and rode one in the air like a skateboard. They fired straight at it.


    "If I can''t get any new powers, I''ll at least get the final hit!" Cainus yelled with a large smile as the yo-yo repeatedly struck fast and hard. The yo-yo was moving so fast that it looked like there were eight of them striking at the Night Demon.


    "We''ll see about that," Mirey said as she conjured even more guns and fire faster.


    "Yune, I think Cainus found a new rival," Venomion said.


    "I see," Yune replied. She felt a little upset that she wasn''t considered Cainus'' rival, but was happy that they were able to defeat this monster.


    Cainus ran up Yune''s chains to keep getting closer as she pummeled the creature above her. The electricity underneath Cainus vanished with her footsteps. Yune and Venomion followed right behind her. Mirey conjured more and more guns to fire straight at the Night Demon. She created floating assault rifles for Yune, Venomion, and Cainus to hop aboard. The four of them rode them like skateboards at high speeds as the monster continued to get blasted and pummeled. The other spiders couldn''t keep up with Spinnenwolf and as the monster began to fade away, they all turned into black mud.


    However, they kept going higher and higher digging themselves upwards like a drill with Spinnenwolf''s body as the drill bit. This beat-down lasted for two minutes before they reached the top.

 Chapter 112: Art of Dolls

    Art piece Jack stood right behind a golden line. Mary walked side to side thinking about what to do. She knew that the real Jack would need her help in facing Annie. She couldn''t leave her alone. However, she also had to be smart. She could feel that the fake Jack in front of her was just as strong as the real one. That red armor and flaming machete were out in the open for Mary to see. And she didn''t think that she was strong enough to beat her by herself.


    "You are similar to that version of Jack. You have those black eyes and mask," The fake Jack said, "But if you try to cross this line, then I will kill you."


    Mary then had an idea.


    "Really? Well, other Jack, I don''t think you can beat me if you''re just going to stand there," she said as she pointer her index finger towards Jack.


    Mary then shot out one of her claws towards the fake Jack. As it flew fast, Jack was able to deflect it to the side with her blade. The claw vanished into dust as Mary formed another claw around her finger.


    "Don''t try to act smart. If you try that again, I will think of it as you trying to cross," fake Jack said.


    Mary maintained a confident smile and replied, "Really? Well, either way, I still got to get there eventually. I can''t leave my friend. Then again, I might just want to fight you. It will be like fighting the real one, right? I am a little angry about being ordered around by Jack to ask around for this Annie girl. I don''t plan on letting that girl go, so that I''d have to repeat that experience."


    "Do you think you can beat me?" Jack asked.


    "Maybe. Maybe not. But, unlike Yune, I''m not going to stand around thinking about it," Mary said before firing a barrage of her claws.


    Jack continued to deflect the claws. Her armor was able to protect her from the ones that made it past, but she made sure that none of them hit her face. The claws were fast, but this version of Jack was able to react.


    Mary began dashing around continuously firing her claws. Whenever she would fire one, she would just grow it back within a second.


    Jack focused her flames into her machete and shot out a blaze towards Mary. However, Mary was fast. She could easily dodge those. The fire created a smokescreen around them. When the smoke cleared, Jack was gone. Mary looked around in a panic, but Jack was already behind her. She raised her machete up, but as she struck down, Mary blocked the blade with her claws. The ground beneath them cracked from the force.


    Mary realized that this Jack fought much more differently than the Jack she knew. This one was more calculating and calm rather than the usual fit of rage.


    Mary slashed back at Jack''s armor, but it wouldn''t get through, however there was one weak spot. The face wasn''t covered at all. Jack grabbed Mary by the head and threw her away from line. Mary realigned herself as she was being flung and fired her claws directly at Jack''s face, but Jack expected this. She focused her flames on the machete. The blade burned brighter and brighter. Then, with the power of a volcano, swung her blade at the claws burning them away without even touching them. The force pushed Mary back even further.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Mary sighed, "This is going to be more difficult than I thought."


    Jack still stood in the way in front of the line.


    "You will not be the first guardian that I''ve killed. You''ll probably not be las-" Jack said coldly before she noticed the ground shaking beneath her, "Huh?"


    She noticed that the ground beneath her cracked, and before she could react to it, the floor shattered with a force pushing Jack upwards and back. A giant spider-like creature was flung high in the air. Dust and smoke were uplifted. The creature landed on it''s back like a dead bug. It turned into black mud and then vanished into a black coin.


    Mary was confused at what was going on.


    Then, from the hole, four girls popped jumped out. They were covered in smoke.


    One of them said, "Cainus, I thought we were digging up. Not down into hell."


    "Maybe, we ended up in a radioactive waste dump," she replied.


    As the smoke cleared, Mary was able to see them clearly. She didn''t know three of them, but there was one who she did recognize.


    "Yune!" Mary shouted as she dashed over to them.


    Yune was surprised to hear that voice, although it was not unwelcome. "Mary? What are you doing here?" she asked.


    Yune and Mary were reunited, but this reunion could have been in better circumstances. The two girls'' masks vanished as they faced each other.


    The three other girls introduced themselves as Venomion, Cainus, and Mirey. But there wasn''t much time for it.


    A blaze of fire came towards the group. Yune and Cainus blocked the flame with their chains and threads.


    After the fire dispersed, the fake Jack took a step forward.


    "Jack?" Yune wondered aloud. But when she looked at her, it didn''t feel like the Jack she knew. The first thing that she noticed was that she didn''t have black scleras. Also, her body was stitched and scarred. And her posture didn''t feel full of anger at all. She was more calm than anything else.


    "Not exactly, Yune. That''s not Jack," Mary said, "I can''t explain it, but it looks like this Annie girl was able to create some kind of replica."


    "I am no replica. I am Jack," she replied still with no emotion, "If you wish to fight or go past me, I''ll kill you."


    "What a strange Light Guardian," Cainus said ignoring Jack.


    Yune felt a rush of blood in her as she faced this version of Jack. It wasn''t the same, but she still felt like that thing was responsible for Mizu''s murder.


    "Whatever you are, Jack, do you remember what you did?" Yune asked aloud.


    Jack was confused. She didn''t know who Yune was or what she was talking about.


    Yune continued, "Do you remember killing a sweet young girl? A Light Guardian. My friend. My sister."


    "You''ll have to be more specific. That doesn''t narrow it down at all."


    Yune grunted angrily and then yelled, "I know you killed her! I know you killed Mizu! Say it!"


    "I don''t know. I could have. I don''t exactly know all the names, but they''re all in my head. Each one."


    Yune became frustrated at her. That thing wasn''t exactly the Jack that she knew, but it was still her. The same kind of monster, she thought.


    "Venomion. Cainus. Mirey. Please leave," Yune said, "I need to fight this alone."


    "What? But she''s a Light Guardian like us," Venomion exclaimed.


    "No," Mirey replied, "I can see it in her dead eyes. That thing is barely human. More like a doll than anything else."


    Jack said as a buildup of fire burned around her, "You''re right. I am nothing more than a doll. But I am still Jacqueline Unique. If you leave, I will not stop you. If you stay, I will kill you. I won''t disobey Annie''s orders. Nobody but Jack will pass."


    "Well, Yune, I know it''s been a while, but I''m not leaving," Mary said as she walked up to her side, "The Jack you know is past her and should be fighting Annie right about now. And I was winning before you got here, anyways."


    Then, Venomion stepped up. She didn''t plan on leaving Yune, just yet.


    "Well, I don''t mind helping you out, Chain-Killer Queen. I''m sure you have your reasons."


    Cainus also walked forward.


    "Sheesh. I don''t want anybody to think that I''d run away from a fight. And I don''t want you to one-up me."


    Mirey sighed and walked up last.


    "Good grief. After this fight, I''ll say that I''ve finished thanking you."


    The four girls stood side-by-side ready to fight the fake Jack that stood in their way.

 Chapter 113: Art of Souls

    As soon as Jack entered the last room where Annie was held, a barrage of metal tendrils covered her.


    The next thing she knew she was awake in some kind of pool of black, viscous water. There were three moons in the sky. And a corridor in front of her.


    A giant creature emerged from the water. It reached to the the three moons and shattered them. It''s eyes shut with strings. It was humanoid with a lizard''s beak. Metal tendrils writhed on it''s back like wings. It was completely covered in a black goo. It''s forehead was pinned with large needles attached to a chain stuck to the water.


    It cried tearing apart the skies and water underneath Jack. The ripples formed into waves, yet Jack couldn''t move. Her entire body was frozen. Hands reached up from under the water dragging her down. The rotting corpses clawed at her tearing away her red armor. They dragged her down into an ocean of black. And then, she recognized the piles of corpses pulling her. Each one was a Light Guardian. They wore their guardian outfits. They cried for mercy as their bodies began to get chopped up by Jack. Her machete tore them apart, but they still dragged downwards. When she tried to stop, her arm moved by itself. A large shadow covered her arm and moved it for her. And that shadow continued to grow all around Jack. She felt nothing but guilt and fear.


    There was nothing that she could do. Everything began to fade away. Bits and pieces of her were being torn apart by shadows and corpses of her victims until there was only an eye left. And when the last hand went for the eye, a tendril pushed it away.


    Her body was coming back together like a puzzle. Jack was in her school clothes. Her red armor and mask nowhere to be seen. Her black eyes gone.


    And when she looked straight at where the tendrils were coming from, it wasn''t from that lizard. It was a girl. A small girl. And Jack recognized it.


    Jack muttered, "Tasha?"


    But it didn''t respond. It drained away all the black waters and left Jack to stand up on a puddle. The giant humanoid lizard stood tall behind Jack. It cried out with it''s tentacles coming towards Jack, "Tendra!"


    But then, the little girl, Tasha created it''s own tentacles. It clashed with Tendra''s. The girl pointed to a dark corridor for Jack to see.


    "Go, Jack," Tasha said, "You will be able to leave from there at the other side."


    Jack gulped as she began to see glowing eyes within. She tried to transform into her guardian form, but to no use.


    Jack asked, "Will there be any trouble there?"


    "There is nothing there except what you bring. Now, hurry."


    Jack ran towards the corridor as she left the small girl fought against the towering monster. But Jack knew that it wasn''t just any small girl. Although, she wasn''t sure where she was. She was sure that she would be able to handle herself.


    Then, Jack entered and small light fixtures flickered above barely lighting the way forward. She walked forward, but the corridor got tighter and tighter. She squeezed through, and suddenly a hand from behind grabbed her arm. She jumped up in fear and saw that the arm came from the walls. There was a face of a Light Guardian. But Jack recognized it. She was the first Light Guardian that she killed. It was so long ago, but she remembered her first. The walls began to squirm around as arms grew from the sides. She breathed heavily as more faces popped up. She could assume they were the same guardians who she killed before. But she didn''t recognize them. She didn''t remember any of them. Even in her memories, they were a blur, but now as she saw them, they were as clear as day. Then, the corridor began to glow red. Everything started to burn. And to her surprise, she was able to feel it. The bodies in the wall lit up in flames. Each one cried as their skin peeled off. They smelled like barbecue.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Then, the corridor widened around her. It twisted and turned as she stood still. Her eyes was met with a giant, red-armored demon. It was chewing on the face of a Light Guardian. And then, it looked straight at Jack. She froze as it towered above her. It roared as fire began to seep through it''s cracks. Faces and skulls were stuck onto it''s chest. There were so many of them. Too many to count.


    It muttered with it''s stomach growling, "Light Guardian..."


    Jack shook as the creature stomped forward. She took steps back, but cowered in fear. She couldn''t fight that monster without her powers. She was helpless. Then, she saw a Light Guardian in the corner. Her face was covered in a shroud.


    Jack screamed, "Help! Help me!"


    But the guardian ignored her and burned brightly in a red flame. Her body melted away into flesh and bones.


    Jack then saw a machete lying on the ground next to her. She grabbed it and stood her ground in fear as the monster came towards her. She''s never felt this powerless before. She''s never felt weak when she was in her guardian form, but now she was shaking as she faced a monster with untapped hunger and rage.


    It roared shaking the entire room.


    Then, Jack yelled striking the creature. She repeatedly hit the monster, but it did nothing. The monster struck her once and she flew away to one of the walls.


    The wall began to drag her in along with the rest of them, but Jack cut herself free.


    The monster moved slowly. It looked at Jack like food. It took all the time it wanted. Lava drooled out of it''s mouth in anticipation.


    Then, it muttered, "Jack. Jack. Jack. Let yourself be eaten. We will both enjoy it. You won''t need to think. You won''t need to worry. I will continue to consume and destroy your enemies. Let me eat you. Continue to feed."


    "No!" Jack yelled scared, "Get away from me!"


    "Why are you so afraid?" the monster asked standing only feet away from Jack, "You''ve allowed me to eat, before. So much so. Are you afraid because of my appearance? I can''t help it. This is just how you made me."


    Then, in a flash, Jack saw her reflection in the monster''s face. It''s head began to morph into the shape of a hockey mask hiding it''s hideous face.


    "Is this better?" the monster asked.


    Then, Jack knew what it was. She remembered Tasha''s words. This world was what Jack carried inside of her. This creature was her. But she couldn''t believe it. She believed herself to not be some kind of monster.


    She yelled as she began to strike at the monster again, but as she did so, the beast only grew in size. Then, with another swing, the creature grabbed the machete and shattered it.


    "More. More," it muttered, "More anger. More hate. More food."


    Then, Jack was pushed away and she landed near another machete. She grabbed it and stood her ground again. The monster moved forward slowly.


    She didn''t know how long she has been fighting this monster. It felt like hours, days. Maybe, a month. Time moved very differently there.


    Jack realized that the creature was getting bigger and bigger ever so slightly with each swing of her blade. She couldn''t deny what it was. No matter what she believed, that monster wasn''t just within her. It was her. All the rage and anger that was brought out when she transformed was the monster she faced in front of her. It was uncontrollable - constantly wanting to hunt.


    Then, when Jack laid down her machete, the monster froze in place.


    "What are you doing?" it asked, "Feed me."


    "No. You are a part of me. But I won''t attack you, but I won''t give you what you want," Jack replied.


    This monster was what so many Light Guardians saw before they died, she thought. This was the monster that took over her body, mind, and soul whenever she transformed. Yet, she never resisted it. It just felt natural. At first, she thought her own reflection was ugly, but after seeing this, she knew that this was what she was seeing. Nothing but a violent and angry beast.


    The creature roared, "Feed me!"


    The monster opened it''s gaping mouth and as Jack stood still with her eyes wide open no longer fearing herself, the monsters turned into smoke right before it could chomp down on her.


    The walls remained with the faces of all those Light Guardians she killed. And the monster reappeared in a corner huddling by itself. It looked at Jack, and Jack back at it. As long as Jack lived, the creature would live right alongside all of these bodies plastered to the walls. It would never go away. It will be a scar on her even after death.


    Then, Jack thought about Yune. One of those faces belonged to the girl that Yune was talking about. But, she didn''t know which one. There were just too many.


    A dark door opened in front of Jack. She went through it leaving the room, but knowing that the room would always be there.

 Chapter 114: Art of Minds

    While Jack faced her inner demon, Tasha and Tendra were at a stand-still.


    "What has she done to you?" Tasha asked, but the only thing that Tendra could do was shriek in response and flail her tentacles.


    The two battled it out with no winner. When Tendra looked at the girl, it began to recall it''s own life. But the needles were causing it pain and meddled with it''s mind. But the more it looked at her, the more it wanted to be free.


    The giant creature grabbed onto the needles and chains that held it down. It tried to yank them out, but couldn''t. Tasha could feel the creature''s pain. She felt a connection towards Tendra.


    She shot out giant arms from within the puddles and grabbed onto the needles. As both of them pulled, the needles began to swerve and lose it''s place. It was stuck deep, but the two of them were able to pull it out as black ooze spewed out of the holes before being patched up with lines of metal.


    Meanwhile, as this fight happened, Annie sat in her room. She stared at Tendra, Tasha, and Jack stuck together in tendrils.


    When Jack first entered the room, Tendra immediately attached it''s tentacles to Jack. Luckily for her, Tasha was there. She was able to attach her tendrils to both Jack and Tendra. Tasha had similar powers to Tendra, however she didn''t know the reason why.


    Annie had ordered Tendra to take Jack, but wasn''t expecting another Night Demon to interfere. Whenever she would go near the three, Tasha would whip at her with her tendrils. It was still able to see in the real world.


    Annie thought about shooting a beam at Tasha, but the creature hid behind Jack and Tendra. So, all that Annie could do was wait. She was hoping to take Jack''s mind using Tendra, but now it was all up to chance. She sat on her work table and just waited patiently.


    While inside their minds, Tendra shrunk down in size. It spoke, "Why are you in that form?"


    "It''s the only form I know," Tasha replied.


    It shrieked and transformed into the same girl, but with bullet holes inside of her. Her eyes were sewn shut, but she forcefully yanked them out revealing bright blue eyes.


    "You don''t deserve to wear that skin. You deserve to be in hell," Tendra said.


    Then, Tasha knew who that was. She remembered her life as a soldier, but couldn''t remember her own self. Whether she was a female or male didn''t matter to her. All that she focused on was her adopted daughter. But now she faced her. The real and original girl.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "You''re... Tasha," Tasha said.


    "No. Not anymore. Not since you took that away. Not since you put a bullet in me. I am not Tasha. I am Tendra," she cried.


    "I''m sorry. I really am," Tasha said.


    "Don''t you dare!" Tendra shouted, "I don''t care if you are sorry. I just want you to suffer. Even while that crazy artist girl had her needles in me, I could still remember what you did. It may have been a long time ago, but not to me. To me it was yesterday!"


    Tasha felt the same. She also felt like that day was yesterday as well. The girl in front of her was the executed. And she, herself, was the executioner.


    "We don''t need to fight. I''ve already showed Jack a way out," Tasha said.


    "Jack. I hate that name. Annie is obsessed with her. If I didn''t have those needles in my head, then I would have strangled her a long time ago. As long as we''re connected, I won''t let go."


    There was silence as the moons began to drip black water from it''s surface. They stood silently in front of each other. Both knew that fighting the other was futile. They could go at it forever, but neither side would win or lose.


    Tendra hated that she used her form, but didn''t want to give her the satisfaction of showing her how she originally looked like.


    As for Tasha, she was upset that her adopted daughter turned into a Night Demon. She knew what it was like to be constantly hunted and to hunt on both sides. And as a Night Demon, that feeling didn''t change.


    They stood silently during all of this time. But they didn''t need to speak. They were connected mind in mind. They looked into each others'' minds and saw what each had done.


    As a Night Demon, Tendra had no control of her actions, but felt no remorse for doing any of the things. She was created after she was shot down by her supposed guardian.


    She killed and tortured soldiers mentally giving them hallucinations and nightmares. She made their PTSD even worse to the point where they would shoot themselves. She had been doing this for as long as she could remember. She even managed to kill Light Guardians when they arose. But then Annie came. She defeated the monster, but instead of killing it, decided to make the creature it''s slave. And Tendra knew that Annie felt pleasure from torturing it. Tendra was her first, but not her last. And she helped her with others. All while not being under control. Yet, if she did have control, she felt like it wouldn''t have mattered. She wouldn''t have done anything different.


    Meanwhile, while Tendra looked at Tasha''s memories, all it could see was that it was in complete control of it''s actions. It captured people and made them live lives, but there were no memories of her killing anybody. Even before the three night guardians, Tasha was an anomaly.


    When they broke their connection to each others'' minds, they understood one another.


    "I won''t judge you, Tasha," Tasha said.


    "I said to call me Tendra," she replied, "I''ve seen what you were. You may not have harmed people as a Night Demon, but I know what you did as a human. I won''t forgive you."


    "I know," Tasha replied, "I blame myself for what''s happened to you.


    "Shut up," Tendra said not caring about blame or forgiveness. All she wanted was to live a life, and it was taken from her.


    Then, when Jack left the world, Tendra and Tasha also decided to leave. The world around began to shatter. Everything turning inside of itself until nothing.

 Chapter 115: Art of Flames

    The fake Jack stood stoic in front of the others who faced her.


    Mary, Yune, Mirey, Cainus, and Venomion were all ready to battle.


    Mary had fought her for only a little bit, but her fighting style was different.


    Yune expected it her to be like an animal. Full of power, but no aim or direction.


    Mirey, Cainus, and Venomion all thought that the fight was going to be easy. It was five against one, but both Mary and Yune knew it would be a hard fight.


    Jack wasn''t afraid. Even if she could feel fear, she felt that she was strong enough to stop them. She lit up her machete in a large flame and waited for them to attack.


    "Alright, let''s just end this quickly," Mirey said as she conjured a huge amount of guns aimed towards Jack, "I don''t have anything personal against you, but I do owe these people my thanks."


    The guns fired relentlessly against Jack. Jack stood her ground and blocked the bullets. The ones that reached her face scraped by her.


    Mary was surprised by this power, but felt that Jack could easily defend herself against it.


    Jack rushed forward out of the gunfire and attacked. She struck her flaming machete down on the ground spitting volcanic rocks from underneath.


    The five girls split up to attack from all sides. Yune threw out her chains and covered Jack in them. Then, with just a thought, electricity surged into the chains frying Jack. At the same time, Mary began firing her claws straight at Jack. However, it was nothing that Jack couldn''t handle.


    "When did you learn how to do that?" Mary and Yune asked each other at the same time.


    Venomion continued by shooting out waves of snakes at Jack that bit her. Then, Cainus trapped Jack in her yo-yo threads, and began to pummel her with the head of the toy.


    Mirey continued firing wave after wave of bullets.


    They all maintained distance from Jack. The three new girls figured out that Jack must have been a short-range fighter considering that she charged at them.


    As Jack was getting bombarded skin was being shot and ripped off. However, she didn''t feel a thing. A flaming blaze surrounded Jack. She used her strength to free herself from the chains and threads. She grabbed onto both and pulled them closer in to their surprise.


    The fire masked what Jack was planning. Yune and Cainus assumed that they were being pulled into the fire, so they dug their feet into the concrete floors. But instead of what they were expecting, Jack sent out a seething fire along the chain and thread trail.


    The fire reached up to Yune and Cainus and burned them before they could make their weapons vanish.


    And at the moment they vanished, Jack conjured two machetes. She made a quick choice without really needing to think too hard about it. She threw one flaming machete straight at Cainus, while charged at Yune using the flames to cloak herself.


    When Mirey saw that Jack was going towards Yune, she began to fire in that direction. However, Mary had the same idea. Mary dashed in to strike at Jack.


    As for the machete thrown towards Cainus, Venomion shot out a bundle of snakes at it to stop it.


    When Mary came to strike at Jack who looked like she was going straight at Yune, Jack immediately grabbed Mary by the throat. The bullets flied fast and towards Jack, but she used Mary as a shield. The bullets would have hit her if Yune hadn''t conjured her chains once more. She created a wall of chains to block the bullets from hitting Mary and Jack. This is when Yune realized that this Jack was different than the one she knew. This one was far more calculating. This Jack had no emotions as she fought. All she could do was think about her moves rather than being taken over by rage and anger.


    Jack was about to stab Mary with her machete, but Cainus constricted her arm with the yo-yo threads. Mary shot one claw at Jack''s eye. However, Jack didn''t flinch even as she bled with a claw stuck in her eye. She threw Mary away and yanked at the thread pulling Cainus towards her.


    As soon as she saw that Jack was going to send out her flames using the thread, she made the weapon vanish.


    Mirey was being frustrated. Her powers were godlike if there weren''t so many allies. Hordes of enemies were easier for her.


    Jack charged at Mirey thinking that she would be the biggest threat. Mirey continued to fire, but the bullets started to just bounce off her armor. Jack blocked her face with her arms and continued forward.


    Yune threw in her hook to slip Jack up, but when she did, Jack conjured another machete and threw it at the hook pushing it away.


    Mirey continued to evade and jump around, but Jack as insistent. Venomion''s snakes bit into Jack, but as soon as they did they would instantly burn up into flames.


    Then, Jack grabbed onto one of Mirey''s floating assault rifles and began to fire. However, Mirey saw this as a big mistake. The gun wouldn''t fire if Mirey didn''t want her to.


    But what the team didn''t know was that Jack began to break apart the weapon''s bond to Mirey. It started to burst in flames and the metal turned red with streaks of yellow. Jack aimed it at Mirey and began firing. The bullets were made of flaming pellets made up of Jack''s armor. Now, Jack had a weapon for close and long quarters.


    Mirey defended herself by created a wall of guns, but the bullets would just go back them.


    Yune tried to hook the weapon out of her hand, but as the hook was about to reach the weapon, Jack grabbed the hook. Jack has never been able to use this power before until now. She shot at the chain that held the hook and broke it. She held the hook tightly and with a red flame, the metal turned bright red.


    Jack''s armor molded itself around the hook creating her own chains.


    She said, "I would never have been able to discover this power while I was alive. It requires a lot of concentration."


    Jack threw her flaming chain-hook around like a whip. Yune conjured another hook for herself, but the one that Jack held was hers alone, now.


    Mirey began shooting again. As the bullets were about to hit Jack''s face, her armor quickly molded around her head knocking the claw out of her eye in the process.


    Jack couldn''t see or move her head like this, but she didn''t need to. She created another torrent of flame around her that would burn everybody in the entire room.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Yune created a cocoon of chains around herself and Mary.


    Cainus surrounded herself and Venomion with threads.


    Mirey conjured a number of guns to cover her.


    However, the heat was strong. And when Jack''s head was free from the armor, she was able to see the others behind their walls of weapons. Jack knew that now, none of them could see.


    So, she focused her heat in those directions. The ground boiled and felt like standing on lava. As long as there was that fire outside, the group couldn''t get out of their defensive shells.


    However, Mirey used the same idea that Jack had. She began to just fire in all directions while inside. The bullets flied crazily, but Mirey knew that the others would have also put up some defensive barriers, so she didn''t worry about them.


    As Jack was being fired on, her concentration diminished lowering her flaming tempest. It was just enough, for the Light Guardians to be able to react. In that moment, Yune opened a small section of her chains. A barrage of claws came rushing out towards Jack. The fire decreased even more as she focused on defending herself.


    Then, Cainus while still in her thread shell, shot out her yo-yo straight at Jack.


    As Jack was going to just swipe it away without thinking about it, the yo-yo increased in size at the last second. And before she could realize it, the ground underneath her shook. A giant serpent came rushing out from underneath. She jumped up to avoid it, but it took the arm holding her chain-hook with it. There was no blood. Then, the yo-yo slammed straight at Jack pushing her away.


    Then, as Jack was in the air, Yune threw out her hook towards Jack''s other hand and sharpened it. Jack noticed and was about to fire at it, but Mary shot out one of her claws straight at the weapon disabling it.


    Yune''s hook grabbed onto Jack''s other hand. At first, the metal was too hard, but after giving an electrical surge and the hook sharpening even more, it went right through like butter.


    As Jack fell, Mirey continued to fire at Jack who could do nothing but take it. She covered herself with the metal, but the amount of metal covering her body didn''t change. It spread itself out, but that made the whole armor weaker in general. The bullets went through some of the parts in the chest, legs, and arms.


    However, Jack''s head was safe. But it didn''t matter. She knew that she had lost.


    She fell to the floor. Her armor cracked and began to leak out lava. Jack no longer had the strength to fight. It was over.


    Yune rushed over to finish Jack, but when she put her hook to Jack''s neck, she still didn''t see any emotions coming off of her. It could think and speak, but there was a piece missing. It didn''t feel fear as Yune''s hook-blade was at her throat.


    "Go ahead. Do it," Jack said, "I''m not even supposed to be alive. Take your revenge against whatever you think I did."


    Mary, Cainus, Mirey, and Venomion rushed over, but there was nothing else for them to do.


    Yune said, "I want to. But I know that you are just a fake Jack, so that killing you means nothing."


    "Fake Jack? I suppose you can say that. But then the Jack you want to kill is already dead."


    "No. The real Jack is still alive and well," Mary said.


    Jack replied, "If by alive, you mean whatever you three are, then I suppose so. But like me, you all aren''t the real versions, either. You''re all just bodies living with memories. Unlike me, I don''t have the emotions to go with them."


    Cainus, Venomion, and Mirey listened but had no idea what Jack was talking about. However, Mary and Yune understood. They understood clearly. They stopped to think about it for a moment before speaking.


    Mary didn''t have any words to share. There was nothing to say that could prove whether they were that or not.


    However, Yune chose her words carefully knowing that there were other girls there.


    Yune said, "Maybe, we are... just like you. But either way, I will continue living my life whether I am what you say or not."


    As she spoke, all of them began to sense a Night Demon nearby. They all jumped up and pointed their weapons towards where they sensed it.


    Then, the creature rolled out. It was Tasha rolling around.


    "Ahh! Kill it!" Venomion yelled before Yune and Mary stopped them.


    "Wait! Don''t attack," Mary said as she went between herself and the others.


    Then, Yune said, "Don''t attack her. That one''s a friend of ours."


    "A friend? A Night Demon as a friend?" Mirey asked.


    "I don''t believe that," Cainus said.


    "It''s true. Her name is Tasha. Don''t hurt her," Yune said as Tasha rolled along forward until she reached Jack''s head.


    Tasha was there during Yune''s fight with Jack, although now she thought of a way to help Yune.


    Her tendrils wrapped around Jack''s lobes. She motioned one of her tendrils towards Yune. She made no words, but Yune understood what Tasha wanted.


    She knelt down besides Tasha and let her tendril touch her forehead.


    And within the blink of an eye, she began to see everything that Jack saw. The memories that Jack had were all being sent into Yune slowly. However, the memories didn''t seem right. It was like she was looking at Jack from an outide perspective.


    She saw as Jack''s parents died. She saw as Jack was being bullied. She, then, saw Jack transform the first time. There was so much fire and blood everywhere, but it wasn''t her fault. Then, Yune watched as Jack killed many other Light Guardians. There was so much rage and destruction just like how she usually is. But each time Yune looked at them, it still felt like she was watching from elsewhere. She wasn''t quite experiencing the memories from Jack''s eyes. There were so many dead Light Guardians. She was a monster, but then it reached the part to what she needed to see.


    It was like she was watching from a treetop. There was Mizu and Jack fighting some kind of Night Demon. Yune tried to call Mizu, but her voice was empty. It was only a projection. The monster was destroyed, but then Jack struck Mizu with her blade in the shoulder after they spoke for a little while. There wasn''t any doubt before. This just hardened her belief. She saw Jack kill her best friend. Her real family died in that moment.


    But the memory kept going even after Jack left. But as she was gone, Mizu coughed. She was still alive. She crawled only a short distance away. There was no blood. Just a cauterized wound on her shoulder. Then, as Yune watched, the projection began to move as if she was looking through somebody else''s eyes.


    She approached Mizu''s gasping body.


    Mizu said hoarsely, "Help me..."


    But then the voice replied back, "You have some stamina. Jack usually never leaves her victims alive. Guess, I''ll have to fix that."


    The girl held out a rod towards Mizu''s forehead. A beam of light penetrated Mizu''s head without leaving a mark. Then, Mizu was dead. It wasn''t Jack who dealt the final blow.


    There were rustling in the bushes. Yune could hear herself and Eli in the distance. The vision shot back and she was looking at the trees. Then, she watched for just a moment herself and Eli distraught in finding Mizu''s body.


    And then, the projection left. Yune woke up. It her mind it was hours, but, in reality, only a couple of seconds.


    She realized that Jack didn''t kill Mizu, but another girl dealt the final blow. A girl with a rod for a weapon. It didn''t click for her immediately who that was after feeling distraught seeing that.


    She muttered aloud, "Girl with a rod. A girl with a rod."


    "Hmm. Do you mean Annie?" Mary asked.


    "Annie? The girl that Jack was chasing?" Yune said realizing who it was.


    "Yeah. That reminds me, we got to go. Jack is fighting her right now," Mary said.


    "She''s here," Yune muttered as she got herself up, "Thank you, Tasha."


    Then, she looked down at the Jack in front of her.


    Yune said to her one last thing, "I don''t forgive you."


    And with that, she cut Jack''s head and the body stopped moving. However, Yune didn''t feel any better. Even though, Yune knew that Jack didn''t kill Mizu, she definitely had the intention to. Her opinions about Jack hadn''t changed, but right now, she needed to focus on finding Annie. She felt the same kind of fury that Jack had towards her. She now saw Annie as the murderer.


    But Yune didn''t want to involve the others.


    "Venomion. Cainus. Mirey. Thank you, but I will be going with Mary forward. I''m sure you three will find your way out the same way you came in," Yune said.


    "What? We''re not going to leave you, now. We''ve come this far," Venomion said.


    "I don''t care. I''m done. I owe nothing to you guys, now. I''ll be leaving. But if you want to visit, you can find me at Mirey''s Bakery," Mirey said as she walked away.


    "Okay. Maybe, she will leave you," Venomion said, "What about you Cainus?"


    "I''ll come with you. I wonder what else we can find in this hellscape," she replied.


    Yune was happy that they would stuck up for her and come with, but this was one thing that she needed to do without them. Tasha crawled up to Yune''s shoulders and licked her mask gently like a cat.


    Tasha looked up and saw Tendra hiding in the shadows. It was also no longer able to hide from Light Guardians, but since Tasha was there, the guardians didn''t know that Tendra was there. However, the creature didn''t attack. It crawled up the ceiling and disappeared. Tasha knew that Tendra was still a monster, but still gave her a prayer to any God listening for Night Demons. Tendra, the original Tasha, was still like a daughter to her all this time.


    Mary was glad to have Yune back with her. Now, she just needed to get to Jack and then, she hoped that the three of them wouldn''t decide to split off again.


    "Alright, Yune. Let''s get going," Mary said.


    And the four of them dashed forward to the end.


    But before the entered the last door, Mary asked curiously, "Venomion, huh? Is that you''re real name?"


    "Of course it is," she replied with a pout.


    Mary still didn''t believe her, but didn''t have the time to really argue about it.


    And then, they were off.

 Chapter 116: Art of Suffering

    Jack, Tendra, and Tasha were all disconnected from each other as Annie watched.


    "Shit, Tendra, did you finish your job?" Annie asked.


    However, to her surprise, Tendra grabbed onto the needles in her head and stitched on her eyelids. She yanked them out with excessive force and dropped them to the ground. She opened her bright, blue eyes to the world.


    "What the-!? Tendra, what are you doing?"


    Jack was about to stab Tendra, but Tasha held her back with a gentle nudge and head shaking.


    Tendra looked at Annie with disgust and said, "I am no longer required to follow your orders, Annie."


    She walked past the two Night Demons and towards Annie. Then, the two left.


    Annie started to violently cough as she backed away. But behind her were just cages. The monsters writhed and rattled as they saw Jack.


    The mask on Jack''s face began to itch. She started to peel the mask off like a scab. It vanished into a shadowy mist. There was a mirror on the wall. She looked at her face, but no longer saw herself as hideous. Then, she looked straight at Annie with the determination to end this.


    "Finally," Jack said, "After all this time, I''ll finally put an end to you."


    "Will you, assistant?" Annie muttered before being grabbed by the throat.


    Jack lifted her up and started to strangle her. Annie gave no resistance. For a brief period of time, Jack was enjoying every second of it. Her rage was kept in check, but small pieces of it came out as she remembered everything that Annie did. But in the end, she controlled her rage.


    Annie, however, smiled as she looked at her assistant. When her soft hands began to caress Jack''s face, Jack realized what the other version of herself meant. She remembered what the other Jack told her.


    "Annie will enjoy being killed by the thing she loves," was what the other Jack said.


    And she was sickened by it. Jack dropped her to the ground.


    She coughed violently and said, "What are you doing? Haven''t you come for your revenge?"


    "Fight me, then. Defend yourself."


    "I wouldn''t dare try to hurt you, my assistant. Such a beautiful body and form from the inside and out."


    "Disgusting," Jack said disappointed.


    Then, Annie began to vomit and cough at the same time. It made a cracking sound inside of her throat. Blood was mixed with the otherwise green vomit.


    Jack said, "You don''t look so good. You look a little pale."


    "How sweet of you to say, Jacqueline."


    "You want to die, don''t you?" Jack asked, "But more specifically you want it to be me."


    "Of course. I don''t want to die by some disease. And the moment, I transform back into my human form, I''d die right then and there. I can just feel it. I had hoped that my Jack would accommodate me eventually after I finished showing the world my art, but looks like fate has other plans."


    "Maybe, I should just watch you succumb to whatever illness ails you. That would be a more fitting way to die for scum like you," Jack said as she leaned on the table watching Annie like a hawk.


    "You could do that. But I know that you want to kill me," Annie said as she sat covered in blood and vomit, "Ever since I laid my eyes on you, I saw the most beautiful girl. I was so entranced. And I made you mine. But I knew you could be even more beautiful, so I turned you into a Light Guardian. I was lucky that you weren''t a boy. Then, you would never have been able to become a guardian. Have you ever wondered why mostly girls from around late elementary to late high school are Light Guardians? I figured it out. I was smart and learned many things about guardians, the light, the dark, and so much more. The process takes a toll on the body. It will only work on the females around that age because of their physiology and hormones. There are rare cases where the process works in all."Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Annie paused to catch her breath, but knew her time was almost out. She didn''t want to die just yet, so she continued talking, "For example, did you know that Herakles was real. He was a Light Guardian. One of the rare cases. He was one of the strongest guardians to have ever lived. Unfortunately for me, I''m not one of those legends. Or at least, not until my art is seen around the world."


    "I will make sure your art is burned until there is nothing left," Jack said.


    "I''m sure you will try. But that will just make the remainings'' values skyrocket," Annie continued, "Oh, as I was saying before, my body isn''t too special in that regards. Rather, my body is failing now. Don''t worry. It happen to all of the Light Guardians eventually depending on a number of factors."


    "What do you mean?" Jack asked.


    "When you use your guardian abilities, you begin to drain away at your own life. Human bodies are fragile. They can''t handle it for long amounts of time. Ironically, the only thing keeping me alive is my guardian form. Although, I suppose you can take me to a hospital and keep me alive hooked up in all sorts of tubes, but then I would never get any work done. But I don''t think you should worry, assistant. I don''t know what you are, but I''m certain you''re not a Light Guardian."


    "Why would you think that?"


    "Because Jack is dead. I took her body and made her my own. I''m sure you passed by her."


    "That''s nothing but a doll! Your puppet!," Jack yelled.


    "Yes. And so are you? A more advanced doll I may add, but a doll nonetheless. I should get tips from the fellow artist who made you. All that emotion is very breathtaking."


    "I don''t care. You''re trying to just taunt me."


    "Yes. But only with the truth, fake Jacqueline. But let''s say that you are. You and I are the same on the inside. Then, we''re both the same kind of Light Guardian."


    "Don''t compare us. You let my parents die, so that you could keep fighting a Night Demon. You killed all those people in that club to spawn those monsters. You created freaks of nature and enslaved them to kill. You''re a monster."


    "So are you! You''re a monster, too. While you''ve been going around looking for me, I was there watching you every step of your journey picking up the bodies you left behind for my own projects. And all I saw was you going around slaughtering Light Guardians because of some high and mighty idea of Light Guardians being evil like me. Or perhaps, that''s what you said to yourself just to excuse your fits of rage."


    "I''m not like that anymore," Jack said angrily.


    "Yes, you are. You''re a beautiful monster on the inside and out," Annie said as she stood up. She caressed Jack''s cheek with her left hand, and in that moment, Jack couldn''t control herself. She conjured her machete and cut off Annie''s left arm clean off. Annie jumped back in pain, but smiled throughout it all.


    Then, Jack stopped herself. She saw Jack''s smile and knew that was what she wanted. And Jack wanted nothing but to make her suffer.


    "I want you to suffer. I will not give you what you want. I will not kill you. I''ll just watch you as you slowly wither away," Jack said.


    "Hah! Then, I''ll just have to make you kill me," Annie said as she jumped up in the air and conjured her rod.


    She was weak, but she could at least pull off a little bit of lasers to provoke Jack.


    But suddenly, a claw shot out from the entrance cutting Annie''s right hand making the rod vanish with it. Then, a barrage of chains encased themselves around her legs. They held her down tightly breaking her legs with a crunch. She was dragged down back to the floor.


    To Jack''s surprise, she looked back and saw both Yune, Tasha, and Mary there. Mary waved her hands gladly.


    The door was being shut closed with chains. There were some knocking noises.


    "Hey, let us in!" a girl''s voice could be heard, but Yune made sure the chains were tightly locked around the door. She trusted them like family, but didn''t want to involve them.


    "Yune?" Jack said as Yune approached her. Jack noticed that Yune was going punch her in the face, but made no attempt to stop it. She probably deserved far worse for what she did in the past.


    And when Jack took the hit, Jack didn''t feel it, but it hurt her.


    "I''m sorry for what I''ve done. I''m sure I took away many families," Jack said.


    "Save it," Yune said aggressively, "I know that Annie killed Mizu. But you had the intention of killing her. So, either way, I don''t and I never will forgive you. We are not family. After we kill Annie, I''ve decided I won''t be coming back to the team. You are lucky I decided to let you go, Jack. I''ve already killed the other one."


    Mary was upset with Yune''s decision, but understood. She did find new friends. However, she guessed they weren''t much friends if Yune locked them behind the door as they kept knocking.


    Jack also understood her choice.


    Yune and Mary took off their masks and they vanished into a shadowy mist. The three of them were side-by-side casting a large shadow around them and over Annie. She looked at them and laughed.


    "Jacqueline, you really think these girls are worthy of you. They don''t understand your beauty like me."


    "Let''s get this over with," Mary said.


    "Wait. I want her to suffer. As we speak she is dying," Jack replied.


    "Do you think these wounds will kill me. You''d have to wait some time," Annie said. She was right. She was sick and wounded, but as a Light Guardian, she could last for some time even without food and water.


    Jack then looked at all of the creatures in their cages. They watched the three girls patiently. There were both Night Demons and art pieces that Annie were working on. Then, they eyed the weak Annie.


    Jack wanted Annie to suffer for many reasons. However, Mary was sick and tired of searching for this girl that she wanted her to die for it. She had to work like a horse for finding this girl, and hoped that somebody had to suffer for it. As Yune, looked at Annie, she also felt that the girl was responsible for turning Jack into a monster and taking away Mizu. She wanted Annie to suffer like how she suffered after Mizu died.


    In unison, all three of the girls began to have one thought. One unified thought. The thought of making Annie suffer. All of their marks glowed among a shadowy mist on their left arms. Jack''s mark of the snake. Mary''s mark of the crow. And Yune''s mark of the cat.

 Chapter 117: Unity of the Dark Star Emperors

    They writhed in pain. Their bodies shook. Their masks began to form on their faces like cancer or a tumor. They scratched at it in pain, but they''d only draw blood which was easily covered up. They all had no idea what was happening.


    Tasha saw their transformation, but had no idea what to think of it. She leapt onto Jack''s shoulder, and as she tried to connect to them to figure out what''s wrong, she began to sink into the metal. But she felt calm as her entire body just sank into her.


    They screamed at first, but then their screams were replaced by devilish shrieks. The space around them began to collapse into nothingness.


    The creatures rattled around and cheered.


    And Annie watched unnerved, but slowly became excited at what she saw. Yune''s chains loosened, but she didn''t try to escape. Instead, she watched in bliss.


    She muttered, "I see it, now. I see what my creatures see. The greatest pieces of art in the universe. It''s so beautiful."


    The masks formed around their heads at long last. However, now they looked every more terrifying. All of them had a crown horns that glowed the same color as their eyes- purple for Mary, white for Yune, and red for Jack.


    Mary had a mouth wide open with rows of teeth like a lamprey.


    Yune''s mouth opened up like a diamond across her face with spider fangs. There were eight eyes in total. Four on the left and four on the right.


    Jack''s jaw line split in two. There were two long tongues coming out from underneath. Her teeth just as sharp as a shark with just as many rows. The mask still resembled a hockey mask, but each hole now contained her eyes.


    Their bodies had grown in size and morphed. Their weapons turned pitch black. They no longer looked like girls in armor. They barely resembled being human.


    They stared at Annie who started to laugh at what she saw. Not because she mocked them, but because she was thrilled to see this magnificent display of art. It was more beautiful than anything she could make.


    To each other, however, once their pain went away, they didn''t see each other as any different except for their size and crown of horns. Through their eyes, they just wore their regular mask. But to each of them, they felt stronger. A current of power flowed throughout their bodies. It felt like ecstasy.


    Their marks still glowed within the shadows as reality broke apart around them.


    Jack grabbed onto Annie''s head as she laughed in hysteria and glee.


    "Why are you laughing?" Jack asked, but all Annie could do was mutter quietly to herself.


    She repeated the words, "Beautiful" over and over again.


    Jack noticed the creatures watching them and felt that they wanted to kill Annie themselves. She didn''t know how she knew that, but now that she did, she took Annie by the head and tossed her inside. Jack knew that the only thing Annie wanted was to die by Jack''s hands. Jack felt that Annie would feel no satisfaction being torn apart by her own captured Night Demons and artwork.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    When her body was about to hit the laser bars, they curved around her. They assumed it was because Annie couldn''t get hit by her own attack, but it felt like the entire portion of that room curved with it.


    When Annie fell to the claws and fangs of her captured Night Demons, all she could do was stare at the three girls. They were hideous monsters, but to her, she saw God. She muttered one more thing in the end, "Dark Stars..."


    Her own monsters ripped her apart piece by piece. And with only one eye and nothing else, she was grateful for seeing such magnificent pieces of art.


    And then, it was over.


    They sighed a breath of relief, but then the lasers began to disperse and the monsters looked at them.


    "Great. One more problem after the next," Mary said as they readied themselves for a fight.


    But the creatures did no such thing. They didn''t see just any man or woman. But something greater than all. Each one bowed and chanted out in unison, "Dark...Star...Emperors..."


    The three girls were confused, but then Jack looked at a shard of glass. She saw their monstrous faces. She couldn''t believe it and then the others looked in the mirror. They tried to take off the mask, but it wouldn''t come off. It was like it was a part of their own skin. And even if they did manage to rip off a piece, it would just grow back in seconds.


    "No. no. no. no. This can''t be right," Jack exclaimed.


    "I''m hideous," Mary said.


    "No. This isn''t who we are. This can''t be," Yune complained.


    But then, Yune looked back at the door. Her chains had loosened themselves as she was in pain from this transformation. And she saw Venomion and Cainus standing in fear in front of the door.


    They looked at the three in utter fear and disgust. The entire universe began to wrap around the three monsters. The girls could even sense them as something worse than Night Demons. The chill ran deep into their body. All of their bones became brittle at the mere sight of them.


    But they knew one of them. Yune. They could still recognize her weapon, but no longer her face or body. They were just monsters, but they couldn''t do anything about it.


    "They saw what we are. We have to kill them," Jack said as she conjured her machete and was about to kill them.


    But Yune held Jack''s arm back and said, "No. You can''t. We can''t."


    And then Mary looked at the two girls stunned in fear and yelled in a shrieking voice, "Run!"


    They never felt this kind of terror before from any other Night Demon. They didn''t stand a chance against these monsters. They ran away afraid, but the three girls gave no chase.


    The monster continued to bow and chant far more clearly, "Dark Star Emperors. Dark Star Emperors. Dark Star Emperors."


    And they kept repeating it, yet Jack, Mary, and Yune felt no threat from those monsters. However, Jack still found them annoying and roared a devilish screech. The creatures scattered away like roaches leaving the three girls alone.


    They began to shake and try to get themselves out of this form. They tried to transform back into human form, but couldn''t while they were like that. Then, as they concentrated harder, each one began to change back into their usual guardian form. It felt like they had to twist their own brain from the inside to do it.


    Their mouths fused together and returned to normal. Their horns fell off. Tasha even fell out of Jack and onto Jack''s leg without realizing what happened.


    They didn''t know what that was. It scared them. They worried that they would transform into that form, again.


    They left the gallery burning everything inside. They destroyed the entire thing. And when they got out to the outside of the toy factory, they burned that as well hoping that Annie''s gallery would never be found, and if it was found, it would be nothing but ash and rubble.


    The three of them dashed back home. Even Yune followed the others. She didn''t want to, but after turning into that monster, she couldn''t go back to Venomion and Cainus. And she couldn''t be alone, either. Now, that some guardians knew what they were, they assumed all would. But whatever came, Yune felt that she had to stick by them as freaks and monsters, although she didn''t want to.


    However, the three of them no longer had a choice.

 Chapter 118: Dark Star Reunion

    When Yune, Jack, and Mary got home, they all went straight to sleep, even though it was morning. Yune especially felt like she had no choice but to stay with them, now. They each slept for three days before waking up. And they hoped that it was just a dream, but it wasn''t. They worried that whatever happened to them can happen again. They tried not to think about it, but feeling all that power and seeing their horrid forms gave them polar-opposite feelings. They felt good with all of that strength, but felt disgusted after seeing what they''ve become.


    However, during this night, their feelings over that would change.


    At around six thirty in the afternoon, Yune was preparing a small dinner, but she didn''t feel like making anything.


    So, Mary suggested ordering a box of pizza. Jack was disgusted by the idea of having another slice of pizza, but after three days of eating nothing, she didn''t mind.


    Tasha slept in a corner.


    Mary discovered how to order pizza online to be delivered. As soon as she finished the order, she said, "And done. Now, we wait for them to bring it at our doorsteps."


    And immediately after, a knock occurred.


    "Ooh. Now, that''s fast delivery," Mary said as she ran over to the door.


    However, both Jack and Yune knew that delivery services weren''t that fast. Both of them immediately suspected it to be Light Guardians.


    Jack and Yune both yelled, "Wait!"


    But it was too late.


    Mary opened the door innocently with a child-like smile and said aloud, "Pizza time?"


    Suddenly, a yo-yo slammed straight at Mary''s forehead pushing her away to the ground as she held her bruised forehead.


    Jack and Yune instantly transformed and expected a fight.


    However, instead Venomion showed up outside and said, "Wait! Wait! We''re not here to fight!"


    And when Cainus saw Mary rolling on the floor, she apologized, "Sorry. We thought that this place had some Night Demons guarding it or something. And it was Venomion''s idea that I should just attack if something spooked me."


    But now they no longer sensed any Night Demons. Not even Tasha who was now wide awake also expecting a fight.


    "Why are you here?" Yune asked curiously as she motioned Jack to keep calm. Fortunately, Jack was able to keep her emotions in control even while in her guardian form. She didn''t feel any hostility coming off of them.


    "Don''t worry, Yune. We''re here as friends. Can we come in?" Venomion said as both Cainus and herself transformed out of their Light Guardian forms.


    Yune reluctantly agreed. She didn''t see any other Light Guardians, but she was still cautious. Jack and Mary were also very cautious about the situation. They didn''t know these two, but Yune did, so they trusted her.


    Yune placed a bandage over Mary''s bruised forehead. There was a slight sniffle from Mary, but she tried to hide the tears. Yune transformed into her normal human form, but Jack remained on guard and stayed as a guardian. However, Jack did take off her mask.


    Venomion and Cainus could still remember those monstrous forms they were in. But now, they didn''t feel that sense of fear. They wanted to come and reaffirm whether they were monsters, but it didn''t feel like that now.


    Meanwhile, the three girls thought it was some kind of trap.


    Venomion tried to lighten the tension and said, "Nice house. Looked a lot creepier on the outside."


    "We get that a lot," Jack replied.


    Mary asked, "So, you said your name is Venomion, right?"


    "Yes. How many times do I need to say it?" she replied.


    "I don''t believe you," Mary replied, "Shopkeeper. Shopkeeper. Shopkeeper. Come here."


    The shopkeeper appeared and Mary continued before he could speak, "Use one of my reserves to tell me that girl''s name."


    "Her name is Venomion Venomion," the shopkeeper said before disappearing.


    "You used a black coin for that?" Yune and Jack exclaimed.


    "Hah. I told you," Venomion replied.


    "Yeah. She changed her name to that," Cainus said.


    "Alright, but who the hell calls themselves Venomion for a first and last name!?" Mary asked.


    "What''s wrong with that name?" Venomion asked defensively.


    "It''s dumb. If you wanted a cool name, why didn''t you call yourself Venomsnake or just plain Poison?" Mary asked.


    "Those names are taken! And Venomion''s a very cool, super-hero name," she said.


    Venomion never truthfully told anyone why she changed her name in the first place. She hated her family. Her father abused her, and her did nothing about it. While the two argued, she would read her comic books outside of the apartment to pass the time. They gambled and drank all of their money. Eventually, she ran away from home. She lived by herself for months before she turned into a Light Guardian. She stole to survive, but never thought of herself as a villain. And when she got her first black coin, she changed her name based on her favorite hero, Venom-Man.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Cainus, on the other hand, had a different story. One that she also kept secret, but even if you''d ask her, she wouldn''t know about it. She became a Light Guardian to protect her family. She was considered a delinquent, and she didn''t get along with many people. The closest friend she had was Venomion. One day, while smoking in her room with the window open and the smoke detectors disabled, she sensed a Night Demon nearby. Her cigarette dropped to the floor and she went to fight it. She fought the creature alongside Venomion. It was quick and easy. Cainus took the black coin and the two of them walked back to her home. And as soon as they got to her house, it was set ablaze. Her parents were asleep, but when they realized that a fire broke out, they tried to escape. Unfortunately, they ran out of air before they could get out. Venomion and Cainus both transformed and went in. However, they were too late to save her parents.


    The fire department had got there and the fire was put out. Cainus mourned her parents'' deaths. She had no idea what had caused the fire. But once the police were done investigating, they found that a lit cigarette was on the floor that started the fire. They assumed that it was one of the parents, but Cainus knew who it belonged to. Her parents never smoked, and she kept it a secret. She felt so responsible for her parents'' deaths, that she tried to commit suicide. Fortunately for her, Venomion saved her in the last moment. She was aware of Cainus''s guilt, and called the shopkeeper to save her. She healed her wounds. When Cainus awoke, she still felt the guilt of her parents'' deaths on her shoulders. She begged the shopkeeper to get rid of it - to get rid of this guilt. She gave him a black coin and begged him to erase the guilt. The shopkeeper obliged, but not in the way she or Venomion thought.


    The shopkeeper erased Cainus''s memories of that past and replaced it. For all she knew, her parents died in a random, but unfortunate car accident. And he even created and changed reports to say those facts in case she decided to investigate. Cainus mourned her parents, but felt no guilt from it. The next day, Cainus was the same as usual. She even bought a new pack of cigarettes since she threw her old ones out. Venomion knew her real past, but felt like it would do no good to mention it to her.


    Venomion and Cainus both had their own pasts, but the two of them had been considered partners and friends for a long time.


    But that was all in the past for them. They began to laugh and have a good time. Then, the pizza arrived. Venomion offered to pay for it, and Mary agreed even though she was just saying that to be polite. Cainus ended up paying for the pizza as Venomion begged her.


    But it was good pizza.


    They ate it happily together.


    Venomion saw Tasha and said, "Now, that I get a good look at you, you''re pretty cute."


    But Tasha remembered the first thing that girl said to her when she saw her in Annie''s gallery was to kill it.


    As Venomion went in for a head rub, Tasha growled angrily, but Venomion didn''t care. She petted and rubbed it gently like a cat. Tasha even purred like a cat after receiving those gentle pats. She soon forgot all about what Venomion said.


    Venomion and Cainus also mentioned to the three girls that they got jobs.


    Yune was surprised by the news. Apparently, Mirey hired Venomion and Cainus for her new bakery opening up. Jack didn''t know that was. And Mary was only aware of her. However, Yune was even more shocked. She was the only one interested in that. She thought those two would have been a bunch of vagabonds forever. That was until, Venomion mentioned that they were also hired to steal from and do other illegal crimes to Mirey''s rivals across the streets. And then, Yune understood with a bit of disappointment.


    Then, while they were eating pizza, Cainus said that she could still beat Yune even at that point. Then, the two of them got heated.


    Yune shouted, "My chains are still better than you''re yo-yo strings! Go to hell, Cainus!"


    Jack and Mary were surprised by Yune''s sudden change in demeanor. She was far more aggressive than usual over nothing.


    Jack said, "I didn''t think you had it in you to shout like that."


    "You go to hell, too, Jack!" Yune shouted.


    "Woah!" Venomion and Mary said at the same time.


    "And you, Mary...!" Yune shouted as Mary jumped up in shock, "You''re fine. And so are you, Venomion."


    "Oh," they both replied.


    Then, all of them began to laugh louder. It became a small party. Even, Jack transformed into her human form.


    The three of them had a good time, but Jack was still unsure of their motives. Yune, however, knew those girls and didn''t want to fight them.


    But the three girls knew that they needed to know why they came eventually.


    Jack asked them both directly, "So, why are you here?"


    It was sudden, but effective.


    Cainus decided to speak as Venomion wasn''t good at serious talks.


    She replied, "We came because we were worried about Yune. We thought that she became some kind of monster. But now that we see you. We realize we were only partially right. You three are monsters. But that doesn''t mean that you are mindless animals. I don''t know you, Jack or Mary. But I do know Yune. I remembered seeing her stop the big red guy from attacking us. Now, that we spent some time with the three of you, I can tell that you all are more like a nice family."


    "Family!?" Yune exclaimed angrily standing up slamming the table. She didn''t want to hear that. She still wouldn''t consider Jack a friend let alone a member of the same family. The room went silent for a brief time.


    "What''s wrong, Yune?" Jack asked.


    Yune began to calm down.


    "We''re... not a family," she said as she looked straight at Jack.


    Then she looked back at Venomion and Cainus and apologized, "I''m sorry. Lots of stuff happened. You''re right about one thing. We are monsters. It would be best if you left."


    They nodded their heads.


    As Venomion and Cainus were escorted out, Venomion mentioned, "It was nice seeing you, Yune. Don''t worry. We don''t think you''re a monster."


    "Thanks," Yune replied coldly as Mary and Jack stood by her.


    "If you ever need us, you can probably find us at the bakery," Cainus said, "Though, you can just visit if you want me to prove to you how strong my threads are."


    Yune smiled knowing that those two girls would still be her friends.


    The two transformed into their guardian form and vanished. There was no ulterior motive. Not plot against them. They were just two friends who wanted to make sure that Yune was safe.


    However, Yune had a feeling that she wouldn''t meet up with them again.


    And there was an even worse feeling. She couldn''t bring herself to visiting Eli without the fear of suddenly transforming into that creature. And she felt ashamed about it.


    The three of them have stopped going to school for a long time, but now they feared for the safety of the other students by being near them.


    They usually secluded themselves at home. They went out together to occasionally hunt Night Demons who were causing trouble, but for the most part, they seemed to find them more intelligent rather than animalistic. However, that didn''t change the fact that some were still evil even if they could talk.


    Yune and Jack would continue to work together on a more professional level - as just necessary partners. But while Yune spent her time near Mary, she didn''t mind acting like a big sister to her.


    Mary was happy that the whole team was back together. Even if Yune or Jack didn''t consider it a family, she did.


    And Jack finally felt a sense of relief from having found and killed Annie. She didn''t care if the team was a family or not. She was just glad that she could sleep better at night knowing that she did something good in this world. Although, she still held the guilt of what she has done in her past.


    And so, the three girls, now known as Dark Stars or as the Dark Star Empresses to Night Demons, continued to work together.

 Chapter 119: Mireys Bakery

    While Yune, Jack, and Mary stayed at home trying to prevent others from seeing what they became, Venomion and Cainus began work at Mirey''s Bakery.


    They were told to wear their light Guardian forms as their uniform. And even Mirey kept her guardian form on. However, each one of them was given a baker''s hat and apron to go along with their uniforms.


    It was a nice, cozy, little bakery. But Mirey was in charge. Her title was simple, but the logo was a green revolver with bread bullets circling around it. Mirey thought it was genius, but Venomion and Cainus thought that they were some kind of gun store looking at that logo.


    Business was slow. News of an approaching storm has been airing for a while, but now it''s closer than every. People are being told to board up their homes and stay indoors.


    But Mirey saw this as an opportunity. While all other shops closed, her bakery stayed open. She realized that people were going to need to buy essential food, and what better place to get that food than the only open bakery on the street.


    Mirey put Cainus in charge of baking. Cainus was surprisingly a good bread maker. She even used her threads to manage multiple ovens. And she was able to make dough quite fast with her yo-yo. She didn''t really care, though. As long as she got paid and had a cigarette break, she was fine.


    However, Venomion was more of a slacker. Mirey would find her sleeping on the job rather than cleaning. And she often found snakes rummaging through the corners. Although, there was nobody outside, Mirey feared that it may scare away customers.


    However, Mirey found a suitable job for Venomion, soon enough.


    When she looked out at the street with her binoculars, she noticed every business closed down until further noticed and boarded up. However, there was one that caught her eye.


    Joe''s Bakery. Just across the street.


    This wouldn''t usually scare her, but then she saw that it was still open. She saw the owner outside waving kindly towards Mirey.


    "Hi, neighbor," he said with a kind smile, "I''m Joe."


    "Shouldn''t you be closed!? Haven''t you heard about a storm coming!? " Mirey yelled angrily.


    "I heard. Thank you for reminding me, though, neighbor. I appreciate your concern for my safety, but I got to stay open. Don''t worry, though. I''ve already made sure my bakery is in tip-top structural integrity. No storm will be able to get through it."


    Mirey was annoyed by Joe. There were now two bakeries open. If it had been a different business, then she wouldn''t have cared, but instead the only other open business was her rival.


    Joe didn''t see it like any rivalry. To him, it was just a friendly competition at most. He was just a kind, young man who wanted to open a small bakery.


    There wasn''t anybody around, but Mirey wouldn''t let her rival win anybody over who wanted bread.


    She called up Venomion and Cainus, and ordered, "Listen up, soldiers. We are now at war."


    However, Cainus didn''t care. And Venomion was just waking up from her nap. She was drinking some tap water.


    Mirey continued, "Joe''s bakery, across the street, is planning to steal our customers, poison our bread, slaughter our children, and dump toxic chemicals into our water supply!"


    "They are!?" Cainus and Venomion exclaimed suddenly. Venomion spit out her water and tried to gag out the rest.


    "More-or-less"


    "Wait. Is it more? Or less?" Venomion asked as she stopped trying to throw up.


    Mirey ignored her question.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "Alright, guys. We are at war. Does anybody have any idea to win this?"


    Cainus suggested, "We could try to advertise and give out some deals."


    Venomion suggested, "Industrial sabotage."


    While they made those suggestions, Mirey was aiming a sniper rifle at Joe''s head as he was mopping the floor. But after hearing those ideas, she looked at the two and said, "Oh. Well, I guess we could try that."


    And so, they went to work.


    First, they tried Cainus''s idea. To advertise and make suggestions. However, since Cainus was baking the bread, Venomion had to do the work. She put up a sign saying: "Two for One Cake deal!!"


    And then, she sent out her snakes to spread flyers of Mirey''s Bakery with the deal stamped on it. They slithered in every direction holding the papers in their mouths.


    But after a while, nobody was coming.


    Mirey then gave Venomion a mascot outfit. It was a giant loaf of bread with antennas attached to them. She was told to hold a sign pointing at the bakery and start spinning it around like some performance artist. It was hot and tiring in that suit. The suit may be smiling, but not the girl inside.


    Venomion did it, but she wasn''t very enthusiastic about it. Then, a gust of wind blew the sign away and Venomion had to chase it while she was in her suit. It took an hour, but she eventually got it.


    But after all that time, there was still nobody around. No customers. No person in sight. The storm didn''t come, yet. There should be some customers wanting to get some last minute goods, Mirey thought.


    And then, Mirey looked at her rival''s bakery. She could see through the windows that there was a woman buying a couple of loafs of bread from him. He had a kind smile and handed it over to her. What Mirey didn''t know was that the woman was Joe''s sister checking in on him and picking up some food for their mother.


    "Damn it!" Mirey complained, "This advertising and deal-thing isn''t working. Plan B! We''re going with sabotage."


    Mirey told Venomion to start throwing bricks at the other bakery. Mirey gave her a balaclava to hide her face, however, Venomion was still wearing her guardian outfit, baker''s hat, and apron.


    But Mirey didn''t think about that. And neither cared.  She went back inside to inspect the bread and left Venomion to do the work.


    She held up one brick and threw it straight at Joe''s window like a pitcher throwing a baseball. Did she feel any regret? Maybe, but she was just happy not to be wearing that stupid mascot outfit.


    The brick hit the window, but instead of crashing through, the window bounced it back. Venomion ducked as the brick crashed right back into Mirey''s Bakery.


    Mirey ran outside and noticed the damage.


    "Venomion! Not my windows! The other guy''s windows!" Mirey yelled.


    "I did throw it at him!" Venomion said.


    "You idiot!" Mirey said as she conjured a gun a shot a bullet at the window, but instead the window bounced the bullet back at hit another one of Mirey''s windows.


    As Joe came out to check what the noise was about, he noticed that Mirey''s windows were broken. Mirey hid her gun, and Venomion hid the bricks behind her.


    "Oh, my god," Joe said worryingly, "You should install some stronger windows before the storm hits."


    "Shut up!" Mirey yelled.


    Apparently, Joe had installed the strongest glass that money could buy. And apparently, it was strong enough to bounce back bricks and magical bullets.


    Then, Mirey had one more plan still relating to sabotage. There was a truck coming that was going to deliver flour to both Joe''s and Mirey''s bakery. Mirey ordered Venomion to send her snakes to sneak on board as the truck before the delivery truck arrived and to replace Joe''s flour. Mirey had discovered that her flour was made by the Darkin''s Flour Co., while Joe bought his from the Dunkin''s Flour Co.


    So, as the truck was on it''s way, Venomion''s snakes jumped on board and squeezed through.


    Then, they began to work. However, it was dark. They looked at the packages, and bit into the ones that looked like they were from Dunkin''s Flour Co. The flour spilled. The snakes cleaned it up. Then, they all hid in the bags, so that it would look like it was full.


    Venomion couldn''t see what the snakes were seeing, but she was confident that they''d get the job done.


    Then, they waited. When the delivery truck came, it dropped off the flour for both Joe and Mirey.


    However, when Mirey opened her bag of flour, a number of snakes slithered out. Dunkin and Darkin were too close to tell for them especially in the dark. In the dark, they were unable to distinguish the ''a'' and ''r'' in the company names. Joe''s flour was untouched.


    Mirey began to shake Venomion for another failure. And Cainus just shook her head disappointed at both of them. But Cainus was tired from doing the same thing over and over, so she didn''t really care.


    The work day was almost over and there were no customers.


    Mirey began to feel down about it. In her office, she began to cry thinking that she wasn''t fit for the job. It was so difficult getting people to visit her bakery.


    Then, Venomion rushed in, and she quickly wiped her eyes.


    "Hey, boss. We got a customer," Venomion said to Mirey''s pleasant surprise.


    Mirey came out and welcomed her first customer. She kept that memory very close to heart.


    It was a simple high-school girl who saw the flyer for the "Two for One Cake" deal. She bought the cakes and asked them to write out on both of them: "Happy Birthday, Anne."


    Mirey happily obliged and Venomion wrote the message. It was in pretty bad handwriting, but the girl was satisfied. They were boxed up and she took them in a bag.


    Mirey, Venomion, and Cainus waved good-bye to the girl.


    And when her first customer , Mirey shouted at Joe from across the street, "Take that, loser!"

 Chapter 120: Mosaic Birth

    Anne and Nina began to work together again after facing Annie''s Kira artwork. They eventually learned that Annie was killed and her gallery burned to the ground. Anne was still more aggressive, but Nina didn''t mind. There was no sense of leadership, but rather they worked as equals.


    But the number of Night Demon attacks have dwindled. Or they just had a harder time sensing them. Either way, the amount of people going out have decreased dramatically. The storm that was broadcast on the news made people stock up on essentials like food, water, and especially toilet paper.


    Although, they thought that this would be a perfect opportunity for Night Demons to strike, there weren''t any as far as they knew.


    They noticed that Jack, Mary, and Yune were working together again as well. Sometimes, at night, they would be seen fighting Night Demons, but they never interfered with their own fights.


    It was just quiet. Nina enjoyed the peace, but not Anne. She was used to the constant action from one monster to the next. But they felt like they had resolved their issues. Nina even surprised Anne with a little party to which she was grateful. She was starting to go back to the way she was before Kira died. They began to move on.


    But just because there weren''t many Night Demons, that didn''t mean that they weren''t around.


    Underground in abandoned subway tunnels far enough away from the surface so that no Light Guardian could sense them, there were a group of monsters. A group of Annie''s art projects and a few Night Demons. However, all of them regained their senses. They had no plans on hurting people after that. It was just a small group of monsters, but even a small one was capable of doing a lot of damage. They''ve never come together before the Dark Stars appeared, and they were grateful for their appearance.


    This group had captured Tendra as a prisoner after they worked together to defeat her. At first they thought it would have been difficult, but after working together, defeating Tendra was a lot easier even if she managed to kill a few of them.


    They all had one reason for this. One simple reason. To revive Annie.


    Both kinds of monsters had their own reason for helping towards that goal. The art projects in the group felt like they owed their existence to Annie like a God. Meanwhile, the few Night Demons that were captured by Annie became fascinated by her work and procedures. They would have even preferred Tendra to worked with them as they considered her to be a servant of Annie''s, but she resisted.


    They worked tirelessly and efficiently especially the art projects. They were the most like fanatics. But eventually they were finished. They had only one needle left that had Annie''s power still coursing through it. They stuck it into her belly button and the shock went into her. A spark of life. Her body lived, but it was just a doll. The needle stayed lodged inside of her even though it no longer carried Annie''s energy.


    They brought Tendra in for the last step. They just needed the memories implanted. The monsters saw it as a perfect model, but Tendra thought that it was amateurish even compared to Annie''s. But Tendra was still their prisoner with her arms and one eye removed by her captors.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    She lied naked on a flat table.


    The body was sewn together using many kinds of hairs from different monsters. The top of her head had been covered in broken, crinkled blonde-hair. There were patches of her burned skin mixed together with other skin. Her face was covered in stitches. One eye was clearly Annie''s. But her left eye had to be replaced with Tendra''s which was off-center as well. Her left eye also drooped down a bit.


    Her left arm had been entirely replaced. It was longer than her other. Although, Tendra didn''t know where they got that arm, she knew it had to have been fresh even though there were still plenty of open cuts without any blood coming out of it. And then, Tendra was able to feel that her tendrils were inside of Annie''s left arm. They had used Tendra''s arm and repurposed it to be used for Annie, even though it had been stitched together and recolored to match Annie''s skin tone.


    If they wanted it to look like Annie, then they only did the bare essentials. But the creatures that made it thought it to be a work of art like themselves.


    Then, they pushed Tendra forward yelling at her to implant Annie''s memories. Tendra only had one working tendril left. They tore all the others in fear that she would use them against the group. It grew out of her mouth and stuck itself inside the doll''s ear.


    But Tendra saw her chance. Rather than giving them the satisfaction of giving Annie, she had a different idea. She implanted everything that she had. Every memory and mind that Tendra could muster. She figured that it would be too much for the doll to handle. Too much so for the brain to explode.


    The body rapidly squirmed around.


    The creatures realized their mistake. They grabbed onto Tendra and ripped out her last tendril without thinking. But it was too late. The damage was done. Tendra didn''t feel like she was going to win, but she wanted Annie and anybody who followed her to lose. Realizing that Tendra was no longer useful to them, they killed her. And when the clink of the black coin dropped, the body''s eyes opened wide.


    As the monsters looked at their art, they felt a sense of pride and accomplishment. However, they celebrated too soon.


    Even though they were too far to be sensed from above, Anne and Nina decided to scour many other nooks and crannies in the city. They came upon the group of Night Demons in a surprise.


    They saw a naked girl lying there, not able to recognize it as Annie. They thought that it was somebody in distress from those monsters. Unlike Jack, Yune, and Mary, these two didn''t talk to the monsters before attacking them. They just go straight into the fight. But even if those other three girls were there instead, they probably would have attacked to save that girl, anyways.


    Anne and Nina attacked the monsters and they began to defend themselves. They screeched and gave battle cries. They said things like: "Protect our queen!" or "Defend our God!"


    But each one was no match for both Anne and Nina.


    And then, they looked at the body. She was still breathing although very lightly. They couldn''t imagine what the girl had been through. She looked like she had been ripped apart and put back together by those monsters. She looked like she was in high-school, but the body was so badly damaged that it was hard to tell.


    They assured her that everything was going to be fine, although they weren''t sure to believe it or not.


    They called the shopkeeper to help, but he couldn''t do anything to it. He knew what it was, but kept that information to himself as he wasn''t specifically asked.


    Nina picked her up and the two of them dashed away in haste carrying their supposedly dying girl to the hospital. They left the black coins there to help her. But this girl wasn''t dying. Her eyes were wide open. She watched as lights passed by them. However, she didn''t feel anything from them. She didn''t feel any pain or emotions. She was just another empty shell. But as she rested, her mind began to work. She began to feel different.

 Chapter 121: Mosaic Hospital

    The girl laid on a hospital bed with her eyes wide open. She was emotionless and barely breathing. They clothed her and ran some tests. They did x-rays and found many apparatuses inside of her body that needed to be removed. The doctors weren''t even sure how she was alive. However, she didn''t feel any pain from the things inside of her. They prepared for emergency surgery.


    They put her under, and then she slept peacefully.


    As she slept, her mind began to rummage through many things. They were all so disconnected from each other. So much random and unnecessary information, she thought. She knew of many names, but not her own. Then, a voice came to her that pushed everything else away. She couldn''t quite see it, but it looked like a silhouette of a teenage girl.


    The girl said only one word, "Annie."


    And she repeated those words, "Annie."


    While she was under, the doctors prepared to open her up. But as soon as the first scalpel cut into her, she felt an intense and burning sensation.


    Then, without any warning, large, black, viscous tentacles shout out of the girl''s left arm. It ripped through the cuts and stitches.


    The doctors screamed, but there was nobody to help them. Each tentacle moved like it had a mind of it''s own, but with a focus. To protect the girl.


    They strangled and threw the surgeons and nurses around. They screamed and they screamed, but the tentacles didn''t hear nor did the girl. They ripped and tore without any mercy.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    When one doctor tried to stab the tentacle with a scalpel, others came towards him and drowned him in his own saliva.


    When it was done and no surgeons were left alive, the tendrils retracted back inside of the girl''s arm.


    There was a brief silence. Only the creaking and flickering of the lights could be heard. The smell of the sanitized room overcame the scent of death for a while. Then, the girl awoke slowly.


    She had a headache and looked around the room. She didn''t feel afraid or worried from the dead bodies. Instead, she felt confusion as her head kept spinning. She walked around the dead and towards the exit.


    The cut on her arm stung, but quickly regenerated itself. However, the sensation was unpleasant. She didn''t want to feel that, again.


    She tried to leave the hospital, but then guards appeared. They were unaware of what had transpired, but they were suspicious of the girl wandering around late at night. As they called out to her to stop, the girl suddenly became frightened. She raised her arms up instinctively to surrender, but as she did so, tendrils came out of her left arm. They grabbed the guards and threw them around. One of them tried to fire, but missed. The noise of it rang in her ears. And the noise attracted more guards to come. The girl had no idea what was happening. But she felt like she had to get away. She saw a window and jumped out of it without any fear. Glass shards pierced into her skin. The pain of it was unbearable. But she was so up high. Yet, she didn''t fear these heights. She felt like she was used to flying high.


    Then, before she landed, the tendrils surrounded her in a ball. She bounced as she hit the ground. The tendrils went back into her arm and she landed safely. The glass shards were pushed out of her body by themselves and the wounds healed.


    It was dark, but there were plenty of street lights.


    She ran away fearing them, however, she didn''t know why. She hid in one of the dark alleyways. Police cars went towards the hospital, but she was long gone.

 Chapter 122: Mosaic Name

    As the girl ran, she knew that she needed different clothes. She felt naked running around in a hospital garb.


    She began to remember things, but there were so many different memories. Sometimes, she would be in one city and sometimes another. Sometimes, she would be a boy while other times girl. She recognized the world she was in, but felt like she was born yesterday. She had memories, but nothing else. However, she also had something that was different than the other dolls. Emotions. She only felt a few like fear, but that was far more than what Kira or Jack was able to feel.


    Then, the girl began hearing voices. She started to see a silhouette in the distance coming towards her slowly. Then, the image became clearer. It was a teenage girl with long, radiant hair. She had a pleasant smile and a perfect body.


    "Who... are you?" the stitched girl asked.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "What you should be asking is who are you?" she replied. They both had the exact same voice.


    "I..."


    "You''re Annie Weldsfield," she said.


    "My name... is Annie Weldsfield?"


    "And so am I. I''m Annie, too. But I don''t want to confuse you. Call me something like...Picasso. That sounds neat."


    This was the first time she was given a name. There were so many names inside her head, but she couldn''t tell which one was hers. Now, she was somewhat relieved to have one. She began to refer to herself as Annie. Meanwhile, she began to refer to the girl she saw as either Picasso or the other Annie, but the next time she blinked the girl was gone.


    She still needed to find a change of clothes. She found an old hood, a jacket, some underwear, and some jeans hanging above one a line to dry. With just a thought she grabbed them with her tendrils. They didn''t feel like a part of her, but they were doing whatever she wanted them to do.


    She looked at a broken mirror and saw her face. It was all messed up, but she wasn''t afraid of it. Yet she also knew that others would be. She put the clothes on and walked away with her hood up trying to conceal her broken face. The only thing she didn''t wear was shoes.

 Chapter 123: Mosaic Blood

    Annie slept in the alleyway that day. As she slept, a chill went down her spine and woke up. She didn''t know what that was, but it felt familiar. She looked up and saw a two headed creature crawling on the wall staring at her.


    However, Annie wasn''t afraid of it. All of it felt familiar to her.


    The creature said in a child''s voice with both heads, "You''re more ugly than me. I didn''t think that was possible. Perhaps, I''ll just eat you and get rid of your misery. You can be my third head."


    Annie stood up facing the monster as it encroached. But as it moved closer, the creature began to realize that she wasn''t afraid. It began to back off thinking that she must be some kind of Light Guardian. But if it was then why didn''t she transform, yet, it wondered.


    Then, suddenly, Annie began to transform only her right arm into that of her guardian form. It felt natural to her. She conjured a rod and aimed it straight at the creature. The monster began to back away, but her left arm shout out tendrils grabbing the monster''s legs. She was a mixture of both light and dark.


    Within a second, she was able to fire the rod aimed straight for one of it''s heads. A gray beam of light came flying out and struck the creature to it''s surprise. And then shot another consecutively towards the creature''s other head.


    "What...are you?" the monster muttered before turning into a black coin.


    Annie didn''t know.


    But then the other girl appeared. The other Annie in her mind. Or Picasso, as she would like to be called. Picasso reassured Annie that she was doing fine and that everything was alright. She even gently hugged Annie like a child. Her fingers went between her ragged hair. Even though, Annie didn''t really feel anything wrong in the first place. It just felt normal. But she did being to feel a sense of comfort. The soft touch of skin, although not real, felt real to her.


    Then, the girl disappeared and she was alone again. She saw the black coin and put it in her pocket. She didn''t know what it was, but felt like it was important to keep.


    The morning sung rose and she walked the streets. There were news stations playing in shops telling people to stay indoors during some storm. Most of the stores were closed. The only ones she saw were a couple of grocery stores and two bakeries.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    But then she came upon a wig store. Their was a long blonde wig shown behind the window. But the store was closed. The sign said that the owners would come back after the storm. It seems like they gave themselves a vacation during the time, Annie thought.


    Then, a voice came to her.


    "Steal it," the voice said. She recognized it as her own voice. She thought it was Picasso.


    "Steal it?" Annie asked to reaffirm, "That doesn''t sound right."


    "Right? You want it, you take it."


    Then, Annie took a couple of seconds to think. She looked around to see if anybody was watching, but the street was empty. She controlled her tendrils to break through the glass and grab the wig. She didn''t feel any guilt from taking it at first.


    Annie put on the wig and looked at herself in the reflection of a shard of glass. It was a little loose, but she thought it looked good on her. It was long, smooth, and radiant.


    She kept the wig and began to walk away. However, two young men saw her as she was walking away from the wig store. They didn''t see the tendrils, but knew that they just witnessed a robbery.


    They yelled for her to stop, but Annie didn''t know that they were talking to her. She was too concerned looking at herself.


    They ran to her and grabbed her left arm. They turned her around and saw her hideous and disfigured face. They backed away in fear.


    But Annie was just as afraid of them. She didn''t know them and her mind instantly assumed that they were dangerous. And that fear called out tentacles from her left arm. Tendrils immediately grabbed onto the two men. There was nobody else there to see or stop her.


    But when Annie looked at them struggling to break free, she didn''t feel any threat from them. She was about to let them go, but then the voice came again.


    "Kill them," the voice said.


    As soon as Annie heard that her heart beat ran faster.


    "No. It''s wrong," Annie said, but then the guy coughed out blood and Annie felt something within her come out. She felt good seeing them bleed. The bright red colors contrasted with the dark tendrils. It made her feel pleasure.


    The gentle voice continued, "It can''t be so bad, if it feels so good. It''s not like you''re hurting yourself. If you enjoy it, then you''re meant to enjoy it. Keep going."


    Annie choked a little harder and heard one of their arms crunch. The sound of it soothed her.


    But then she snapped out of it. She began to feel sick doing this to another living being for pleasure. A part of her enjoyed this act of sadism, but another part of her wanted to puke.


    She immediately let them go, and they ran away panicking and yelling the word ''monster'' over and over.


    Annie knew that that would cause attention, so she adjusted her wig and walked away coolly. Meanwhile, the Annie in her mind was disappointed that she wouldn''t hurt them more, but in general was prideful and anticipated what she would do. She began to feel like a mother to her.

 Chapter 124: Mosaic Cult

    Annie didn''t walk towards anything. She had no goals or dreams. But what she did have were memories. As she walked, she recalled more and more things. They were all so violent and horrifying. Yet sometimes, there were memories of blue skies and gentle winds. She couldn''t comprehend them all. She tried to fit them together like a puzzle, but it was like all of the pieces were from taken from a different puzzle. Some of them didn''t even look like anything, but random colors on a canvas.


    Before she knew it, night descended upon her. Without noticing, some creatures came out of the shadows to greet her.


    They approached her cautiously, but Annie noticed them. She didn''t sense them as monsters, but felt like she recognized the kind of creatures. They were all sewn together and mismatched like herself. They bowed to her. Annie began to think that these monsters were like her, and then she recalled how those people yelled that word. Monster. Monster. Monster. It was strange, but it was something that Annie felt like something she recognized and belonged to.


    One of the creatures said, "It is finally nice to meet you, creator."


    Annie didn''t understand what was going on. However, she wasn''t afraid of them. They led her into an abandoned toy factory. It looked like it had been burned down recently, but the creatures have lifted it up. However, they weren''t able to dig up the actual gallery.


    She entered and saw a bunch of creatures like her. She didn''t feel any chill from any of them. They all bowed their heads.


    "Our queen. Our creator. Our God," they chanted with a celebratory shriek.


    Annie sensed that there was at least one monster there that was similar to the one she fought. She remembered the name. Night Demon.


    Annie, then, remembered as she created these monsters. She referred to them as art projects, but when she recalled making them, she felt sick to the stomach thinking about cutting off parts of animals and sewing them together. One of her earliest memories was sewing a cat''s body onto the body of a dog. She remembered bits and pieces, but there was so much.


    Then, the one of the creatures came towards her. It had a hunchback with bugs nesting on it. It had a necklace of lizard skulls. And it had a bird beak.


    It said, "Welcome. We few have been anxiously waiting for your arrival, our creator Annie. I know that most of your loyal followers have left, but we can still rebuild. We have brought you an offering to your return, master."If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Then, they presented her a naked, drunk man being cuddled by a soft creature. It had a the face of a woman on it''s chest, and the man began to kiss her. But it''s real head was above with an elongated neck and rows of eyes. It had wires sticking out of it''s arms and squirming inside the man''s ears.


    The creature also held a small, shadowy dog as it yapped with rows of teeth while wires pierced through it''s paws.


    Annie took a step back starting to feel horrified. She sweated feeling a sudden shock within her.


    "We even brought one alive. We know how much you like to create with the still-breathing. We ask of you to create one your artworks, master. Let another be blessed with the painful and loving experience of birth to pave way for a new beginning."


    Annie didn''t know how to respond to that. She understood what they wanted. They wanted her to kill that man and Night Demon and mix them together. She remembered saying that it was art, but as she looked at them now, she was unsure whether to feel afraid, horrified, disgusted or delighted.


    Then, the other Annie - Picasso - appeared next to her. The others didn''t see her, but Annie did. However, she didn''t want to take her eyes off of them in fear of them attacking. They, now looked like wolves.


    Picasso said, "I should have known my - our - pieces of art would worship us. Go on. Make a piece of art. It''s a great experience. I can guide you as you go."


    "I can''t," Annie muttered quietly. The other creatures looked at her strangely wondering whether this was the same creator they remembered.


    Picasso replied, "You''ll enjoy yourself. You deserve it after all. Even they think it''s a beautiful thing to do. So, why can''t you just accept that?"


    "No," Annie said.


    Picasso became flustered, but before she could speak, Annie continued, "No. I won''t."


    Annie''s left arm bulged and black tentacles rushed out. She conjured her rod and began firing gray beams of light. She felt sick to the stomach thinking about the situation. She may have enjoyed, but sensed that it was wrong. It was a sick and perverted thought of happiness, she thought. She began to think about what it would be like on the other end of the table. Then, a memory sprung up. It was strange. This time, she actually was on the other side of the table. She even felt as her arm was being cut off with a saw as the Annie she saw in her mind smiled. It was a memory, but it wasn''t Annie''s. It was somebody else''s. Then, other memories clashed with it that didn''t fit.


    The creatures didn''t understand, but defended themselves. However, they were all helpless against Annie.


    She yelled as she destroyed the monsters in the room. She first killed the creature holding the human and small dog Night Demon. As soon as that happened, the human fell asleep on the ground and the shadowy dog started to growl angrily. It barked in a light voice, "Schatten. Yes."


    The dog grew in five times it''s original size into a dark wolf and began to rip away at the other pieces of Annie''s art.


    Then, Annie fought by the man''s side. Schatten ran around chewing and chomping on any of the monsters, but completely ignored Annie and the human. And since it did, Annie felt no need to harm it.


    Then, when the battle ended, the dog howled and shrunk in size into a little, shadowy puppy.

 Chapter 125: Mosaic Soul

    Annie put the sleeping man down and covered him with a cloth that was lying around.


    "What are you doing, Annie?" the voice said.


    Then, she appeared. The whole world began to fade into a white globe with just them two.


    "Don''t call me that. I''m not Annie," she replied.


    "Yes, you are. We are Annie!"


    "No. You''re Annie, but not me. You''re a monster that can''t control herself."


    "Control? We don''t need to worry about control. The world is the canvas, and we are the painter."


    "Stop referring to me with ''us''. I''m not you. The two of us aren''t the same."


    "You are made with me. Everything about you is me," she said in frustration.


    Then, suddenly more silhouettes began to appear around the Annie in her head. All of them either gray humans or monsters, but the girl recognized them all. They were all a part of her just like Annie. But not just their memories, but it felt like their souls as well. Their hopes and dreams. All of it within one body.


    Yet, the girl carried her own mind. Her own views. Her own soul. She strived to be her own individual.


    Black tentacles and hands began to grab Annie. They began to tear her apart and push her back with the rest of the silhouettes.


    "No," Annie cried angrily, "You can''t do this to me. You''re my flesh and blood."Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    The girl continued, "I may have your blood in me, but I have more than that. I won''t deny that you''re a part of me. You''re just not the only part."


    The girl began to see a glint of fear in Annie''s eyes as she was being dragged away. But it didn''t bother the stitched girl. She knew that she wasn''t really gone. She would always stay. Just like with the rest of the minds and memories stored in her head.


    Annie cried in anger one last thing before the only part left was her eye, "You''re nothing. You''re just a soulless body. A mosaic of flesh."


    Then, the girl thought about the word ''mosaic''.


    "Mosaic? Yeah. I like that."


    And then, the eye was grabbed away. And she was gone from sight dragged back with the rest of them.


    The silhouettes all looked at the girl, but there was no intention to harm her. They all felt that she wasn''t the same as Annie or any of them. She was a mixture of them to the point of being her own person.


    Then, the world vanished in a blink and she was back in reality.


    She took out her black coin from her pocket and called out, "Shopkeep. Shopkeep. Shopkeep. Come here."


    The shopkeeper appeared, "Hello. How may I serve?"


    The girl tossed the coin over to him and said, "There''s a wig store that was recently robbed. I want you to fix whatever was broken."


    "Anything else?"


    The girl took off her wig and threw it at the shopkeeper who was confused. She no longer wanted it. She felt comfortable with the rough hair she had.


    "Also, give that back to them," she said.


    "Well, alright. There hasn''t been too many black coins coming my way lately, so I''ll do two jobs for one," he said before vanishing in a gust of wind.


    The girl didn''t flinch. She had the memories of other people, but didn''t pry into them as she felt it would be rude to pry into others'' lives. But even without them, she just had a sense of what to do as part of her was Light Guardian and Night Demon. She, now, fully believed herself to be her own person.


    She noticed the shadowy dog barking and licking her legs.


    The girl knelt down and began to pet it lightly with a kind smile. It was a Night Demon, but it was cute and soft. And it had helped her fight off those creatures.


    "Aren''t you a good boy. What''s your name?" the girl asked.


    "Schatten. Woof. Your name?"


    The girl paused for a moment. She smiled and said, "Mosaic."

 Chapter 126: The Storm Calls

    Heavy wind blew away trees and shook cars. There seemed to be a couple of tornadoes pass by empty city streets carrying old newspapers and trash. Rain fell with the speed of bullets. Some areas even had hail. The clouds above blocked any sign of the sun as they hovered ominously over the city. Reports of the storm''s damage had seemed to have been greatly under exaggerated by the media in other cities. However, the storm in Janken City had been far more destructive without any known reason as to why. And the storm didn''t seem to be passing any time soon. It was like it was now just hovering in circles around the one city.


    Fortunately, everybody took shelter waiting for the storm to pass.


    The only ones who were out were guardians patrolling the area not looking for Night Demons, but to help protect and guide anybody unlucky enough to be outside. Yune, Jack, and Mary felt obligated to help along with Nina and Anne. Meanwhile, Mirey remained guarding her bakery alongside Venomion and Cainus who were paid to be there. Mirey even hoped that the storm would destroy her rival in the process of this storm''s rampage.


    If they did find a Night Demon, they did nothing but hide and take shelter, as well. They all felt fear from the storms above without knowing the reason why. Mosaic tried to comfort Schatten while they took shelter in an old, abandoned shop, but the dog continued to whimper. However, Tasha stayed close atop of Jack''s shoulder feeling it would be safer with those three girls than at home alone, although not even she knew why. But she did feel a sense of terror as she looked up at the clouds. For a second, she thought that she saw a slithering, large shadow move among the clouds. There even seemed to be a small glow of an eye that pierced through the clouds, but it vanished in a second. She didn''t think much of it, though. Tasha just thought it must have been a darker cloud than the rest.


    Bolts of lightning struck down to the floor and buildings. Cars and trucks were being flung around with the high winds crashing into nearby stores. Some of the houses began to be uplifted.


    Yune, Jack, and Mary tried to minimize the damage, but there was just so much chaos. Anne and Nina stayed near one of the gyms that sheltered many normal men, women, and children. Even their own parents who would be worried for their safety, but by giving the shopkeeper a black coin, they could keep them calm with an illusion of their children by their side.


    But this storm didn''t let up. It just kept escalating. More lightning began to strike with more power as time passed.


    Eli watched the storm from inside her hospital room. She hadn''t seen Yune in a long time, and worried for her safety. As she watched, many doctors and nurses rushed and ran around the hospital.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    A photographer went outside to take a video of the storm for his social media page. He was afraid, but felt like it would get plenty of views. And rather than taking the video inside, he felt it would be more authentic to take it out there. He wasn''t too far from home, anyways.


    However, as he was filming, a gust of wind flung a trailer rolling down towards him. As soon as she saw it, he was frozen in fear. It would have hit him, if the three girls hadn''t been there. They all jumped in to save him, even though just one of them could have done it. Yune threw in her hook and chains, and held the trailer back. Jack jumped in between the trailer and the man. And Mary rushed in and carried him away.


    Then, they let the trailer go and it began to fly around once more. The three girls escorted him to the nearest shelter.


    During this, Mary scolded the man for being out there while he was in her arms.


    "What the hell is wrong with you, moron!?" Mary yelled to his dissatisfaction.


    However, while he was held in her arms, a strange blue light appeared glowing within his body. All three of them saw this. Yet, he didn''t feel anything, but the next thing they knew there was nothing left except his clothes and phone. His entire body vanished without a trace.


    "What the-!?" Mary exclaimed as the clothes she carried began to fly away. They landed on a rooftop and tried to make sense of it. They all saw it, but had no idea how that happened. There was no explanation for it. Each one of them expressed shock. All Mary could think of was that it was some kind of rapture.


    However, it didn''t just happen to him.


    The shelter that Anne and Nina protected had the same problem. The two girls looked inside and the next thing they knew, everybody inside vanished with the exception of their clothes and the fake Anne and Nina that the shopkeeper created. Both of the girls had to rub their eyes and make sure that what they were seeing was real.


    In the hospital, as one of the nurses began to move Eli to a more secure area pushing her bed and medical equipment. It took a couple of seconds after Eli''s bed wasn''t moving, but then Eli realized that the nurse had disappeared.


    As people around the city began to vanish one-by-one, instead of screams or panic, there was only the sound of rain and wind. It only seemed to affect regular people. Guardians and Night Demons were unaffected.


    Another lightning strike struck into the side of a skyscrapers. But instead of them falling, the wind began to pick them up. The tornadoes spread themselves out more violently. The storm started to suddenly roar violently. But it didn''t sound like thunder. The sound made everybody who was still around look up. Guardians and Night Demons alike.


    And when all of the guardians and monsters looked up at the sky, the clouds twisted and contorted into themselves.


    They began to see a slowly growing swarm of gargantuan, black hands emerging out of the dark clouds as reality shifted away from them. And each of those hands had a bulging eye on their palms. Their eyes glowed bright blue and moved erratically.


    A looming sense of dread came over Janken City. A sense of terror. The guardians sensed it. The Night Demons felt it. And any remaining humans knew it. There was no need for powers to see that death was just above them. Without warning. Without reason. A force of nature that had the potential to consume universes appeared before them all.

 Chapter 127: The Monster that Eats Stars

    Each arm moved like serpents. How it came to be or why it was there was not a question anybody was thinking. Everybody who saw it began to think of their own survival.


    Jack, Yune, and Mary all knew they had to stop it. But each of them froze in fear. The moment one eye stared at something, a bolt of lightning shot out from it''s iris. The monster contained raw and untamed power. Buildings and skyscrapers began to float in mid-air. The wind and rain grew ever more violent. Janken City was no more a city, but ruins of man''s world utterly destroyed by something both natural and unnatural.


    The girls each snapped out of it. They jumped around the destroyed city and began to fight the creature. It moaned a loud, thundering wave like a whale''s call. It paid no real attention to them. To the creature, they were just ants.


    Mary and Tasha held onto Jack''s back to storm through the storm. Yune kept close chaining herself with Jack as a safety harness. Mary fired her claws, but each one would just get swept away by the wind. They dashed along the destroyed ruins of skyscrapers to reach the monster above.


    But the three weren''t alone in facing the monster.


    Nina and Anne joined into the frenzy. They felt an aggressive surge of anger knowing that the creature must have taken their parents. But they didn''t believe they were dead. They thought that it must have trapped them somehow, but defeating the monster would free them.


    Mirey, Venomion, and Cainus were also in the fight. The only thing Mirey feared was that she would lose her bakery, and she wouldn''t let that happen. She used up whatever energy she could muster from within herself and conjured millions of different guns and rocket launchers. She began to firing at it and any rubble that came near them. And as Mirey felt no fear, it rubbed off onto Venomion and Cainus. Venomion brought out her snakes and placed them along Mirey''s rockets, so they could fly up and begin biting at the arms. Cainus jumped around and with her threads threw a barrage of destroyed rubble towards it like a slingshot.


    Mosaic and Schatten also joined into the fight. As she saw others fighting the monster, she felt like she had to do something, too. Schatten was afraid, but when Mosaic charged forward, Schatten transformed into a large shadowy wolf and joined her without hesitation.


    The girls fought the tremendous monster in the sky, but it didn''t look like it was taking any damage. When the bullets and rockets hit it only barely scratching the arms, all of the hands looked straight at Mirey. Their eyes focused in a mere second. A bright light, and then - zap! Large bolts of blue lightning from each eye concentrated into one point and then straight at Mirey. She felt a sudden jolt of fear for not just her bakery, but her life as well.


    Fortunately, Cainus threw out her yo-yo and made it grow larger than three houses. It shielded Mirey from the powerful bolt, but the force blew away other surrounding buildings. However, Mirey and her bakery were safe.


    They continued to fight the creature. But each minor scratch immediately regenerated. No magical bullet or explosion could penetrate it.


    As Jack wasn''t able to reach the monster by foot, she jumped onto one of Mirey''s rockets and began to ride it like a skateboard. Mary, Tasha, and Yune were dragged along for the ride.


    Before the rocket reached the surface of the monster''s skin, she jumped off.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Jack concentrated her machete into a large seething hot blade and tried to cut one of the creature''s arms off, but before it could touch, a bolt of lightning struck at Jack from one of the other eyes. She would have been pushed away, but Yune threw in her hook to grab onto a piece of the creature. Mary dashed forward and began to claw at one, but they did nothing. Only small scratches that would immediately regenerate in a second.


    A few of the hands looked at the three girls and shot out bolts of lightning. They all got struck by it and flew away crashing to the ground with the scent of cooked flesh.


    Nina and Anne were also able to reach the creature''s height, but they were unable to do anything, as well. Another bolt of lightning and they were flung away like flies. But the two girls didn''t give up. They landed atop one of the floating structures and continued forward with the full intent of protecting their home.


    When one arm noticed Mosaic shooting beams of gray light at it, it shot out a bolt towards her. However, Schatten ran in between her and the bolt pushing both the shadowy wolf and Mosaic away.


    The creature emanated no hate or anger. At most, it was slightly annoyed like it was dealing with mosquitoes.


    It was chaos, and the monster was an unstoppable force.


    The monster continued to rampage around the city shooting more bolts of lightning at seemingly no direction. Sparks flew. Buildings shattered by just the monster''s very presence. Even space around it began to distort.


    Jack, Yune, and Mary stood up while Tasha was sticking to Jack''s back unsure of what any of them could do. They watched as Nina and Anne were on the front lines. They watched as a barrage of missiles and bullets did nothing but tickle the creature. Mirey even conjured a battalion of army jets to fight. They flew around, but they couldn''t do anything. If the monster just slithered in their direction, they would be pushed away. Venomion conjured her giant serpent to face the creature, but it was getting overwhelmed immediately.


    One of the girls, who they didn''t recognize was trying to comfort an injured shadowy dog. Then, the dog turned into black coin in her arms. With a cry of grief and anger, a horde of large tentacles came out of her and wrapped themselves around the creature. However, the monster just shot bolts of lightning at it and ripped them apart with their own hands like it was nothing.


    They watched as the city turned inside out. They all knew that even with all of them working together, they couldn''t stop it. It was something beyond their power. But then, Jack thought about it. She remembered a power coursing through them that could possibly turn the tide.


    She took a step forward and wondered to herself about it. She remembered the power, but it would turn them into a monster. But she realized that if they didn''t, then the whole city would be destroyed. The three weren''t aware of all of the people that already vanished. If they had, they might have thought about abandoning this place and running away. But they knew that even if they did, this Night Demon would still be alive. This storm would just go to another city and then another and then another.


    They had no choice, but to destroy this creature. And Jack knew the only way to do that was to turn themselves into that other form. Her mark of the snake glowed. And Mary''s and Yune''s mark glowed among a shadowy mist. They also began to understand what Jack was feeling, but they weren''t convinced that they should.


    Jack said as she felt their doubts, "The only way we can defeat this thing is if we turn into those things. We all felt that power. It was exhilarating until we found out what we turned ourselves into. But just because we look like monsters, doesn''t mean we have to act like it. We still had control of our bodies. And I have a feeling that we can only do this if we do it together. I know, Yune, that you don''t want to work with me, and I understand completely that I was a horrendous and uncontrollable freak. There is nothing I can do to make up for it. And Mary, I know I bossed you around a lot into finding Annie. It must have been terrible putting up with me. The three of us aren''t a family. We''re barely a team. But we''re the only things around that have a chance at beating this thing."


    Yune and Mary were both surprised by her words. They were thoughtful. Mary nodded her head in agreement, first. And Yune, who still didn''t forgive Jack, understood what needed to be done.


    As they stared at the monster destroying everything around it, their marks seethed into the dark mist. They vanished and each one''s marks appeared on their backs. Each one turned into a symmetrical cat with wings and a snake tail almost like a chimera.

 Chapter 128: Chimera

    The three girls'' bodies began to morph. Their masks transformed into hideous monsters, but they didn''t resist it. A crown of horns. From their point of views, they all looked the same, but they could feel it inside of them. The chimera mark on their backs continued to glow as a shroud of darkness covered their backs.


    When their transformation was complete, they all screeched in the air as ripples of energy shattered and popped the rain around them. The monster looked in their direction, but could only see three black singularities - black holes - that attracted him to the city in the first place. Not man or woman, but entirely different. But unlike other Night Demons, it didn''t fear or respect the authority of the Dark Star Emperors. It ignored them and continued to rampage without any thought or evil intentions to it. It was just an animal, and the three girls could see that now. But they still had to stop it.


    The other girls were too preoccupied with the fight to notice them. But the Night Demons heard it. They all heard the cry. It was like a mother''s soothing voice calling out to them.


    Nina and Anne were shot at by bolts of lightning pushing them away from each other. Nina landed atop of a rooftop, while Anne landed on the concrete street. Anne was temporarily knocked out. Nina looked up at it weakly with no idea how to stop it.


    When one of Mirey''s fight jets got close to the creature, it was flung away by the sheer force of it without even touching the arm. It flew towards the three Dark Stars. But before it crashed into them, Jack grabbed it and, as she began seeing Mary''s and Yune''s thoughts from their fight with the art piece Jack, she began to copy the other Jack''s technique. Her metal from her armor infused itself into the empty fighter jet. She jumped atop of it. Mary and Yune followed along and jumped on it as well.


    The fighter jet was no longer connected to Mirey. Instead, Jack was able to take it for herself. The jet grew red with streaks and roots of yellow.


    Tasha stayed atop of Jack even as a monster. Even as she looked at them, she only saw the Jack, Mary, and Yune that she knew.


    The three girls launched themselves off the ground with the fight jet in a blaze of fire coming out of the engines. There wasn''t any surprise for the three. They were able to feel each others'' thought flow through them. And they all focused on defeating this Night Demon.


    As they flew forward, the Night Demons - with the exception of the monster above them - and the Light Guardians took notice at the three flying above.


    The others looked at what happened. They saw the three girls - or monsters - with utter disbelief. They emanated a power that made the Light Guardians feel a chill stronger than anything they''ve ever felt. They had no idea what to think about it. But Venomion and Cainus recognized it. They recognized them. When Mirey was about to shoot at them, they stood in the way and said those were friends.


    Nina looked at them completely dumbstruck and frozen. They had no idea what those things were. They couldn''t even recognize them.


    One of the hands shot out a bolt of lightning out of it''s eye towards the three girls without any thought to it. Yune threw out her hook to collide with the bolt, and as electricity surged through it, the bolt became absorbed by the chains. Then, with a fling of her wrist, the mid-air hook shot out a burst of black lightning stronger than what the creature shot at. It''s power rippled through space and when it struck the creature''s eye, the whole arm exploded into a mess in an instant. The others began to move erratically from the sudden pain.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Jack maneuvered the jet with her mind and began firing a barrage of blazing bullets and missiles with powerful effect. They pierced through the writhing skin. Unlike the other jets being flung around, Jack was able to handle the rough winds with ease.


    And as the bullets fired, Mary began firing her own round of projectiles. She shot out her nails faster than any bullet and when they were fired, they moved themselves into wherever Mary wanted them to. They struck into the creatures'' eyes like sand and drilled themselves deeper.


    The creature gave out a bellowing moan of pain as black blood was falling out of every pore of it''s arms.


    Then, without any warning, more Night Demons appeared. They came crawling out of the shadows and towards the small rays of light. They looked up at the clouded sky.


    The other Light Guardians thought that they were going to add more trouble, but the other three girls felt something different. Their commanding presence was enough for them to know that those monsters were not there to fight them.


    The three Dark Stars cried out a bellowing cry that rippled through the air shattering whatever glass remained. The wind and rain weakened. The storm was calming down. And the creatures shouted in unison, "For the Dark Star Emperors!"


    Each one very different from the next began to fight against the creature. They ran and flew across the city towards the giant monster to fight it. As the Light Guardians watched the unexpected, they snapped out of it and joined the fight alongside the Night Demons. However, as they fought together, a surge of energy flowed through all of them.


    Venomion conjured two giant serpents from the ground and bit deep into the hordes of arms. Mosaic''s whole body unraveled as she brought out tentacles just as large as the arms above and began to drag down the creature. Cainus threw out her yo-yo and with a little effort, she began to wrap the arms together from where she stood. Mirey fired even more rounds, but this time, they seemed to be effective. Mirey even shot out rockets that some of the Night Demons jumped on for a ride closer towards the monster. The Night Demons also crawled along the tentacles and serpents to get to the creature in the sky.


    When Yune, Jack, and Mary were close enough they were able to strike it head on. They struck with their weapons with nothing held back. Their sharp weapons cut through the monster''s flesh like it was nothing. Jack''s flames continued to burn atop of it''s skin and melt it away. Yune''s hook conducted electricity stronger than anything the creature could shoot. Mary''s speed was unmatched and could jump from arm to arm in milliseconds. The three of them were able to cut through the arms like grass. As they did so, they could even see as they cut through the very fabric of reality itself.


    It was getting weaker and weaker as the fight continued. The monster bellowed out another cry.


    Nina were unsure of what they were seeing. Light Guardians and Night Demons working together. It was unthinkable, they thought.


    As Nina watched, a white dove flew towards her. She recognized it. It was the same being that gave her her Light Guardian powers.


    "Isn''t it beautiful? The Light and Dark working together," the dove said in a young boy''s voice, "Unfortunately, they won''t be able to win."


    And after he said that, the monster yelled a cry that pushed everything away from it. The clouds darkened. The winds picked up. One of the arms that was destroyed began to bubble up like cancer. The arm began to split and grow. In seconds, one arm turned to two. Every wound began to heal itself without consequence. It''s eyes moved even more erratically. But when it did focus, the bolt of lightning that came from it was even stronger than before melting away anything that was even near it.


    Black coins fell from the sky as Night Demons perished. There were few Light Guardians, but they were still powerful. But not as powerful as the creature above them. They each had to resort to defending themselves.


    Yune, Jack, and Mary even began to worry. With all of their power, the creature was still a force to be reckoned with.


    "What is happening?" Nina asked, "What is that thing?"


    The white dove replied, "Hydrapurge."

 Chapter 129: Hydrapurge

    As everybody struggled to fight this monster, the white dove explained to Nina what it was.


    Hydrapurge. One of the earliest Night Demons to exist. The popular myth was that Heracles killed it. It was a long time ago, and just regarded as myth. The fight between Light Guardians and Night Demons were a constant struggle, although the shopkeepers weren''t around to cover up everybody''s memories. They were eventually written off as myths and legends in time. Hydrapurge was just one of them counted off as just a simple legend. When it was born, it was very simple. It had no sophisticated desires or reasons. It was just an animal. But like all animals, it had the urge to eat. To consume. It absorbed the essence of those unfortunate enough to come across it. It eventually grew into what they referred to as a Hydra.


    However, some could theorize that Hydrapurge was made from the soul of Heracles after he perished taking on the form of what he fought.


    The creature itself was thought to have been destroyed. It was a threat to not only humans, but the entire universe itself. As it grew, it consumed more and more. However, it wasn''t strong enough to absorb other Night Demons or Light Guardians as they seemed to be shielded by a cosmic force. The Light Guardians of that archaic time figured that over time it eventually would. And if they weren''t able to stop it, it would begin to eat entire solar systems, galaxies, universes, and beyond.


    But it had grown so much, that even the Light Guardians were dying left and right facing it. Even an army of a thousand guardians couldn''t stop it at that point.


    It regenerated and continued to absorb all life around it.


    But one was able to stop it. It was either Heracles or some other Light Guardian. But whoever did was able to defeat it at the cost of one''s own soul.


    However, even the beings of light and dark were unaware that it was alive. They all believed it to be dead.


    Yet, in those times, they should have suspected something wrong. A black coin was never found after the battle. The white dove that stood next to Nina''s shoulder could only guess that a piece of Hydrapurge survived and lived on, where it hid and waited until now, where it rode the storms to this city.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Then, Nina asked him, "Why did Hydrapurge come here? Why was Hydrapurge here in Janken City?"


    The obvious answer would have been that the city was overpopulated and a perfect place to feed. But there was another answer. The dove began to tell Nina about the Dark Stars. The three girls she knew as Yune, Jack, and Mary. When Nina looked at them, they didn''t even look human anymore. She could only recognize them by their weapons and fighting style.


    The dove continued his tale.


    "Hydrapurge is only here because it was attracted by the Dark Stars," he said, "You must have noticed the surge of Night Demons that came here. It was because of them. Although, it wasn''t their intention, their presence brought them here - brought danger to this city. And the end result is ruins."


    Nina couldn''t believe it. She wasn''t on the greatest terms with those three girls, but didn''t feel like they could be responsible for what was happening.


    "How was Hydrapurge beaten before?" Nina asked.


    "To defeat this star-eating monster, I can give you the power to do it," he said, "But it will cost something of value greater than anything else."


    "A soul?"


    "You have already sold your body to fight for the Light. What you will need to give is your mind and soul. That is what it will take to destroy Hydrapurge. It is a necessary sacrifice at this point."


    Nina hesitated and replied, "My soul... my mind... Then, I will lose who I am. I''ll basically be sacrificing everything about me. Will my whole life will vanish before my eyes? Will I no longer be Nina?"


    "You will vanish. You will probably die. But there is no other way. As I see it, you are the most capable Light Guardian to do it."


    Nina couldn''t decide. She struggled with it.


    "If I defeat that thing, will my parents live? Will all the people absorbed by that monster come back?" she asked.


    The bird paused for a moment and lied, "Yes."


    And even with that, Nina still struggled on whether she should go through with it, so the white dove continued, "I know it''s hard. So, I will sweeten the deal. If you go through with it, I will show you who killed Kira."


    "What do you mean? Kira was killed by Night Demons. Are you saying there were others."


    But the dove didn''t speak. It gave no hints or indications.


    Nonetheless, Nina knew that she had to go through with it, anyways. As the dove told her, nobody else would be suitable for it. She believed that it was her duty. And with only the price of her mind and soul, she could save everybody.


    With one word, Nina''s mind began to fade away.


    "Yes."

 Chapter 130: Azresol

    A bright light enveloped Nina. As her mind drifted away, the intensity of a new star radiant and pulsating was born. The other girls and Night Demons watched, as well. And when Hydrapurge saw it with one eye, the others began to stare. It recognized what it was seeing.


    Anne awoke with a slight bump on her head. A familiar voice came to her.


    "Anne..." it said. It was Nina''s voice, but softer and calm.


    "Nina? Where are you?" Anne asked as she rubbed her head.


    "Anne, there isn''t much time," Nina said, "If whatever I become doesn''t beat them, then you must. Kira wasn''t killed by Night Demons. She died at the hands of Dark Stars. Jack, Yune, and Mary. The three of them are responsible."


    "What!?" Anne exclaimed. She would have believed it back then, but now after what happened with Annie, they didn''t seem like enemies. The voice faded away. Nina''s last words, and Anne could feel it. And she took those words with great care and respect. She wanted those three to tell her themselves.


    But Nina wasn''t completely gone, yet. She gave Anne the image. She showed her exactly what happened to Kira that night starting from her fight with Mary up until her end. And from that, Anne was convinced. Anger swelled up in her heart. It was like she was right there. And they slaughtered her without mercy. And it was real. Everything. Even how they covered it up.


    As the light began to settle down, a new being emerged. In Nina''s place stood a golden samurai with wings made of platinum and celestial feathers. She held a large katana made of gold and jewels. There was no sign of skin. Only decorative armor plating. The slit where her eyes would be were dark. No emotion could be read off of her. As rain fell above her, they curved around her without her touch.


    As Hydrapurge shot powerful bolts of lightning towards, he she just raised her hand up gently and all of the lightning was reflected up at the sky. With a simple flick of her wrist, a torrent of wind blew around her pushing everything around including the arms of Hydrapurge. The clouds above immediately dispersed into a bright sunny day. It revealed a moon-sized ball of slithering arms and eyes. Mouths opened wide as more of them came out. The clouds had covered Hydrapurge What they fought was merely a small fraction of the creature. Now, that the monster was revealed for all to see, the samurai lifted her blade and swung it with one hand. A blaze of a sun shot out burning away the creatures of the Night. Hydrapurge shot out a barrage of lightning towards her, but all of the lightning was just reflected back at it. The flames burned brighter and hotter. It was the power of a quasar. It burned away Hydrapurge.


    Nobody knew what to make of this power. But they had no time to think.


    And not just that monster was gone. The others that helped the three girls all instantly burned away. Black coins fell from the sky like rain. The shopkeeper was even there singing "Dancing in the Rain" as the coin clinked to the ground.


    Jack, Mary, and Yune hid behind their jet, but the flames were too great.


    The other Light Guardians tried to defend themselves, but it didn''t affect them at all. Mosaic was partially Light Guardian, so she was even protected.


    Unfortunately, Jack, Mary, and Yune were not Light Guardians. Their skin began to boil. They screamed and cried, but the samurai didn''t want those three to die just yet. There was still a sense of Nina still inside of it. A piece of her soul not yet lost. The flames of a sun dispersed, and with a gentle flick of the wrist, she controlled the wind to blow the three towards her. They were dragged along as their monstrous forms began to disappear. The marks on their backs vanished as their individual marks returned on their left arms. The samurai tossed away the fighter jet and dropped the other three on the rooftop. They stood up and looked straight at the shining, angelic samurai. The being wanted to finish them off personally, as Nina didn''t fully lose control of herself. She looked at those three girls and saw exactly what they were. They were no longer in their monster form, but to Nina they looked like monsters.


    "I see you now for what you are, murderers. Dark Star Emperors. Black holes sucking up and crushing everything good in this world. Your existence is a threat to us all," she stated.


    Then, as the samurai held her katana, the three girls recognized her for a moment. They saw Nina staring straight back at them angry.


    "Nina?" Yune asked.


    "Nina... Right... That was my name. That name is no longer my own. I am Azresol."


    The three were unsure what it was, but barely felt anything that resembled Nina again. It felt more like a soulless drone.


    Azresol didn''t even raise her blade, but Jack, Mary, and Yune felt a tremendous pressure coming off of her. It felt like they were looking straight at the sun. Without warning, she raised her hand towards them palm out. A wave of irradiated beams of energy came out of it towards the three girls. Jack covered them from behind. But the beam was still hot. However, Jack didn''t feel any of it.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    "Right," Azresol said as she stopped her beam, "Guardians have their pain receptors lessened. The human body is so fragile. Light Guardians would be down in one hit without it. And I can see that yours, Jack, has been completely turned off even when you''re not in guardian form. Let me fix that for you."


    With the small flick of her wrist, Jack began to sense pain around her body. Her whole felt like it was on fire. She fell to the ground instantly writhing in pain and gritting her teeth tightly. Her eyes bulged out as tears and sweat poured out of her body. The beam of energy weren''t even being fired to cause it. Yune and Mary looked at Jack with worry for a second, but they both knew that they couldn''t keep their eyes off of Azresol.


    She taunted, "I''m not even doing anything to you. The pain you feel is what you feel every time you put on that suit of armor. Your body has to experience being on fire 24/7. It only seemed fair that you understand your own body."


    Mary charged in with haste and claws out. She moved erratically to try and catch Azresol off, but there was no way of telling where she looked. She just stared straight into the distance. She didn''t even look at the three girls, anymore.


    When Mary went in for the kill, Azresol grabbed onto Mary''s throat and elbowed her with only enough force to bruise a football player. But when Mary felt it, she almost threw up. Azresol threw her back at Yune, and when Yune tried to grab her with her chains, Azresol kicked a rock at Yune''s shin.


    Mary fell to the ground as Yune knelt down in pain holding her shin tightly. They all writhed in pain, but their injuries were nothing serious.


    "I barely hit you, and you two are already down proving my point. The human body is weak and should be considered grateful to becoming Light Guardians," Azresol said as she raised her arm up to fire another beam, "Time to put an end to the cold darkness. And an era of burning light shall begin."


    But before she fired, a Night Demon leapt up at her from behind. It was Tasha. While the three were facing Azresol, Tasha crawled off of Jack''s back and onto a rat. She crawled around while connected to the living creature to mask herself and make sure that Azresol didn''t sense her.


    As Tasha connected with the back of Azresol''s head, the three girls no longer felt their pain. It had gone back to the way it was meant to be for guardians.


    But Tasha couldn''t stay connected for long, but while inside of her mind, she could sense a little bit of Nina inside. She was asleep. But the longer that Azresol fought, the more that Nina''s soul was being slowly torn apart.


    Jack, Yune, and Mary rushed forward to quickly defeat Azresol, but Tasha wasn''t able to stay connected for long. He was quickly pushed out by a bright cosmic light. Before he did though, he left behind a small piece of him hidden inside.


    Jack conjured her flaming machete and immediately threw it at Azresol, but instead of hitting her, Azresol yanked Tasha from behind her head and put it between Jack''s machete. Jack tried to make her machete vanish, but it was so close.


    However, Yune threw in her hook from the side and wrapped it around Azresol''s arm holding Tasha. She yanked Tasha away from the machete, but Azresol still held on to her tightly. Her feet was planted firmly. Her grip was firm. Neither were going anywhere. Before the machete hit Azresol, she deflected the machete away using her katana. Then, without even turning her head, she stabbed Tasha. The only thing the three girls could do was freeze in shock.


    Azresol, then cleanly yanked out her blade and let go of Tasha. And before Tasha hit the floor, Azresol kicked her away like a soccer ball without any regard to her. Azresol didn''t see Night Demons as creatures. They were all just trash, she thought.


    "Tasha!!" Jack yelled. Yune''s hook let go of Azresol and went for Tasha. Mary dashed over to catch her from falling off the rooftop. However, it wouldn''t matter. Before either of them were even close to her, Tasha muttered, "Good-bye."


    And with that, she vanished and turned into a black coin falling straight down. Rest in piece, Tasha.


    Then, Azresol began firing her a wave of irradiated heat from her wings. And with the flick of her wrist, they all began to feel pain as if they were human. They all writhed in pain. But as their anger and hate swelled up, their marks began to come out from a shadowy mist. Jack stood up gritting her teeth angrily. She felt her body on fire from her own armor and the heat wave. But she didn''t care. Their eyes darkened into just a pitch black void. Each one of them began to transform angrily with saliva coming out of their mouths. They all slowly stood up to even Azresol''s surprise. She tried to increase her power, but it wasn''t working. Inside of her mind, the soul of Nina was being shrouded in a veil of shadowy roots - the piece of Tasha left over prevented Azresol from taking more energy from Nina''s soul.


    Her power began to fade instead of the soul she drained.


    The three girls turned themselves into monstrous creatures. Each one with a thirst for vengeance after what Azresol did to Tasha. They ignored the pain and kept moving forward through the waves. Their skin was being burnt off the closer they got, but they didn''t care.


    Azresol began to take steps back in fear, but Mary shot out her claws at Azresol''s feet pinning them where she stood. Azresol was about to lift her blade up, but Yune threw in her hook and chains. The chains held Azresol''s arms down. Her power weakened even further. She wasn''t able to break free. And when Jack towered over her, Jack grabbed onto Azresol''s two wing and tore them off. The wave of irradiated heat dispersed as soon they were off. The wings slowly turned grey and then into dust. And then, Azresol was being dragged down to her knees by Yune''s web of chains. The being of light faced the three Dark Star Emperors. Not a bunch of girls. They were cosmic horrors in Azresol''s unseen eyes. The world twisted around them. Stars began to drown out. By just simply walking, galaxies would be devoured in their presence. The color in Azresol''s armor faded away into just gray. Yune''s chains grabbed onto her grayed-out katana and easily shattered it without applying any force.


    Their marks began to glow on each of their foreheads. Yune''s mark of cat. Mary''s mark of the crow. Jack''s mark of the snake. And in the space around them, the mark of a chimera - a combination of all three.


    Azresol said with a slighly shaken voice, "If you think this is over, it won''t. Everybody is aware of your existence, now. Even if I die, it won''t end with me. I made sure all Light Guardians around the universe have seen you. They will hunt you down like the evil monsters you are."


    But Jack, Mary, and Yune didn''t care. They just stared at the small creature. The looked at it like it was nothing but a single ant. And just by looking at her, she eventually stopped thinking. As she was unable to get any more energy from Nina''s soul, her body began to fail like a machine out of gas. She limped over and fell apart into just pieces of armor. And it was over.

 Chapter 131: The Universes Lying Secret

    Azresol has fallen. The three Dark Star Emperors now fully embraced what they were. It was what they were all along, and it was fear of themselves that held them back. But now, their chains were broken.


    Anne dashed towards where the fight was occurring.


    To the outside, it looked like a black hole was forming. When she finally arrived, she saw the three letting go of the pieces of armor. Their shadowy and monstrous forms bare for her to see. Her heartbeat froze. The three monsters looked back and their eyes stared directly at Anne. Their mouths salivated for more.


    Although Anne was brave and fought many Night Demons for vengeance, when she faced the three Dark Stars, her body quaked. Space and reality twisted to meet them.


    Jack, Mary, and Yune took a step forward expecting Anne to fight. And with that one step, Anne screamed and ran away. She knew that she couldn''t fight them. Their mere presence was enough to instill a sense of defeat.


    "I''m sorry, Kira. I''m sorry, Nina. I can''t," Anne muttered as she ran.


    Then, as the fight ended and Anne was no where to be seen, Jack, Mary, and Yune reverted back into their guardian forms. Their marks faded away only leaving behind a silhouette of it on their left arms.


    They sighed a breath of relief. Reality began to come back to them. The world continued to spin. Hydrapurge was defeated. Azresol was defeated. But the Dark Star Emperors lived.


    But before they could celebrate their victory, a white dove flew over to them.


    "What a spectacular show that Azresol put up. And I must congratulate the three of you for defusing that soul bomb. Good job. Good job," he said.


    "Wha-!? A being of light!?" Mary exclaimed.


    Jack, Mary, and Yune expected another fight. They were sure that the light was their enemy, and so would the thing creating Light Guardians.


    "Oh, right. I should turn into something that you''re more familiar with," he said as his form morphed.


    His feathers turned black. The dove started to transform into an owl. It was Hades to the three''s surprise.


    "Hello," Hades said.


    "What-?" Jack was about to ask, but Hades interrupted her.


    "I''d like to congratulate you for finally turning into the Dark Stars I knew you would."


    "What are you? I thought you were a being of darkness. Not light," Yune said confused.


    Hades replied nonchalantly, "Right... What was the story I told you about, again? A war between the light and dark or something. It''s been a while."


    "Story? Wait. Were you lying about that when you revived us?" Jack asked.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Does it really matter?"


    "Yes," Yune said as she tried to hook Hades, but the owl just flew away and knocked it back with no effort, "You lied to us. You''re a being of light and dark."


    "Disgusting," Mary said to Hades, "It''s like you just don''t care about anything. You must have created both the Light Guardians and Night Demons to fight each other. So much unnecessary violence."


    Jack, Mary, and Yune tried to kill the creature, but it kept dodging. Meanwhile, Hades continued to talk without any sense of trouble.


    "Maybe. Light. Dark. It doesn''t matter. I could say that the entities of light and dark are sentient and are fighting to this very moment. I could also say that they''re just a bunch of space gas colliding with each other on accident with no purpose at all. Maybe, there is no such thing as them at all. All I did was tell you a tale. If you want to consider it a lie, you can, but you''ll never really know. And every good lie has some truth sprinkled in every now and then. And as for my own origins. Am I on one side or another? If there is a war, maybe I''m manipulating both sides if there are sides. I could have been born the moment the light and dark began their ''war'', or maybe I''m an alien creating Light Guardians and Night Demons to constantly fight each other for fun or some other convoluted reason. You can believe whichever one you want to believe. But would it really matter? At the end of the day, you''ll look up at the same blue sky not having to worry about anything until it comes crashing into your little bubble-."


    And then, as Hades spoke, Mary shot out one good shot of her claw and it pierced straight through. Blood came out and the creature popped like a balloon.


    The three sighed for a brief moment.


    "That''s enough talking from you," Mary said.


    "Is it?" Hades''s voice echoed around them. Without them noticing, hordes of white and black mice surrounded them. They all stood in straight lines and spoke in unison, "You can trillions of us every seconds, and I''d still be here. Your efforts would be futile."


    Even so, the three of them began to attack at them, but their numbers just kept increasing. They attacked until they ran out of breath, but Hades didn''t retaliate. Eventually, they did tire and stop when they saw their numbers just remain the same even after killing hundreds of them. There weren''t even any bodies left as proof of their existence.


    Hades said, "You should know that Azresol wasn''t exaggerating when she said that ''all'' of the Light Guardians know what you are. Every one of them know about your existence, now."


    After hearing that, Yune, Jack, and Mary began to listen.


    Hades continued, "You may think of me as a liar, but this is the truth. Azresol was connected to all other Light Guardians. She showed them all what you were. Every single Light Guardian is aware of the three of you, now. She even mentioned how you three were responsible for destroying Janken City."


    The three would have no reason to believe this coming from Hades''s mouth, but after hearing Azresol say something similar to that before she perished, they were inclined to.


    "We didn''t destroy this city," Jack said, "That was that giant monster."


    "Well, you certainly did attract it. Every where you go, Night Demons will follow like following the scent of their own mothers. Hydrapurge was just one of the many. But we''re getting off topic. She even included that killing the three of you would grant two-thousand black coins to whoever manages to. That part may or may not be true, but it did get the more not-so moral types to join."


    "Damn it," Jack said.


    All of the animals began to scurry away until there was only two mice left. One black. One white. But with the same voice.


    Hades continued, "Good-bye. I doubt we''ll be seeing each other, again."


    And then, the three Dark Stars were left alone with their thoughts. They overlooked the ruins of Janken City. Nobody was coming back. The only sound was the chirps of small birds. Clothes rustled in the wind. The once loud and obnoxious setting of a bustling city was reduced to nothing. The clear blue sky above them was calm and unnerved. The sun shined like it was a bright new day. Yet, the three Dark Stars knew that they could no longer stay. Everybody knew who they were. And they wouldn''t stop hunting them. They accepted themselves for what they were, but they had no choice but to run.

 Chapter 132: Goodbye

    Hades didn''t lie. Every Light Guardian was able to see the three through Azresol''s eyes. They all saw the monsters. She showed them their guardian and human forms. They all heard her message - her warning - her call to action. The hunt for the Dark Star Emperors began the moment Azresol perished.


    While Anne ran, she continued to apologize under her breath to Nina and Kira. Out of everything she was, she never believed herself to be a coward, but after seeing their power in person, they weren''t something that can be beaten by any Light Guardian. She threw up by the mere thought of those monsters. They felt more powerful than anything. Even more powerful than the behemoth that brought destruction to this city.


    As she ran, she eventually tripped. She laid their on the ground for a few moments crying.


    "I''m sorry. I''m sorry. I can''t beat them. They''re too strong," Anne said.


    "Would that stop you?" a dark voice came to Anne. She looked up and saw a black, still-beating heart. She could feel the same presence of the Night Demon that destroyed the city. Anne grabbed the heart and was about to finish it off, but the heart spoke to her in her mind.


    "Kill me and the Dark Stars will win. I can give you the means to defeating them."


    "What could you possibly give, Night Demon?" Anne asked as she began to crush the heart in one palm.


    "Power. Power to avenge your friends. That''s what you want, isn''t it?" the heart said. And suddenly Anne was given a surge of energy flowing through her. Her body felt stronger. It felt good and it was just a taste of it.


    Anne began to snicker and laugh. She held in her hands a weapon - the heart of Hydrapurge - that she believed to be the answer to her problems.


    Meanwhile, Venomion and Cainus knew who those three girls were. Those two knew that they weren''t monsters. That one party was enough to show those two that they were just a regular family - albeit slightly dysfunctional, they thought.


    Mirey was planning on fighting the three of them just for the black coins, but Venomion and Cainus convinced her about staying at the bakery. Mirey did put in a lot of work towards the bakery, and didn''t want to abandon it.


    However, what did convince her to stay was seeing Joe''s Bakery still open, too. He and his family were out of town when the storm hit, and he just came back as soon as the clouds cleared. And to Mirey''s displeasure, everything but Joe''s bakery was untouched by the storm. Mirey knew that if she left the bakery, then that would mean admitting defeat to Joe. And she wouldn''t have that. So, Mirey''s Bakery stayed open with Joe''s Bakery across the street.


    As Mirey was starting a new work-day scheming up ways to defeat her competition, Mosaic came through the door. She was aware of the three Dark Stars, but didn''t feel any kind of hatred or fear towards them. They actually reminded her of herself, so she decided not to bother them.


    She asked Mirey, Venomion, and Cainus if they were hiring.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Mirey was skeptical at first and asked, "What are your qualifications?"


    Mosaic replied, "I have tentacles in my arm."


    "You''re in," Venomion said. And she was hired just like that.


    Although, her appearance freaked them out at first, they were quick to accept her for who she was. However, Mirey did make sure she was kept in the back of the bakery assisting Cainus, but Mosaic didn''t mind. It was fun for her to work in a little bakery.


    The only two functioning businesses were still open in the ruins of the city. However, those two shops became symbols for rebuilding the city. When the city was built up once more, those two bakeries were considered legends for surviving the terrible storm. And New Janken City was born after a few years of work.


    Meanwhile, during the aftermath of the storm, armies of shopkeepers could be found outside picking up fallen black coins with a trash picker upper. While one of the shopkeepers was collecting black coins, he came across Azresol''s body - or her pieces of armor laying around. He didn''t pay any attention to it, but the pieces began to shudder. They came slowly back together and formed back into Azresol. However, she was entirely gray. Her wings were gone. Her radiance was reduced to nothing. She looked at her hands and walked away not remembering anything.


    And in the hospital, Yune was found looking around. She went up to Eli''s room to find that nobody was there. She immediately became worried for Eli''s safety after seeing her bed empty. But when she noticed that when people vanished, their clothes remained. There weren''t any clothes on Eli''s bed, so she thought that either Eli was naked or that she wasn''t absorbed by that creature. She chose to believe in the latter. Her equipment had also moved as if they were pushed away. Also, the framed picture of Eli, Yune, and Mizu wasn''t there.


    She shouted her name, but there was no response throughout the whole hospital. She worried for her, but since she didn''t see any body or pile of clothes that belonged to her, she believed that she was safe.


    Yune left and saw that Jack and Mary were in a slightly damaged car with the keys in. They were in their human forms ready to leave. And so, the three of them hopped inside. Jack was in the driver''s seat. Yune sat in the passenger seat and was the only one with her seat belt on. Mary lied on the back seat eating boxes of chocolate chip cookies.


    "Where to?" Jack asked.


    "What about Rickeyland?" Mary asked, "I''ve never been there."


    Mary chowed down on cookies, while Yune began thinking of possibilities. She could suggest places to hide out or run away, but after today, she just felt like going with the flow.


    Yune took out her phone. She looked at the picture of the three of them smiling and laughing happily outside of the school''s nurse room. Jack was covered in band-aids. Mary laughed alongside Jack. And Yune took the picture like a selfie. She smiled knowing that the three of them were once that, and could still be like that. They weren''t her original family, but after everything that''s happened, this felt like one. Yune didn''t forgive Jack, but after experiencing their minds together, she felt like Jack was a different person than the one who tried to kill Mizu.


    Jack and Mary looked at Yune''s phone to see that picture. Each one of them felt the same thoughts as Yune. Their marks glowed for a brief second. Jack, Mary, and Yune all smiled at the thought of being a family.


    And then, Yune put away her phone.


    Yune conjured her chains and spun a pointed rock on the ground. When it was done spinning, it pointed straight.


    "Let''s go that way," Yune said as she pointed straight without having any worry. As long as they were together, they would be happy and safe.


    "Alright," Jack said with a smile. She pressed down on the pedal and surprised the other two. Then, Jack drove normally and went on their way.


    "If we see Rickeyland, then we''ll stop by," Yune said to Mary.


    "Yay!" Mary shouted as she ate more cookies while watching cartoons on her phone.


    Yune, Jack, and Mary went forward on clean, empty road surrounded by ruins. Even knowing that they were being hunted, they each looked up at the clear, bright, blue sky reminding them that whether they lost today, there was still tomorrow.

 Chapter 133: Afterstory Prelude

    As Hydrapurge destroyed Janken City, Eli tried to get herself up. Everybody began disappearing one at a time. But her body was weak. She transformed into her Light Guardian form. A bright light enveloped her and she felt a surge of strength. She took off the tubes and equipment. Everybody had already disappeared leaving behind their clothes.


    But even in her guardian form, she struggled to stand. She leaned against her yellow katana, and tried to get herself up.


    Suddenly, as Hydrapurge shot out a bolt of lightning towards the hospital, a shadow came out from the darkness. A teenager or young woman hidden in a cloak and mask. She passed by Eli and went over to the window. The bolt of lightning came right at them, but the cloaked girl was quick. She raised her hand up and an orange portal came outside to meet the lightning before it touched the hospital. The bolt of lightning went straight through the portal, and the girl created another portal aimed upwards at the sky. The bolt of lightning came right out through the other. She could have redirected the lightning back at Hydrapurge, but didn''t want to grab it''s attention.


    And as Eli watched, she realized who it was the moment she saw those portals. They were used differently, but they were the same kind of power.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    But before Eli could say anything, she began to cough out blood.


    The girl rushed over to her side and called out the shopkeeper. He appeared, and she gave him a black coin to heal Eli. And Eli''s cough was gone, and she was able to stand.


    "Relax. You''ll be safe. We have to leave," the cloaked girl said in a dark voice. But covering up her voice did nothing.


    "Mizu..." Eli said in surprise as she looked at the girl''s black mask. She had orange irises and black scleras. There was also a symbol of a third eye on her forehead. She was different, but Eli knew who it was. She began to think it was a dream.


    The cloaked girl said nothing. Eli then began to cough, again. Her legs gotten weaker.


    "I''ll carry you," the girl said normally as she held Eli in her arms. A portal appeared beneath the picture of the three of them and fell in. Then, the portal vanished.


    The girl jumped out of the hospital and landed right on her legs. There was a motorcycle parked outside. The girl handed Eli a helmet and started the motorcycle. Eli got on the back of the cycle and held onto the masked girl.


    "Hang on," the girl said as she drove away. She drove fast and made sure that Eli was safe. And when she left Janken City, she kept driving without looking back. Eli had many questions, but she began to drift away. She was tired and just slept on Mizu''s back. And as she slept, Eli still thought it was a dream - a pleasant dream.


    The girl made sure that Eli didn''t fall off by creating a portal with a golem''s hand coming out of it and gently holding onto Eli. As she moved, so did the obsidian golem hand holding Eli in place.

 Chapter 134: Afterstory Massacre

    Mary, Jack, and Yune walked around casually amidst the night. They sensed no Night Demons nearby, but they walked with a purpose. They entered into a large enough warehouse. The place was quiet and still.


    Mary sighed.


    "Who wants to shout? Yune? Jack?" Mary asked.


    "Oh, go right ahead, Mary. You can call them out," Yune said.


    "I don''t want to do that. I might mess up. And it''ll look so uncool."


    "Well, I don''t want to do it."


    While the two argued about it, Jack just went ahead.


    "Hey! We know you''re there, Light Guardians! Nobody else is around! If you want to fight, then come at us!," Jack shouted into the sky.


    Nobody came out at first. Just the sound of crickets. And then, one Light Guardian came out. And another. And another. Eventually, the whole warehouse was filled with guardians coming from all sorts of places. They wore vastly different outfits and held very different weapons. The three could only guess their numbers, but it felt like thousands.


    "If anybody wants to leave, we won''t chase. But if you decide to attack us, we''ll kill you," Jack said.


    A bullet was fired from somewhere towards the three, but as the three of them transformed the bullet flew away by the sheer force.


    A blazing torrent of fire cast around Jack as red armor molded around her.


    Chains held Yune''s body together and then wrapped around her like a cocoon. And then the chains broke, as she emerged.


    A red crystal covered Mary. She clawed her way out with intense speed and the crystal shattered into small shards.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "I don''t think they''re listening," Mary said, "I guess we got to get our hands bloody."


    "I guess so," Yune replied, "They won''t stand a chance."


    "That''s too bad. I''ve killed Light Guardians, and I regret it. But I can live with some more," Jack said.


    And the Light Guardians, already transformed, went forward to fight. The sheer number of them would have guaranteed their victory if it hadn''t been for one thing. Their teamwork. The three girls stuck by each other as the warehouse limited the space for the enormous amount of Light Guardians to work with.


    Jack was in the forefront roaring with rage allowing her inner monster to briefly come out, but kept it on a tight leash to not hurt Yune or Mary.


    Mary held onto Jack''s back and fired her claws around like a machine gun. Yune also held onto her back as she created a sphere of chains around them. Whenever any projectile would come at them, the chains would most likely deflect it. The three girls worked in a team and took advantage of the tight spaces. And it was working.


    Light Guardians were getting slaughtered left and right. They were all just kids, but the three girls knew that they couldn''t let their guard down or feel remorse while they fought to survive.


    When it was all over, the whole warehouse was covered in the corpses of young girls. Blood covered the three Dark Stars. They didn''t even need to turn themselves into their monster forms. Their guardian forms were enough. They had noticed that some ran away in fear, but they let them go. However, there was one that was stuck in the corner cowering as the three girls approached. She was surrounded by her dead friends. Her hands shook. She held a pistol as a weapon. When she held it up, Mary shot her claw at the barrel shattering the whole gun until it vanished in a blinding light.


    She shook as she took steps back and as she was about to conjure another pistol, Yune chained her up with her web of chains.


    As Jack was about to finish the girl off, Yune stopped her. She stared into the girl''s eyes and saw the glimmer of a girl utterly defeated. But she also knew they would keep coming.


    "Tell others what you saw here today," Yune said, "Tell them how we massacred you guardians. Tell them how we don''t want to fight any more than they do. Tell them how merciful we are."


    And then with that Yune let go of her chains, and the three girls dashed away into the darkness.


    When they left the girl there, she crawled by friends'' sides and tried to shake them awake. She even pinched herself to see if it was a terrible nightmare. She conjured her pistol and began firing at all of the shadows hoping that it would hit the three, but they were long gone. Left alone with the bodies of thousands, but only concerned about the friends she cared for.

 Chapter 135: Afterstory Break

    Jack, Mary, and Yune sat around a round table eating a box of large pizza outside the local deli. The city was simple and clean. Less crowded than usual.


    However, Mary was getting antsy looking around the corners to see if there were any Light Guardians watching. The sound of a spoon dropping would make Mary quickly turn around and see what happened. Mary was even having trouble eating her slice of pizza. Something that never happens.


    Jack, however, wasn''t worried. She did think that there were Light Guardians watching, but didn''t think that any of them would attack in the open.


    Yune was relaxed having the same reason as Jack. And even if they were attacked here, she was confident that the three of them could handle it.


    "Stop acting so nervous, Mary," Yune said.


    "I can''t help it. I thought that pizza would calm me down, but it''s not," Mary said, "Everywhere I look, there could be a Light Guardian just around the corner."


    Jack replied, "It''s been almost a year since we had that big fight with those guardians. We haven''t had a fight like that since then. Besides, even if they did come, we could handle it."


    "Jack''s right," Yune said, "They haven''t come after us since then. And now that you mention it, I haven''t been sensing many Night Demons around, either. It''s like both of them are beginning to just disappear. Anyways, the three of us would be able to handle anything together. You know that, Mary."


    "Yeah, but still," Mary replied, "any one of these people walking around us could be Light Guardians. One of them could easily just walk right behind us and we wouldn''t know if they were just regular people or-"Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Hello. Would you like to buy a flower to support the Eyes of Heaven Organization to bring peace and - ?" a kind woman in modest white robes asked as Mary was speaking.


    "GUARDIAN!!!" Mary suddenly yelled as she pushed the woman down to the floor.


    "What? Light Guardian?" Jack exclaimed.


    And the two of them began to kick down the woman as the bystanders watched in confusion and terror. One of them yelled, "Call the cops!"


    And Yune was there hiding her face in embarrassment while sipping some water out of a straw to act like she wasn''t associated with them.


    Then, when the two realized that she was just some regular person, the two of them went back to their seats mildly apologizing to the knocked out woman.


    "Man, now I know how Night Demons feel having to hide from guardians every day," Mary said.


    "Yeah. Except Night Demons also attack people. Although, that is what you did," Yune replied.


    "Sorry. Sorry. I just feel like I need a break from running around," Mary said, "It''s such a nice day. I wish we could go to that Jargo Beach. It''s too bad we can''t."


    "A break? Maybe, that is exactly what we need. It sounds fun, and I don''t mind visiting a beach. I haven''t been properly exercising anyways. And all we''ve been having is pizza. It''d be good to run in the sand for a while," Jack said.


    "What? No. We can''t actually do that," Mary replied.


    Yune thought about it for a little and replied, "Actually, I think we should."


    "You can''t be serious. Even you, Yune?"


    "We haven''t seen a Light Guardian in the past year. And I think it''d be good to have our minds shut off for a little bit. Especially you, Mary. You being nervous is making me nervous. And I can''t stand that."


    Mary was still worried. She was still very sensitive to her surroundings as she - as well as the other two - knew that the Light Guardians would continue to hunt them for existing as Dark Stars.


    "Don''t worry," Jack said, "As long as the three of us are together, I doubt anybody would try anything. I''m sure you''ll have fun, too, Mary."


    "Oh, no...," Mary said still worrying.

 Chapter 136: Afterstory Beach Day

    The moment the three girls arrived on Jargo Beach, they were greeted with a pleasant breeze. The sun shined above them without a cloud in sight. The temperature wasn''t very cold nor too hot. Their eyes were met with a clean beach. The waters were bright blue. People played volleyball in one corner near a medium-sized tree. Children ran around having fun. It was known as one of the best beaches in the country.


    And the three girls were ready to relax. Or at the very least, Yune and Jack were. They had to drag Mary out of the car and hold her down to put sunscreen on her. They all had their swimsuits. Jack began warming up and stretching on the sand.


    Yune just planned to put her feet in the water and relax that way. Mary didn''t know what to do. She was still fidgeting looking around for enemies.


    As Jack was going out to run, Yune said, "Just stay close. Mary might be nervous, but we shouldn''t wander too far off."


    "Oh, don''t worry about me. Just have fun," Jack replied.


    And so their relaxing day on the beach began. Yune stuck her feet into the water and looked down at her legs.


    Mary didn''t understand how that helped relax Yune, but she did want to relax herself as well. She tried building a sandcastle. She began sculpting details using one claw by transforming just her index finger. But when somebody would pass by, she would instinctively jolt up.


    She stuck close to Yune as Jack ran around the beach working up a sweat.


    As the three girls relaxed themselves on the beach, there was an onlooker from a nearby hill overlooking the beach. She parked her motorcycle near the ridge and took off her helmet. A young woman cloaked with a black mask with a third eye drawn on her forehead. The eye holes in her mask were pitch-black. She was cloaked in darkness and held binoculars to watch the three Dark Star Emperors.


    And then a bullet ricocheted off the ground next to the onlooker''s foot.


    "Who are you?" a voice said from behind the onlooker. The girl put away her binoculars feeling a bit surprised.


    Now, there were two girls on that overlook. And both of them watched the same thing. However, the cloaked woman doubted that their goals were the same.


    The girl who spoke was in a blue dress holding a magical pistol attached with a silencer. She kept her distance from the cloaked woman.


    "Well, I know you''re not a Dark Star considering it should only be the three of them, but you sure do look scary," the girl holding the gun said, "You must be another Light Guardian, then. And I''m assuming you''re also after those three."


    The cloaked woman said nothing and the girl continued, "I''m Poppy, by the way. I assume I won''t be getting your name. I guess you must be going for the edgy, silent type."


    "And I assume you''re going to try and kill those three, am I correct?" the cloaked woman replied.


    "Yep. They took away my friends and I''ve been waiting for an opportunity to let their guard down. You looking to team-up?"


    "Not interested."


    "Neither am I. Last time, we decided to join a coalition against those three, it went bad real fast. I could barely do anything without hitting one of our own. Too many variables. So, I''d suggest you sit back and let me finish them myself."


    "I can''t let you do that."


    "Oh, right. The two thousand black coins dropping from their bodies. I suppose you must be interested in the black coins, then? Well, I could give you a share when I kill them, if you just let me handle them."


    But the cloaked woman wouldn''t back down. And they both knew that they were going to have to fight. And without warning, a bullet pierced right through the cloaked woman''s right calf. She knelt down shocked and in moderate pain. Her guardian form did reduce the pain substantially, but it still stung as blood dripped out of the wound.


    Poppy smiled and was about to leave the wounded woman there. She could have killed her, but she still had her set of morals. The cloaked woman got herself up and readied herself to fight. She didn''t know how that bullet came from behind her, but she knew it had to be related to Poppy''s Light Guardian powers. She covered her mask and black eyes with her hood. Her cloak was pushed behind her revealing her black armor with a red streak on her right clavicle.


    Seeing that the cloaked woman wouldn''t stand down, Poppy readied her gun. Her shots were silent, but she had to be careful not to tip off the other three below. She didn''t know why, but she felt a similar aura coming off of this woman. She had to have been a teenager or a young adult, Poppy thought, but it was hard to tell. Nonetheless, she wasn''t afraid. She wouldn''t let herself be afraid of anything after seeing those three monsters.


    And so their battle began.


    The cloaked woman ran towards her enemy. And as soon as she did, Poppy realized that the girl must be some kind of close-range fighter. She didn''t see her holding any weapons, so she assumed it could be her fists. So, in response, Poppy fired her silent gun aimed at the woman while also jumping away. But the shot weren''t for the purpose to kill. She aimed towards non-vital areas of her body. But there was also another reason for firing. She wanted to see the woman''s weapon, as well.


    As soon, as the bullets came into her view, she dodged them with precise speed. And she continued to close it. However, the bullets were intentionally slowed down. And then the cloaked woman remembered how her leg was shot - from behind.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    She turned around and saw the bullets being deflected off of the ground, rocks, and handrails. And they came right back at her. This time there was no time to react as their speeds increased. They jumped around as Poppy was able to see their trajectory. And with one more shot, her bullet grazed onto one of the other bullets pushing it straight towards the woman''s arm without her being able to react. It pierced straight through her arm. Her armor wasn''t able to protect her.


    She then figured that the bullet that shot at her leg must have been from her first shot that went by her foot before she spoke. Poppy didn''t think there was anything inherently evil about the woman, but she didn''t want anybody to get in the way of her kill, so she already set up a shot in the very beginning.


    However, the cloaked woman noticed that Poppy was only aiming towards places that would slow her down, but not kill her. And she knew that she could take advantage of that.


    Poppy fired another round of bullets aimed towards the ground. They began to bounce around like a pinball. They collided with each other and complemented each other. Their speeds increased the longer they bounced around. And they began to close in around the cloaked woman at the same time.


    The cloaked girl couldn''t tell where the bullets would come at her, so she couldn''t just conjure an orange portal to deflect them back without timing it perfectly. If she was too early, then Poppy would see them opening up and shoot another round to deflect those bullets away from her portal. And if she was late, then the portal would do nothing and Poppy would now have an idea of what her power was. She wanted to keep this as an ace in the hole.


    But since they weren''t aimed at her vital points, she rushed forward without worry.


    As the bullets came towards her, she took the shots. As Poppy smiled and stayed still thinking that the woman would be too weak to move, the cloaked woman still marched forward even as she bled all over her body. Her smile turned to shock as she kept moving.


    Poppy fired another bullet aimed at the ground near the woman''s leg to bounce around. And when she did, before the bullet struck the ground, an orange portal opened up near the cloaked woman. An obsidian arm came right out and collided with the bullet. The round bounced right back at Poppy. As the bullet was about to strike at her heart, she fired another round to deflect it. As she was distracted by that bullet, the cloaked woman conjured another orange portal to her other side summoning another obsidian arm. The arm grabbed onto a rock and threw it straight at Poppy''s gun  before she fired. The bullet was still going straight at Poppy''s chest. But wherever the gun was aimed would work to her advantage. She fired two rounds. The first one slower than the second. When the second one hit the first, it bounced back hitting the bullet aimed towards Poppy. But there wasn''t a lot of time. Instead of deflecting the bullet away from her, she was only able to get it to graze past her torso.


    She sighed a breath of relief, but the fight wasn''t over. The cloaked woman was close enough in range for her obsidian arms.


    As the arm was about to strike, Poppy could only find one way out of this mess. Although, she didn''t want to do it, she had no choice and there was no time for hesitation. She fired a bullet that ricocheted off of the obsidian arms and straight into the woman''s head. It went crashed right into her forehead. Right into the middle of her drawn eye.


    As the woman was flung back by the force of it, her mask shattered protecting her face. And her cloak vanished into nothing. She had short, messy, pink hair. But the woman wasn''t dead as the mask protected her. One of the obsidian arms tried to grab onto Poppy, while another


    And now, the woman''s eyes and face were visible.


    As she landed with bleeding all over, Poppy was able to get a good look at her face. She was first confused and surprised, but that confusion turned into glee.


    The woman''s black scleras with glowing orange irises. The dark aura that surrounded her. It felt all too similar. She was just like the other three. But this time, Poppy had the advantage. This Dark Star was bleeding from all of the bullets that were stuck in her. So much blood has been lost. She breathed heavily as she was on her knee.


    "A Dark Star?" she said with a smile while aiming her gun right at girl, "I thought there were only three of you. No matter. I''ll avenge my friends. I''ll make sure none of your kind survive."


    The woman''s portals weakened. The obsidian arms faded away as they closed. Her breathing was uneven, but she stared at the girl with no intention of losing. She made a smile to Poppy''s surprise and annoyance.


    Poppy asked annoyed, "What are you smiling abou-?"


    And then, suddenly a bullet was shot right at Poppy''s heart from behind. It was just what the woman waited for. She stood up and slowly walked over to Poppy.


    "I was waiting," the woman replied, "You weren''t paying attention to what was going on behind you. The bullet that grazed past you kept bouncing. If you had turned your head, you may have noticed. You may have been able to see that bullet eventually going to bounce back at you. Just needed to wait."


    "Ack- How did you wi-?" Poppy asked before coughing out blood in pain as she fell on her back. Her arms were weak, but she managed to fire a couple more shots. But each one was quickly deflected away by her obsidian arms.


    And then Poppy fell as the woman was right over her with black and orange eyes staring back.


    "Your unwillingness to kill me was one thing. Your overconfidence was another. Although, you did do some considerable damage to me even before knowing what I am now. But in the end, it was all luck. You should have paid more attention to your behind. You have fought and lost, Light Guardian. But I am not a monster. I don''t think you''ll trust me, but if you have any family, I can see to it that they''d be informed."


    And when Poppy tried to speak again, the woman knelt down and leaned in to hear her.


    And to her surprise, Poppy quickly grabbed a hold of the woman''s armor and dragged her down. Poppy fired one more shot to the side not hitting the woman directly. But the bullet went straight towards the bullets that the woman deflected. It ricocheted off of them and each one began to fly directly behind the woman.


    "You should have paid more attention to your behind, monster," Poppy said.


    As the barrage flied towards the Dark Star, a portal that covered her head and body was conjured behind her. But instead of an obsidian arm coming out, the bullets just went straight inside them. And then a portal came out in front of her between herself and Poppy. And the bullets came out from that direction covered in lava and orange fluid. They pierced directly into Poppy''s head and body without any resistance. Blood gushed out, but she no longer moved. Her eyes lost color and her hand couldn''t hold onto the Dark Star.


    Then, she walked away. She called up the shopkeeper and healed herself with one of her reserve black coins. But her work hadn''t finished. She looked at the three girls through the binoculars. They were still there on the beach relaxing and having a fun time. And as Poppy said before, it was the perfect opportunity to strike. And out of the three girls, there was one in particular who she wanted to get rid of. And as if it was fate, she saw that girl moderately separated from the rest.


    She transformed back into her normal human form. She wore a white robe and took it off. There was a black swimsuit that she prepared. She readied herself to go down to the beach knowing full well what she was about to do.

 Chapter 137: Afterstory Red Obsidian Mouse

    Yune continued to relax as the wind flowed in her hair. The gentle breeze passed by her. The water wasn''t very cold or warm as she stuck her feet in.


    As Mary sat there on the sand with her detailed sand-castle, she began to also become less nervous. It was almost therapeutic. The sound of seagulls became pleasant. She no longer felt like there was any threat nearby, at all.


    "You''re right, Yune," Mary called out, "This is pretty relaxing."


    "See. Sometimes, you do have good ideas that don''t involve going out to get pizza," Yune replied happily.


    "Yeah. This was all my idea," Mary replied laughing.


    Jack was putting up a good sweat. She came upon a nice piece of shade near a cliff. She finished up her bottle of water and held onto it, since there was no trashcan in sight. She looked out towards where Yune and Mary were. They laughed happily. And Jack smiled. She knew that Yune never forgave her, but at least Yune and Mary were friends.


    She watched as some teenagers were playing volleyball nearby. And to her fright, she saw a dead mouse near the cliff. She ignored it and got herself up. She walked over to the sea, and put her feet in. Unfortunately, she couldn''t tell whether it was hot or cold. She couldn''t even feel the sand between her toes. She was jealous of others who could experience that, but didn''t let it drag her down. As she stared at the open ocean, she wondered what her life would have been life if she hadn''t been a Light Guardian. Would she still be in school with Annie as a friend, knowing none the wiser? Or would something else happen? She didn''t know. What she did know was that she was lucky to have Yune and Mary with her. Otherwise, she thought that her inner demon would take control.


    As she pondered her life, a volleyball was thrown onto a nearby tree branch.


    "Oh, c''mon!" one of them yelled.


    "Can you grab it?" another asked.


    They tried to jump up, but none of them could reach it.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    As Jack saw them struggle, she knew that she could reach that height. She went over there happily and helped them get the volleyball out of the tree. It wasn''t too hard for her, but the others were grateful.


    "Thank you, miss," One said.


    "Thanks," another said.


    Jack felt a little embarrassed receiving thanks from strangers, but it felt good to be not considered as a monster for once.


    And then the last girl came ran by her and said, "Thank you."


    But Jack''s eyes turned to confusion. She recognized the girl with pink hair, but didn''t know from where. And then she saw the girl''s black sclera and orange irises. Before she could even think about it, a portal in front of Jack was conjured. An obsidian arm came out with a sharp fist. It pierced right through Jack. She tried to call towards the girl, but her voice was weak. That''s when she noticed the arm sticking out of her abdomen without her feeling it. The portal closed, and the arm vanished.


    She recognized it, but couldn''t remember from where. Then, her mark appeared - the mark of the snake. And when she looked at the girl, a mark appeared on her left arm as well - the mark of the mouse.


    As Mary and Yune were relaxing, their whole bodies began to shake. Their stomachs twisted inside and out as their marks appeared. Yune''s mark of the cat. Mary''s mark of the crow.


    A wave of water washed over them. Mary''s sandcastle was gone, but she didn''t care.


    The pain was unbearable. They felt like their insides were being ripped apart. And as they looked at each other, they knew that Jack was in trouble. They saw Jack not that far away. They saw a gaping hole inside of Jack''s abdomen as she was beginning to fall.


    Jack''s body was weak, but she was able to transform her right arm in a blaze. She aimed her arm to fire a barrage of flame towards the girl, but she was surrounded by other innocent people.


    As the girl looked back towards Jack, she smiled knowing that Jack wouldn''t hurt people who weren''t Light Guardians. She watched Jack enough to know that. And she was right.


    As Yune and Mary passed by the group of volleyball players, Yune noticed somebody there that looked a lot like Mizu. It was only for a second, but she could have sworn it was her. Her short, pink hair was messier than usual. And she was taller and older. She didn''t get a good look at her eyes, but noticed that she held her left arm tightly.


    But when Yune turned around, that girl was completely gone. She thought that it must have been some mirage. Nonetheless, she couldn''t think about it. She rushed over to Jack.


    As Jack began to fade away, she saw the dead mouse on the ground near the cliff. She fired a shot of fire right at the mouse lighting it ablaze. She hoped that it would be enough to give the other two girls a clue if she didn''t make it. She watched as Yune and Mary ran towards her.


    But then her sight was gone. She fell to the ground lying under the shade alone.