《Elementals: Crystal Garden》


 00 - Prologue: Intel//World Clock

    00 - Prologue: Intel//World Clock


    01


    Werewolves, vampires, elves, pixies, youkai, ayakashi, banshee, wraith, mermaids, dragonewt, therianthrope, shamans, spirits, ghosts, dryads, druids, phoenix, demons, angels¡­ Etc, etc, etc.


    This is a world where these kind of beings exist; supernatural beings.


    Since ancient times these kind of beings have inhabited this world. Every single one, with no exception, has peacefully coexisted since their creation.


    Suddenly the greatest beings in the world, the gods, decided to create one more sentient being: Humans.


    These humans were not so much different from the supernaturals. The only difference rested in their weak constitution and their high birth rate.


    Decades after humans were created, the supernaturals tried to create a bond with them¡­ But it was impossible.


    The Humans were afraid of the supernaturals. More exactly, they were afraid of those different from them... Afraid of the unknown. Moreover, the Humans were warlike beings who loved conflicts and what they gained from them.


    One day, after many failures at peacefully coexisting with Humans, a human male killed a supernatural offspring. Nobody remembers if it was an accident, if it was intentional or if it even happened but it started a war.


    In this war, called the [First Supernatural War- Luna], there were many casualties.


    In this immense war, the supernaturals lost. The Human intellect was way above theirs and the supernaturals were not able to win with only raw power. They not only lost many lives, but also land.


    Humans took as many lands as they could from the supernaturals who had to surrender most of their territory.


    After this, there was no more contact between the Supernatural Beings and the Humans for centuries. As if it was natural, Humans stood in the light whilst Supernatural Beings remained in the darkness. Only in some exceptions supernaturals let themselves be seen by humans they decided were no threat to them or their species.


    But that was until the Humans threatened the Supernatural Being¡¯s ecosystems.


    Over the centuries, Humans¡¯ civilization evolved. Towns, cities and countries were being created as humans grew in number; thus, they decided to expand their territories


    For this purpose, Humans would burn down forests, make cities along seashores and mountains until they reached the supernaturals territory.


    Because of this, the Supernatural Beings decided to retaliate. They would not lose to the humans again. They would not surrender their remaining lands, so they attacked first. The supernaturals were far more superior to the actual Humans and were easily able to stop their advance. They killed various male Humans while giving mercy to children, elderly and women. Still, there was another challenge for the supernaturals-


    Their numbers.


    Human population was bigger in number. 1-10 was the rate of supernaturals to Humans. If a supernatural killed 10 Humans, a hundred would give chase. It was hell for both sides.


    After many conflicts which lasted decades, Humans and Supernatural Beings ended the strife in a tie.


    This war was named the [Second Supernatural War - Sol]


    After this war, Humans would not refer to the Supernatural Beings as is. The supernaturals became ¡°Monsters¡±.


    After the war, Humans would retreat and never touch certain areas and similarly, Monsters would not approach Human establishments.


    Unfortunately, Human emotions as well as the Monsters¡¯ resentment would not fade after a simple treaty. Their rage, hatred, wish for vengeance and bloodthirst did not fade. Both humans and monsters killed various individuals from both groups. Sons, fathers, mothers and daughters died in said war; thus, revenge eventually corrupted their hearts.


    Not much time after the war, these aisled events happened.


    Because of their previous encounters, Monsters would use ¡°hit and run¡± tactics. With these methods they dealt a huge damage to the human side. It took time for humans to learn how to counterattack against monsters. It took years¡­ Decades until they were able to give a proper hit to the monsters¡¯ side.


    Through the years, Humans learned and passed down many methods on how to kill monsters. Their strengths, weaknesses and habits were given from father to son and so on.


    Then again, monsters received a proper counter from Humans. In this neverending cycle of battles, both humans and monsters evolved.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Humans created many more ways to kill monsters and Monsters adapted. Not only they learned to hide among humans, but also some of them were able to overcome their greatest weaknesses.


    Like this, their battles progressed until modern days where they fought for their own beliefs until one of them becomes the winner.


    02


    *BOOM!*


    There was a big explosion in the air.


    In the middle of it was the figure of a young male who slowly landed.


    The young male had all his clothing burnt and his well built body was full of bruises and deeps cuts. He had a blond mohawk and crimson eyes.


    ¡°SIS!!¡±


    Shouted the young guy while running towards a person laid on the ground, a young girl who had been caught into the explosion.


    ¡°Na-Nate?...¡±


    Mumbled the girl.


    She had burns all over her body and her clothes were burned and tattered but that was not the cause of her weakened state.


    ¡°Ye-Yeah¡­ It¡¯s me....¡± Said the guy while firmly holding the girl¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Did¡­ Did you kill them?¡± Asked the girl.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I did¡­ But not just those who attacked us...  I am going to kill every single one of those despicable people¡­¡± Replied the mohawk guy.


    Then the girl rose her arm and-


    *SLAP!*


    She slapped the guy.


    ¡°Wha..??!!¡±


    Shocked at first he soon came back to his senses as he showed an expression of disbelief.


    ¡°STUPID!¡±


    Shouted the girl with the little strength she had.


    ¡°You¡­ Why do you say that?¡±


    Murmured the girl.


    ¡°Because they killed many in the town! They killed Ms. Lykus too!¡±


    Shouted the mohawk guy, whom the girl called Nate.


    [They also did this to you!] - He wanted to shout, but kept it inside him. If he were to voice itout, he would lose. That¡¯s what he thought.


    ¡°You know¡­ Revenge is no good¡­ If you choose that path¡­ You¡¯ll lose what¡¯s important to you. You will surely lose your humanity.¡±


    ¡°Humanity?! SIS! WE ARE NOT HUMANS! We are-!?¡±


    Then Nate¡¯s sister, placed her index finger over his mouth.


    ¡°Humanity¡­ Is a word humans created to differentiate themselves from beasts¡­ Are you a beast? Are we beasts?¡±


    Asked the girl with a strong look in her eyes.


    ¡°N-No¡­ We are not beasts.¡±


    Replied Nate.


    ¡°G-Good answer¡­¡±


    As the girl said that, her condition worsened.


    She started to cough blood and seemed unable to move her body anymore.


    One could not notice, but her insides were all messed up.


    ¡°SIS!!!¡±


    Shouted Nate with all his might. His screams wouldn¡¯t help her to heal, but he could not do anything else.


    ¡°Tell me¡­ Will you chose the path of revenge¡­ Or the path of humanity?¡±


    Asked Nate¡¯s sister.


    Nate stood silent while thoroughly thinking about his options. What he must choose is up to him.


    His sister had told him his options. He was the one who needed to choose his path. Revenge or what his sister called humanity.


    Then all the memories of what¡¯s important to him rushed through his head.


    The days with his older and little sisters. His days as a prankster. His stricts education as well as all the people he has created bonds with.


    He remembered that the important things in his life, were also the things he needed to protect.


    He suddenly began to cry. Tears spilled from his eyes and rolled down his cheeks.


    It was painful. He honestly didn¡¯t want to choose, he wanted to erase everything that had happened¡­ But it was impossible.


    ¡°I choose¡­ Humanity.¡±


    As he said these words, Nate¡¯s sister warmly smiled.


    ¡°Then live a happy and normal life¡­ Make sure Anna never enters this world¡­¡±


    ¡°I will¡­¡±


    As his sister talked, he replied while crying and tightly holding her hand.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I hope you follow the right path¡­ The one you¡¯ve chosen now¡±


    ¡°Sis.. Hey sis¡­. SIS!... REBEKKA!!!¡±


    Shouted Nate from the bottom of his heart. His sister was gone now.


    Nate let go of her hand and held her in his arms as he cried and screamed in agony.


    She then began to emit a faint glow and disappeared from his arms in light particles.


    ¡°Rebekka¡­¡±


    Muttered Nate as he wiped his tears and beared the immense pain in his heart.

 01 - Chapter 1: Life//Plus

    01


    It was a simple, normal morning.


    People come and go whilst the morning sun rises. Boys and girls from 16 to 18 years old who wore similar clothes walked towards a common place- Their High School.


    It was located in the middle of the city. Surrounded by tall buildings, however out of all of them it was the tallest.


    Made of reinforced glass with a black-blue color; [Marie-Ann Titania High School] stood proud and elegant as it received the teenagers who attended the place.


    It was the second week of the semester- September 21.


    Out of all the students, one girl attracted all of the glances.


    With long straight silver hair, steel blue eyes, soft, silky white skin and a hourglass figure along with an insanely cute, beautiful face. She walked with grace and elegance while the people around her moved out of the way to let her pass.


    The uniform she, and the others, wore was a dark-blue blazer with a white button down shirt under it; her skirt was short, black and stylish. The blazer had black embroideries around it¡¯s edges, and the coat of arms of the high school, which was a silver lotus flower.


    It was the standard uniform for all the students. Males wear black pants instead of skirts of course.


    Some of the other  things that made her stand out were her accessories. She had a silver ribbon around her neck and some blue and silver pins in her hair. Her nails were clean and her lips had a peach-pink natural color.


    Her smile looked impeccable and her teeth were like pearls.


    No one doubted her being an angel, or a goddess walking among mortals.


    The most famous girl in the high school- Raisa Astakhov.


    She is a sophomore in Titania High School whose fame amounts to being the smartest girl throughout the entire year; the best in sports and athleticism as well as her great personality and attitude.


    Other than her looks, everything is an A++.


    ¡°Heya Raisa! Howdy?¡± Asked a blond guy with brown eyes and a pale white complexion. He is well built and constantly has an aloof expression.


    He had piercings in his ear and brow and a little scar under his left eye. A handsome face that made older women unnaturally attracted.


    His name is Arlen White.


    ¡°Oh, hi Arlen. Everything is fine, but Miss. Handler¡¯s homework was a little tedious.¡± Replied Raisa to his greeting.


    They both were arriving to their classroom after walking the lobby, use the elevator and arrive to the 11th floor, where 2 of the 4 classes in sophomore year were.


    They both belong to class 2-1.


    The classroom has computers of the latest technology for everyone so the need for notes and books was gone. In the class there were 22 people and were evenly distributed as 11 males and 11 females. That went for all the classes in the whole high school. Titania High School was a ¡°Cr¨¨me de la cr¨¨me¡± institution.


    ¡°The honour student talkin¡­ I spent the whole weekend doin those physics drills¡­ Haa.¡±


    Sighed Arlen as he sat two desks behind Raisa. She sat in front of the class, in the second column from the left.


    Everyone started to arrive after them. As time passed, 20 minutes passed flying and the lessons started.


    The teacher, Miss. Handler arrived. She is a 30+ years woman who is single. She has long black hair tied in a bun and green eyes. She wears an expensive suit and low heels.


    It¡¯s said she sometimes likes to harass male students, but those are just rumors.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s start the class! If you haven¡¯t checked your arrival, do so now because I¡¯ll be closing the system right now.¡±


    Said the female teacher.


    In Titania High School, you use your Student ID to mark your entry and exit to every lesson since the beginning of the day until it ends.


    This system is managed by the teacher whose class the students attends.


    One or two from the end of the class stood up and went to the door. There was a card reader where they inserted their ID.


    As they were going back-


    ¡°Sorry for being late!¡±


    Shouted someone from the door.


    After the last student checks, the teacher closes the door so in order to give some time for late-starters, they left the door open 5 minutes after the lesson starts.


    ¡°Uh? Oh it¡¯s St. Claude. Come in, come in! For you I¡¯d falsificate the entry for every lesson.¡±


    Said Miss. Handler as she licked her lips.


    The guy in the door, St. Claude, shivered.


    He checked his entry and went to his seat; next to Raisa.


    ¡°Hi Raisa¡± Greeted the guy as Raisa smiled back.


    The guy, Laurent St. Claude, was the counterpart of the most popular girl in sophomore year¡­ And that is the most popular guy in sophomore year.


    Laurent is a tall guy with a well built body who would same the Greek myth gods. He has fair white skin, mid length, wavy raven black hair, silver blue eyes and a perfect dentist smile and a unfairly handsome face. He uses mid-thick frame glasses and some silver and blue hair pins.


    He has the best grades and is the best in physical activities. Even if it was still warm for the season, Laurent wore a fluffy light-blue scarf.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t get how come you are so chilly¡­¡±


    Said the girl behind Raisa as she poked out her tongue.


    She has brown-blonde wavy hair combed to one side, red-brown eyes and a beautiful face. Not to the extent of Raisa¡¯s beauty, but still she wasn¡¯t so far behind her.


    The girl wore transparent-frame glasses and had a leather choker in her neck.


    She is Arlen¡¯s best friend and Raisa¡¯s closest friend, Carly Spencer.


    ¡°Neither do I.¡± Replied Laurent while shrugging his shoulders and then changed back his attention to the front of the class.


    By a brief moment, Laurent greeted Arlen with a slight wave of his hand.


    Just like that, the lessons started.


    02


    ¡°Oh right, it seems today are coming the two absent students.¡± Voiced Miss. Handler as she casually chatted with her students.


    Her time today in class 2-1 only lasted 45 minutes, so right after half of the time the female teacher decided to receive the student¡¯s assignments. They all had the data saved in a sd card or an USB memory to make the transfer inside the school.


    Titania High School has an internal network totally aisled of the outside nets. So, due to school regulations, the students had to transfer the homework from the internal network of the facility.


    ¡°Really? Cool¡­ They¡¯re two gurls right?¡± Said Arlen.


    He counted the male-female ratio of their class and noticed that there were 11 males and 9 females; so the absent students had to be females.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Though they should already be he-¡±


    *Knock-Knock*


    Then the doorbell was heard as it had an ironic *Knock Knock* sound. The classrooms are specially designed to be soundproof so no noise comes from outside and no noise leaks from inside. As a practical tool, the institution installed doorbells in each classroom.


    ¡°Going~¡±


    Said Miss Handler even though she knew the people outside couldn¡¯t hear her voice.


    She used her ID to open the door. Behind it was the school principal- Markus Rain.


    He is a handsome man in his 20¡¯s with white hair and honey eyes with a thin build and a elegant suit.


    ¡°Good day Miss Handler. I¡¯ve brought the two students that belong to this class. They had some paperwork piled up to seal up their enrollment in the institution. As you see, they have finished to I personally guided them here.¡±


    Explained the principal with an advertisement smile.


    ¡°A-Alright. I¡¯ll take care of them from now on.¡± Replied the teacher quite stunned by Markus¡¯ excessive energy.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave then.¡± He replied and left as is.


    (He seems so energetic¡­ I wonder how he manages his looks and that vitality at his age¡­) Thought Miss Handler as she called the two students.


    They both checked in to the class and stood in front of everyone.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Even though they all were in sophomore year, no one knew about them. That is because they are newbies in the institution.


    There are three ways to get into Titania High School:


    1- The entrance exam:


    People from all over the state, and even the country comes to the facility in order to take the entrance exam and be part of such majestic place. This kind of test is taken once a year only by those who wish to enroll in junior year.


    2- Scholarships:


    Titania High School offers scholarships to low-resources kids with amazing talent either in sports, athletics, arts or sciences. They can only be scouted and placed in junior year.


    That lets the third option as the only available one-


    3- Donations:


    The institution receives huge donations from influential people so they would let their children to enroll in the high school. These kind of people are accepted in either junior, sophomore and senior years.


    Thus, they all realized that the two girls in the front of the class were accepted by the third mean of enrollment.


    (These girls are the ones to fill the gap, huh¡­)


    Voiced Laurent in his mind. Because the balanced male-female ratio, it was weird to be accepted by the third way after the junior year, but whenever someone dropped high school or was transferred to another school, the gap would be filled by these people.


    In the 2-1 class, previously the 1-1 class, two people resigned so the places were covered by these two girls.


    ¡°Okay, everyone stop the chit-chat! The girls are going to talk so pay attention!¡±


    Called out Miss Handler.


    Everyone in the class stopped the murmurs and the gossip and focused in the new girls.


    ¡°Hello everyone! My name¡¯s Adele Corbin and am 17 years old! I like math, chemistry and read book while listening metal!¡±


    Said one of the girls- Adele Corbin.


    She¡¯s a slender girl with long chestnut hair and wears a silk, white headband. She has light-green eyes and is tall for a girl. Her face is cute but not an overwhelming beauty and has some freckles in her nose and the adjacent areas.


    ¡°Your turn!¡±


    Poked Adele to the the other girl in the sides with her elbow. The other girl gave a step ahead and started to talk.


    ¡°H-Hi¡­ I am Giselle Feder. I¡¯m 17 and I like to sew, cook, bake and watch online programs. Also I like to play lots of sports and to run.¡±


    Said clumsily Giselle while blushing and restlessly moving.


    Giselle has a body of his own league. She has a total ¡°dynamite body¡± that surpasses by a nose to that of Raisa¡¯s. Her face is strikingly beautiful and her black hair is in a straight bob cut.


    She has black eyes and pear white skin.


    8 of 10 men that saw her would fall in love. The other 2 would immediately confess their eternal love.


    Laurent stared to Giselle quite a while, zoned out because of her beauty. Giselle felt Laurent¡¯s gaze and met with his eyes two or three times but she avoided his eyes every time due to embarrassment.


    Raisa realized this and felt quite uncomfortable in her heart.


    (Why?...)


    She thought while puzzled. Besides being classmates and close acquaintances, she has never interacted that much with Laurent and vice versa


    ¡°Look, there are two seats behind St. Claude. Take your sit and pay attention to the front of the class. Also you kids, treat them well.¡±


    Said Miss Handler as she checked the homeworks and the ones who hadn¡¯t sent it yet, did so.


    As they headed towards their seats, they greeted Raisa, Laurent, Carly Arlen and the ones around.


    (Weird¡­ Why is there no one behind me?) Thought Laurent, but he didn¡¯t mind it as he considered himself lucky to have such beauties around him.


    He could heard the quasi-inaudibles curses directed to him because of that.


    As he smiled wryly, Giselle sat behind him and Adele in the next one.


    ¡°Hi!¡±


    ¡°H-Hi...¡±


    Greeted once again the two girls as Adele winked to him and Laurent returned a slight smile.


    Raisa unconsciously pouted due to their actions and Carly silently giggled.


    03


    After three more classes of different subjects, the last one being of 90 minutes, Arlen and Laurent invited the newbies to eat lunch with them and one more friend; Hillary Nest.


    She is the representative of the class in the monthly meetings with the principal and teachers.


    These students that acted as representatives talked about what they needed and what was wrong about the facilities from their point of view.


    Hillary is a small girl with dark-brown hair and blue eyes. She has a cute and childlike face that contrasts with her serious and strict personality.


    After lunch, they went back to their classroom to receive the afternoon lessons.


    There was nothing out of the norm in the afternoon, thus the classes ended without a hitch.


    ¡°Goodbye!¡±


    ¡°Bye Laurent, Arlen.¡±


    ¡°Bye Raisa¡±


    ¡°Cya¡¯ Carly!¡±


    After saying goodbye, Raisa and Carly left the classroom.


    Laurent and Arlent lived near each other so they would walk home together. They lived in an apartment complex near the high school.


    Raisa and Carly lived near each other too.


    Laurent and Arlen stayed in the classroom to chat a while before going back to their places. Just as they were laughing due to a small joke, two girls walked in.


    They were Giselle and Adele.


    ¡°Hi there!¡±


    Said Adele quite cheerfully.


    ¡°Hi. Do you need anything?¡± Asked Laurent.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Now, tell him.¡±


    Poked again Adele to Giselle¡¯s sides with her elbow.


    ¡°U-Uhm¡­ We-Well¡­ Ehm¡­¡±


    Muttered Giselle while gathering courage.


    ¡°A-A-A-Are you free right after classes??!¡± Shouted Giselle while intensely blushing. She was the type of silent girl but now her efforts to talk made her quite cute.


    ¡°N¡­ Mhm¡­ No. I don¡¯t have any plans.¡± Replied Laurent. He was not an idiot so he saw coming the next question.


    ¡°Ca-Ca-Ca-Can we go for a drink to Coffee Rucksack?!¡±


    Exclaimed Giselle as she hid her face due to embarrassment.


    Laurent was still surprised to hear that from her, so he took a while to react.


    ¡°Ye-Yeah! I¡¯ll go with you to the Coffee Rucksack.¡± Replied Laurent with a gentle smile.


    As she saw Laurent¡¯s smile, Giselle turned around and stupidly smiled.


    She has never seen someone with such smile, thus she was bewildered and felt her heart being charmed by it.


    Then-


    *Vibe-Vibe*


    Laurent and Arlen suddenly stood up. They felt the vibration of the smartphones in their pockets.


    They both usually let their smartphones with sound, so feeling this sensation was something odd. That¡¯s also because they have an extra pair of smartphones who they carry all the time in vibration mode. They took out the smartphone and then noticed who was the one calling them.


    ¡°Excuse us a while.¡±


    Voiced Laurent with a strong voice and left the classroom with Arlen.


    ¡°Principal¡­ What do you need?¡± Asked Laurent. He knew that receiving such a call was not something good for him.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Well, it seems there have been some trouble with the [Hunters] again.¡± Explained Markus.


    ¡°Trouble? What did they do now?¡± Asked Arlen whose pattern speech had suddenly changed.


    They were in a conference call so it was alright for the two of them to talk at the same time or just one of them.


    ¡°Okay¡­ Laurent, I want you to remain calm. What I am going to tell you is not something funny.¡±


    Laurent nodded, as well as Arlen.


    ¡°Those stupids¡­ Those stupids kidnapped Raisa.¡±


    Voiced the Principal with full awareness of the facts.


    And in that very moment, Lauren¡¯s smartphone was crushed with a single hand as he had a terrific gaze and enraged expression that he tried to hide.

 02 - Chapter 2: Life//Rejection

    01


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    Voiced Arlen who noticed Laurent¡¯s reaction.


    (This is not normal¡­ Calm down¡­ Calm down¡­. This reaction is not normal¡­)


    Voiced Laurent in his mind as he calmed down. He looked for the nearest trash bin and there he dropped the now unusable smartphone.


    ¡°Calmed down?¡± Asked Arlen while taking some headphones from his pocket. He used one and gave the other to Laurent. He nodded and then resumed the call.


    ¡°Jane, remind me of handing a new cellphone to Laurent¡­¡±


    Voiced the principal at the other side of the line.


    ¡°*Cough*... Alright. This is the situation- As you know I have Raisa bugged. I can hear everything she hears and pinpoint her location at moments notice. Of course, is not that I violate her privacy; it works for this kinds of cases.


    Right now they are taking her to their hideout by the second avenue. Carly is chasing them while avoiding being noticed. She was the one to notify me of the abduction. It seems she was knocked out and they only took Raisa away.


    Luckily Carly wasn¡¯t out of the game that much time and was able to pursue them.


    As you know, I have zero resources except you three so¡­ Chase them.


    Only father knows their objective so be careful. They may and may not know who she is.¡±


    Explained Markus with a serious voice.


    ¡°Okay, give us the location and we¡¯ll join Carly.¡±


    Replied Laurent.


    ¡°Well then; good luck.¡±


    Added the principal as he hung up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Said Laurent as he steeled his resolution.


    02


    Without any delay, Laurent and Arlen excused themselves to Adele and Giselle with a reasonable excuse and left the place.


    ¡°You they left because they didn¡¯t want to hang out with us?¡± Asked Adele.


    ¡°No. I felt the aura coming from Laurent¡­ He was¡­ Worried¡­ Worried and enraged. Who knows what they talked about on the phone or to whom, but it was something serious.¡±


    Replied Giselle.


    ¡°Aura this aura that¡­ You never get tired of it huh?!¡± Scolded Adele jokingly as they both walked their way home.


    At the same moment-


    Arlen and Laurent were following the moving dot in their screens. Both of them were driving racing motorcycles and had intelligent helmets on.


    As they moved past cars and crossed red-lights they soon caught up to Carly.


    She was on a racing motorcycle too and linked a call between the three.


    ¡°LATE STARTERS!!¡±


    Shouted Carly.


    ¡°Shut up! How come you were easily knocked out?!¡±


    Asked Arlen.


    ¡°It was an ambush. Moreover, they have a oriental girl with them¡­ Those ones are even more scary than a troll!¡± Excused Carly.


    ¡°Ori¡­Maybe a Japanese¡­ Well, I have no room to retort such a thing¡­¡±


    Said Arlen in a low voice while noticing Carly¡¯s clothes. The back of her blazer and shirt were torn and had traces of blood on it.


    ¡°Over with the chit-chat! We need to catch up!¡±


    Interrupted Laurent and accelerated his motorcycle. The others followed his actions and accelerated leaving a tremendous roar behind.


    While avoiding pedestrians and other vehicles, the one being pursued rose the speed too.


    Still, what they were following was a black van with a terrifying speed.


    (How can a van be so fast?)


    Thought Carly as they approached it with great speed.


    Laurent went to the left side and Arlen to the right.


    Carly remained in the back and took out a handgun from her back. In there she had a lower-back bag with munitions and other handgun.


    ¡°Stop it at all costs! Even if Raisa is hurt, we can treat her!¡± Shouted Laurent as if those words were tearing his throat apart.


    Of course he didn¡¯t want to hurt Raisa not even a little, but it was necessary.


    ¡°Here it goes!!!¡±


    Shouted Carly to warn her companions and she shot two times to each of the back wheels of the van.


    Arlen and Laurent moved back again and-


    ¡°EH?!¡±


    The van didn¡¯t crash nor it did stop. It lost it¡¯s momentum a little but that was all.


    ¡°Shit¡­ Armored tires¡­¡± Mumbled Arlen.


    The van was not going to it¡¯s goal anymore due to the chase, but was trying to lose Carly and co.


    Driving close curves and crossing red-lights, they tried to lose their pursuers but was futile. The three people in motorcycles were unstoppable.


    When they arrived to a wide and long street, the door of the van opened.


    Out of it, a girl with 14 or so years in a black attire similar to a Japanese school uniform climbed the roof of the van.


    She had her hair tied in a ponytail and in her hands was a long golden staff with big a ring on the tip and four rings hanging from the bigger one.


    ¡°Onmyouji¡­ huh¡­¡±


    Mumbled Arlen as the girl swung her staff with all her strength. Laurent and Arlen moved to the sides but Carly was late to do so. In that precise moment a high pitched sound was heard from Carly¡¯s motorcycle.


    With an invisible power released from the staff, the Japanese girl cut in half Carly¡¯s motorcycle.


    (Shit!!)


    Shouted the girl in her mind. She was able to avoid her legs being cut by jumping out of the motorcycle. Laurent intercepted her on time and she was able to hold onto him.


    ¡°That was close!!¡± Shouted Carly as she tightly hugged Laurent.


    Then the girl on the van, who seems annoyed, pointed her staff to Laurent. The invisible power started to gather in the tip of the staff and Laurent moved out of it¡¯s way.


    The girl kept chasing him and threw several bombs of that power towards him and Arlen so prevent the two passed after the car.


    As he evaded them the three vehicles gave a wide turn and kept rising their speed.


    Some of them then grazed his arm and cut the sleeve of his blazer.


    (??... This¡­ Is wind!)


    Shouted Laurent in his mind. He didn¡¯t knew the exact extent of the abilities from a  Japanese Onmyouji, so he wasn¡¯t sure at the beginning what the girl was using to attack them.


    It seems she used a wind blade to attack Carly and to destroy the motorcycle.


    Suddenly-


    ¡°EH?!¡±


    The Japanese girl shouted.


    It seems the wan was continuously shaking due to the tires not working properly. The bullets Carly shot were finally making effect.


    As the girl lowered her guard Arlen and Laurent swiftly maneuvered and approached once again the car. They were about to reach the opened door when-


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Another girl in Japanese uniform came out. She had a paper charm in her hand and threw it to the pursuers.


    The charms shone intensely and exploded creating an electric discharge that affected Laurent and co. It also turned off the motorcycles and both of them crashed in a building as they suddenly stopped.


    ¡°Da-Da-Damn!!!¡± Shouted Laurent as he tried to stand up once again but was unable due to a full body paralysis.


    Carly was still conscious too but Arlen was completely out of this world.


    ¡°The hell.. Who were those people?!¡±


    Shouted the Japanese girl who was on the roof. The van was still working so she got inside as soon as she lost of sight of her pursuers.


    ¡°Who knows nee-chan¡­ They may be mercenaries or bodyguards. This world is full of people¡­¡± Replied the other girl who was identical to the one with the staff. They are twin sisters.


    ¡°Stop your philosophical blabber, imouto-chan. Still, did you broke the bug spell on her?¡± Asked the girl with the staff.


    ¡°Yes. It was quite difficult because someone strong did it, but as a simple bug spell it was nothing for me.¡± Said pridefully the girl with the charms as she looked to the unconscious Raisa.


    ¡°Still, is true this girl has one of those?¡± Asked the girl with the staff to the one driving the van.


    ¡°Uh? Oh, yes she does. It seems to be a [Single Number] so it¡¯s worth to obtain it.¡±


    Said the driver.


    ¡°We actually don¡¯t care about it, so who knows¡­ But I just hope to receive the rest of the money or you¡¯ll se what we are made of.¡±


    Threatened the staff girl with a great murderous aura leaking from her.


    ¡°Oh! Ayaka-chan is scary!! Kirie-chan stop her!¡± Teased the driver, without care of her aura or her threats.


    ¡°Shut up! I hate when foreigners use honorifics¡­¡±


    Replied the girl with the staff, Ayaka, as she sat next to her sister and waited for them to arrive to the driver¡¯s hideout.


    03


    In this world, magic exist, supernatural beings exist, lots of ¡°impossible things¡± exist... These are separated by the [Human Side] and [Supernatural Side].


    There are no good or evil in both because both are good and evil at the same time.


    Humans can wield magic and supernatural forces and monsters as well can shape as humans and live in society.


    Still, there is hatred between the [Supernatural] and the [Humans].


    These two sides fight with each other in the border of the supernatural. It is a secret fight that anyone can join, but no one can leave.


    Humans use magic to attack the supernatural beings called monsters; monsters use their supernatural abilities to retaliate. It¡¯s a win or lose situation where there¡¯s no exit.


    Markus, Laurent, Carly, Arlen and Raisa are in this fight with no end.


    They fight and defend with the use of magic, as well as their enemies.


    Because this is a world where the supernatural exist.


    04


    ¡°Here.¡± Said a woman in her mid 20¡¯s.


    She had black hair tied in a bun and deep blue eyes. She was stoic and cold with elegance. She wears thick framed glasses and a tight suit.


    She¡¯s Jane Anchor; Markus¡¯ assistant.


    Jane was handing out a new smartphone to Laurent.


    ¡°How is Arlen¡¯s condition?¡± Asked Laurent to Jane.


    ¡°He¡¯s alright now.¡± Said Jane and left the room.


    Carly and Laurent were in the principal¡¯s office. It was late night and they were the only ones in the building, besides the proper personnel.


    ¡°So to summarize¡­ They hired Onmyouji and they beat you to a pulp?¡± Voiced Markus.


    ¡°They took us with the guard down- No. We weren¡¯t wary enough of them. We were conceited.¡±


    Replied Laurent with a downcast expression as he strongly gritted his teeth. Carly was the same.


    ¡°Right answer. Still, we have to overcome the failures of the past and go forward.


    *Cough*


    What do we know, is that they actually don¡¯t know who she is, but they know what she has.¡±


    Markus, after hearing Laurent¡¯s answer, was satisfied. He decided to brush off this bad strike considering all they have done until now and started to talk about resuming the mission.


    ¡°I lost track of her due to the Onmyouji breaking the bug spell I casted. I must say that those kind of spells are not my forte.


    That is bad news, because the last location I tracked was the place where you crashed.


    So, we have no intel about Raisa by now.¡± Said Markus.


    ¡°But we need to do something and quickly, if what you said is true, what they want is ¡°that¡±. We cannot let them have it!¡±


    Exclaimed Laurent, aware of the danger that would befall them if what Raisa had changed from her hands to the [Hunters]¡¯ hands.


    ¡°True¡­ They are dangerous just by themselves¡­ Not if they put their hands on that¡­ I don¡¯t even want to think about it.¡±


    Said the principal while imagining a scenario of them obtaining what they were looking for.


    ¡°Because of that, I have the solution to this problem.¡± Added Markus as he told Jane to open the door behind Laurent and Carly.


    Then, two people got inside the room, whom surprised Laurent and Carly.


    ¡°Good night, Adele and Giselle.¡± Said the principal.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Muttered Laurent with a suspicious gaze.


    ¡°Oh, Laurent and Carly?! What a surprise, I didn¡¯t knew you were from this side!¡±


    Said Adele cheerfully while Giselle only stood silent, looking at them.


    ¡°Adele¡­ Principal, what is this solution you talk about? Give details.¡± Demanded Carly. Just as the Markus was about to speak, Adele butted in.


    ¡°Can you let me explain?¡± She asked. The principal nodded and she, quite excited, talked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ I¡¯m a  [Sorceress]. I use non-combatant magic and have a huge repertory of them. I was told by the principal that he needed one of my many magic-  [Clairvoyance].¡±


    Said Adele.


    Laurent and Carly were stunned due to the sudden confession. Opposite to the magic fighters named [Witches] or [Wizards], a [Sorcerer] or [Sorceress] used support and intel magic.


    ¡°So you can help us to locate Raisa?!!¡± Shouted desperately Laurent.


    ¡°O-Of course.¡±


    Said Adele quite surprised.


    ¡°And she is a [Sorceress] too?¡± Asked Carly while looking at Giselle.


    ¡°Not at all. She actually is- A [Dark Elf]¡±


    Voiced the principal without acre  as Laurent and Carly were dumbfounded by his words.

 03 - Chapter 3: Life//Search

    01


    ¡°Da-Dark Elf?¡±


    Voiced Carly as she looked Giselle from heads to toe.


    ¡°Impressive; It¡¯s my first time meeting a Dark. I¡¯ve met a couple of common [Elves] though.¡± Said Laurent as he stared in surprise.


    [Elves] are supernatural beings, or [Supernaturals] that can use magic. They live long lived due to their high affinity with magical energies in the world, as well as the leylines. The excell in the so called [Light Magic] or [Healing Magic] and as it is prejudiced, they are beautiful existences.


    Elves have bright blonde hair and green eyes as part of their [Race Trait].


    [Race Trait] are the appearance and abilities a supernatural has, which is ¡°unique¡± to them. Elves¡¯ is the [Long Lifespan], [Spirit Talk], [Pointed Ears], [Blonde Hair] and [Green Eyes].


    Dark Elves are a [Subrace] of [Elves]. They cannot talk with spirits, the have black eyes and hair and they can¡¯t use magic.


    Instead, opposite to the Elves, they have higher physical abilities.


    (Her appearance is indeed that of a Dark one but¡­ Her ears?)


    Laurent was concerned about her ears, but Adele is a [Sorceress] so using a [Transformation Spell] on Giselle is not impossible.


    ¡°Anyways, we should hurry or they are going to take that from Raisa.¡± Voiced Markus to what Adele replied.


    ¡°Alright! Here I go!¡±


    As she said that, Adele took from her pocket a hand mirror and mumbled some words. It was a [Spell].


    Then the mirror shone faintly and Adele closed her eyes but not because of the light, but because of the spell.


    ¡°Give me a map.¡± She said as Markus unlocked a tablet and threw it to Laurent.


    He gave it to Adele and as she opened her eyes that faintly shone in a purple light, she started to search on the map.


    ¡°No-No, no, no¡­ Not here either... Maybe¡­. Hmm¡­. Yeah, here is it.¡±


    Said Adele as she pinned a location in the map.


    Laurent took the tablet and Carly approached him to see where Raisa was located.


    ¡°At first I couldn¡¯t find her because I found no trace from her. I was lucky to notice the [Black Point] on the map.¡± Explained Adele while slightly massaging her temples.


    ([Feedback] huh?) Thought Carly while looking at Adele.


    When a [Witch] or [Sorceress] cast a spell, this has three steps.


    1- [Condition]:


    It is when the user casts the spell, in order to activate it, he or she needs to do a fixed action. In Adele¡¯s case was [Look at the Mirror] and [Close your Eyes].


    2- [Activation Period]:


    Is when the spell is active. It will last as long as the user wishes so and doesn¡¯t increase the strength of the [Condition] and the [Feedback].


    and 3- [Feedback]:


    Because for humans, [Magic] is an unnatural energy, their bodies receive a shock due to it. In Adele¡¯s case, it was [Slight Headache].


    The stronger the [Spell], the stronger is the [Condition] and [Feedback].


    [Witches] and the like, completely differ in magic usage from the [Onmyouji].


    ¡°Black Point?¡±


    Asked Laurent as he checked the place and sent the location information to his smartphone and his intelligent helmet, which was surprisingly undamaged.


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a place where there is supposed to be lots of [Magic Energy], but when searched by [Clairvoyance] or [Magic Search] it isn¡¯t found due to it being protected from those spells. When GIselle and I arrived to the city, I checked the leylines and all the various places with high concentration of [Magic Energy].¡±


    Said Adele as she felt the slight pain in her head vanished.


    ¡°Thanks for the little class, Adele, but we need to hurry.¡± Said the principal while Laurent gave back the tablet to him.


    ¡°Arlen is heading to the parking lot in this moment.¡± Voiced Jane.


    ¡°We¡¯re going then.¡± Said Carly as she and Laurent left the room. But just before they crossed the door-


    ¡°Laurent, wait!¡± Shouted Markus.


    ¡°I forgot to tell, but you should take these two with you. They are pretty useful.¡± He added while slightly grinning.


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll take the offer then. This time we¡¯ll need their help; Let¡¯s go then.¡± Said Laurent as he glared to Markus.


    The principal said before that only Laurent and co. were their only resourced, but there were these two too.


    (I¡¯ll ask later about this matter¡­)


    He thought to himself as the four headed to the parking lot.


    02


    Arlen was already inside a sedan black car. Laurent thought that they were going to use the motorcycles again but was wrong.


    Carly sat in the front passenger seat and Laurent sat in the back seat with Adele and Giselle.


    Arlen was the one driving and as he activated the gps with the location already pinned, he left the institution.


    ¡°I know what you are thinking.¡± Suddenly said Adele as the car was halfway the pinned location.


    ¡°Is my face that readable?¡± Asked Laurent.


    He was troubled by Adele and Giselle''s circumstances. They were a [Dark Elf] and a [Sorceress], besides being a weird pair, they were under the principal¡¯s care.


    It¡¯s not that they weren¡¯t trustable, because otherwise they would¡¯ve been killed by Jane long ago. What he was curious is their objective, if they had one.


    ¡°Not at all, but Giselle said your [Aura] is quite restless so I asked.¡± Said Adele.


    (My [Aura].... Still, I never heard Giselle speak) Thought Laurent as he briefly gazed Giselle.


    ¡°Well, yes. I am concerned about your situation. How would you end up with Markus.¡± Said Laurent.


    ¡°I see. You know, it¡¯s nothing that special. We were just picked by him while we were going to be killed by some mercenaries.¡± Replied Adele while shrugging her shoulders.


    ¡°Well now that¡¯s something hardcore!¡± Retorted Laurent by reflex, ignoring the tense atmosphere.


    Adele, Giselle, Arlen and Carly giggle due to his words.


    (Eh?! No good, no good!) He shouted in his mind, as he lightly bit his lower lip, his mood went back to the serious one.


    (His [Aura]... Strange..) Voiced Giselle in her mind while looking at Laurent¡¯s reaction.


    As a [Dark Elf], one of her [Race Traits] is [Aura Read]. She can feel people¡¯s aura when looking at them. Also, she¡¯s rather special among the [Dark] due to her ability to differentiate people¡¯s emotional state.


    ¡°So-Sorry about that.¡± Added Laurent.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s better than being pitied by.¡± Replied Adele with a slight sad expression.


    ¡°Prepare yourselves, we¡¯re almost there.¡± Said Arlen as the ones in the back seat stopped their chat.


    Where they arrived, is a construction site in the outskirts of the city.


    There was no one nearby, which felt quite uncomfortable.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Muttered Adele. Arlen noticed too what was going on and met his eyes with Adele¡¯s.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Asked Lauren.


    ¡°Nothing. I just noticed there is a fence spell here.¡± Said Adele.


    A fence spell is meant to keep people with no business in the area, away.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°They are not rare, but the area is quite big, so these onmyou girls are quite something.¡± Said Arlen who looked around the area.


    As they walked in the construction site looking for a place where the girls and the [Hunters] were hiding-


    ¡°Wait. I felt something.¡±


    Said Giselle with a serious expression. it seems that in face of danger, she would change her submissive and bashful attitude to a proper serious one..


    ¡°What is it?¡± Asked Laurent while Adele prepared her [Clairvoyance] spell once again.


    ¡°I feels like fear. Usually I need to look at the person to know their emotions of feel their aura, but this is¡­¡±


    Said Giselle as she tried to pinpoint the source of the aura she felt.


    ¡°Found it. There is an entrance next to that building and it goes underground.¡±


    Said Adele who pointed to their left. They headed that direction and found a strange sewage entrance.


    Adele instructed them to go down and they did so.


    After a while, they arrived to the bottom of the stairs in the sewage entrance.


    ¡°It¡­ Doesn¡¯t stink?¡± Said Carly, expecting the place to smell like a public toilet There were also artificial lights on the top of the sewage..


    ¡°Because it wasn¡¯t designed to be like that¡­¡± Replied Arlen while looking around. There sure was water in the sewage, but it was clean. Also the walls were well maintained.


    ¡°This¡­ This place was designed and used by [Sorcerer].¡± Said Adele while using her clairvoyance to look explore all the place.


    ¡°Arrgh!¡± Shouted Adele as she held her head with her hands.


    ¡°Adele?!¡± Exclaimed Laurent as he and the others looked at her.


    ¡°So-Sorry¡­ I found the place where the [Sorcerer] is. It seems that he has protected the room he is with a barrier and the effects of it are striking me¡­¡± Added Adele as she gritted her teeth. It seems she was quite in pain.


    ¡°Where is it?¡± Asked Laurent. He felt worried for Adele but he knew that if they took too much time walking, something bad could happen.


    ¡°W-We¡­ We just need to walk straight there.¡± Said Adele while pointing to her left, but there was only a wall.


    Everyone furrowed their brows but then-


    ¡°Open¡±


    Said Adele as she held her head with one hand and with the other, she drew a rectangle and inside it, a circle.


    As she touched the center of the imaginary circle, the wall suddenly disappeared creating a 5x4 meter hole.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She added as everyone went inside and the pain in her head faded. Her hand slightly trembled because of the feedback but it wouldn¡¯t last that much.


    Carly, Laurent and Arlen took out a handgun from their lower-back bag and went to the front while Adele and Giselle stayed in the read.


    ¡°Do you see something ahead Carly?¡± Asked Laurent as they slowly walked forward.


    ¡°No; Not ye-*Bang! Bang!*¡±


    *Shin! Shin!*


    Just as Carly replied, she noticed someone far away in the poor illuminated sewage and shot it.


    It was a person, who took head on the handgun¡¯s bullets and reflected them with a golden staff.


    This person, the onmyou girl with the Japanese male uniform ran at full speed towards the group of people.


    She mumbled some words, most likely a spell, and swung her staff like a metal bat.


    ¡°GET DOWN!!¡± Shouted Laurent to Adele and Giselle who didn¡¯t know of the wind attack.


    As they lowered themselves, the staff girl leapt towards Carly and pierced her torso with the golden staff.


    Or so it was supposed to be-


    ¡°Wha?!¡±


    Exclaimed the Onmyou girl as she let go of her staff and readied two knives from a tight knife-holder.


    Carly had just stood up in the blink of an eye and stopped the girl¡¯s attack with her bare hand.


    (I used all my strength in that attack? How? Also- Oh... I see¡­ She¡¯s that huh¡­ A [Kyuuketsuki])


    Thought the girl named Ayaka. She noticed Carly¡¯s eyes were shining in a crimson color.


    Indeed, Carly is a so-called [Vampire].


    (This may be interesting¡­ And troublesome.)


    Said to herself the Onmyou Ayaka while checking her surroundings and also the enemies in front of her.


    03


    ¡°Huh? It seems nee-chan has caught some trouble.¡± Said the other Onmyou girl, Kirie, as she had her eyes closed and had a paper charm with some characters on it, in her forehead.


    She was sit in a wooden chair inside a circle drawn with chalk.


    ¡°Really? How bad, but you know, even if she¡¯s about to die, I won¡¯t help her.¡± Voiced the guy who was the one driving the van a couple of hours ago. He has dark brown hair and eyes, as well a tan skin.


    He looks quite well built and at the current moment, is drinking some milk.


    ¡°I know; not that we need help from the likes of you anyways.¡± Said Kirie as she released the magic in her charm and took it off from her forehead while opening her eyes.


    ¡°Aw! Scary!¡± Teased the driver guy who loudly laughed.


    Kirie, trying to ignore him, moved her gaze towards the girl hanging in the wall.


    (True enough, she¡¯s the most beautiful person I¡¯ve ever met) She thought while looking at Raisa who had her mouth gagged and constantly moved her limbs trying to release herself from some sturdy chains.


    (Pitiful¡­ To destroy such beauty¡­)


    As Kirie said so in her mind, she looked towards the floor near the man.


    There was a pool of blood where a circle with strange glyphs was drew with. Around it, various corpses of men were lying there as the blood draining from them, moved itself towards the circle.


    There was also a man in a suit with a stylish white beard and black hair with traces of white. Presumably the aforementioned [Sorcerer].


    He seemed not interested in the exchange between the Kirie and the man as he used a pendulum with a steel wire to create the [Condition] for his spell while in the middle of the circle.


    ¡°You are out of right mind you know?¡±


    Said Kirie to the man as she assured the circle around her was still there. She definitely didn¡¯t want to be near the van driver.


    ¡°Everyone says so¡­ But who know if it¡¯s true.¡± Smiled the man that mercilessly, killed his companions to complete the circle that now was creating itself.


    ¡°For the sake of obtaining a [World Gear], I¡¯d do everything it takes to!¡±


    Exclaimed out of the blue the man with a broad grin in his face.


    ¡°Psycho¡­¡±


    Muttered Kirie while putting again the paper charm in her forehead, closed her eyes and peeked again on her older sister.


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


    Author''s Note:


    Hello people! I wanted to apologize for the delay in posting (due to RL) and also because I was in the search of a PR. Once I find one, most likely before the next chapter is posted, I''ll pr too the chapters before this one.


    I posted this without PR because I didn''t want you to wait too long for a chapter.


    Hope you liked it! :3

 04 - Chapter 4: Life//Stabilize

    01


    (5 enemies with unknown abilities¡­ No- This girl, being a [Kyuuketsuki], I can contain her¡­ But the others are the problem¡­ The one with the bandana is the [Sorceress] but I know nothing of the other 3. The guys seems to be normal, but I feel the paranormal aura from the black haired girl¡­)


    Analyzed Ayaka.


    She is an Onmyou- A warrior that can use magic without receiving a feedback or clearing a condition. Their abilities are limited, but still powerful.


    (I really thought I had killed her back when we abducted the beauty¡­ Now I see why she¡¯s alive.)


    She thought as she smiled and from her pocket, took out a black pill and ate it.


    ¡°You are no leaving this place alive! I will stop you.. And kill you.¡±


    Said Ayaka as the natural energy from her body exploded and expanded at great speed.


    What the Onmyouji use to create [Magic] is not [Magic] itself, but their internal energy to act as a medium and feel the [Magic] already stored inside an artifact.


    It could be the staff in her hands, or the paper charms her twin has.


    As her energy increased, the hit the floor with the tip of her staff and wind was created. Then this wind gathered and condensed in her back.


    She made a barrier of wind that moved at high speed and would crush whatever and whoever tried to trespass it.


    As the Onmyou girl readied again her staff, Carly ran at full speed and gave a punch to her face.


    Ayaka, whose overflowing energy caused her senses to heighten, evaded the punch and hit Carly with the staff. Carly moved out of the way of the staff and shot with her handgun.


    The Onmyou girl, aware of her surroundings, crouched.


    After the bullet, a kick passed through air. It was Arlen¡¯s kick. He had moved into action and made a combination with Carly to stop the Onmyou girl.


    The bullet that touched the wind barrier then was destroyed. The bullet became sand the moment it tried to cross the barrier.


    The only one that noticed was Carly and wondered just how fast was the rotation of the barrier.


    As she gave some steps back, Arlen tried to gave clean hits on Ayaka as she evaded his kicks and punches.


    Arlen, was not a [Supernatural]. He is a real human from head to toe. His talent in martial arts was superb, as well as how easily he reads the movement of the human body to predict and counter attacks.


    He is clearly outstanding.


    As the Onmyou tried to deal with the precise Arlen and was wary of Carly¡¯s support with the handgun, Laurent gave a sign to Adele and Giselle to not to involve in the fight.


    They tried to move by the sides as the fight progressed and while still receiving attention from Ayaka, they arrived in front of the barrier.


    ¡°Can you do something about this?!¡± Asked Laurent to Adele.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ If I had the time, maybe I could, but a barrier made by and Onmyou can only be dispelled by an Onmyou.¡± Replied Adele.


    She was quite concerned about why they had to hurry. Was Raisa in danger? She thought in all the way to the sewage, in why they lacked time.


    ¡°Just what why is she so important that they are in such a rush?¡±


    Is what she thought. Why in the world was so unforgivable to abduct Raisa Astakhov.


    ¡°Who in the world is she?¡±


    She had asked herself those questions, but at the end she couldn¡¯t come up with an answer.


    If she were a [Supernatural], she would be dead by now, not abducted. If she were a [Witch] or a [Sorceress] she would have fought back in the moment of her abduction. If she were an important daughter of someone, she would know.


    After various theories, anything came to her mind.


    Just as she recalled that, and tried to come up with a way to dispel the barrier, Laurent take her out of the way.


    ¡°Stand behind me.¡±


    Said Laurent, and Adele with some doubts moved. Giselle did so too and-


    ¡°Haa¡­ I didn¡¯t want to do this.¡± Muttered Laurent as he stretched his hand towards the barrier. With the other hand he removed the silver and blue pins in his hair and-


    ¡°[Scharlach Eiserne Jungfrau - Release]¡±


    Said Laurent with a soft voice as a sudden burst of energy was released within him and engulfed his persona.


    (??!! HOT!)


    Shouted Adele and Giselle in her minds as a great heatwave struck them. It came from Laurent.


    He saved the pins in his pocket and the hand he had pointing towards the barrier started to release a great amount of energy.


    ¡°Canon¡±


    Said Laurent as the energy condensed in his palm, and was shot.


    *BOOM!!!*


    There was a big explosion that engulfed the tunnel.


    Carly, Arlen and Ayaka were astonished by a moment but then, noticing the explosion was going to damage them, they laid in the floor.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Voiced then the Onmyou.


    That¡¯s because the sudden explosion didn¡¯t spread and in a unnatural way, it gathered in one and only point, creating an orange orb floating above Laurent.


    Adele and Giselle were safe behind the unscratched Laurent who was not only at point black, but the very source of the explosion. Not even his clothes were dirty.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Said Laurent as he unfastened the scarf in his neck and slowly walked throughout the space where the barrier was moments before.


    Ayaka tried to chase after them but was in the middle of a fight where she couldn¡¯t afford to be distracted even a second.


    As she stood up, Arlen attacked her and Carly shot her handgun whenever she saw an opening. Arlen, after the explosion, handed her some spare munition and his handgun so running out of bullets wouldn¡¯t be an hindrance to her.


    02


    ¡°MMGGH! MMBMBGGH!!!!!¡±


    Shouted Raisa uselessly.


    She has been like that since a while, which was the cause that Giselle noticed her fear.


    She saw how effortlessly the driver of the van killed his own companions and the other man with the pendulum stood in the middle of the blood pool and started to act strange.


    She restlessly tried to release herself but the chains were too sturdy and tight.


    ¡°It¡¯s no use, Raisa Astakhov. Those chains will cling to you until I say so.¡± Said the man in the table with a teasing voice.


    ¡°It¡¯s finished.¡± Said the man who was wearing the suit.


    Where the pool of blood was, not was drawn a big circle with strange patterns and glyphs.


    The man stepped outside the circle and the man in the table stood up.


    ¡°Alright now is your turn.¡± Said the driver with a smirk as he approached Raisa.


    She then started to move more in order to free herself. She knew it was useless to struggle, but her panicked mind didn¡¯t find another course of actions.


    The man lifted the chains from the hook Raisa was hanging and dragged her to the circle.


    Once she being inside, the chains fell off, as well as mouth gag.


    As her restraints fell, a red light coming from the border of the circle shone. She then tried to run away but when she wobbly stood up and gave some steps, Raisa was stopped by somethings like a invisible wall.


    ¡°RELEASE ME!!! RELEASE MEE!!!¡± Shouted Raisa while punching the invisible wall. Her mind told her it was useless, but she had to try.


    ¡°HELP!! SOMEONE HELP!!¡± She exclaimed this time. Her mind told her no one was there to help her, not to even listen to her pleads.


    While she was screaming, the man with the suit stood behind her and started to mumble some words with his eyes closed and a pendulum in his hands.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Oh saint ot the white- Oh saint of the black- Please listen to my pleads and release the limits inside her- Show us, the secret in her soul and give us the power to attain it¡­ The power to attain the control of the world.¡±


    As if reciting a poem, the man finished and opened his eyes.


    In that moment-


    *BOOOMMM!!!!¡±


    ¡°AAH!! SHIT!¡±


    ¡°What was that?!¡±


    As a great explosion was outside the room, the Onmyou Kirie shouted and jumped out of her chair while taking off the charm in her forehead.


    (THE FUCK WAS THAT?) She thought while massaging her forehead.


    The driver, who had shouted, was left ignored and-


    *PSST!*


    ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!¡±


    Raisa shouted from the bottom of her heart. She shouted with all her breath due to the painful electric discharges that attacked her body.


    ¡°AAAHHHH!! AAHHH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!¡±


    She was screaming with all her strength.


    ¡°Keep the ritual going! Kirie! You saw right? You saw what happened? Then go and stop whoever is coming!¡±


    Ordered the driver. Kirie was quite fed up with him, but for the sake of the money the organisation backing him gave her, she had to obey him.


    ¡°Damn that psycho¡­¡± Mumbled Kirie as she got out of the room.


    She walked some labyrinth-like alleys and finally she was found out by Laurent and co.


    ¡°The other Onmyouji!¡± Shouted Laurent to what Kirie reacted.


    She had prepared her paper charms and threw them towards Laurent as if they were daggers.


    ¡°Not again!¡± Retorted Laurent and the orange orb orbiting him spat fire and burned the charms. The orb then was reduced to half it¡¯s size.


    But that was a distraction, and Kirie had already placed charms in every dimension of the sewage. Four in the floor, two in the ceiling and one on each of the walls.


    ¡°[Trigram Formation = Thunder],  [Zh¨¨n]!!¡±


    Shouted the Onmyou girl and the paper charms started to produce lightning and gathering midair.


    ¡°MOVE!¡± Shouted Laurent and as Giselle and Adele moved the lightning gathered was hot.


    *Boom!!*


    There was another explosion and a lot of black smoke was produced.


    (Did I kill him?) Asked herself Kirie.


    But-


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know?  Wood feed fire.¡± Said a voice mocking Kirie from behind the smoke.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Stupidly voiced the Onmyouji.


    ¡°My friend gave me a quick lecture while coming here.¡± Said the voice, Laurent as the smoke cleared up.


    His scarf was in tatters and the left part of his blazer and shirt were burned.


    ¡°It¡¯s the basic in Onmyou. Wood feeds Fire, Fire creates Earth, Earth bears Metal, Metal enriches Water and Water nourishes Wood. But you already know that, right?¡±


    Smirked Laurent.


    ¡°Lightning is created by the enhanced static that is created by wood¡­ And wood feeds fire.¡±


    He started to walk slowly towards Kirie who beared a bitter expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s my win¡± Said Laurent whose feelings were getting fired up.


    ¡°AS IF!¡± Retorted Kirie as she saw how flames were created in Laurent¡¯s hands.


    (Strange!! Last time my lightning worked! Now he seems unfazed by it! Just what is he?) Shouted in her mind the Onmyou who was easily shaken by the incomprehensible.


    Laurent shot the flames in his hands and the orb above him as well shot what remained of his contents.


    Kiries evaded them and shot various paper charms but Laurent once, twice and so on, burned them.


    Those were special charms that would not be burned even by the highest flame a flame thrower could spat; and now they were becoming ashes in front of her.


    Kirie has always been susceptible to the surprises and unpredictable events. This, as one of them, threw off balance her mind and she wasn¡¯t able to come up with any countermeasures.


    Then-


    ¡°SHIT!¡±


    She created once again a rain of lightning and ran away.


    ¡°Damn¡­ She ran away huh¡­ Once I catch her I¡¯ll throughl-???!!! GAH!¡±


    Shouted Laurent. Because he was toying with her, she escaped. And now, while saying unusual words, he noticed his own change in attitude.


    (Damn! I can¡¯t stay too much without the [Scharlach]!)


    Laurent was quite pressured and hurried when he decided to deactivate the seal in him.


    That¡¯s because Laurent is also a [Supernatural]. A special being that controls fire at will and never will be harmed by it.


    With a seal, he can be like any other normal teenager, but without it, he¡¯s a supernatural existence¡­ A being called-


    [Elemental]


    03


    ¡°Harlen, how is it going?¡± Asked the driver just after he heard the explosion Kirie created with her lightning.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost done, Roy. Soon we¡¯ll know what kind of [Gear] she has, it¡¯s [Number] and type.¡± Said the man in the suit while focusing the magic passing through his body towards the pendant, and then to the magic circle.


    ¡°Alright. I can¡¯t wait to know what kind of-¡±


    *PSST!!!*


    ¡°AARGH!!¡±


    ¡°Harlen?!¡±


    Hearing the sudden scream of the [Sorcerer], the driver of the van, Roy, focused his sight from Raisa towards him.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Then he stupidly made a monotone sound. That¡¯s because he saw the unbelievable.


    The [Sorcerer] was convulsing in pain as some weird anemone-like light tentacles crawled from the pendulum to his arms and from his arms to his torso.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Asked to himself Roy as he analyzed what was going on.


    Then he fixed his gaze on Raisa.


    She had already fell unconscious a while ago and was just lying in the floor. But the anemone-like creatures were coming from her. More exactly, they were being ¡°created¡± by her.


    Roy walked some steps towards Raisa and he heard a robot-like female voice coming within her.


    [Source of Magic Power detected. Starting [Code//Absorb] in order to replenish the Magic Power.]


    [The individual found has a quantity of 10,936- Quantity insufficient]


    [Quantity needed for recovery minus the Magic Power received from the found individual- 900,334]


    [Protocol [Ghost Wing] Activated]


    [Every lifesource within 5 meters -if not used to replenish the Magic Power- Will be obliterated]


    ¡°Just what the-??!!!¡±


    Just as he mumbled in his dumbfoundedness, Raisa suddenly started to float while being unconscious.


    Then some glass-like wings grew from her back.


    ¡°What.. the hell¡­¡±


    Said then the wounded Kirie. She was just arriving to the scene when she saw Raisa floating. Roy was too impressed to even utter a word.


    [Ghost Wing on mach]


    Said louder the robot voice.


    *BOOM!*


    After some seconds, a small explosion was produced in the entrance of the room where Raisa was floating.


    Then Laurent arrived in a leap.


    His upper clothes were in tatters, showing various tattoos in his left side.


    Then, he felt as his heart was pierced by a spear.


    He felt the energy surrounding the room.


    He knew what it was¡­ Who was the one with such energy.


    ¡°Raisa¡­¡±


    Mumbled Laurent in a sad voice as he watched her beautiful silhouette floating in the room.

 05 - Chapter 5: Life//Awakening

    01


    Cherry Blossom Tree on Spring; Three Black Rings; Red Marks by Five Fingers; Withered Autumn Tree: Sun ahead and Moon Below; Seven Elements; White Single Wing; Four Points-Obsidian; Electronic Puzzle; Black Bracelet; Electronic Bracelet.


    These, are the tattoos Laurent has on his body. The Cherry Blossom Tree is on his left sides; he had three black rings in his right hand from the thumb to the index. The red marks are in his left chest and the withered autumn tree is upside down the cherry blossom tree.


    Sun ahead is just below his bellybutton and moon below is above his lower back, joined by a single thread. Seven elements are bubbles with the elements pictured on them along his spinal cord. White single wing is in his right shoulder blade. Four points obsidian is a black  rectangle below his left eye; the electronic puzzle is in his left leg, as well as the black bracelet. The electronic bracelet is in his left bicep.


    Each and everyone of these tattoos are a signs of the special people in his life, or meaningful events on it.


    They are usually covered by special make-up, but now they¡¯re shown due to Kirie, the Onmyou girl burning him with her [Lightning].


    Just as he noticed the floating body of Raisa, Laurent unconsciously reached for the [White Single Wing] in his shoulder blade.


    (Damn! This is not the time to be sentimental!) Shouted Laurent in his mind.


    He then started to consider his options.


    ¡°But first of all-¡±


    *Boom!*


    Just like that, as Kirie contemplated Raisa, Laurent knocked her out with a smoke explosion at point-blank.


    Roy, the van driver, reacted to the sudden explosion and stared at Laurent.


    (This guy¡­) Roy attentively looked to the enemy in front of his while being wary of Raisa¡¯s reactions.


    He knew Laurent and his companions were in the way of the only one way out of the place, so he couldn¡¯t just run away. Besides that, there was no way he was going to just leave all what he got today. He would, by all means, obtain the [Single Digit].


    (Crimson eyes, faint flames covering his body¡­ I don¡¯t know of any [Monster] like that¡­)


    Thought Roy.


    Usually, [Hunters] would specialize in only one type of monster, or even in a race itself. There were hunters focused in killing [Night Type] like [Vampires] and [Werewolves] or those who focused in the [Lykans] and killed [Werewolves], [Fox Therianthropes], [Cursed Dogs] and so on.


    Roy, focused on the [Norse Mythos]. Of course he would not be able to recognize an [Elemental].


    (He¡¯s too small to be a [Fire Gigant]... No¡­ Lately monsters can shapeshift¡­ But still I should not limit myself to my own area of expertise¡­)


    Analyzed Roy. He may be a psycho, but he is an expert hunter.


    ¡°Kid; you¡¯re the one who was chasing the van, right?¡± Said Roy as he tried to figure out how to take him down.


    ¡°What if I am?¡± Replied Laurent.


    He didn¡¯t know the extent of his enemy¡¯s power, so he carefully, tried to find the timing to attack¡­ Not to mention that Laurent also had to wait for his friends to gather before considering to move.


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ You also want it, right?¡± Said Roy.


    ¡°Want it¡­ What do you mean?¡± Replied Laurent playing dumb.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say things like that, kid. I know you want the [World Gear] too. After all, that¡¯s the only reason a [Monster] would be so interested in he-¡±


    *Boom*


    Being careful to not to enter in the 5-meter range of Raisa¡¯s [Ghost Wing], dodged a fireball shot by Laurent.


    ¡°Uff~ Scary, Scary~¡± Teased Roy.


    (He seems to be a [Fire Type] monster¡­ I need to be careful. Luckily I have [Zaphira Bullets]...)


    ¡°Quite the short temper I see¡­¡± Said Roy as he tried to casually reach his handgun oh his tight.


    ¡°Who cares, fucker.¡± Retorted Laurent while losing his temper.


    ¡°Haha! I-DO!¡± Shouted Roy as he shot his handgun. It was quite the taboo for [Hunters] to carry modern weaponry, but he didn¡¯t care.


    *Bang! Bang! Bang!*


    Roy shot several bullets and Laurent dodged them while shooting various fireballs.


    Both of them dodged and attacked when-


    *Swoosh!!*


    A shockwave swept with the whole room.


    [Source of Magic Power depleted- New Mission Incoming]


    The robot-like female voice talked as the anemone-like light beings disappeared from the [Sorcerer] and he fell unconscious.


    [Mission- Need to Look for a New Source]


    [Searching the Area]


    Raisa¡¯s body reacted to the strange voice and she opened her eyes. They were shining in a golden light.


    Her gaze pierced Laurent and Roy¡¯s existence.


    [Magic Power Source #1- Incompatible]


    [Magic Power Source #2- Non Existent]


    [There are no nearby sources- Listing priorities and choosing suitable method proportionally-direct to the Magic Power Quantity]


    [Commencing Auxiliary Measures]


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh shit¡­¡±


    Voiced Roy. He was dumbfounded due to the unexpected behavior of the [World Gear]. He has studied, analyzed, traded and used many [World Gears] in his time investigating them.


    (Such a powerful [World Gear]... To affect her body to such extent¡­)


    Thought Roy while watching her.


    Whilst, Laurent thought everything was over.


    ¡°Laurent! What is go-OH SHIT!¡±


    Shouted Carly. Behind her was Arlen dragging Ayaka. Also Giselle and Adele were coming along. Laurent lost them while chasing after Kirie.


    [All the priorities and Auxiliary Measures Listed- Auxiliary Method Number 133]


    [Heaven¡¯s Interruption]


    [All the damages to the body¡¯s integrity shall be repaired and the takeover of the body as near as the suitable state will be commenced]


    [Heaven¡¯s Interruption - On March]


    Carly was completely shocked about the current state of the situation. Arlen was the same as he knew what was exactly going on. Giselle and Adele were still dumbfounded about all this.


    ¡°Laurent¡­ Did she suck [Magic Power]?¡± Asked Carly after calming down.


    ¡°Yes. It was too late when I arrived.¡± Replied Laurent.


    ¡°I see¡­ Nothing to do about it then. This was impossible from the very start.¡± She added.


    ¡°So, what do we do now? We can¡¯t stop her.¡± Said Arlen.


    ¡°That guy there, thinks she has a [World Gear]. I thought he wanted the [Slave-Master Contract], but we were wrong.¡± Voiced Laurent.


    Roy was still contemplating Raisa as if she were an invaluable treasure.


    ¡°The guy there is out-cold, this one is a psycho and we have 2 knocked out¡­¡± Added Laurent.


    ¡°So the priority is taking out of the game the psycho.¡± Said Arlen while taking out a shortsword from his bag.


    Laurent nodded and then issued instructions for his companions.


    02


    ¡°TAKE THIS!¡± Shouted Giselle while giving a potent kick to Roy.


    ¡°BLEGH!!¡±


    Roy then was sent flying towards the wall of the room.


    ¡°Everyone! Don¡¯t lower your guard! We don¡¯t know the extent of his strength!¡±


    Said Laurent as he was in the rear guard.


    Adele was creating a barrier to prison Kirie and Ayaka while Carly was protecting her.


    Arlen was in the middle and Giselle in the front.


    ¡°Ouch~... That hurts!¡± Shouted then Roy from the hole in the wall as he crawled out of it.


    Everyone was surprised that from Giselle¡¯s deadly kick, he was unhurt.


    (Magic Tools? Gear? Spell? Natural ability? Psychic ability? What does he have under his sleeve?)


    Analyzed Arlen. He waited for the slightest hint about the hunter¡¯s ability.


    ¡°You all know I love [World Gears]... Why wouldn¡¯t I posses one?!¡±


    Shouted Roy as he slowly faced them.


    ¡°Actually we don¡¯t know so fuck you!¡± Shouted Laurent as he shot a fireball.


    ¡°Pfft! That did nothing to me!¡± Exclaimed Roy as she shook his head due to the hit, took out his handgun and shot towards the group.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    They all evaded as Carly and her heightened senses changed the bullet¡¯s trajectory.


    (How is he unaffected by it?!)


    Said Laurent in his head.


    Then in Roy¡¯s right hand, a silver light covered it. The light became a gauntlet and an armguard in a silver shine. The piece of equipment had a great 73 on the back of the hand.


    ¡°A [Gear]... A [Triple Digit]t...¡± Mumbled Arlen.


    [World Gear]


    It¡¯s an item of legendary caliber.


    [Excalibur], [Dainsleif], [Vajra], [Ga¨¦ Bulg], [Aiax]... Etc¡­


    There are many of them that had marked the world. In fact, there are 423 gears known by the human being.


    These can be separated in [Triple Digit], [Double Digit] and [Single Digit]. The less digits, the more powerful the gear is. [World Gears] are unaffected by any means of magic if not [Angelic] or [Demonic] types.


    It can vary from [Spears], [Swords], [Guns], [Shields] and many more. They can break or repair the way the world works, that¡¯s why they¡¯re called [World Gear].


    ¡°[World Gear Triple Digit] - [Number One Hundred Seventy-Three]; [Seusenhofer]¡±


    Voiced Arlen.


    He knew by heart the list of all the [Numbers]. He knew the abilities of all the known [Gears].


    Arlen is a walking encyclopedia.


    ¡°Listen! [Seusenhofer] is a gear that negates all the physical damage to it¡¯s user. As you can see, the kick Giselle splendidly landed sent him flying to the moon¡­ But the damage was zero.¡±


    Said Arlen while avoiding the bullets.


    (Shit¡­ I¡¯m going to run out of bullets sooner or later¡­ I need something else to fight with!)


    Thought Roy while counting how [Zaphira Bullets] and bullets of other type he had.


    [Zaphira Bullets] are special due to them having a rare metal combined that greatly affects the [Fire Type] monsters.


    As he ran out of the first magazine, Giselle sprinted towards him and gave Roy a roundhouse kick in the head.


    He could be a great hunter, but going upfront a dark elf¡¯s strength and speed, it was too careless to lower his guard.


    ¡°Hahahaha! That was nothing for me!¡±


    Shouted Roy who was also confident with his [World Gear].


    He then shot Giselle from the floor and she retreated.


    As he stepped up, Arlen tried to approach but the bullets impeded it. Laurent shot various fireballs and whenever he was able to, shots like flamethrowers.


    Roy looked for something to fight with and then he ran out of normal bullets.


    When Giselle attacked, he skillfully evaded and tried to not lower his guard again while facing the dark elf.


    Arlen looked for the best situation to attack and to not to interfere with Giselle. Laurent provided support and then Roy¡¯s aim changed from Giselle and Arlen towards Laurent.


    He charged once again [Zaphira Bullets] and shot.Laurent then started to evade, as he was standing in the rear and only avoided the stray bullets.


    Laurent, not inferior to Giselle, evaded the bullets. He evaded by paper thin margin and kept the support fire.


    The stray bullets were stopped by Carly and then Adele finished with the barrier.


    ¡°Adele, give support! Carly, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Shouted Laurent as they both run towards the vanguard with Giselle. Arlen moved to the rear in order to analyze more about [Seusenhofer].


    (It stops all the damage made by any kind of attack, but the energy still flows and he can be moved¡­)


    Just as he thought that, Laurent gave a high kick and Carly used a pair of knives to attack Roy.


    Roy evaded Carly¡¯s knives with great difficulty and received Laurent¡¯s kick with his forearms, then tried to shot him with the special bullets.


    Laurent easily evaded and Giselle intercepted Roy and gave a soccer kick to his gut.


    He was sent flying once again and he made a hole in the wall.


    They all made sure to not to interfere in Raisa¡¯s process, so they fought with her at their backs.


    (That speed and strength¡­ And crimson eyes- She¡¯s a [Vampire] it seems¡­ Even I know about them. Then again, the black haired girl¡¯s strength is abnormal. She¡¯s not as fast as the vampire but I truly felt that my [Gear] would not stand the pressure or her attacks¡­. But who worries me the most is the fire kid¡­He¡¯s inferior in speed and strength but his skills...)


    Thought Roy as he stood up and got out of the debris.


    In that moment several fireballs rained and he evaded them as Giselle and Carly attacked him.


    (Eh?)


    Voiced Laurent in his mind. He found something odd in Roy¡¯s behavior.


    He then looked back to Arlen and Adele. They didn¡¯t found the correct timing to help.


    ¡°Arlen!¡± Shouted Laurent.


    ¡°He has received all of our attacks since the very beginning right?!¡± He asked while keeping an eye on the fight.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Replied Arlen.


    Then Laurent recalled another strange move the hunter made.


    (Maybe¡­ Is that possible? A reasoning like that?) Asked Laurent to himself.


    ¡°Carly! Giselle! Retreat! I¡¯m going all out!¡± He shouted while stretching his arm towards Roy. He gathered all the power in his fist and-


    ¡°[Incinerate]!!¡±


    Shouted Laurent and a great amount of fire was shot in a single direction with the strength of a jet engine.


    ¡°OH SHI-¡±


    Said Roy as he saw approaching the flame cannon. Carly and Giselle evaded it and it hit head on the [Hunter].


    03


    ¡°What was that?!¡± Exclaimed Arlen.


    ¡°A way to deal with him. I¡¯m not that sure myself but I hope it works.¡± Replied Laurent. Arlen ran towards him and stood next to Laurent. Adele was still in the rear and Giselle met with Carly.


    (I don¡¯t have much energy left¡­) judged Laurent.


    ¡°Oh damn¡­. Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit daaaaamnn!!!!!¡±


    Shouted the hunter.


    It seems he was able to evade on time. He got out of the hole in the wall and half of his body was completely burned.


    ¡°Wha?! How were you able to do that?!¡± Asked Arlen as the hunter shouted in pain and cursed.


    ¡°Remember what you said. He can stop all kinds of physical attacks but the heat of the fire attacks, he can¡¯t stop them.¡±


    Said Laurent as went towards the hunter to give knock him out for real.


    ¡°Give me room!¡± He shouted and then gathered energy in his fists.


    ¡°[Cannon]!¡±


    Then Laurent shot fire cannons with lower firepower toward the hunter. He aimed for the head and after a while, the hunter fell unconscious.


    ¡°Take his gear and let¡¯s see ho-.....¡±


    Said Arlen as he gave a glance towards Raisa.


    The others noticed it and went shocked too.


    Just taking a glance, they could see the pure energy that surrounded her. For supernaturals and normal people, it¡¯s impossible to feels such quality of magic power. That¡¯s why they hadn''t noticed before her current state.


    It looked like a goddess descent.


    The glass-like wings were being filled by white and silver colors.


    [Heaven Interruption - Finalized]


    Said the voice.


    [Confirming the state of the body- Finished]


    [Returning the body¡¯s consciousness- 05%]


    [20%]


    [35%]


    [50%]


    [75%]


    [80%]


    [90%]


    [100% - Consciousness recovered]


    [Backup System turning off- Main system on march]


    [Descent of the Valkyrie- On March]


    Just as the voice declared, the energy around Raisa shone brightly and she opened her eyes.


    Her gentle expression was substituted by a serious one.


    ¡°Damn¡­ She went back to being that¡­¡± Said Laurent while a rush of feelings pierced his heart.


    ¡°Wha¡­. What is she?¡± Mumbled Adele. She didn¡¯t expect someone to answer, but Carly did.


    ¡°She is¡­ She is a [War Goddess]... A [Valkyrie]¡±

 06 - Chapter 6: Armor//Invite

    01


    (I need to control my feelings¡­ I need to control my feelings¡­) Shouted Laurent in his mind.


    In from of him was Raisa who showed her true self; That of a [Valkyrie]. The glass wings in her back shattered and the hairpins holding her hair fell.


    ¡°[Weissen Eiserne Jungfrau - Release]¡± She muttered as her minimum magic power was replenishing itself to its original, massive amount.


    Her eyes changed from steel blue to bright golden color. Her hair became snow white and the look in her eyes changed from the usual gentle manner to a strong and resolute one.


    She picked up the hairpins and put them inside her breast pocket.


    Raisa started to survey her surroundings and started to clear her numb mind.


    ¡°Where¡¯s this place?... Arlen, Carly, Laurent? What¡¯s going on he-?!!! Argh!!!¡±


    Then exclaimed Raisa. She felt an aching pain in her temple and everything became clear.


    ¡°What the¡­ All this happened... ¡° She mumbled and then she directed her gaze towards Laurent.


    ¡°You!! Why did you did it?! WHY?!¡± Shouted Raisa with a voice and angry expression. She gave a step and-


    In a mere moment without producing the minimal sound, she appeared in front of Laurent, who was at least 20 meters from her.


    ¡°Why did you do it?! Why did you erase my memories?!¡± Shouted Raisa. Due to her gentle nature, she refrained herself from either slapping, hitting, grabbing or pulling Laurent in any way possible. She couldn¡¯t afford to do those things.


    She was in the verge of tears and her cute yet strong face showed how sad she was.


    Raisa was angry; she was so angry she wanted to shout like a mandragora.. But she was also sad. The same amount of both feelings clashed in her heart.


    ¡°.........¡±


    Laurent who was dumbfounded from the sudden change of pace remained silent.


    ¡°Rai-¡±


    ¡°Shut up, I¡¯m not asking you.¡±


    Replied Raisa to Arlen¡¯s little intervention.


    Laurent regained his senses and replied to her. At this moment, he wasn¡¯t able to hold his feelings either so he honestly told what he thought to Raisa.


    ¡°I-I¡­. I thought it was the best for you. You even said that you wanted to know how it felt to be free¡­ I wanted you to have a normal life without being targeted or under dangerous situations. I didn¡¯t want you to get hurt because of my fault. I only wanted you to be happy.¡±


    ¡°What?! That¡¯s your excuse?! You did it for my sake?! At that time it¡¯s true I wanted to be free, but¡­ I already knew that being with you was¡­ Was¡­


    It was the best time of my life. With you I learned about freedom and what it is to be oneself. I didn¡¯t care about the danger or the runaways. What I wanted...


    What I wanted to be with you forever. I still want to be with you forever.¡±


    Said Raisa as some tears fell from her eyes.


    Right now, in this very moment, Raisa confessed to Laurent.


    Giselle and Adele didn¡¯t understand what was going on in the least; on the other hand, Arlen and Carly perfectly knew what she was talking about.


    A month ago, in the middle of summer, Raisa and Laurent who held a very close relationship, had an unprecedented incident.


    Just when Laurent was going to reply Raisa¡¯s confession-


    ¡°Well then, I absolutely won¡¯t allow that.¡±


    A male voice filled the whole room.


    ¡°I spent a lot of time and money in this ¡°project¡± so I won¡¯t let you snatch my prey.¡±


    Said the voice. It came from the place where Raisa was some moments ago.


    Then as if the space itself distorted, a man appeared out of thin air.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Suddenly reacted Arlen. Then everyone, including Raisa, put their guard up.


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m just a businessman waiting from a transaction.¡±


    Said the man while leisurely walking towards Laurent and co.


    He dressed in a black attire with no other color on it. He has black hair and blue eyes and his face is mature and handsome. The only white spec in him was the white crown in his head with a right side-horn pointing upwards.


    (Wha?! That¡¯s [World Gear Double Digit] - [Number Ninety-Nine]; [Unihorn]!!)


    Exclaimed Arlen in his mind.


    [Unihorn]  is a world gear that creates an specialized space around the user where everything the user selects, even the user, turns invisible.


    Laurent, looking at the man in front of him, raised his voice.


    ¡°Yo-You!! Black!!¡±


    Shouted Laurent with all his strength. Just as he was going to jump towards him and incinerate him with his flames, a hand gripped his wrist.


    ¡°No. Don¡¯t.¡±


    Said Raisa in a low voice.


    She knew how explosive Laurent was so she stopped him.


    Laurent then noticed his feelings were out of control so he calmed down.


    ¡°Sorry Nathaniel but I don¡¯t have time to be playing with you.¡± Said the man named Black


    Then he took out of his breast pocket a small music player with external speaker and-


    ¡°GAHH!!! ARGH! UGAAAAHHH!!!!!¡±


    Shouted Raisa with all her strength.


    From the music player, an ominous but beautiful melody could be heard. Just by listening to it, your feelings could flow out as if nothing and you could feel surrounded by it.


    ¡°Oh! I just love Classical Music! Do you enjoy it? It¡¯s [Mozart¡¯s Requiem]¡±


    Said Black with a smile in his face.


    Giselle, Adele, Laurent and Carly kneeled due to a strange pressure in their hearts. As if it was the natural thing to do while listening to the song.


    The one who was most affected by the music was Raisa.


    In the moment the supernaturals fell in their knees, Black took out a handgun with silencer and shot Arlen in the abdomen and in his leg. He purposely avoided the vitals and then put it again in his lower back, where he had taken it out.


    Arlen has already experienced being shot so he didn¡¯t shout.


    ¡°Classical Music was and is the weapon of the gentlemen. [Supernaturals] can indeed die by listening to it.¡± Said Black as if explaining.


    ¡°Luckily I got my hands on the original versions of my beloved or it wouldn¡¯t have such an effect on you.¡± He added while Raisa writhed in pain while in the floor she tried to gasp some air.


    Arlen, as the only human, was there trying to figure out a way to help his friends.


    He didn¡¯t even consider to attack Black directly or he would be pretty much dead the moment he tried. Like that, he wouldn¡¯t be able to find an answer to this predicament.


    Then Carly slowly stood up as if the gravity around her was duplicated.


    ¡°You can re- I see, you¡¯re a [Vampire]. They have lived hundreds of years so I bet they developed a natural resistance to it. Damn lovers of the human culture¡±


    Mumbled Black as he increased the volume of the beautiful melody and pinned down Carly. Laurent and Giselle fell completely to the floor and Adele was trying to maintain her consciousness. She was inexperienced in dealing with such a method so the supernatural part in her was completely affected.


    The track lasts at least 8 minutes but for them, even one minute was an eternity.


    ¡°Be grateful that I don¡¯t recite the [Lyrical Chant]...¡± Said Black with a chilling expression in his face.


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Enough chit-chat for today. Nathaniel, I¡¯m deeply sorry for this, because even I have a lover, but orders are orders. We of [Night Predators] will achieve our objectives, won¡¯t hesitate of killing if needed.¡±


    He then approached Raisa and lifted her in his shoulders. At this moment she had already blacked out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking her with me. Today, she¡¯s my objective; not you. If you have a problem with it, come and catch us- If you can that is.¡±


    Added Black while mocking Laurent.


    ¡°Have nice dreams Nathaniel.¡±


    Just as Black said this, the changed the track.


    ¡°[Beethoven¡¯s Moonlight Sonata]¡±


    Then as the next one started to play; Laurent, Carly, Adele and Giselle completely blacked out.


    02


    ¡°....nt¡­..ent¡­..urent¡­. Laurent!!!¡±


    ¡°EH?! AH?! Sis¡¯ it wasn¡¯t me!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°What?!¡±


    Arlen, while hardly standing in his feet, woke up Laurent. Carly woke up herself a minute after Black left and she was waking up Adele and Giselle.


    To Laurent¡¯s strange words, Arlen was stunned.


    ¡°A-Anyways. Stand up. I contacted Jane a while ago to tell her about this place. She¡¯ll be expecting us soon.¡± Said Arlen while helping Laurent to stand up.


    Laurent felt a little dizzy as he stood up, but when his head cleared up, his emotions started to flow.


    He clenched his fist as hard as he could until they lost their color and then started to curse.


    ¡°OH FUCK THIS SHIT WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY??!! HOW? WHEN?! WHY WAS HE HERE?! HOW?! THAT PRICK MOTHERFUCKER TWAT CUNT OH GOD DAAAAAAMN!!!! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU!!! DAMN PRICK WHY WHY WHY WHY!!! YOU DAMN MOTHERFUCKER WHY DID YOU HAVE TO APPEAR!!!! I¡¯LL BURN YOU TO CRISPS A HUNDRED TIMES AND THEN A HUNDRED TIMES MORE!!! SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT WHY?!!!¡±


    As he vented out all of his rage, which let dumbfounded Adele and Giselle. They never had imagined the calm and compose Laurent that they met only a couple of hours before would shout like that.


    Arlen and Carly were surprised too, but because they never thought that he would be so explicit with his curses.


    (It¡¯s been a while since he was like that¡­.) Secretly thought Carly as Arlen tried to calm down Laurent.


    ¡°Are you okay now?¡± Asked Arlen.


    ¡°Not quite but cursing will not help me any more than this.¡± Replied Laurent as he took out the hairpins from his pocket and wore them.


    Then the aura around him was suppressed and his body temperature dropped. His mood improved a little and his feelings became calm. His eyes then changed from the bright crimson color they had become to the usual silver blue.


    ¡°What¡­ Was that?¡± Asked Adele in a faint voice.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that later. First, it would be good if you heal Arlen. Can you do that?¡± Said then Carly to Adele.


    Adele strongly nodded and she went to help Arlen.


    As she walked towards Arlen, she bit her lips and chanted some words. After that, her hands shone in a green light and touched the injured parts.


    Arlen noticed he was going to he healed so he showed her the places he had been shot.


    In an instant, the holes were closed as if nothing was there. Fortunately, the bullets passed throughout his body.


    After he recovered, He noticed Laurent in front of the burnt [Hunter].


    ¡°Oh item that pierces darkness and fades light, grant me your power and allow me to take you from your tyrannical self. Please leave the dishonorable host that posses you and grant us with your divine power. Materialize yourself and bring chaos or peace to this unruly world.


    [Materialize World Gear]¡±


    After a long chant, Laurent took from the hunter his [World Gear].


    As soon as the hunter passed out, the gear disappeared from his arm, but Laurent voiced some chant and as a light, the gear came to his hands and materialized.


    There are various forms to obtain a [World Gear].


    These are-


    From birth.


    You obtain a materialized gear from a diseased possessor.


    You steal it from a possessor.


    It¡¯s transferred at will.


    You obtain an antique gear created by a [Lost Civilization].


    What Laurent did now was the third way.


    ¡°Adele, please come!¡± Said Arlen while approaching Laurent.


    ¡°[Seusenhofer]? You don¡¯t need it.¡± Said Arlen as Adele arrives.


    ¡°Please heal him a bit. We need to take intel from him. Also maintain him immobilized and also the [Sorcerer] back there.¡± Added Arlen.


    As Adele healied the hunter, Laurent talked to Arlen.


    ¡°True. I don¡¯t need it, but you do.¡± He said while giving the [World Gear] to Arlen.


    ¡°Me? I don-¡±


    ¡°You need it. Right now Black would have killed you if it wasn¡¯t against his and the predator¡¯s principles. Also I know you die hard to have one of this.¡± Cut Laurent to Arlen¡¯s words and with a small smile, he gave the gear to his friend.


    Arlen only nodded and wore the gauntlet with the armguard.


    ¡°Oh divine item that grants power to those without it and vanishes the power from those drunk on it, allow me to use your strength and protect those who I care.


    [Invite World Gear]¡±


    Chanted Arlen.


    The gears are a strange existence that no one knows where they come from or who made them. It has remained a mystery for centuries.


    As soon as he finished the chant, the gear tightened and made it fit in his arm.


    ¡°Cool¡­¡± Voiced Arlen.


    After Adele immobilized the hunter, she went after the [Sorcerer] and everyone left.


    Laurent and Arlen were carrying both the hunter and the sorcerer. Carly had in her shoulders one of the onmyou twins while Giselle had the other.


    The twins were properly immobilized.


    As soon as they reached the way out-


    There was a rope with a hook in the sewage stair.


    ¡°It should be Jane.¡± Said Laurent as he then put in the hook the hunter by his shirt neck and pulled twice.


    After some more trips, all the unconscious people was lifted and Laurent and co. got out of the sewage by themselves.


    There, there found Jane with a bigger car waiting for them.


    ¡°The principal is waiting for you. I suggest you to drive at low speed due to your injuries and exhaustion. I can¡¯t afford to take you with me as I only am able to guard myself if any of the unconscious fiends were to wake up.¡± Voiced Jane in a stoic and cold way.


    ¡°They¡¯re bound by magic so they won¡¯t wake up so easily.¡± Said Adele in protest.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Muttered Jane.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. You can go ahead with them. We¡¯ll catch up with the other car.¡±


    Said Laurent as Jane nodded and got into the big car.


    After she left, Laurent and co. followed suit.


    The way back was a bit gloomy and with heavy atmosphere with lots of doubts surging in everyone¡¯s minds.


    (I absolutely need to know what¡¯s going on¡­ I bet that schieming man knows the whole picture of this¡­) Thought Laurent as they arrived to the high school facilities.