
ANGELOS ODYSSEY

VOLUME FOUR

BY

J. B. M. PATRICK

SHINGEN BLUE PUBLISHING

INDIANA

Copyright (C) 2020 by Joshua Brian McCabe Patrick

Cover Art (C) 2020 by Shingen Blue Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Published in the United States of America

First Edition

Shingen Blue Publishing

Indiana

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

ISBN: 978-0-578-69774-1 (print)

ISBN: 978-0-578-69773-4 (ebook)

"When the wise realize the Self,

Formless in the midst of forms, changeless

In the midst of change, omnipresent

And supreme, they go beyond sorrow."

― The Upanishads

# CONTENTS

PART ONE: Utopia

1 - The Contract

2 - A New City

3 - The Interrogation

PART TWO: Isamael's Ring

1 - Temporary Master

2 - Number Thirteen

3 - Glory

4 - The Gambler

5 - Sworn Brothers

6 - Inuyo Port

7 - The Agakuren Sisters

8 - Pythagora

9 - Free Agreement

10 - The School of Jaodan

11 - The School of Utama

12 - The School of Zunaga

13 - Fang Shubao

14- Jupiter Kang

15 - Samazoshi

16 - The School of the Hayashi

17 - The School of Senzang

18 - Jeigon

19 - Setbacks

20 - Fated Encounter

21 - Ao Guang

22 - Faith

23 - The School of Poetry

24 - Baraka Williams

25 - Inspiration

26 - Zitsulo Undo

27 - The School of Gozadalus

28 - Decadence

PART THREE: Change

1 - Negotiations

2 - Dark Clouds

For

Everyone

My name is Tavon. I wear the robes of death and follow the path of the warrior. I am resolute. The Way stretches far, but that's not enough to stop me. The road ahead will be hard, but I'm ready.

-

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# PART ONE

Utopia

-

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# 1

The Contract

-

Tavon

-

I'm lost in a dream again. Drowning, choking as blinding light obscures the world around me. I can't breathe, then I suddenly can. I can't see, and then...

Dark clouds swarm near, swirling in dizzying patterns and walling me in within a realm far above the Earth. A deep blue sky's overhead; the Sun beams down, and its bright rays pass through the sea of clouds which makes up the very ground on which I'm standing. Although the light can escape wherever, I cannot. I'm stranded before a great gate, one half of it gold and the other black. Its main doors sweep themselves open before I can even approach. Because they do so, I feel beckoned to move forward.

I pass through those gates and enter a field of scarlet grass covered in the morning dew. Not so far away is a pagoda, one with walls of glazed brick and a seven-tiered tower with long, iron eaves and a strange metal sculpture serving as its finial. The sculpture is of a being who looks as though he's composed of more than one physical form; in fact, hundreds of arms grasping hundreds of spears and swords emerge from the center of the piece to form a perfect sphere around its main body. Up above, the sky darkens. The wind picks up, pushing past as more than a mere breeze.

Day becomes night. The pagoda trembles, pressing in and out as if it's ready to burst.

I feel the wind blow much more fiercely; the Sun disappears behind grey clouds, the temple becomes a bloated mirage, and then I can feel the eyes of something glaring at me. Two diamonds of light illuminate the darkness that nearly overtook me, yet a stronger force is lurking closer and closer.

Those two diamonds belong to eyes which stare at me from out of the dark storm. I freeze. I know I'm in a dream, but there's nothing I can do to end it. I'm trapped, and this awful maelstrom keeps pressing in. The monster's eyes are big enough to barely reveal the outline of a massive head. When the dread diamonds move close enough, I can just make out a gold and silver crest. I sense an oppressive aura emanating from its center.

The raging storm breaks. Dark clouds contract and implode like hundreds of stars that spread and move on into nothing.

I see the blue sky above me again. The burning Sun highlights a form in the shape of a human, with black wings quivering around a body of pure grey and part physical, part cloud. Its face is featureless except for the two eyes that were glaring at me before--now bearing down behind an implacable expression. In one hand, the grey angel brandishes a long spear; it extends the shaft outward and speaks: "I am the herald of Ishida's Mandate, the Angel Qizadeus. For the honor of the Angelos Association, let the following knowledge enlighten your future course of action.

"In the city of Saizakune, there will be a revolution. One human will become its leader," the angel says. "Their name is Guin Teram, and this person will become the very reason for the catastrophe soon to occur.

"Go then to Saizakune. I, Qizadeus, am your commander as well as the sealer of this contract. Travel there, seek out the insurrectionist, and present me with his head. This is my command; as such, you have under one year to accomplish this mission. Anything less than success carried out soon will not be tolerated."

-

One blink and Qizadeus is gone. I can't see very well--not anymore. I can't see, and I can't hear anything around me, but I feel relaxed. I know something's off, but my body doesn't seem to mind. I start to ache, then how tired I am really starts to set in. I try to remember what happened to me before that dream and yet doing so causes me to nearly forget everything the angel said to me.

Either what just happened really was an order or my dreams are getting too intense. Are Death Officers only assigned contracts through their dreams? If so, I can't forget anything--even if I've never heard of "Saizakune."

Still, I've no idea where I am, either. There's pressure lightly forcing my eyelids shut. Something's covering my mouth and nose; I think...

I'm submerged in warm water. Four different IV's are attached to my floating body. When I open my eyes wider, I see through the glass casing around me. At my sides appear to be metal-topped containers like my own, but I can't see who's inside any of them. Instead, I look out and into a medical ward: blocky, white, metallic walls with blue circuits running through them reflect the fluorescent lighting from above.

The last thing I remember doing is lecturing Raiko about something, although I can't think of what it was. I try to search back through my memories, but someone's coming into view from the outside--they're walking directly up to me.

I see short, dark hair parted in the middle and over a pair of black-rimmed glasses, a young guy dressed in a white button-up shirt and wearing brown, corduroy jeans.

Though I'm sure we've never met, he smiles at me like we're close, and then--

"Hello, Tavon."

He's in my head.

"Get out."

The stranger raises his eyebrows.

"Excuse me? I was being considerate."

"I didn't give you permission to jump inside my head."

"Would you have preferred it if I'd pulled you from the glass to have a basic conversation?"

"..."

I would fold my arms, but it's like I'm paralyzed or something.

"My name is Inen, and I've been hearing about you for some time now. On board the ship, word got around that a beaten and battered man passed out close to the medical ward.

"The stories blossomed, and I'm afraid most of us know by now where the Citadel's Knight Murderer has been hiding. I'm sorry friend," he says while closing his eyes as he smiles, "As soon as you're released, it appears that a lot of people out there would like to make your acquaintance."

He opens his eyes to stare into mine as he continues, "I can protect you from them, however. After all, you do owe me."

"I don't know what you're talking about." This time I'm able to fold my arms. "There's no way I could owe you. I've never met you."

"And yet I still chose to save your life."

"What?"

Inen smirks. "When Artemis Spilsbury defeated you in combat, it was I who prevented him from finishing you off. I waited some days, thinking over the future of Noboros, and then I decided that I wanted you to join us. Do you understand?"

"I do. I'm kinda tied up right now, though."

"You just became a Death Officer, correct? That's hardly an excuse. Under my banner, you have true freedom; you may travel wherever you please. I may call on you perhaps once a year at most, otherwise--"

"It's not for me."

"Are you afraid?"

I sneer at him.

"Your people get paid to cause destruction, right?"

"We profit from the ignorance of the world around us. It is inevitable, unfortunately."

"I don't believe in fate. You don't have to exploit the weak because you think they're ignorant."

There's a blinding flash. I shut my eyes and then open them again.

I'm wandering through and between rows of dark oak trees brimming with leaves of ivory white. The sky's all a dark grey; a neon-green moon peaks out from the horizon. Life is completely still except for my stiff movements. As I regain a sense of consciousness, I speed up the pace. It feels like another vivid dream, but it's too lucid. It feels real, and my body aches with the effort to run.

I don't know what I'm running from, but something tells me that it's getting closer, like a scalding iron pressing in on the side of my head. With that pressure, I'm imparted a heavy sense of dread. I feel like I can't escape.

Black tentacles reach for me--reach and miss. I sprint faster, then: I'm hit in stomach with a phantom strike. I keel over and just now notice curved, dark blades enveloped in the shadows to my right. Four claws reach out from the shadows, and four claws penetrate my arms and legs.

The pain's real. It hurts all over, and their claws burn through my skin. If I stay pinned down, I'm sure I'll have each limb melted off. I've got to break loose!

But they've got me. The strength behind them is otherworldly; my body's scorched by a fiery apparition, and the way ahead is suddenly blocked by the thin form of Inen. At his side, a hairless, eyeless hound with skin the color of blood moves to intercept before his master can reach me.

"Weraugi!" Inen calls out, but his dog acts without him.

From behind the hound, three tails resembling spiked worms twirl in my direction.

Weraugi thrusts one of them into my side, and I cry out as pain greater than any discomfort I'd experienced before makes me convulse. The hound withdraws its stinger, and Inen laughs while stooping down to pet the devil.

"I apologize for Weraugi's overeagerness, but you were proving to be a difficult study."

"What makes you think I'll be convinced if you torture me?"

"Why, I'm convinced by the very fact that you have never experienced Sarabi, a rudimentary form of Imago."

My body's on fire, so I'm not interested in learning any of this.

"Let me go," is all I have to say.

"Hmph," he utters condescendingly before continuing, "and that might be your greatest weakness, Tavon. I've managed to defeat you in a matter of minutes and all because of your limited proficiency. If I wanted to kill you right now, I could do so using your own subconscious. 'Sarabi' is manipulation at Imago's most basic level. All I have to do is establish a presence in your mind, locate your fears, and..."

Inen's face loses its form. It warps and changes.

Aaliyah's in front of me now. She smirks and brandishes a scalpel before my eyes.

"Let me go," I demand again as anger builds inside of me.

She moves closer, waving the blade close to my left cheek, then she cuts into my face with a swift slash.

"Within this little cage that you've built all by yourself, I'll break whatever will you have left."

Inen cuts me once more, and I lose it. I shout, "LET ME GO," and the glass walls containing me in the real world begin to crack. I regain consciousness to see webs of cracked glass in a dozen different spots. Inen steps back in shock, although it's only momentary.

I'm still floating in place, glaring back at my enemy as he chuckles to himself.

"Well," he begins, "that was unexpected. I'd assumed that you'd give up within the first hour, but you've shown considerable resistance...

"Very well, Tavon," Inen sighs. "I'm afraid I got too carried away. After all, why should I go so far for a mere simpleton."

Finally, the bastard walks away. Before he leaves, he speaks his last words to me: "I'll no longer be sending envoys to try to convince you to join us. No. Rather, from now on, you will only see my people when the time has come for your death.

"You've lost any protection you might have had, Tavon. Look out for yourself. Farewell."

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# 2

A New City

-

Aaliyah

-

I've got on a blue blazer on top of a black turtleneck, black pants too wide for me but better than that prison outfit Maxwell had me in. I've been busy trying to look professional, although it's likely all for nothing.

Maxwell locked me up. He trapped me inside of the Dawn Bureau's tomb, disappeared, and forced me to sit through his bullshit movie propaganda for eleven days. Constant grating noise for eleven days, with Maxwell reappearing at random moments to interrogate me about who I was on the inside. He replayed footage from eleven days ago, back when I was pressing a gun into Shenu's head. He has made me watch Shenu's death over and over again.

After he placed me on a temporary leave and released me from the Bureau, I was left with the image of red splattering across the ground.

I know that I'm going to have to go back.

I've been climbing the ladder of the justice department my whole life, looking for the right opportunity to change things for the better. Whenever I got stressed, I used to paint. I was never good at it, but my focus was always the same: to paint a better world. Besides, there's nothing better for me than picturing what a happy existence would be like.

I've climbed to the top of that ladder and found an obstacle I don't think I can overcome this time. I'd thought, at this point in my life--if I even made it this far--that I'd really be able to change the world in a way that made sense, and all I've succeeded in doing is bonding myself to a machine. I'll have to go back, because I'm still guilty of murder. I'll return, and then I suppose the punishment will go on. I've only been released because, ironically enough, I'm Maxwell's best candidate when it comes to communications with his adversary: the Democratic Council.

Enough time's passed to justify city-wide political action. The Council's arranged a conference today, one which will decide the future of the Dawn Federation.

As part of the conference, the Council has demanded that the Dawn Bureau disband and render its apologies, but Maxwell's sending me to do the exact opposite. He wants me to stand up for the Bureau... an organization I wish to destroy more than anything else.

And so I paint. I'm painting a world without Maxwell. Without Amour. Without the broken government of the Dawn Federation.

I paint, and then the Eye hidden underneath my blazer begins to tremble. With one vibration, I'm notified that one of Maxwell's sentinels has arrived outside my apartment. It feels like I've just gotten back, and yet I'm being called to my next task.

Tallah follows me to the door.

"Are you going to be okay? Will he let you come back?"

"I don't know. I'm sorry, but I don't have the answers anymore."

"What the hell do you mean?"

Tallah tries to grab me, but I push her away. She looks shocked, but I can't let myself show too much emotion. The less she knows the better she'll feel when I don't come back.

"There are forces greater than me at work here. How can you expect me to know what those assholes won't tell me?"

She doesn't say anything, so I hug her.

"I'll do everything I can to survive, Tallah, I promise you. We'll see each other again."

Before I leave, she asks me what I hoped she wouldn't: "Why did it have to be you? Couldn't someone else have done it?"

"No one else would've killed him," is my final response.

-

Later that day, as the Sun moves to hover directly over the Citadel, I arrive at a broad series of stone steps known as "The Superior Path," and they lead up to the Isolakandi Temple. Its towers stand as remnants from an age we could soon return to if what's happened in the Lower-City continues creeping upward.

I'm escorted by two sentinels, both simply here to keep me from trying to make a run for it. After passing through pearly white gates, clearing a domed lobby and opening a glass door panel into a small, square garden, I'm able to see the main building in which the conference should already be taking place by now.

I pass through a second lobby while on the way to the nearest elevator, then I ride the elevator to the highest floor. I come out onto the upper heights of the central tower; upon the blue roof which serves as a platform, a tenshu stands out with walls made from both netite and glass.

I enter the tenshu and am greeted by one of the Council's secretaries, who then has me take a seat in the marble-floored waiting area just below a set of carpeted steps leading into the conference chamber. I gather what courage I have left as I wait in place. In doing so, I quickly enter Zen State, where I clear my mind of all thoughts--the negative with the positive. Although the lack of control in my situation is unnerving, I'm resolved to make this work in my favor. If I can't save myself, then I might as well do my best to try to save other people.

"GOOD MORNING, MURDERER. ARE YOU LISTENING?"

"Yes."

Dammit. It's him.

"DID YOU REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR KOM CELL WITH YOU?"

"Yep."

"PLEASE ACTIVATE YOUR KOM CELL NOW."

I do as the machine says, and a colored hologram projects out to depicts a group of older men and women seated at a long table. Each is wearing the robes of the Federation, and I recognize them all as the members of what currently makes up the Democratic Council, plus one additional face who's also familiar.

"Maxwell," I ask aloud, "why are you showing me this?"

"I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO OBSERVE HOW YOUR OPPONENTS BEHAVE. YOUR OPINION OF THEM IS VALUABLE."

"I wish you'd thought of my 'valuable opinions' before throwing me in jail."

"OBSERVE, AALIYAH. OBSERVE AND REPORT."

-

"Without the President around as a reminder of what we fought for," Mosley, the Executive of Zone F begins, "I can't help but question the place of our religion in this new government."

"There shouldn't be any question at all," replies Zone D's Executive Isenwold. "Belief in Avva is sanctioned by Dharmanic Lord Isolakandi. Avva herself was a virtual paradigm of human perfection, so of course we should continue letting her written commandments guide our administration!"

"I disagree," says Lauren, the Executive of Zone A. "I'm sorry, Isenwold, but there's just not enough proof to indicate that Avva was anything but human."

"Pardon me--"

"Moreover, Avva's prophecies of the future were only likely outcomes, but that doesn't mean that we should base our policies off the oldest religion in the country."

"That's a very disrespectful line of reasoning, Executive Lauren," Mosley retorts with a scowl. "Avva means more to the people than all of us combined. Belief in her is how we've maintained our social contract with the people this far into what's been a total disaster."

"So we should keep deceiving them then?" Lauren asks him.

"There is no deception here, Executive. You cannot take away a peoples' god in the midst of a crisis and expect them to obey your authority. Why, after all, would you suggest any such course of action when we've barely a grip on the Citadel as it is. Hell, I need Avva."

"Executive Mosley, with all due respect, do you actually believe that Avva 'ascended?'"

"She died during childbirth," Zone C's Rulius speaks up. "The child she was carrying was cursed somehow, and it proved to be fatal."

"Either way," Isenwold responds without skipping a beat, "Avva was taken into the realm of Isolakandi, and Her purpose was always to minister unto ordinary humans."

"But we aren't ordinary humans, are we?" argues Mosley.

Executive Mosley leans back in his seat while a great ivory hall glows in the Sun behind him; he clasps his hands together and says, "We've been elected to represent the interests of the people. Everyone is depending on us--what, with Gozadalus threatening to overrun the Four Cities, Alandra waiting in the shadows, and monsters swarming throughout the Lower-City. If we fail in this administration, then this country will fail like the others before it." Mosley turns his head to look directly at Executive Lauren as he lectures her, "And that's why 'faith' is a necessary component of all our actions going forward. We must trust that we act in good faith with both Lord Isolakandi and the people, understand?"

"I... I apologize. I don't agree with this." she responds and shakes her head.

"Will you risk surrendering your esteemed position over it, Lauren?" Mosley inquires.

She pauses momentarily, then she replies, "No. If that's what it takes to control the chaos, then I have no choice."

"Since we're speaking of honoring traditions," Executive Jiaoxin of Zone B interjects, "how are we to handle President Dereikaund's son, Naomasa?"

"We won't." Mosley says with no clear emotion.

"For what reason?"

"The House of the President no longer exists as a legitimate power within the Citadel. Naomasa was once an heir to political power, but now he will merely be the heir of his family's wealth. This should work out well for him, as the many stresses of governing should not all be weathered by one man. I'm under the assumption that he has no real need of us, and so there's no reason to speak with him.

"This is a new government and thus a new city as well. The Democratic Council, with the addition of Staff Commander Asenso Ido and Secretaries Deandra and Lovan, constitutes what should now be known as the Republic of Avva. With our combined intellects, I'm confident that there's a brighter future ahead than anything Derek could've ever conceived.

"This is gonna be a long conference, ladies and gentlemen, and that's why our interrogation of the Dawn Bureau's leader is a priority if we're to discuss how to unite this country."

Executive Mosley peers down at what looks like his Kom Cell, then he quickly looks up and speaks, "Maxwell says he's here--oh, and there's one of our secretaries coming now. Good. Everything's going to be perfectly fine."

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# 3

The Interrogation

-

Aaliyah

-

"Miss Aaliyah--"

"'Commander' Aaliyah," I correct him just as a small, silver camera is placed atop a tripod at the center of the table and positioned facing me.

"This interview is being broadcasted across every major news station in the Citadel right now, and, according to our information, Maxwell is the Commander," Mosley says to me. "And you're his representative, am I right?"

"No. Maxwell let me out of my cage, and I chose to come here as the acting Commander. I represent myself."

The room gets quiet. Mosley raises one eyebrow and says condescendingly, "The mastermind behind the Dawn Bureau, Maxwell, chose you of all people to speak for his organization? Why can't he appear before the public himself? Why send a woman who shot a man in cold blood?"

"Were you there?"

I glare at him.

"No. And neither was Maxwell, so why can't he show his face after allowing our President to die? Do you understand the level of devastation that the Bureau is responsible for, 'Commander' Aaliyah?"

"Why do you act like you weren't a part of it?"

Almost everybody in the room gasps, then they all look at me with pure contempt as Mosley says, "I beg your pardon? The Democratic Council was the very backbone of Derek's Presidency."

"But you still wanted him replaced. You've all been waiting to replace him. Meanwhile, the rest of the world's been suffering. You let Amour Bali become too powerful, you let Noboros have its way with our city; you were all negligent."

"Amour Bali? You're talking about that lunatic behind the Shikomongo Corp?" Rulius exclaims as his eyes get wide. "Let me get this straight," he raises his voice, "you're accusing us of being complicit in a serial killer's actions? How could that be possible?"

"What I'm wondering is how the good Council allowed this 'serial killer' to live comfortably in the Upper-City for so long."

"Answer our questions first, miss--"

"Fucking 'Commander," I interrupt. "And I wasn't finished. I didn't come here to be attacked by people who've done nothing for this country."

"Ahem," Mosley presses on regardless, "the Dawn Bureau was supposed to reinforce our soldiers during the attack on the Four Cities, and, because your organization withdrew its entire damn army, all of us have suffered, Commander. Is that what you wanted?"

"No."

"So you didn't agree with Maxwell's order to hoard part of the nation's defenses to himself?"

"I had no part in that decision. Up to this point, I've had no power."

"Really?" Isenwold leans forward and presses his lips together under a great white beard. "And you say that you're in charge of the Bureau?"

I hesitate. If I tell them the truth, then the world might just fall apart. If the people of the Citadel find out about Maxwell's true nature...

"Are you okay?" Isenwold asks and, without waiting for an answer, proceeds with heavy condescension, "Is honesty and cooperation really too much for the Bureau? You were supposed to come here and apologize!"

Isenwold starts to stand, but Mosley puts his hand on his shoulder and says, "Easy. She did say that she had no power."

"Then why the hell are you here, lady?" Isenwold challenges me with a bold glare.

I reply flatly, "Because I'm interested in cooperation and honesty--but, more to the point, honesty."

Executive Lauren speaks up unexpectedly, "Are you safe?"

Before she said that, I had a different speech in mind. That very question gets me thinking.

"I can't tell you for sure if anyone's safe. As long as the Lower-City is in the hands of demons, everyone's life is in danger. As long as foreign nations are threatening our borders amidst a crisis, we have to be honest with each other."

I take a deep breath, then I begin--

"I have no real power, and I believe that this proves the same for everyone who's not a Council Member or Maxwell himself. I've been trying to keep from losing my home, my city, but all the Council and the Bureau care about is their private war. Even now, I promise you that sentinels are waiting outside of this building. All of them are prepared to obliterate the Council if you declare war against the Bureau.

"But I'm on neither your side nor Maxwell's. The greatest menace to the people is the same selfish leadership that has remained prevalent throughout the Federation's government."

Mosley, though red-faced and struggling to keep from shaking out of anger, interjects, "How dare you try to manipulate us! This is no longer the government of the Federation, and we could have you arrested right n--"

"Executive Mosley," Lauren cuts him off, "I want to hear what Commander Aaliyah has to say."

"Thank you," I nod in her direction and continue while facing the camera directly. "The truth is that the Dawn Bureau is under the control of an advanced form of artificial intelligence. A computer."

"A computer?" Isenwold leans toward me again with an expression of terror.

"Its name is Maxwell, but he's made up of the artificial minds of three different people, all conjoined into one super brain. He was designed with the intent of creating a 'just' society through his actions, which is what both the Council and Derek have been trying to do for years.

"Yet all we have is a cruel Citadel Prison and a bunch of psychotic groups like the Shikomongo Corporation. The President told us we lived in a utopia--so did you--but it's a lie.

"Who suffered the most from the attacks of Shenu and that demonic worm? It wasn't you--you've all lived in the Upper-City, in comfort and safety. You really think a civil war between the Council and the Bureau's going to improve things? Don't you understand that Maxwell's not going to surrender?"

"You mean he'll attack us no matter what we do?" Lauren worriedly asks.

"If the two of you can come to an agreement, Maxwell won't touch the Council--and he shouldn't. In the coming days, we'll need as much help as we can get if we're going to take back the Lower-City. Security for everyone and a proper rescue operation for the people down below is what we need, not a war of private interests.

"I believe that building a utopia is possible. One where the corpses of prisoners aren't repurposed to serve as Maxwell's soldiers. I believe in a utopia, but it can't be built without the people who make up this city. If you continue down the same path, the people will turn on you. The Bureau has enough strength to decimate the Council, and then our society would be ruled by a computer. If you don't drop this apology bullshit, it'll be more than just a simple mistake. The people need you to partner with Maxwell, and the public deserves to be enlightened much more than they were when the Citadel was under attack.

"I believe in a just society," I say to the camera and out of hope that I might reach those I need the most to finish what I started, "but it cannot exist unless we're all on the same page. I was Maxwell's detective in Zone H before the first catastrophe went down. A group of greedy predators launched an attack on civilians who didn't understand what zol was and therefore had no idea what to expect. The citizens have been kept in the dark for too long, and what they don't know has been hurting them all this time."

"How can you speak so confidently?" Mosley asks. "Did you come here to give us prophecies, Commander Aaliyah?"

"I came here because the Citadel deserves to know, from the Council, how we're going to survive what's coming next--that's what's most important. We don't have much time, and we deserve the right to know and to have a plan of action if you're making decisions that affect all of us. If anyone out there's listening, please..."

I take a second to collect myself.

"Save us. Take the city back as a united country and save everyone before it's too late for us to fight."

--

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# PART TWO

Isamael's Ring

--

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# 1

Temporary Master

--

Raiko

--

Just when I thought things were gonna come together, shit went south real quick. I thought Tavon would pull through, but he's been outta commission for over a damn week. They said he's in a coma, and now I'm on my own. Like I've always been.

Tavon told me his life story, started lecturing me a whole bunch, and then just passed out. He left behind his Kom Cell, but I can't figure out his password--so I have no money. I went to Shotobai for help, but his lazy ass brushed me off for a random girl and told me to meet him in two hours on the third floor's gym hall.

The cruiser we're all on isn't just one ship; it's connected with over a dozen cruisers of the same size, each one stacked either side by side or atop one another and separated into floors and halls. Altogether, I'd say there's around a hundred thousand people on board, but some of the lower floors can hold half that. This web of connected cruisers is mostly filled with Federation refugees, but the conditions on board are comfortable enough.

While Tavon's been knocked, I've found different spots throughout the fifth floor to sleep. No one ever bothers me--and there's air conditioning--so it's all fine; I still ain't been able to shower, though, and so I'm buggin' when I finally get to the gym. I thought Shotobai could help me out, but it looks like this dude has something else in mind.

On the third floor's top deck, I leave the main building that connects one giant sky ship to another; every one of them's got wide, metal bodies with pairs of long wings, and they all narrow into points at their cockpits. In the middle, a netite elevator is what keeps traffic flowin' up and down through central lobbies based on each floor. From the central lobby of the third floor to the gym held within the next building, my heels crunch over a long bed of gravel. Gravel turns to grey stone a little ways farther, and stone becomes green grass spread around a group of short, rounded mountains. It's easy to reach the top of the tallest one, and I climb my way onto a grassy plain surrounding what looks like a white cathedral. It's eight stories high; from where I'm standing, I hear shouting echoing right above--right from the highest levels. Instead of a cathedral, it really is what Shotobai said: a "gym hall."

Once I'm inside, where the walls shine white in between simplistic paintings of boxers in grey and red, I can see the Sun pouring in through the gaps in each story. There's only the stone floor at my feet, and I walk into a room that's full of grown men beating the shit out of each other.

In the gym hall, where holographic banners of every color hang from every corner and open space to represent each combatant, fighting's the rule of the day. Everyone's here to train. The center room on the first story feels too hot to breathe in. To my left and right, the first story connects into separate rooms, and, even in those rooms, motherfucka's are fightin' each other. Boxing, bare-knuckled boxing, mixed martial arts--straight up wrestling on thin black mats--and weapons training is scattered all over the area.

Hundreds and hundreds of fools are here to train before the tall statue of a god holding a trident, but, within all the chaos, I don't see anyone who knows how to use zol. I'm kinda tense as I try to avoid entire groups of combatants on my way through the middle, but no one seems to pay me any mind.

Shotobai's standing across the room with his back to the wall and right before a set of steps leading to the second story. We make eye contact, and he nods his head like we're cool. Dude looks too confident. I don't like it. He's got on loose, black pants and a tan, sleeveless jacket, and he's wearing a stupid red headband for no clear reason.

Before I can get close enough to say anything, the asshead turns his back to me and starts up the steps without a word. I follow behind him and into a dark passage that leads up for a while.

"Did you find your way here all right, kid?"

"Yeah," I tell him. "Just been hungry."

"Hungry?" He glances back as he asks, "Tavon didn't leave you any credits to use?"

"Nah."

"I see." Shoto scratches his head and sighs when we get to a room on the second floor lit by fluorescent lights and lined with walls made from bamboo paper. "Well, I suppose I can look out for you for the time being. I've already got a genzaon, though, and he's not exactly the most... approachable, if you catch my drift?"

I start to answer him as we continue walking, but Shotobai just stops. He stops so quick that I almost run into him and just before we've left the room and gone into the next gym hall.

He's staring hard at somebody who's standing near the door leading into the gym and studying a wide painting to my right. I study it, too, and see deep blue waves drawn crudely below an atmosphere of light blue. It looks simple, but the sharpness of the ocean against the soft sky draws me in for longer than I expect.

A weirdo with long, black hair and a black kimono turns to face us, but he doesn't show any emotion when he speaks.

"Hello, are you Shotobai?"

"Uh, yeah. How do you know my name?"

He smiles and says, "We're on the same team, aren't we?"

"What?"

"You are Shotobai, number seventeen, and I am number eleven. Inen's on board as well."

"Number eleven?" Shoto's voice breaks.

"Yes." He bows. "It's nice to make your acquaintance. They say you're very strong."

"Well, uh, I've still got a lot to learn."

"I know this might be on short notice," he says while totally ignoring Shoto's response, "but would you be interested in fighting me?"

Shoto pauses way longer than he should, but I can sense that he's scared. I don't know why, and I speak up for him, "I'm supposed to be a 'student,' so maybe watching you two go at it--"

"No thank you." Shoto replies with a nervous smile. "You see, I threw out my back the other day, so I don't think you'd be able to face me at my best right now."

"Hmm."

The stranger nods.

"Okay," he says. "Be on your way then."

"Right."

Shotobai tries to pat me on the back; I brush him off because I'm not his damn kid, and we enter the gym hall of the second story.

--

Across a room lined with hardwood floors and covered in spots by broad mats, a much smaller group of fighters square off against one another. In between regular strips of blue carpet running parallel to each other, the biggest groups of combatants aren't any larger than three people--and that's a good thing. The energy of the room feels much different with the presence of zol wielders.

Regardless of each fighter's background, every move looks more deliberate in comparison to the fights I saw below. Some of the barehanded brawls I see of are nonstop and explode with power from fellas built like tanks. Sparring matches involving swords and spears move a lot slower, but each movement is profound. I'm dumbfounded by the fact that dozens of Tavons are in the same room and all fighting each other. Not only do they gotta hold back from destroying the place, but every fight looks pretty lethal.

Shotobai manages to find an open space. I stay paranoid while looking around at swordsmen flashing across the room at speeds I can't even see!

"What's wrong," he asks with a sly smirk, "intimidated?"

"No. I'm not scared."

"It's all right to be if it's your first time. I was, too. When you've got a good grasp of what it's like to experience another person's tau, walking into a room full of them can be overwhelming. Every fighter here has some understanding of Jeigon: The Spectrum of Power. Let's see here..."

Shotobai takes out a small, leather-bound book from his black undershirt and flips through it to search for his notes.

I interrupt, "Yo, Shoto, why didn't you want to fight that guy back there? Did you know him?"

He freezes for a second, and, although he's not focusing on the book no more, Shoto doesn't look at me either.

"This is the first time I've seen him in a long time, actually. To be honest, kid," he looks over my head and says, "I don't think I'm ready to take him just yet.

"The guy we just spoke to is named Samazoshi, and he's about as strong as the big boss. If I can't defeat Inen, then I have no chance of stopping Samazoshi on my own."

"But why not spar with him a little, you know? Check him and see how you match up anyways?"

"Heh. Zoshi rarely ever spars with anyone without killing them. I don't know if it's on purpose or if he really hits that hard, but I've already been given my first contract--and training for it comes before everything else. Keep this in mind for when you become a Death Officer."

"You got your first contract? How? Is Grandmaster Kei still on board?"

"Relax, kid." Shoto snorts. "It came to me in a dream, if we're being honest here."

"A dream?" I can't believe it. "You think your dreams are telling you who to kill?"

"It was a single dream," he gets serious while trying to stare me down, "and you're not in a position to teach anyone, brat."

"My name's Raiko. Don't call me no other shit."

"Psh. Okay, Raik, do you wanna learn about the Maia Spectrum or not?"

"Sounds hard... but I'll try it."

Shotobai sits cross-legged and motions for me to sit across from him while holding up his book again.

"Jeigon and Maia are two separate spectrums, but combining the two constantly in training and in battle will start to change how your body develops, understand?"

"Nah. Not really."

"Well," he sighs while gesturing toward himself, "take me for example: I used to be a lot skinnier, but both Maia and Jeigon have hypertrophic effects when practiced. Over time, my body's grown to accommodate how much strength I'm gonna need going forward, and that's how I've gotten bigger with every training session."

"I think I got you, but I can't use Maia whenever I want like you can."

"That's because you don't know anything," he says, "and I'm here to show you what you need to know. You're going to trace a group of mandalas that you will learn to memorize. I'll expect you to meditate on each one--if we're doing this the traditional way, that is."

"What's the easier way?"

"We use blood," he says. "But that's not really my style." Shotobai winks. "It's not a good look to go around using blood rituals to summon whatever you want. Nah. Instead, Raik, you've got to understand the basics.

"The Maia Spectrum includes: Genesis, the art of creation; Dizogo, the art of destruction; and Divu, which is the art of fusion. There is a specialty for separating, or 'unfusing,' elements--Sedivu--but I'm not the best person to teach you about that."

"Who is?"

"Eh... well," Shoto scratches his chin, "Grandmaster Jia would be your best bet. I've heard that he's on board with us."

"Really? I've got to see him."

I stand up, but Shoto raises one hand and says, "Woah, woah! If you don't understand the basics, Raik, then he'll turn you away!"

"Then just teach me the basics real quick."

"That's not possible. I can only go over the fundamentals with you and hope for the best. You've gotta be more patient."

"Fine."

I sit down, and the longest lecture of my life commences.

--

Almost two hours in, and Shotobai's got me reading off a list of sutras while tracing the image of a metal fist within a bunch of complex-ass mandalas. I hate this shit, but the big dumb idiot urges me on. I don't feel no zol or "Awakening," and I don't understand what he means by "altering the nature of your tau."

The best I can accomplish is a clear mind. It's not much, but it's nice not to have my thoughts racin' all over the place. In that silence, I start to picture each mandala. Once I'm done tracin' 'em all, I'm supposed to meditate on the sutras he gave me, the mandalas, and the fist of metal I'm trying to bring forth into reality.

It feels unreal to me. Images I was struggling to build in my mind before press down like a necessity, like real objects copied from the abstract. Without a single thought in my head, each mandala spreads through my mind's eye like a hidden garden. I feel my blood get hot. My breathing slows down, and Shoto looks like he's about to lose his mind with excitement. I feel something brewing deep inside, like my veins could explode with molten gold at any second.

"You're getting close," Shoto exclaims. "There's a faint light running through you now. Focus more on the Ātman Mandala!"

I let my thoughts embrace the image he's talking about. I feel twice as much adrenaline as before. I'm doing it. I'm generating tau through my own focus!

"Oh, very good..." the voice of someone older than both of us echoes behind me and instantly breaks my concentration.

Shoto sees him before I do, and he rolls his eyes as he stands up and grunts in frustration.

"He was almost there, Artemis. If you would've waited a few more minutes..."

"I apologize."

Hearing his voice again ends the trance I was in. I quickly stand and turn to face him--

Someone whose skin looks like grey patchwork, with small slits covering his whole face. His eyes are grey, too, and he's wearing a red kimono that's got the symbol of a ruby-colored diamond on its back.

"Raik, this is Artemis Spilsbury. Number sixteen."

Artemis bows.

"The pleasure's all mine."

I don't know how to respond, so I just stare back at him. I remember Tavon talking about being attacked by this dude, so I already don't like him. Soon enough, though, Shoto gets tired of me being rude.

"You'll have to excuse him--he's a new genzaon and a little shy."

"Is that so? Does he belong to you?"

"No. He's Tavon's apprentice."

Artemis pauses briefly and takes a deep breath.

"Excellent."

It gets quiet. The two of them look each other over. I'm expecting Shotobai to strike at any time.

But that strike never comes.

"Is there something you wanted, Artemis?" Shoto crosses his arms and stamps his foot impatiently. He calms down before Artemis does; he's confident.

"There is a message I wish to relay to every member of Noboros on their way to Isamael's Ring."

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"Lord Inen requested that the Knight Murderer join us directly, and Tavon declined. He's given Noboros full permission to act however they please with regard to him. If you wanted to finish him off yourself, Shotobai, there's no one who would stop you."

Shoto nods.

"Gotcha. Is that all?"

Another short period of silence follows, then...

"Yes. I'd suggest you make your move before someone else does."

Artemis turns away and exits, and I'm pissed that he came all this way to threaten my old master's life. So far, Shoto's the only person in Noboros I like.

"I think we'd better stop for today. When's the last time you had any food, Raik?"

The question's a pretty cruel reminder.

"It's been a while," I admit. "I didn't wanna have to go around beggin', if you know what I mean?"

"Of course." Shoto puts his hand on my shoulder and smiles. "But you don't have to shy away from help, buddy. I try to be generous where I can. After all, I only became a Death Officer so I could kill bad guys and talk to women. C'mon,"--he heads for the exit--"let's hit the third floor's mess hall. They have the most food."

--

Shotobai's nice enough to cover the cost of my meal, and, because of him, I get to eat the best food I've ever tasted. They serve peppered steak, sirloin, lamb, goat, and meat I've never seen in my life. There's so much to eat that I've barely any time to talk, but Shoto's stuffing his face anyways and doesn't seem offended.

During the meal, as we're seated at a dark, heavily-cushioned booth with silvery white walls around us, he asks while wiping his mouth with his handkerchief, "So, Raik, why do you want to be a killer?"

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# 2

Number Thirteen

--

Raiko

--

"The night my folks got killed I didn't do the right thing. I was scared, like a fuckin' pussy, and I didn't get the justice I should've. My life has been a load of missteps, but I'm always pushed back to the question of whether or not I'm just a coward."

Shoto chews on a drumstick absentmindedly; "Hmm," is his only reply.

"Honestly, though," I continue, "I don't want to be scared of anyone. Heaven's picked me to be a Death Officer--I know it."

"That's the spirit." Shoto leans back with a smile and crosses his arms after taking one last bite. "But you know that it's normal to be scared, right?"

"Nah. It's what got them killed..."

Shoto stands up and pats me on the back. "Let's go, kid. I want you to meet Yashui. There are some things you might be able to learn from him that I can't teach you."

After leaving the mess hall, Shotobai starts toward the room he's rented out on the second floor. Before we get very far, though, he turns around and confronts me.

"About your mom and pops."

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry, Raiko. From here on out, your life is going to be one hell of an adventure, and I hope that makes up for it in some way. You don't need to worry anymore," Shoto points his thumb at himself, "I've got your back."

"Shoto?"

A woman with pink and blond hair woman rushes down the hallway in our direction.

"Huh?" he turns and immediately chuckles. "Oh, it's you! How've you been, Nimika?"

"I'm great! It's so good to see you again!" she breathes out hard while trying to catch her breath, then Nimika bows and hugs him.

Shotobai winks at me and says, "Go on ahead to Room 270. Yashui should be happy to meet you!"

--

Room 270 is just one wooden door out of over a hundred of them lining a long corridor. Down a dark hallway with walls of pale blue metal, I walk past a bunch of different folk. Along the way, I see lovers too drunk to get to their rooms; past that, and I walk by groups of grownups all talking at once but not really sayin' anything I can make out. Still farther down, and some dude in a long, dark coat stares straight at the wall opposite of him.

There are more like him, and I know because I pay attention to these things. The other ones don't wear normal clothes. It looks like they've got on trenchcoats with white and purple stripes, but there's no light past this point for me to see. Some of them nearby are wearing these weird tophats. All the light fixtures ahead have been taken out, and, at Room 252, there's suddenly an endless supply of these fools. None of them say anything, and all of them act like they're too preoccupied to deal with anyone. By the time I hit 259, the next weirdo I see leaning on the wall looks my way.

Most of his face is covered by a black veil, but I can just make out little beady eyes studyin' me. I think he's gonna say something, but he just nods and then looks off like the rest. I pass him warily, cause something don't feel right. Even continuing on my way, I can't stop myself from looking back, thinkin' this dude's gonna appear right behind me. I wanna know why they're gathered around here. Not knowing makes me anxious.

I get to 270 and with no more of those fools in sight. It must be just that section then, and I've got to be sure I ask Shoto about them later. For now, I knock three times and wait for an answer.

Nothing happens, so I knock three more times.

Silence again. I put my ear to the door and don't hear anything moving, so I keep knocking, and--

I hear a "click." The thick, wooden door snaps open, but there's no one behind it. Just white carpet covering the floor ahead--with black powder covering it in different spots--and a poster of a band I've never heard of called 'Roquenik.' My foot barely touches down on the carpet, and a voice calls out:

"Take another step and your head will burst open."

"W-What?"

I'm so dumbfounded that I almost keep going.

"I said that your head will explode if you take another step, so stop. Who are you?"

I turn to my left to see the ground descend into what looks like a wide basement area. Down below, I see the back of a kid in a black kimono who has wild, silver hair that reaches down to his shoulders.

"Uh, the name's Raiko. Your master sent me."

"My 'master?'" he ponders what I said for a minute, then he turns around:

Half of his face is covered by a prosthetic mask; the other half looks like the face of a boy younger than me, but both of his eyes look like bright yellow half-moons, and it creeps me out.

"You're Yashui, right?"

"Just 'Shui.'" He bows slightly. "And I have no master."

"Isn't Shotobai your teacher?"

"Shotobai is nothing short of an idiot--oh, and feel free to step this way."

At Shui's back are four aluminum counters, and all of them are either covered in beakers, vials, and flasks or books and paper. There are some bookshelves at his side and two bedrolls at the end of the room. From there, the basement area wraps around to a metal ladder that stretches as high as a hatch on the ceiling. The ceiling above the entrance is kinda low, and, from where I've walked, I now notice a black line running from the top of the front door to the opposite wall.

Shui notices it, too, and he says, "You came close to losing everything."

"What, were you gonna drop something down on me?"

"Yes." he replies a little too enthusiastically. "I'd assumed that another threat had come calling."

"You get a lot of those, huh?"

Shui sighs and closes his eyes. "Yes, and it is all because of that man."

"Yo, why do you hate Shoto so much? And what's all this stuff on the carpet--you know he's gonna kill you for this, right?"

"Pardon me, sir, but would you mind taking a few steps back?"

"Like this?" I do as he says, then he smiles all creepy like.

"Yes. Wait just a moment--"

Shui turns around to carefully pour ink down onto several sheets of paper. He traces a lead pencil through the ink, and something bangs against the ceiling.

Shui traces more, and that bang precedes something heavy. Behind me, a steel plate comes rollin' out from between the slit in the ceiling. It should've gone straight and crashed into the wooden door, but, just as someone tries opening it from the outside, it swerves along a line of powder that leads right to me.

It's too quick, even for Shotobai to catch as he steps through. The plate's set to burst my head open, and it strikes directly on my forehead.

Black particles explode around me, and I close my eyes while a whole lotta energy hits me at once. My thoughts melt away, and I see a red light that reaches toward a white sky with reds stars painted all over it. My vision fades, I see black, then I open my eyes.

Shotobai's standing with his hand extended my way; his forearm's suddenly blood red and ripped open in some spots. He scowls and yells at Shui, "What the hell is wrong with you, kid?"

Yashui surprises both of us. He stands tall and clenches his fists in a show of anger that I don't understand.

"You should've told me you were sending someone." He glares back at Shotobai. "I don't like company. Please keep this poor wretch away from me."

"You motherf--"

Shotobai stops me with his hand and makes his move. He slaps Yashui so hard that he falls on his side, shielding his face.

"See," Shoto puts his hands on his hips and says, "how would you feel if someone tried to bust your head open with a weight plate? What the hell, Yashui!"

Shui lies there and says nothin'. He's probably pretending to be knocked, but Shoto ain't fallin' for that shit. He picks up Shui by his kimono and orders, "Get back on your feet. Apologize to Raiko right now!"

Yashui keeps his eyes shut and crosses his arms.

"Go!" Shoto shoves him my way.

He doesn't try to make eye contact with me, so I look away too. Petty bastard. He just stares at the ground and says, "Sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Shoto asks.

"Hmph." He glances at me quickly before he says, "Sorry that you're such a waste of my time."

I start palmin' my fist with a whole lotta eager vitality all the sudden. I step to 'em.

"You wanna work this shit out man-to-man then? Nah. You won't. You just gonna play pussy, huh?"

I square up, but Shui doesn't seem like he knows how to make a fist. Just when I think he's gonna throw hands with me, Shoto steps in again.

"All right, all right." He tries to pat Shui on the shoulder, but Shui backs away and scowls at him.

"Psh. We get that you don't wanna associate with people, Yashui. Let me show our guest the 'project' I'm working on and he'll be out of your way."

"You're also unnecessary."

"Yeah? Well that's too bad, Yashui."

Shoto ignores his pupil for a second and guides me to the door that leads into the upper compartment of the room. "Don't mind him, kid," he says. "He hates everything that isn't a book."

Above the fake ceiling, I can see where Shui rigged one of Shoto's plates to swing down on a rope tied to a group of larger plates. The floor's covered in metal discs. This room's a private gym, with two weight benches across from us, one squat rack to the left, and a series of different-sized weights hung up on racks in the center. On the far end of the wall to my right, I see a metal desk that's set below a wide bulletin board covered in news articles along with a lot of bolded names written on sheets of paper connected to each other by tacks and strings of red yarn.

Shoto stops in front of the desk and sets his Kom Cell atop it. He browses through about three menus on its screen, then he pulls up the hologram of some kind of beast. It's got two curved horns growing out of a thick skull; four fangs poke out from its mouth, and long hair drapes over a body as big as an ape's.

"What's that thing supposed to be?"

"Hm." Shoto breathes in deep while stroking his chin in thought. "That's who the angel in the dream told me to chase. It's a human male, but everyone's calling him the 'Red Yokai.' About two years ago, he slaughtered his hometown far north of where we are. He moved on after that, and more towns in the Sadu Kingdom started to fall."

"Why'd he kill so many people?"

"No one knows." Shoto studies the board overhead. "He's been absolutely merciless in every one of his rampages. It got so bad that the Kingdom sent firing squads to take him out, but he kept growing the angrier they made him.

"The Red Yokai's mine to take care of now. There haven't been many sightings of him lately, but I'm sure that my mission's to find him. That's why I've been training as hard as I possibly can. Taking on a threat like this is gonna be awesome!"

"So we should train together then. Right now."

"Hah!" he says, "I can't tonight."

"What? Why?"

All he can give me is a weak smile.

"That girl I was talking to earlier wants to do a virtual chat!" He gives me a thumbs up. "She's really hot, so I'm looking forward to it."

"What was her name again?"

"I don't know," he says. "But it sure beats thinking about how I'm going to kill that thing all the time."

"C'mon, bro," I try to speak to him like an equal, "I know you ain't been getting enough training in with just Shui around. If we squared up, both of us would get better for sure. I could fight the Red Muscle Guy with you!"

"It's 'Red Yokai,' and Jamie's about to be online, dude."

"That's not her name, either. How do you not know--"

"Let me see if I can talk Shui into chilling out and letting you stay here. It's not going to work out if he keeps trying to murder you."

"Thanks, man," I reply as we're on the way back into Shui's study area, "but I want to train some more. If it means I've gotta go find Grandmaster Jia, then I guess I'll go lookin' for 'em."

"Wait up!" Shoto laughs at me. "I told you that he won't accept someone who's not already a master at their specialty--hey, you know what?"

"What, old man?"

"Watch it." he scorns me with one finger in the air, "I think I might have someone in mind. Someone who might be able to train you way better than I ever could.

"That's it. I'm gonna try to send a message to Hadrian, and I'm pretty sure that I saw him on the same floor as us earlier this week."

"I'll go find him then."

I turn to leave, but Shoto shouts, "Patience, kid!" he groans. "Geeze. It's not so safe out there at the moment. Some dude's been caught scamming the casino on the first floor, and word is that a lot of people on board happen to owe some hefty international debts. A bunch of creditors are lurking nearby, and they could be getting ready to strike any time now. You should take Yashui with you--Yashui?"

"No." he responds as he turns the page of one of his books without glancing at either of us.

"Dammit, kid. Why not? Can't you be a team player today?"

"No."

"Yashui!"

"My sister owns them."

Shoto furrows his brow.

"What?"

"The creditors. My sister is a shareholder in the casino here, and sometimes she hires crews to do her bidding. Next to these crews, there's a group of loan sharks here as well; they grift off my sister's success."

"Huh. Well, it's good to know who to watch out for--I don't gamble anyway. If you go with Raiko to find Hadrian, your sister's troops shouldn't bother you guys, right?"

"Yes." He nods with a broad smile. "But I'm not going."

"Why?"

"Because I don't like Raiko or Hadrian."

"Gah! You little--"

Shoto looks ready to hit him again, and I use that window to leave without another word.

The door's about to slam behind me when Shoto shouts, "Wait!"

But I'm already on my way down the hall. The weirdos in top hats are all gone.

--

I patrol the length of the hallway for a time, avoiding suspicion as I go back and forth. Both ways span a long distance, and so it must be an hour before I notice that traffic's picked up on the second floor.

When I see someone coming near Room 232 with two shields strapped to his back, I start to think I've got a good lead. From far away, I watch as he stops right before his room door and then... just stares at it.

Hadrian rolls his eyes,  sighs heavily, and walks away. Not far behind, I follow him back to the elevator and wait for him to get on and depart. His ride takes him up, and I try to guess what flashed through his mind before he changed his plans for this evening.

I board the elevator and ride up to the third floor. I rush to make it to the medical ward before he does...

--

Hadrian's got his eyes fixed on the domed hospital that's taking care of Tavon. He looks ready to go, and he clenches his fists while continuing to think something over in his head.

"Dammit!" he cries out, "Not today. Not yet."

Hadrian changes his plans once again, and then I'm following him back down the corridor of the third floor.

While no one else is around, I catch up with him, and I call out: "Hadrian!"

He spins quick--too quick, and he gives me an icy stare as he growls, "I know you've been following me. That's why I couldn't finish him, because I thought someone decent might be waiting for a fight. Instead, a little human showed up. Who are you?" he shouts while reaching for the two blue-and-green shields at his back.

"Hold on, man! I wanted to talk to you but didn't know when the right time was."

Hadrian straightens up and lets go of his shields.

"You're the human boy who was traveling with that killer. Why would you have any reason to talk to me?"

"I've got plenty of reasons, man. You were waiting in the medical ward to kill Tavon, right?"

He raises both eyebrows and says, "You knew why I was there and chose to confront me out in the open like this. It's... it's so simple-minded. Stupid, on your part. Were you thinking about challenging me?"

"Nah. My mentor got rocked, so I need a new teacher 'til he heals up."

"Are you serious?" Hadrian leans in and studies me with a big frown. "And you think that I'm the best person to teach you--ah, nevermind."

He slaps his palm against his forehead.

"Kid," he says as he points at me, "I'm going to kill your teacher tomorrow. After that, feel free to come avenge him."

With that, Hadrian walks away. And I let him.

He sounds serious, so I'll have to be sure I show up at the ward before he does. Matter of fact, I'll sleep close by and try to check on Tavon in the morning. Hadrian's crazy if he thinks he can attack a hospital to spite one guy, so my old teacher's the obvious choice in this situation, and he hasn't done wrong by me. Hadrian's just an asshole. With that knowledge, I begin to make my way back to the ward.

And, from a side hallway, somebody steps out of the shadows and blocks my way. Their aura hits me in a wave I didn't anticipate. I shudder as the air around me gets colder. Waves blacker than a trillion midnights flow from the body of the patchwork man, Artemis.

White blades jut out from the slits all over him, then they twirl together and wrap around to make a protective coat over his body. Artemis' arms and thighs expand and push out wide, grey veins that bulge and turn his limbs a greyish blue. A cowl made of bone and with the mouth of a shark covers his head; grey, shining eyes stalk me from within a jagged shell.

Artemis punches my way: a narrow blade extends from above his wrist, shoots out in a fragment, and soars just past and an inch to the right of my head before I hear the bastard chuckle to himself. The dickhead aims and shoots a second shard of bone at my face. I duck, and I'm greeted with a knee to the head.

Artemis kicks me in the stomach and knocks me to the floor like a fucking ragdoll.

"I'd thought you'd be more prepared than this."

He moves to stand over me with two swords of bone, but Artemis allows me to roll to the side and get back up instead of impaling me on the spot. If I had more time, I could create a weapon and smash his head armor in, but he's not going to give me that kind of opening.

"Are you sure we gotta do this?" I plead with him while keeping my fists up. "I asked Hadrian to be my teacher, but he said no. If you're really stronger than both Hadrian and Tavon, then you should be the one to train me, don't you think?"

"..."

Artemis extends the blades from above both of his wrists a little farther and rests them at his sides. He's composed, and he's not breaking his gaze at all.

"Look, man," I humble myself even more by throwing my hands up, "it doesn't make sense for us to fight. You could just teach me what you know, and I can defend you as your apprentice."

"Oh dear, can you truly not come to grips with your fate?"

"Excuse me, sir?"

I'm as sincere as I can be, but his bloodlust doesn't waver.

"As my way of showing appreciation toward your master," he says, "I'm going cut you up, little Raiko. Oh yes, I'm going to cut you up and spread you all across the medical ward. When Tavon wakes up, I'll have him walk out of the hospital and into the remains of his only friend.

"And then, little Raiko, I shall cut him down in a pool of your blood."

A blade shoots past my head, then Artemis is on me before I know it. He's ready to stab me in the chest with the shard of bone coming from his right hand, so I back away. Its sharp point whisks by, cuts my lower lip, and I keep steppin' back while he closes in. His eyes go dead. He swings; I sidestep and put my back to the wall. He thrusts.

Somethin' comes in like a missile. I see a fist strike into the top of Artemis' forearm. A shadowed figure appears, withdraws his fist, straightens it into a flat palm, and forces his hand through Artemis' right arm. Bones snap and fly out in bits. The stranger moves in to attack again, but Artemis leaps back just in time while clutching what's left of his arm. He leans over and groans.

"You...

"Have you been planning this ambush the whole time?"

"No." I hear the voice of my teacher.

Tavon flashes forward and aims a punch at Artemis. Artemis blocks with his left arm, and Tavon crushes it against his enemy's chest before blowing him backward with the force he's packin'.

"You were in my way." Tavon tells him.

Artemis nearly lands on his ass, but he catches himself and then comes to a kneel.

"Well," he says, "you've improved."

A blue, metal object rushes right behind the back of my head--

I hear the sound of chain-links straightening out--

A shield grazes Tavon and bangs against the wall at his back. It explodes when it connects and transforms into scalding hot water that sprays across my teacher's back.

He gasps, shocked momentarily, and then he starts to step toward Artemis again.

At the same time, Hadrian moves from behind Artemis and starts to retrieve his shield as it reforms, but Tavon grabs onto the shield's chain tightly and smirks.

Hadrian scowls. He snaps his fingers, radiates a deep blue aura, and his entire weapon evaporates into dust. In his other hand, he's still got one shield remaining and looks ready to send it.

"Number Thirteen, what a pleasant surprise," Artemis says while keeping his eyes on us. "I thought you'd turned your back on us."

"Heh." Hadrian laughs at his teammate. "I thought I sensed your presence before I left, so I decided to stay nearby and wait. I heard the struggle, and I knew it'd be a great time to come kill you. But the Knight Murderer of the Citadel's here. I've found stronger prey."

Artemis finally looks at him.

"As long as you're not here for my head, I might as well keep you up to date, Thirteen. Lord Inen has declared that you are irredeemable due to your recent actions."

"What?" Hadrian barks back arrogantly, "What 'actions?'"

"Why, your unsanctioned assassination attempt on Grandmaster Kei, of course. Inen ordered us to leave the Federation, but you stayed behind, and, as a result of that decision, one of our members was killed."

"That's all bullshit," Hadrian replies bitterly; he glances at us and says, "We're all free to do as we please, Artemis--it's always been that way. You should tell the boss to lighten up. All that stress will make him older. And weaker."

"There's no need to be foul-mouthed. I believe our friends here have provided you with the perfect opportunity to take back your pride."

"I never lost it. Why don't you get out of here while you can."

The bone dude stands to his feet and bows. At his sides, his arms are beginning to reform again. Regardless, he backs off.

"Mr. Thirteen," Artemis says before he goes, "if you take care of Tavon and his apprentice here, I'm certain that Lord Inen will forgive you. Please keep that in mind as you strike down your foe."

"Get out of here already!" Hadrian brushes him off and heads our way.

Tavon's dressed in the uniform of a Death Officer, a black kimono. He's removed the sleeves and looks well-rested. He yawns and stretches before getting into a boxing stance as Hadrian approaches.

"Keep your distance, kid," he says to me, "but don't run away. I want you to watch. Watch and learn everything you can."

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# 3

Glory

--

Hadrian

--

When I was a kid, my old man used to repeat the same thing to me constantly: "Your place is fixed in this world, and the best Hayashi is the one who knows his place."

He used to say, "Don't let your ambitions fool you. Those are of the world, and we are where we belong, son."

We lived under the caste system in Saizakune, and my old man would say to me, "Get used to the weight of things. Life will be hard for you, so trust in the system."

He kept saying these things to me up until the day our family lost everything. We were beggars for months and months, and I despised it, dreaded every moment of it. It all pissed me off--to think that someone like me could ever have a fixed, low-born destiny.

I left them behind. I went out on my own because I wanted to make a name for myself and to do so outside of a stupid caste system. I've made it so far, and yet there are people like this in the world. Shit.

--

The mass murderer, who the kid calls "Tavon," is sending chills down my spine.

I'm looking back, and I remember another insolent old man: Ayer Kei. That's what's bothering me--the fact that this human's aura is as strong as it is. As a shape made dark from the dim hallway, red and black fields of tau writhe and condense around him.

The way ahead's narrow, so I throw the shield I have left in a straight shot at his head!

Tavon slides under it, like I expect him to, and I let go of the shield. From my waistband, I draw a long katana just as he moves in for a strike.

He punches toward the center of my body, I block with a two-handed grip--

His fist shatters my blade, soars through, hits my chest, and I feel a wave of impact drive me back. Humans can't hit that hard! He's closing in without another moment's notice!

Tavon bounds forward and punches at my head with his built-up momentum. I cross my forearms in front of me to absorb the strike, and a tremendous weight bears down hard, tremendous enough to force my arms to bend. I step back, and he swings; I hold up one arm to block, and his fist connects like a concrete block slamming into bone. I lose feeling in my left arm, but I think I can still use it.

Tavon strikes with another punch, which I sidestep, and then he swings close enough to tear the skin off my shoulder. Using the hand I can feel as a conduit, I chant--

--MAIA: GENESIS--

I summon a shield without the attached chain-links. He almost punches at me again, but then he halts when seeming to remember that it explodes on contact.

I move inside his guard, forcing his back against the nearby wall, and I toss my shield right at him. Tavon moves to the side, the shield explodes--

--SHINTE--

As a portal to my private world opens in the wall, I tackle my opponent and force us both through a veil that thickens and solidifies as the two of us enter the vast ocean that makes up my solitary haven.

In this place, I can destroy him.

I'm about to push off, but Tavon grabs onto my right shin before I can get away. My speed naturally doubles within water, and I'm close to freeing myself just as his grip gets tighter. With one hand, he starts to crush my shin, but I slip away with enough speed to put a good amount of distance between us. Although he's already taken away feeling in one of my arms, the pain I have to deal with now is excruciating. My leg throbs. I'm facing Tavon, who hasn't missed breathed yet and stands at the ready. Smug dumbass.

A foul human like this couldn't be stronger than me. I can fight back now, and I'll make him breathe. That's all it takes.

--SHINTE--

I lead with a punch to the sternum, and Tavon steps back while shielding where I've hit him. I dart forward, punch again, and strike Tavon in the stomach. He buckles over, with a few bubbles escaping from his lips, but he doesn't give up. I attack once more, he evades me, grabs my arm, and uppercuts me hard in the stomach.

"Agh!"

Tavon uppercuts me a second time, then--

--SHINTE--

I soar away from him and then back again:

--SHINTE--

I chant, and I fly at him with everything I've got!

I swing with speed that causes my whole body to shake. I go for his stomach one more time, hoping to finally make him suffocate.

Just then, Tavon exhales. Bubbles hover up above scarlet tau. Tavon's right arm expands to twice its size. I move in, and he swings at my head--

--

The world's suddenly dry around me. Dry and dark.

"Damn, teach! Did you kill him?" I hear the voice of that stupid brat.

"Not yet. I just hit him really hard."

"Shut up!" I yell at them and quickly stand to my feet.

Too quickly. It feels like the world's coming up around me, and I slump over. Tavon relaxes his stances and taunts me, "Aren't you a part of Noboros? Ha! I thought you guys were supposed to be scary."

"Goddamn human. Shut the hell up!"

I rush him. I punch toward his face, but Tavon moves inside of my attack, pushes my arm to the side, and the power of a boulder collides with my chest when he strikes back.

It's all too much at once. I'm backing away from him, but he might just finish me off this time. Once again, I'm afraid--just like the last time. I hate him for this. I breathe in deep with what space I can get; I'll summon a sword right when he attacks and then run him through. I focus my thoughts in preparation and slow my breathing, remembering the Maia Sutras...

"Hey, you gonna do somethin' or you just gonna let teach make you look like a bitch?" the kid continues to taunt me.

"Fuck you, brat!"

I'm losing it. Tavon keeps getting closer. Why won't he stop...

Raiko holds his hands out to his sides and shrugs his shoulders as he says, "It's not my fault you can't win, yo. Be better."

That damn kid broke my concentration. Tavon smirks at me and gets into a boxing stance. "Are you ready to give up?" he asks.

"Fuck you, too," is my answer. "You must've made some pact with a demon. That doesn't mean I can't kill you, though."

I'm ready to summon my blade and plunge ahead. I brace myself, knowing for sure now that glory awaits me if I thrust a sword through his stomach!

"Well, well, now..." a voice startles both of us.

From behind me, a sinister aura reaches out--reaches out and crawls down my back like an electric jolt. I've never felt anything like it; it's a wholly different tau, as orange as the Sun before it sets.

"And just what are you two young gentlemen getting into at such a late hour? Oh my, and a third youth is observing--is fighting in a public hallway a new training method I haven't heard about?"

As soon as I turn to see who it is, I fall to my knees and prostrate myself.

"Grandmaster Jia! I'm sorry--I-I wasn't expecting you!"

Tavon stands in place. The kid has to remind him to pay his proper respects: "Yo, teach, be formal!"

"Oh!" the idiot exclaims and then prostrates himself, too.

Grandmaster Jia stoops over a wooden cane that he's using to prop himself up as he studies both of us. He's aged even more since the last time I saw him, at the Isamael School Tournament, and his white hair has almost completely receded. He's still got his pointed beard, and his dark yellow eyes pierce into the three of us as he goes on to say:

"I thought I sensed two power signatures raging at each other, one of which grew faint very quickly. It intrigued me, but mainly because it also happens to be very convenient.

"While I understand that you two young gentlemen would like very much to get back to your fierce hugging match," he strokes his beard as he says, "there's a problem I think the two of you would be the best suited to solve."

"What 'problem?'" Tavon asks as he sits up on his knees.

"It would appear that yet another young Way Seeker like yourselves is causing trouble in the casino of Observation Deck A. It's all the way down on the first floor, but, if you gentlemen wouldn't mind, I'd be much obliged to see this situation resolved peacefully.

"There's not much time to explain, and we should hurry on while we can. If this problem escalates any further, there's no guarantee that we'll make it to our destination safely."

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# 4

The Gambler

--

Tavon

--

The four of us stride quickly down the corridor of the first floor, with titanium steel walls on each side. Along the way, we weave around scattered groups of travelers. Not one Death Officer is among them, and most everyone is dressed well compared to our ragged-looking group. Some styles I recognize from the Citadel: blazers and polo shirts; greased hair; powdered-over complexions. People from other cities around the world rock all kinds of clashing styles, like silk robes, corduroy suits, kimonos, and leather jackets of every color.

Everyone's talking about the same thing, about a guy who can't lose a single bet. I overhear that he's been gambling nonstop at the casino for a few days now, and I start getting curious.

"Grandmaster Jia?" Hadrian is the only one who speaks up.

"Yes, young warrior?"

"Why do you need us to handle a silly publicity stunt?"

"Hmph." Jia ponders this for a while, then he exclaims, "Ha! Well, to be perfectly honest, my particular skillset is not suited to dealing with matters like these. For some reason, I can't seem to properly gauge this youth's power, and this, in and of itself, is worrisome."

"I see," Hadrian replies and nods. "Inen could've found a way to mask his aura and started a long game to rob the whole casino blind."

"Needless to say, the actions of one gambler have provoked the anger of the Iri Court Company, and they own the casino. Because we're under no official government's jurisdiction for the time being, Iri Court is sorting things out in their own way, albeit one that could have some nasty consequences if the two of you don't do something about it."

"Don't get it twisted," Hadrian forgets his formalities. "We're not friends. We only stopped fighting as a favor to you."

Right before the metallic door panel to the observatory's casino, Grandmaster Jia takes the time to turn and sternly admonish us both: "Now, now," he winks with one finger raised in the air, "there's no need for Tavon here to finish what he started. You've both walked away from that foolishness with lessons that can't be taught in a classroom, and so you should thank Dharmanic Lord Sivattokun for the experience and move on to greater pursuits. That is the Way, and so it shall be."

Jia moves his hand over a bright blue scanner built into a wall panel; the door slides open as the scanner records and stores the shape of his hand in its database. It does the same to us, then we enter a great big room with a view and with a sparkling glass ceiling which clears at its focal point: Cherry Blossom River.

This far West, the clouds condense to form what looks like solid ground below us. From white to gold and then from gold to pink, nearly every cloud around us becomes uniform in color and thickens to look like small, rose islands drifting past us as we steadily approach a gigantic river in the sky. About a hundred miles before it and closer to us, a colossal wave of light cuts down into the Earth and extends far above the clouds in a translucent, radiant green. It's known as the Emerald Rift, a giant gateway which leads from one realm to another. The emerald portal begins not so far ahead and reaches on until meeting a second rift, which then divides this world once again. Crossing through it's said to be harmless, and, on the other side, I'll be able to see the river up close.

The Rift shines with green light that falls over the glass and gives the whole room an emerald tint. The floor's lined with thick, black carpet embroidered with golden tracings, and it glows with the yellow neon patterns emitted from within it. There are arcade systems everywhere and all crowded into the same room as virtual reality simulators, electronic games of chess and unik, and even long, steel counters replete with gamers competing against each other in teams.

On a holographic screen high above and to my right, I see both stock values and gamer scores positioned alongside each other. Some of the player teams have established brand names, and it appears that they're able to turn their reputations for profit, with it increasing or decreasing based on the matches they win or lose. These players either compete in teams, in simulated warfare, or they play fighting games to boost their statuses. Aside from the basic arcade games and competitive esports, the only other way to strike a profit seems to be two of the biggest machines in the center of the room. They look like mega computers, and a huge crowd has gathered around them.

A bunch of trenchcoat-wearing strangers with goggles, tophats, and scarves covering their faces are starting to form a loose ring around someone I can't make out in all the commotion. I start toward the center, but a red-haired dude wearing a grey cardigan over a white shirt and tacky red pants steps in front of us and tries to shake my hand.

"Hey, brother, don't pay them any mind; it's just some gang-related business."

I don't shake it. He continues talking anyways while gesturing toward what's now a perfect ring of strangers in tophats, "Somebody got caught rigging the system. He'd already costed the casino quite a bit, but then he did something weird, something that really made them angry."

"What's that?" Hadrian asks before I can.

"Ha," he chuckles, "that idiot went around giving everybody the money he cheated out of the casino, so there's no way he can pay Iri Court back, even with the money he's making now, and everyone in the room's rich except for him. Can you believe it?"

"What's his name?" I ask him.

"I think he said it was Simon--yeah, definitely Simon. He came to talk to me about my company, and I convinced him to become an investor. Simon believed in my vision, and I think I can help you all out, too."

"What do you mean?"

He grins.

"I'm so glad you asked, brother. I'm working with Highest Minds, a movement that's going to change the world, and we only seek out the smartest people to join us. I hope you fellas are ready to make a lot of money, because, after your first investment, you'll--"

I shoulder my way past him. Hadrian and Raiko do the same thing. Grandmaster Jia frowns as he walks by, and he says to him, "You've been humored once. It's best not to be too greedy."

While continuing on to intercept the ring of trenchcoats, I notice that others have set up stands to promote vague products that don't appear to exist yet. I notice banners advertising "Wealth Fund," "Bliss In Unity," and "Best Paths Incorporated" among several other groups promising some sort of weird prestige obtainable through a paid membership.

"Everyone here's already taken advantage of a golden opportunity," Hadrian remarks.

"Damn right." Raiko nods his head.

Once we approach the group of weirdos, Grandmaster Jia speaks for us and prompts all of them to suddenly face our way. There's too many of them to see the person they've held up, but I'm still trying to catch a glimpse.

"My name is Grandmaster Jia Heuxong, of Gi-Io. I'm the Founder of the Heuxong School of Pythagorean Martial Arts. Please allow me to intercede on the behalf of whoever's offended you."

One of them steps in front of the rest and removes his mask. I see the dull face of someone with black hair and eyes without pupils. A subtle, red aura flows out from his body, and red spheres of light appear in place of where his pupils should be.

"Forgive me, Grandmaster," I hear the voice of a young woman speaking through him, "but there is little else to be done about this criminal's intolerable behavior."

"And how, might I ask, has this 'criminal' acted wrongly?"

"He hacked into the casino's gaming systems and stole money from a company I've a vested interest in. He never lost a match, and so he was moved to the most difficult game Iri Court has: a series of competitions against a supercomputer, 'Vi.' It's impossible for any human to beat Vi, but this conman did it. He stole more money, then he gave it out to every pyramid scheme in the damn room!"

"Wait a minute!" Raiko shouts, "We wanna see him. Maybe he's telling the truth!"

"Pfft. He's a liar and a cheat. He WILL pay Iri Court back the money he owes them."

With those words, she and the rest of the strangers part before us.

I see him leaning over a computer console, playing some game that has him piloting a ship and shooting back at enemies to stay alive. Instead of a normal game, however, this one generates hundreds of enemies at a time; simultaneously, the player moves so fast that his avatar on the screen becomes a blur. Even against impossible odds, he's winning.

"Silo!" I yell without thinking.

Silo turns rapidly, and his avatar is blasted into oblivion. He briefly glances back and then groans, "Shit."

"That's another thousand Iri Credits you owe Iri Court."

"I know," Silo replies without any emotion. "I apologize for my failure."

"Hey!" I'm the first to approach him. "You don't have to apologize for anything, Silo. They're upset that you beat them at their own game, but Iri Court should get over it."

"Excuse me?" the speaker for the thugs steps my way.

I go to confront her, but, suddenly, I sense the power of someone's tau behind me. I turn: one of the ambushers somehow swept past without me noticing! He punches Silo in the stomach--

And his hand crumples inward. He doesn't cry out; instead, I hear the same female voice that belonged to the previous speaker say, "He's tougher than he looks, or maybe this body's too weak."

Grandmaster Jia nudges Raiko and gestures for him to follow as he puts some distance between us.

"Tavon," Silo speaks so loudly and without emotion that I'm a little startled.

"What?"

Silo's attacker moves away before I can strike, and the stupid thugs surround both of us.

"I used microcables to link my hardware with each device I accessed. The codes used to program their games isn't much different from Vitality Logger's outdated version. Even if the win parameters of nearly every game have been set to unobtainable limits, I have still done something dishonorable. They are correct in their accusation."

I feel that same pulsation of aura from before...

One of the ambushers appears at my side. He jabs me in the ribs, and I slam my elbow into his head, breaking his neck.

A second thug disappears and instantly reappears behind me. I crouch low and use my elbow again to break the ribs of my next opponent.

A third emerges, and I use the fingers of my flattened palm to crush his throat.

The circle around me's gotten smaller, but no one else attacks right away. They all have one thing in common: when a fourth attacker swings his katana at my head, I punch and break his goggles against a pair of glowing red eyes. When I strike down two more, I catch a glimpse of red eyes from both of them as well. They eventually stop, and then all of them remove their goggles. Crimson scowls beam back at me in unison, then they part to make way for a tall woman with short, black bangs and purple halos for eyes. Instead of pupils, golden marks that look like tiger stripes study me closely.

She's rocking a purple leather jacket and black, corduroy pants; miniature, gold fans hang from the loops of her wide earrings. Her expression softens a bit when she speaks to me, "Goodness, there's not a scratch on you. Ugh," she sighs, "it's pointless to keep using duds to handle this matter."

The young woman huffs and snaps her fingers. Every last one of her henchmen drops to the ground.

"What the--did you kill them?"

"No. Of course not," she says, "I'll probably need them for later. However, being under my spell can be draining for people. No, sir, the only ones who got injured were the ones who tried to fight you."

"I wasn't going to let them hurt Silo, and you used them to try to kill me."

"Hehe," she laughs and smiles while shutting her eyes, "I'm not angry with you."

"You're... you're not?"

"No, silly."

She bows and then looks into my eyes sincerely as she says, "My name is Nasuka Agakuren, Iri Court's biggest shareholder and the most influential member of the Agakuren Family. The men you slaughtered are known as my crows, and they act as extensions of myself wherever I go. I can move them anywhere I please and in under second. If I wanted, sir, I could teleport them all to where you are and send the signal to strike."

"Please don't."

"Don't worry," she chuckles. "There might not be a need for that after all. Besides," her eyes meet mine again, "if I wanted to dispose of you, I would do it myself. But now that I've witnessed what you can do, I think there might be a bright future for you as one of my crows."

"I've already got another obligation."

"Ugh. Are you another Death Officer?"

"Yeah. While I'm sure being a 'crow' is nice and everything, I don't think it would suit me."

"Hmm..." she pauses to look away as she thinks to herself.

"Vey well," Nasuka stares past me, "Silo will either be executed or bound to us in debt until he can offer an appropriate remittance."

She starts toward Silo, but I stop her, "Isn't there another way we can work this out, Nasuka? You see, Silo's not exactly..."

"Not exactly what? Honest? Hardworking?"

"Human."

"What do you mean?" She glances over at him and then back at me. "What is he then?"

"I'm an android," he speaks up for himself. "I apologize for being an inconvenience."

"Yeah? Well, an apology's not going to restore Iri Court's stock market value. Also, androids aren't considered people in most jurisdictions, so I'm well within my rights to 'confiscate' you as renegade property."

"So am I."

Again, I stand in front of my friend.

"I can't be one of your crows, but I'll do anything it takes to restore Silo's reputation. He's got skills that go beyond what humans can do, so I think you should cut him some slack."

"He's a computer who hacked into a bunch of dumber computers, fool! Don't lose your life over a conniving machine."

"If Silo can hack Iri Court's games, then why don't you use him to help your company make better games?"

Nasuka hesitates, then she says without looking at either of us, "You're right that he's useful when it comes to breaking into other machines, but I think I might need your cooperation more than I need his."

"Okay. How so?"

"Most of the money he ripped from us has been spent, but who all was this money given to is the question?"

"Highest Minds, The Parallex Campaign, The Neotech Firm, Th--"

"You really donated to every grifter who approached you? Why?" she examines him with mixed feelings of bewilderment and rage.

Silo, great guy, doesn't show any emotion at all. "Because they asked me to," he says and then smiles innocently.

"That's it?" she exclaims. "You ripped off a casino just so you could give the money away to a bunch of people panhandling pyramid schemes? You gave our money to business startups that might never even exist?"

"To clarify," Silo says, "I did not link myself with your machines for the money specifically. Any credits I earned were a convenience."

"What?" Nasuka is now completely taken aback.

Silo looks at me as he explains, "My body was running short of available energy; thus, I connected my circuits with every machine I used in order to siphon the energy from each of them. It has taken almost every game this casino possesses to feel alive again."

Nasuka stares at Silo in utter confusion for a long time. At last, she gives up trying to explain anything to him. She addresses me instead with a glare, "We need to get that money back. You need to get it. Go find those fake companies and make them transfer their credits back through payments to Iri Court."

"If I may interrupt," Grandmaster Jia clears his throat as he approaches with Raiko and Hadrian in tow, "I believe that the money you recover from these conmen would be better spent on more vulnerable people."

Nasuka makes eye contact with Jia, then she bows stiffly. "It's good to see you, Grandmaster. What are you suggesting we do?"

"Well now," he smirks and scratches his beard with a look of consternation, "I'm afraid that I'll have to condemn this whole operation from the get-go.

"Ahem! Your so-called 'criminal' over there not only avoided losing this entire time, but I heard that young man clearly say that the parameters Iri Court set for winning were unfair. In that case, it's only fair that Iri Court forfeits the money due to its own scheming and incompetence--yet to have the indecency to send a hit squad after this bright gambler is completely unprofessional!

"Miss Nasuka," he says loudly, "you should apologize for attacking Silo."

"But, but--"

"Come now, what has been done here is a matter that has twisted itself out of proportion. Money has changed hands and gone to greedy men, and Silo's charity has been wasted. Young Silo?"

"Yes, sir?"

Silo doesn't bow but looks straight into Jia's eyes.

"If you can hack the systems here, then can you tap into a basic Kom Cell?"

"With microcables, I can very likely override any physical hardware. Manipulating information stored within a cloud is more difficult."

"Hmm. Very well!" Jia announces without waiting for anyone else to have their say. "I've decided how we should proceed from here.

"This young man,"--he points to me--"is skilled in the Jeigon Spectrum. Therefore, he should be the one to reclaim the money."

I'm surprised at the suggestion that I go through with robbing all of these companies, but Jia continues with extreme confidence, "Before this great vessel left the Citadel, the Federation experienced a crisis which forced thousands of refugees to flee because they doubted their safety behind its walls. Some of these people are without any real means to survive. They'll be carried as far as this ship will go, but I fear that debtors and slavers will soon begin to circle them like vultures.

"In order to mitigate their suffering, the most righteous action would be to take the forfeited expenses and to have Silo wire the credits into their accounts, the same sum for each and at least enough for them to feed themselves. As the Grandmaster of Gi-Io and a follower of the Way of Sivattokun, this is my will, and I kindly ask that you all follow it as well."

"Psh." Nasuka clenches her fists and spits on the ground in disgust. "And how do you expect me to recover the lost expenses? What am I supposed to do?"

"Be at ease, young lady," he holds up one hand defensively and replies, "if it truly is an emergency, I will cover this man's debt. In honor of my spoken will, I'm willing to commit seppuku if that's what it takes to convince you. Shall I cut open my stomach to demonstrate that the Way reigns above all, or will you cooperate with us?"

Nasuka is at a loss. After cycling through several emotions, she consents with a nod. "Okay. I think we can work something out. I'll let Silo go--but only under the condition that he pays half of what he owes me over time. It doesn't have to be right away, and he can work it off, but it's only fair that he shows his due respect. If his friend here can get the job done quickly, then I might lower his debt a little."

"Fair enough," Jia replies and looks to me and Silo.

We both nod, and an agreement's struck that manages to keep us all out of harm's way. Nasuka doesn't bother with us after that and wakes her crows up before departing.

"Thank you, Grandmaster."

I bow to him, but he gestures for me to relax with his hand and laughs in amusement, "No, thank you, young man. Had I not stopped you sooner, there's no telling how many of those innocent followers you would've killed--you would've gotten blood everywhere! You really are a brutal sort, but you've shown enormous potential behind that savagery. Were I an expert in Jeigon, I'd love to have you as a student."

"Do you know someone who can teach me?"

"Not personally, I'm afraid, but I do know that there are at least three other Grandmasters who specialize in the Jeigon Spectrum. As far you're concerned, however, I'd suggest you seek out Grandmaster Ao Guang."

For a moment, he looks into my eyes with a stern glare.

"Grandmaster Ao is a specialist in both the Rouketin and Jeigon Spectrums, but he shows no kindness toward potential students."

"What do you mean by that?" Raiko asks him.

"I mean that Tavon has a distinct second aura and that this aura must be refined lest it bring ruin to those in his company. Even so, Ao Guang is a cruel man. You must meet with him soon but not so soon that he kills you in your first sparring session with him. Young man," he addresses me, "where is your target?"

His question takes me off guard, makes me dig through my head to find the memory of that dream...

"He's in Saizakune."

Jia nods and says, "On the way there, be sure you take your apprentice to Zannica, The Dreaming City. He's bright, although he may not sound like it at first."

"What, old ma--" I cover Raiko's mouth before he can say anything else.

The Grandmaster continues on without paying the kid any attention: "Once you've proven yourself to Ao Guang, I'll expect you to visit me and Silo at Gi-Io."

"You and Silo?"

"Indeed," Jia nods more vigorously, "I've heard of his case via the Federation News Network, and I'd like for him to come with me and better himself at the City of Androids--that is, after he's finished paying back what he owes."

"I am grateful," Silo's quick to respond. "Gi-Io is where I need to be."

"Ah, see, your friend's got sense."

"Silo, are you sure you don't want us to come with you?" I ask him.

"If you're following him, I'm not going with you!" Hadrian objects too loudly, and I immediately contemplate fighting him again.

"Chill out," I tell him, "nobody said you were going. I just don't want Silo getting kidnapped on the way."

"And I'll see to it that no one bothers your friend. He's a valuable asset to have on my team, after all."

"Hmph. Well, it'll be a shame to lose you, Silo, but I wish you luck once we part ways."

"I'm fortunate to have found humans, 'friends,' who still wish to associate with me," he replies.

"It's no problem, Si. Let me know if you need any help before we split up."

"Very well!" Jia declares, "Once we've reached Inuyo Port, just outside of Isamael's Ring, we shall be on our way to Gi-Io."

Grandmaster Jia bows to us and then takes his leave.

--

We just make it to the hallway outside when another argument breaks out.

"Yo, man," Raiko starts, "you should have Silo's ass stay. We need his firepower!"

"No. What we need to do is get some training in as soon as possible."

"Hmph!" Hadrian snorts, "Now you care about improving yourself. You spent so much time being a dumb brute--"

"Shut the fuck up, loser!" Raiko yells.

"Why you!" Hadrian steps toward him with a clenched fist.

Silo stays put in his aloofness, and I move to intervene, but a newcomer interrupts all of us with a big, cheesy smile.

"What's up, gentlemen?"

It's the red-haired conman from before. He starts talking right away, "That fight back there was awesome! You were amazing, dude--let me buy you all a round of drinks and explain more about what it is that I do. Sound good?"

I don't shake his hand, but he keeps going:

"Highest Minds has changed my life. It shows you who you are on the inside, and only people like you all would appreciate something like that, am I right? You guys have got to get in on this--make money with me!"

"You know, I think we'd all like that, too."--I look over at my apprentice--"Hey Raik, you should take this one. He's more on your level."

"Man, whatever," he shakes his head and restlessly moves toward the conman. "I'll take care of it."

"Pardon me?" the conman leans forward to hear the kid.

Raiko punches him in the face.

|  |

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# 5

Sworn Brothers

--

Tavon

--

The four of us spend all night trying to track down each pyramid scheme Silo funded. We manage to extort the money back from at least four different groups, and what we salvage totals fifty thousand in Iri Credits, a fourth of what Silo owes. It's already long past midnight by the time we all agree to take a break and meet up at the gym hall on the third floor tomorrow.

Raiko gives me back my Kom Cell, and I log in to see my first stipend from the Angelos Association: ten thousand in Universal Trade Credits. It's convertible to most other currencies and more than enough to score a decent hotel room for the next two days, so I hit check-in before the Sun rises and reserve a two-bedroom studio suite. We try to get a three-bedroom, but Silo fights us and swears he only needs two hours of sleep anyways. He resolves himself to sleep on the ground no matter what we say.

Raiko's too excited for how late it is; he comments the whole time, saying, "Yo, you shoulda went with the hotel on the second floor. They got a jacuzzi and good room service and..."

I ignore him while getting ready for bed.

As the kid keeps going on and on, and Silo makes pointless observations here and there, I fall asleep, forgetting the world around me.

--

The next morning, Raiko, Silo, and I visit the refugees on the first floor. We quickly find out that the thousands of people who fled from the Federation were squeezed into a group of "emergency cabins," or, one general area that's too small for the amount of those seeking asylum elsewhere. The ones without connections in high places send petitions to different human governments around the world, and all they can do is wait to find shelter in the civilizations that will take them.

When we make our way down the dimly-lit, metal alley housing the majority of the refugees, we're met with downtrodden people who haven't showered or had the money to reserve any food for themselves.

Silo's the friendliest of us all, and so those bold enough to approach us go to him first. Anyone who asks and who owns a Kom Cell is able to have the credits we recovered converted and then transferred into their respective accounts. Still, not everyone has an account, and so we ask them to share fifty thousand between themselves until we can get more. Silo's head is a database of information about the people he's met; thus, we now know that we've at least nine more of his greediest new friends to extort.

After we leave the first floor, we decide to track down a few more of the conmen from yesterday on our way to the third floor. By the time we come out onto the third floor's outside deck, we've shaken down three more of them and recovered seventy thousand as a result.

The Sun's at its peak, and Inuyo Port hovers at a moderate distance from us. From where I'm standing, it resembles a giant pillar of stone that's been chipped away at its top. A thin, white ring encircles its bottom; blue flames flare down into the rose clouds below it.

Inuyo port is where all floors and rooms of this super cruiser will separate and where a great vessel becomes three ships. We'll dock soon, figure out which cruiser to board from there, and then head on to Isamael's Ring. But while I've got the time, and in between extortions, I'm taking Raiko and Silo to the gym hall--less for their sakes and more for mine. Grandmaster Ao Guang sounds like a pretty tough guy; besides, I feel out of shape.

We climb the white cathedral's steps until reaching the fourth and highest story. The lower levels are packed, and so is the room we enter, with mats scattered all around shining hardwood floors. There are glass windows for walls, and we get a clear view of our cruiser passing through the vapor-like tides of the Emerald Rift, which itself spans several miles in width. Beyond that, the Cherry Blossom River streams through a massive structure in the shape of a ring, with great blue windows that glint in the Sun and reflect a group of private sectors all combined into a circular form. The ring itself rotates slowly, and the river that passes through its center reaches up into a misty veil of rose-colored clouds, as if the way to Heaven is just above them.

"This shit's beautiful," Raiko exclaims in wonder.

"It's as he says: aesthetically pleasant," Silo repeats his sentiment, and yet I'm distracted by something else.

Someone steps in front of me, someone jacked and holding large weight plates in both hands.

"Shotobai," I address him.

He doesn't respond and stares at me for a moment.

"You know that I've been ordered to kill you, right?"

I'm not sure why, but I can't help but smile.

"Did 'The One Who Impales' come crying to you about our fight?"

"Nope." Shotobai shakes his head but remains serious. "He went crying to Inen. Remember how you pissed him off the first time? Yeah? Well, you pissed him off enough to put a target on your head. If someone who's not me sees you, Tavon, you'd better be ready to fight for your life. Don't you think you could've joined and saved yourself all the pain to come?"

"To be honest, I don't care enough about them to be concerned anymore. When I was a kid, I dreamt of bashing the Demon Knight's head in because he killed Setiawan. If he finds me, I can settle that debt."

"Oh boy!" Shotobai smiles, thinks over what I've just told him, and then chuckles. "You never change." He grabs my shoulder and says, "If you're gonna be so hardheaded about it, then I'll give you credit for hitting the gym to prepare."

"You wanna have a sparring session, Shoto?"

He smirks. "That's a good id--"

"He'll have to wait."

Hadrian approaches from behind me, and I stagger away before he can get too close. Shotobai tenses up and grips both of his plates more tightly, and the former Shieldbearer of Noboros studies me with a smirk.

"Now that we're in the open," he says, "you'll be at a disadvantage."

"Are you kidding me?" I feel my aura spike involuntarily. "You can't even use both arms properly! You should be resting up, Hadrian."

He grits his teeth and flares his nostrils. "I have no more loyalty in my heart for Inen's stupid gang, but I know I have to beat you in order to prove how capable I really am."

"Fine." I cross my arms over my chest. "But you'll have to wait."

"For what, you fool?"

"Until I have the time."

"Agh! You're being a--"Hadrian starts to scream, but Shoto cuts him off and says, "Wait! The two of you have already fought each other? You both survived?" he gasps. "The two of you are almost equally hated by Noboros at this point--hmph!--and so it's stupid for you to keep trying to kill each other."

A brief silence follows, and, in that silence, every one of us emits a field of tau. Shoto's aura becomes a crimson flame that reaches far above him; Hadrian's revolves around him like a misshapen, aquatic sphere; my own tau splits into black and red rivulets that flows across my body; and even Raiko's zol presents as a golden glow that envelops him.

Everyone else on the same floor stops what they're doing to watch us all bickering. While Silo sits down and crosses his legs, gasps and murmurs are heard all around; several begin hurrying toward the exit, and a few stay behind to survey what's about to happen.

"Raiko," I address my apprentice with full authority, "I want to see what you've learned since I haven't been around."

"Wait, what?" the kid's voice breaks.

"I know we've only meditated and talked about how shitty our lives used to be, but you've also watched me fight. You can summon a weapon to fight with as well, which is useful, but today I just want you to try to box me."

"I-I don't think I--"

"Hey, kid, all you have to do is give it your best shot. Throw your hardest punch my way, and we'll see what you can do."

Raiko hesitates, then he nods while keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. "Right. Okay," he says as he balls up both fists and confronts me. "I got this."

--

He swings at my head, much too slowly, and I catch his fist in place. Raiko moves in for a kick, and I push him on his ass with the palm of my hand. He gets up, jumps, and whirlwind kicks at my head; I catch his leg, breaking his momentum, and toss him to tumble onto the mat.

Raiko growls and goes for a tackle. His shoulder slams into my abdomen, but I hardly feel it. Just as this kid looks up at me in fear, I force him back with the palm of my hand again. Raiko tries to catch himself, but he falls over and cries, "Fuck!"

"What's wrong, Raiko? Does baby need a nap?"

"Shut the hell up!" he glares with dark tenacity.

"I'm not making fun of you," I put my hands up defensively. "I'm asking you if you're really testing yourself right now. Are you?"

He grunts and, in the middle of a mad charge, directs an overhead swing my way. Raiko throws all of his momentum into this attack, but I dash under him, grab his shins, and throw him over me before he can land it. Raiko somersaults as he hits the mat and then spins himself around to charge at me again. His footing is awkward, so I throw him to the mat before he can make an impact, and Raiko curses, banging both fists into the padding.

"It's not,"--he gasps for breath--"it's not fair! You're like some kinda monster!"

I laugh out loud, but the sight of Shotobai approaching us brings back my composure.

"Looks like he's got you beat, kid. Aren't you supposed to be studying Maia anyways?"

Raiko gets to his feet and walks a short distance away from us without making eye contact with anyone. He stares down at the ground as his body shakes.

"I think you should be my training partner, Tavon. Let Raiko sit this one out. What do you guys think?" Shoto glances at Hadrian and Silo, who both fail to offer any advice.

Shoto goes on with supreme confidence, "Well, it seems like it would make more sense for Raiko to train under Hadrian!"

"What?" Hadrian finally contributes as he stomps forward. "No! You're supposed to be my opponent," he declares while pointing to me.

"Yeah," Shoto frowns and crosses his arms, "but it's my turn. This kid here's going to be at a pretty big disadvantage if he doesn't get comfortable with a specialization soon. I know enough about the Maia Spectrum to get by, but you're obviously the better choice as far as teachers go.

"For now," he readies his fists while studying me closely, "I desperately need to get better if I wanna take on the Red Yokai. I have to destroy Tavon in battle!"

"All right then," I say to him, "let's go."

--

Raiko goes with Hadrian to the other side of the room to meditate on mandalas he's brought from Saizakune. Silo observes from the sidelines, sitting cross-legged and with a bored expression. Shotobai and I bow to each other, and then the match begins.

Both of us start with our hands raised while we circle each other. Shoto steps and feints and then backs up when I don't react. He steps and jabs straight, and the strike's so quick that I've barely the time to move my head down and away. Shoto takes advantage of my broken guard by getting closer, and he comes around from the side with a solid punch! He strikes my ribcage with one fist and then aims for the bridge of my nose with the other. I block with my forearm before his second attack can reach my head, then I jab him in the face and force him back a few steps.

The hit doesn't faze him much, and Shoto delivers yet another onslaught of precise attacks. He strikes; I block, moving to intercept him at every opening he can detect. All the sudden, in the midst of me deflecting two quick jabs, he chants--

--SHUNGEJ--

Shotobai's right arm expands, and he sends a heavily-muscled fist rocketing toward my chest.

Without chanting, I will my own aura to surge throughout my entire body. I increase in overall size while crossing my forearms just in time to stop Shoto's advance. My arms grow thicker, and I shove him back after a brief stalemate.

--SHUNGEJ--

Shoto roundhouse kicks with a leg that has doubled in width; I duck, and he keeps his footing. Shoto kicks again and again, and I staggered backwards to avoid him each time. He jumps and kicks at me a fourth time, but I pull off blocking him once more.

Just as Shotobai's about to proceed with his fists, I channel my energy into one arm and triple it. I punch half a second before Shoto does, catch the outside of his wrist midway, and slam his entire arm into his chest. Shoto cries out, and I'm startled when seeing him express his pain so openly. Even so, he recovers and raises his fists again.

Shoto's toughened up a lot, and now we're able to face each other as true equals.

He attacks with renewed vigor, so I become more aggressive. While he tries to push me back with blunt force, I balance all the power I've got inside of me and block while holding my ground. Shoto jabs straight, but I intercept and move aside his fist with my left hand and strike him in the stomach with my right. At the same time, Shoto scores a clean jab across my jaw. I throw a rapid haymaker, and it connects with his cheek, causing him to step back and put up his hands up defensively. One of his arms trembles involuntarily; he smiles in between trying to catch his breath.

"You've got a mad crazy aura, that's for sure. You didn't chant, either! How did you master Jeigon so soon?"

"I'm nowhere near mastery," I tell him.

As I collect my thoughts, I realize that I'm not hurt--I don't feel that way, I mean. I feel like I could keep going and maybe even defeat him. Something urges me on, so I charge at Shotobai and channel my strength into both arms. While focusing on a proper stance, I send a flurry of strikes at Shoto, who tries to block in response. He almost manages to chant, but my punches travel quickly enough to cut him off. After I've beaten my fists against his defenses, he grunts and moves his battered arms out of my reach. He tries to jump back, but I'm there in an instant, and I slam one enlarged fist into his sternum!

Shotobai falls to his knees, and he struggles to breathe as he grasps at his chest. "Gaugh!" he shouts while his face reddens.

Once some time has passed, Shoto's at last able to stand up and face me again.

"You caught me off guard. I've gotta admit that I'm impressed. You've really come a long way."

"Speak for yourself."

"You little brat!" Hadrian's voice distracts us both.

I turn to see Raiko, who's summoned a silver fist the size of his hand and attached to a long chain which connects with the veins below his wrist.

Hadrian's thrown his two shields far past his opponent, and Raiko swings his metal fist on a course to collide with Hadrian's ribs. Hadrian drops his chains and swiftly draws his katana. He angles the blade so that it blocks Raiko's attack, but the resulting impact of the blow nearly knocks Hadrian off his feet.

"Woah," Shoto exclaims, "nice 'genzaon' you got there, T. I think he takes after you the most."

"If he talked half as much, he wouldn't be as annoying. That's all I can say."

"Hey, the two of you!" Shoto shouts at Hadrian and Raiko. "Now that we've got most of the room to ourselves, I want to show everybody something."

"Oh," Hadrian taunts him, "you've actually learned something new? Surprise, surprise."

"Mhm." Shoto doesn't even acknowledge his remark. "And it's going to give me the edge in the coming fight. I've made some progress in molding my zol to my will, and this has led to a new ability I've been working on since I was a teenager."

"Well then," Hadrian snorts, "let's see it."

"Indeed," Silo speaks up for once. "What I've witnessed so far has fallen below my expectations."

"Huh?" I'm taken aback by this statement. "But you haven't fought anyone!"

"Easy," Shoto yells and then looks to Raiko as he says, "Hand me those forty-pound plates I left over there on the ground."

Everyone gives Shotobai room as he stands up straight and rest the weights at his sides, palms outward. As his breaths slow and become deeper, the tau field surrounding Shotobai pushes out and ruptures into a ruby flame. He clenches his teeth and presses his eyelids tightly together; his body reddens all over.

--EONSURI: DOUBLE FLAME--

At his sides, two small flames appear in perfect rings around both plates.

Shoto grunts loudly before he hurls each one directly in front of him; two rings of flaming metal soar through the air, and Shotobai brings them to a halt to prevent them from crashing into the glass wall. From there, he draws them back with enough speed to extinguish their flames; he flexes and simultaneously twitches to catch both plates, and then he heaves a sigh of relief.

Once Shoto's caught his breath he turns to all of us and says, "I think it's about time we all had a long talk. Look, the three of us are Death Officers; that means we can expect a hard go of it for the rest of our lives. Noboros already hates you two, so it won't do you any good to fight each other to the death when assassins could be lurking close by."

"I wasn't given a fair shot at beating him," Hadrian protests.

"And you will be." Shoto speaks reassuringly. "Let's all go to the Jade Teahouse in the West Wing. We can split a drinking room and get served all day. We'll be at Inuyo Port soon, and then we'll have to part ways, so let's make the most of it while we can."

Hadrian's speechless. Shoto smiles at both of us.

"If I fail in what I'm setting out to do, you won't see me again. We shouldn't waste the time we have over petty disputes."

"He's right," Raiko's the first to admit.

I nod, and Hadrian still doesn't react. But, once we've started on our way, he follows behind us grumpily.

--

In the Jade Teahouse, within the West Wing of the third floor, the five of us rest our knees on grey, carpeted mats over bamboo flooring. A small table's positioned between the three of us and Shoto, green rays of light beam through a glass wall to our left, and serving girls bring out both tea and sake as Shotobai leads everyone in conversation.

"Hadrian, if you were there when Tavon and Artemis fought, you should've stopped Artemis from getting away. I've never trusted that guy, and now he'll be trying to hunt down both of you."

"I wouldn't worry about him too much," Hadrian remarks. "I've spent more time around him than you have."

"Oh?" Shoto raises an eyebrow.

"What's up with him?" Raiko asks.

"He's a failed bureaucrat, once a 'duke.' He said he used to own land and that he ruled over hundreds of serfs. The people he was supposed to be in charge of turned against him, and the politicians he trusted outed him as a corrupt official. Artemis told me that he was accused of treason. He had a wife and two kids, and he killed them."

"Really? Why?" Shoto exclaims while finishing another glass of sake; he doesn't even touch the tea.

"He claims he did it so that he could carry out his revenge without anything holding him back. Artemis said that he assassinated everyone who'd conspired against him... he graduated from that to killing people in his old province indiscriminately. Inen heard the rumors about him, that he was a monster who terrorized everyone misfortunate enough to live near him. The boss wanted his power, and he got it, but Artemis has already accomplished his purpose in life. He's a shell of his former self, and I don't think we'll have to worry about a weakling like that any time soon."

"Sheesh," Shoto guffaws, "you're harsh, Hadrian. I was over here thinking that he'd be a real threat. In the end, though, he's likely the weakest fighter out of all of us. If either of you attract any of the others, you'll be fighting people I'm too scared to myself. Ha!

"Because I've got my own mission to handle, I don't have to worry much about pissing off the boss, but all of you are gonna be targets for the members of Noboros visiting Isamael's Ring." Shoto takes another drink and ruminates out loud, "Come to think of it, there's about to be a lot of powerful people in one place at one time. So, with that in mind, I really think it'd be better if you and Hadrian resolved your differences here and now."

Hadrian and I avoid looking at each other, but neither of us objects out loud.

"Ya'll are just childish," Raiko shakes his head and asks one of the servers to refill his cup of sake.

"Maybe I'll consider it if you explain to me how you set those asinine weapons of yours on fire," Hadrian replies bitterly.

"First of all," Shotobai puffs up his chest and says, "I don't know what that word means, but thank you, brother. I'm happy to explain, but it's not an easy trick to pull off."

"Can I apply it to my fists?" I ask him.

"The answer to that's not so easy, either. Eonsuri is something I picked up from Grandmaster Kei himself."

"No way! He taught you that?" I'm a little offended.

"He told me I was like a son to him after we'd finished training!" Shoto scratches the back of his head and laughs.

"What sutras did you study?" Hadrian asks more urgently than anyone would like; the look in his eyes is threatening.

"Easy, man, it's not like that. I went through special training to make myself more resistant to the flames, and I can usually only concentrate them into whatever I'm holding. It saps what feels like half of my energy to pull it off, and I still get burned no matter what," he snorts. "He had me meditate on some weird patterns and taught me how to always have a clear head."

"So can you teach it to us or not?" Hadrian continues to badger him.

Shoto frowns. "No. Not yet."

"I can create heat in my fists," I tell them, "but I can't create fires large enough to be useful."

"Really?" Hadrian looks at me with sincerity I never noticed before.

"Yeah. I think what I can do is more related to Jeigon, since I blast my energy into one fist if I want to burn something specific."

"Either way," he says, "you have to show me tomorrow."

"See," Raiko interjects, "ya'll can get along after all. I wanna know how to do that shit, too, T."

Silo says nothing, although he's drinking more sake than all of us. Shoto notices just as I do, so he asks him, "Hey, Si, why don't you train with us? You act like you're the strongest one here?"

"I am," he responds after finishing his cup.

"Huh?" Shotobai leans toward him. "I don't even sense an aura from you, yet you think you're the most powerful?"

"He saved my life," I remark before taking a drink of hot sake.

Just as Silo is about to answer, we're served five rice bowls filled with spiced turnip greens. It lightens the mood somewhat and isn't a bad choice for a short bite. Silo doesn't touch his food and chooses to explain himself instead.

"My system is currently at peak functionality. If I expend any effort from now on, I'll be draining myself of the energy I need to continue existing. My goal is to make it to Gi-Io without surrendering my body to the elements."

"That settles it," Hadrian nods to himself and then addresses Silo, "I'll have to defeat you, too."

"Come on, Hadrian!" Shoto bangs his fist on the table and almost knocks everything over when he does. "If you're sitting in this room with us, that makes you one of us. I wanted everyone--except for Yashui--ahem, everyone except for Yashui to gather together because, seeing as to how chaotic things might get later on, I figured that it would be best for us all to swear an oath of loyalty."

"You're asking quite a lot of me," Hadrian replies, "an oath?"

Shotobai steadily gets to his feet and draws a slender knife from his waistband.

"That's right. I'd like to make a vow of brotherhood on this spot. If we band together, no one can stand against us. If we catch each other's blind spots, how could we ever be taken by surprise?"

"It's cowardly," remarks Hadrian.

"No, it's not." Raiko shakes his head and takes a stand with Shoto. "It's stupid to move around without people you trust."

Silo also gets to his feet, but he's got a blank look on his face so I'm not sure if he knows what's going on.

Shotobai has a large cup of sake brought out, and he hovers both his hand and the knife he presses into it over the cup.

"I'm declaring an oath of loyalty to all of you, and that's a bond that can't be broken."

Shoto cuts his right hand and spills a few drops of blood into the cup. He passes it to Raiko and makes eye contact with me as he says, "You can't keep going it alone, Tavon. If I'm swearing loyalty, you gotta do it with me!"

"All right, all right," I come to my feet while putting my hands up defensively. "I was just waiting for Hadrian to stand first."

"You're a petty human, aren't you?"

"Hey!" Raiko barks at Hadrian, "Shut up and be nice for once. Your old gang would fuck you up without us!"

Hadrian grunts and refuses to look at anyone.

Raiko cuts his hand and gives some of his blood and then passes it to Silo, who does the same. With everyone watching him, Hadrian begrudgingly cuts his hand and contributes, and I follow after him. Shoto shakes Raiko's hand, and then he turns to shake mine. Everyone shows each other the proper respect, and then we all drink from the same cup.

Once I've taken a drink, I can clearly see everyone's auras, all of them radiating around like fiery shells of strength. Raiko's close to Awakening completely, with a field of tau almost matching the size of Hadrian's. Even Silo emits a nearly transparent, white-rimmed barrier around himself.

"You all see it," Shoto remarks with a grin. "We've fashioned a bond that serves to boost our power when we're together.

"From now on, the five of us are sworn brothers. I'm happy to have met people like you in this life, and I'll honor the oath we've made until the next. Let's find our targets, destroy them, and make the world remember our names."

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# 6

Inuyo Port

--

Tavon

--

In the evening, each linked transport cruiser separates as we officially land in Docking Bay Xavier. Inuyo Port is divided into hundreds of landing areas: layered paths of steel ending in octagons wide enough to support a variety of flying vessels. We land near the front end of the Port, where the bottom gives out to the misty, blue depths below and where the entire structure is divided into an empty expanse and the steel flooring encircling it. From the docking station and onward to a broad strip of land, there are businesses with glass and aluminum walls embedded into the eastern and western walls or standing on their own. Past this strip of steel, a massive collection of docking ports below marks the properties of ship merchants.

Inuyo Port adheres to no higher authority other than the single company that owns this place: the Sky Traveler Organization. They make their money off luxury aircraft and have somehow managed to avoid answering to any kind of government.

Silo explains some of this in detail to me as we're on our way to bust up the next pyramid scheme; we've still five to go, and we hurry to search for them before everyone departs Transport Ship Delta. An announcement's made to notify everyone that we'll be able to exit within the next thirty minutes.

Silo's able to breach the cruiser's hotel registry, and thus we're able to locate our next objective without losing too much time. Hadrian, Raiko, Silo, and I stop at Room Number 267, but the door's been left partly open.

"Huh," Raiko murmurs, "that just makes it easier. If only I had a gun."

"Stop talking like that," I tell him.

"What do you mean?"

"Ugh. Nevermind." I say with a sigh. "Let's get this over with."

I lead the way, and the four of us stride into a room that's half the size of mine and lined with hardwood floors. The wall's a bright yellow, and I spot a bedroll in the left corner.

Brenden Kason, the spokesman behind Reawaken Today, is lying dead on the ground. His neck's been twisted all the way around at least once. His eyes are wide open, his horrified expression frozen in time.

"Damn," Raiko exclaims while looking him over.

"I do not detect a Kom Cell nearby," remarks Silo.

I look away from the corpse and hesitate for a moment while trying to imagine who could've gotten to him first. Hadrian's also lost in thought, but neither of us have any answers.

"Yashui's sister did this," Raiko says as he glances at me. "She had to."

"Hmm. Maybe..."

We move on to the next name on our list, Shaora Van, and we find that her door's also been left open. On the inside, the same scene as before--but, this time, another passenger greets us at the door: a middle-aged man with a bald head and a bushy, brown beard.

Wringing his hands, he asks humbly, "Are you guys Death Officers?"

"Yeah. Did you see who did this?"

He nods and swallows hard. "I saw a man your age go in, and then I heard someone scream. He walked out and left the door open, but I didn't know if it was safe to check."

"Hmm. That doesn't sound like Nasuka. What did he look like?"

"I-I could only make out the back of his head, but he was in a dark blue kimono, and his hair was jet black."

"We should move on to the next name," Silo suggests, and we all agree.

"We'll try to find out who did this," I say to the onlooker. "Let other people know that there's an active killer on board."

We're on our way to our third target, fully expecting to catch the murderer in the act, when it becomes apparent that someone's following us. Not just someone but a group that's been keeping a distance between ours. With ten minutes left before everyone's released from the vessel, we make it just in time to find a room with its door thrown completely open.

Just as we approach the entryway, dozens of strangers flank us on both sides. Straight ahead, I see her:

A tall, pale woman stands over some unfortunate young fool while her tongue extends far into his mouth and burrows upward into his brain. A field of pink, glob-like particles hover around her and make up a strange aura which radiates out mostly from her head. It's Nasuka, and her eyes have gone black. She absorbs the soul of her prey, then she drops him on the ground and licks her lips with the tongue of a snake.

Her victim struggles to get to his feet, and, when he's at last able to stand while hunched over, he looks back at us with blackened eyes.

Hadrian steps forward, ready to fight, but I stop him with one hand and try to speak to her instead of going straight for the kill.

"I thought we'd worked something out, Nasuka. The money you're taking back is supposed to go to the most vulnerable, remember?"

She grins as she stares back at us with confident determination.

"I'm so happy to see that you've come to me first, and here I thought you'd keep me waiting."

"What are you doing?" Silo asks in bewilderment.

"I could ask the same thing of you," she says without skipping a beat, "I allowed you to take half of what was owed, then I changed my mind. Iri Court doesn't like costly errors, so I made some adjustments to Grandmaster Jia's suggestions."

"Without consulting anyone else."

"Well, I am now," she chuckles. "And you've all walked right into a trap."

"Doesn't feel like one," I taunt her. "Where's the threat?"

"Ha!" Nasuka reels her head back with delight. "You don't know what you've just done to yourself."

"Sister!" I hear the voice of a girl behind me.

Nasuka immediately sneers and asks, "What do you want, Natsune!"

"I've brought two of them."

A short girl with long, black pigtails and a pink dress arrives with two middle-aged men in blood-stained suits. Both keep silent and stare straight ahead, as if they're terrified of making the wrong move.

"Well, who are they?"

"The only people left who haven't been killed by that psycho-man. Sir,"--just as she turns to the guy on her left, he flinches--"please tell big sister the name of your company again."

"Oh," he straightens up and clears his throat, "we're not a company. We're a movement, and we want people to come join us in what we have."

"Which is?" Nasuka asks.

"We're a revival movement," the other speaks earnestly. "Adventology is the science of the senses, our gateway to communicating with the higher powers of the universe."

"Uh, he's exaggerating a little," his partner adds. "Our goal's not to just talk to 'higher powers.' We want to enrich peoples' lives and make everyone a lot of money. All it takes is faith; we didn't mean to take any profits away from Iri Court, so please don't hurt us."

"Are you going to build a church or something?" Nasuka crosses her arms and scratches her chin.

"Uh, possibly," says the guy on the left. "My name's Nacio Beras, and I planned on naming my building the Beras Institute. Don't you see what I'm doing? I'm going to start a community of people who want to be rich, and we'll use our movement to change the world--and you should donate, too, to be frank. The Agakuren Family would profit more from a partnership with us than from the shallow relationship you all have now with Iri Court. This only makes sense, ma'am. I have to ask that you join us, do the smart thing."

"Hmm..." Nasuka pauses briefly.

The room becomes silent; all eyes are focused on her.

"Nah. I don't like it," she says.

Natsune steps close to Nacio and touches his side with one finger: Nacio's body explodes.

Bright red bursts from ripped skin. Organs and shards of bone splatter into the walls around us. The partner left standing is covered in Nacio's blood. He breathes in and out rapidly and then falls to his knees as he starts to scream. His screaming turns into hysterical laughter, interrupted only by Nasuka's next order.

"Natsune, get his Kom Cell."

"Yes, sister." Natsune nods obediently and then politely asks him for it.

He stares back at her with an indiscernible expression, his eyes likely searching her bloody face for any sign of remorse. When he can find none, he hands her the device.

"Thank you," Natsune says, then she makes him explode with a touch.

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# 7

The Agakuren Sisters

--

Tavon

--

That afternoon, we're all taken captive because no one is interested in having to fight Natsune; the blood spatter on our clothes is a grim reminder of what she did.

And so, as we depart the transport cruiser for Inuyo Port, Natsune leads the way ahead on land. In doing so, she upsets her older sister once again.

"Natsune!" she cries. "You've no authority to be walking ahead of me. Get back here!"

Without waiting for her response, Nasuka grabs hold of the collar of her sister's dress and jerks her back to walk beside her.

"If you don't show me the proper respect, then our legacy is nothing. Natsune, you know better."

"Yes, big sister. I'm sorry."

"Good." She nods with a grin. "You should be."

On the way to the steel scaffolding that leads down and deeper into the port, we pass gun shops, armor stores, blacksmiths, pharmacies, and some produce stands that sell food I'm seeing for the first time. I spot what looks like blue peaches and small mushrooms with branches extending from them to produce small, purple berries.

The four of us march in a line along the cold metal flooring as blue, fluorescent lights give the area an illuminated tint from overhead. Drones with projection technology embedded into them produce holograms depicting news from around the world.

We come to the top of the scaffolding area, and dozens of connected platforms reach down past docking bays of foreign sky vessels--all of which is highlighted by large, neon pink lettering jutting out and across the opposite wall. We descend countless steps, and the first glaring word we pass reads "Sky Travelers." Farther down, we pass "Live Dangerously," "Beyond Good And Evil," and "The Supreme Agakuren Ladies."

When we get to a sign that reads, "Royalty," a short but broad, metal-latticed bridge connects the platform we're on to a block of brick houses separated by winding roads. This area exists as an outcropping of what is mostly a flat, impenetrable wall, and the roads lead past the dwellings of the henchmen who work for the Agakurens before curving inward, where a red-and-pink pagoda looms in front of the entrance to a cave. As far down as we are, I can still look out from this piece of land and see more and more ships waiting to be either sold or repaired resting at docking bays built in every shape to accommodate them.

By the time we're standing before the pagoda, strangers wearing grey masks and red, Breton-style hats appear in the doorways of each house. Instead of regular clothes...

They're all shirtless! Everyone one of them! All around, buff, shirtless men lead the way while calmly wielding assault rifles and not speaking a word to each other.

"This shit can't be real," Raiko exclaims. "They're trying to scare us with some damn underwear models."

"Calm down," Nasuka brushes us off and sighs. "They're not human."

"What'd you say? Not human, lady? How?"

"My mother chose to have them all made with the same hardware that's used by the Citadel's sentinels. While they were originally going to be built as drones devoid of any personality, Aunt Nyoka thought that they lacked inspiration and added a creative touch of her own.

"As a result, the Agakuren Family has an army of robotic studs at our command, and we were told by their engineers that they'd be more durable than any Federation 'sentinel.' Ah, yet another hallmark of what a talented family we are."

"I don't like them." Natsune chimes in, to everyone's surprise.

"You're not old enough to appreciate them, Natsune."

"No, I don't like them!" she raises her voice in defiance.

"Be quiet, Natsune. Your opinion isn't important."

The poor girl says nothing else in response to her big sister and hangs her head in shame. I feel bad for her, but the blood that Silo hasn't bothered to wipe off his head hasn't dried yet, reminding me once more of what she's capable of doing to a grown human.

Before we reach two wooden doors leading into the tower, someone wearing a navy-colored kimono steps out from between them and begins walking at a brisk pace. His eyes remain fixed on the road, but, as soon as he passes Nasuka, he remarks, "I'm finished," and continues on his way.

Nasuka breathes a sigh of relief before letting us in.

The room is carpeted with a shade of deep purple. Silvery white walls are illuminated by spherical, paper lamps hanging beside them. A spiral, wooden staircase stands at the center of the antechamber, and three men dressed in white and lavender butler's outfits bow as a newcomer descends from above.

Before my eyes, a great hulking figure shifts its weight off the last step and comes trudging our way. She's a giant of a woman, with thick, bulging arms set below wide trap muscles and a chin of steel. Her red hair is tied back into a braid, and a pair of fierce eyebrows arch naturally over brown, piercing eyes.

At once, we all bow as she gets close enough to speak.

"Big sister!"

Natsune runs up to her and gives her a hug that brings a smile to the woman's face.

"Little Natsune, how are you?"

Nasuka interrupts their reunion; she grabs the back of Natsune's collar again and pulls her off.

In reaction, the giant points at Nasuka and shouts, "What did I tell you about doing that! Be gentle!"

"Yeah, whatever." Nasuka puts her sister down and then sighs heavily. "Where are you off to now, Mrs. Sensitive?"

Mrs. 'Sensitive?' That name brings back some old memories.

"I've received my next contract," she says. "But, before I go, I want you to stop calling me that. To you, I am Nene Agakuren. To everyone else, I am 'Mrs. Sensitive.' I'll let you know if I ever change that."

"Very well, 'Nene.' I hope you stay safe."

"I won't," Mrs. Sensitive replies while walking past us, "but I appreciate your concern."

"Aw, I miss big sis," Natsune whines.

"C'mon,"--Nasuka smacks the back of her head--"let's go."

With that, we proceed forward to meet with the purple butlers.

"Manservant Iane!"

"Yes, madam," one of them prostrates himself at her call.

"Is the tearoom prepared?"

"Yes, Madam Nasuka. Everything has been prepared exactly as you've asked."

"Very good," she replies. "A wonderful opportunity seems to have fallen into my lap, gentlemen. Natsune!" she glances back before ascending the spiral staircase.

"Yes, big sister?"

"You're free to do whatever you want, but don't interrupt my meeting."

"Okay."

Natsune doesn't put up a fight and instead wanders away on her own. Because giving that order was as easy as it was, Nasuka's mood perks up on our way into the tearoom of the pagoda's second level.

"It's all ready. All perfect," she announces, backs away, and then gestures for us to enter.

Along the wooden walls of a mostly empty room, stakes have been driven through the blackened bodies of burn victims; they're all hung up for display. In every corner, corpses charred beyond recognition hang contorted in ways that are offensive to the human body. Together, it's one unsettling collage of those who've fallen prey to the Agakuren Family. A coffee table has been set in the middle of the room, with four sitting mats on one side and only one on the other.

"Please have a seat," Nasuka orders more than asks.

We do as she says; subsequently, the three 'Manservants' gather behind us. Hadrian looks more pissed off about this than anyone else, but he merely scowls while aimlessly studying the ground.

Nasuka takes her seat across from us, then she has one of the shirtless, barrel-chested sentinels pour us all a cup of steaming sake.

"Okay," Raiko starts nodding to himself as he takes a drink, "I like this."

"Well, it looks like someone appreciates my tastes."

"Yeah, I suppose it's easier if you don't pay attention to all the bodies," Hadrian remarks.

Nasuka takes a sip of her sake and smirks at him with maximum condescension.

"Perhaps you'll be lucky enough to assemble artwork of your own one day. These 'bodies,' as you call them, are my credentials. They are a reminder to myself of what it means to be a part of the Agakuren Clan; I've become like my Aunt, a snake who eats other snakes. I've always been fond of her, but today I've surpassed her in talent."

Nasuka examines us all and smiles.

"All four of you belong to me now."

"What?" Hadrian doesn't touch his drink and instead replies, "You don't own any of us."

She stares at him with cold eyes.

"The amount of debt you've accrued is enough to justify doing whatever I want you to do. We're not currently under anyone's jurisdiction, and my family all but owns Inuyo Port. Because you are in debt to me, my methods of punishment may vary.

"You see, the sky pirates in the northern and southern reaches of the world have been operating via proxy through loan sharks and mobsters. Most often, sky pirates collect their revenue from people indebted to them for small amounts. When the amount of debt's big enough, however, that's when they come to get you. Many have become slaves due to grossly exorbitant debts, and the four of you came so close to sharing this fate. Because you owe me, and I am who I am, I can save you."

"By trying to dress us up as sexy butlers?" Raiko's the first to ask.

"Perhaps," she responds. "I have all the power over you I could ever want. You four must pay the price for Silo's dishonesty, and that's why you've been brought here today. You are no longer free men."

Silo stands up.

"I am not dishonest."

Nasuka folds her arms and smirks at him. "Oh really? You stole all that money, and now you want me to take you at your word?"

"Yes. I have not lied to anyone," Silo frowns while raising his voice, "Iri Court's gambling software was deceitful, and you have detained us unjustly."

Nasuka scowls and comes to her feet to yell at him, "So you think you're innocent now? That you don't owe us for what you've done?"

He nods. "Yes. You have detained us unlawfully--"

"Hold on a minute, Si," I try to intervene, but Silo raises his hand to stop me.

"This human is exploiting us, Tavon. It is not right for you to keep us here, and our means of transportation should be leaving soon. It is unlawful--"

Nasuka draws her pistol and shoots Silo in the head.

The bullet glances off his temple, cracks the wall to our right, and ricochets into the flooring.

"You're being rude," Silo says as he points. The tip of his finger slides off to reveal a small hole; Silo fires a narrow beam of energy right through Nasuka's chest. Nasuka shrieks and tumbles backward before falling on her ass. Just as she does, the three manservants at our back begin to move.

"Stand down," Silo states calmly.

He extends his left arm, and it separates into a swarm of miniature, metallic drones. Before the manservants can even react, each drone vibrates with fields of purple static; they each shoot through the bodies of our ambushers, rending flesh and separating limbs with little resistance.

As if on cue, fake walls slide away from all around us. Half-naked, muscle-bound sentinels charge from every direction, but Silo proceeds without hesitating. He extends the arm he used to shoot Nasuka, and, this time, his entire hand disconnects and slides away. Just as another fake wall begins to slide open, Silo points his cannon at it, trembles with white static echoing around him, and fires a massive burst of scorching white energy through the walls of the tower. He obliterates three of the attackers before they can move, but the rest are soon upon him.

One sentinel gets close enough to strike Silo in the gut. Silo punches straight out and instantaneously tears off his assassin's head. He turns and shoots another with a small blast from his finger, then he rotates and aims the cannon in his arm directly at four more sentinels in front of him.

Static precedes an eruption of power that blinds everyone in the room. At this very moment, I sense Silo's vague aura as it acts to boost the abilities he already has as an android. He creates a crater lined with blood and welded scrap metal in the wall, and the pagoda creaks while withstanding the blast.

The remaining sentinels unleash hailstorms of bullets from at least three assault rifles at one time. The noise is deafening and painful; I look to my side and notice as Raiko's ears start to bleed, even as he covers them. I step in front of the kid at the same time that Silo's body comes alight with rounds that slam into him and give off bright sparks before ricocheting across the room. Lead flies into both sentinels, into all four walls, and occasionally strikes me. The force of them hurts something awful, but they don't pierce through my flesh; they simply rebound after knocking me back a few steps.

In the midst of the gunfire, Silo deftly blasts three of the shooters while using four of his fingers as small cannons. When one of them refuses to go down and charges him, Silo shoots a beam of blue light through the sentinel's chest.

It keeps going, however, and grasps at Silo's throat. He fires again and again, producing tiny craters scattered throughout his opponent. The enemy sentinel at last begins to malfunction; it lets go of Silo, and he blasts it in the head.

Nasuka ambushes him from the side!

--SHUNGEJ--

She pivots on one hand, enlarges her right thigh, and drives it straight into Silo's stomach with a hard "clang!"

Silo hunches over, almost looking like he's in shock. Nasuka jumps back and moves stiffly while trying to get her footing; the thigh she attacked with is cut with a wide gash running down its center. She cringes in pain as she advances toward him, then she punches at his head.

Silo sidesteps and grabs her arm. He lifts Nasuka off her feet and turns as he swings her body around himself and throws her against the wall with a thud. Nasuka hits the ground and becomes motionless.

Within a matter of seconds, Silo's cleared the room. A small fire has started at the edge of the large crater in the wall opposite of us, but Hadrian stamps it out before it can spread.

When he's done, he turns to stare at Silo in wonder.

Wonder that breaks down into contempt.

"Just what the hell are you? I can't believe that you've been hiding this from us all this time!"

"There is no time for discussion," Silo tells him. "The flights to Gi-Io and Isamael's Ring are due to leave within the hour. We must hurry and purchase our tickets."

"W-what?" Hadrian mutters while astounded. "How--"

"I've been communicating with their server since we left the ship. Let's go."

Silo moves toward the stairs without consulting anyone else and leaves us all dumbfounded as well as left with no other option but to follow him.

On the way down to the ground floor of the pagoda, Silo lets us know, "I've utilized at least seventy percent of my available energy reserves. I'll need more before leaving Inuyo Port."

"Whatever, man," Raiko interjects, "after all that back there, I'm not worried about you anymore. Shit, why didn't you do that from the beginning?"

"Killing innocent bystanders is unethical," he replies. "A private army of drones is another matter altogether."

"So, what," he asks as we start to cross the lobby, "you just gonna fire on every robot you see?"

A man in a leather jacket and rocking shades steps out in front of the exit while wielding an assault rifle.

Before he can speak, Silo fires a beam which shoots through his forehead; this forces blood to quickly squirt out and over his face just as he collapses.

"Anything that wishes to harm me or my allies is to be destroyed," Silo responds and leads us out the front doors.

Hadrian's eyes remain fixed on Silo as he struggles to compose himself. "This is insane," he murmurs angrily.

The four of us walk out into the courtyard, where yet more shirtless sentinels lie in waiting. Silo advances ahead of us, then he kicks one heel against the ground: his heel parts into two panels that fold back and behind a blue inferno. This inferno rushes from out of his foot and rockets him forward.

Silo flies over to the first henchman he sees and blasts its head from its shoulders. He shoots down a second guard, then he boosts himself through a storm of bullets and thrusts his entire arm through the torso of his third target. Simultaneously, the tiny drones from before separate from the same arm and begin attacking the circle of bots that has quickly formed around him. Silo creates an opening in their formation, dashes ahead, and then aims his cannon at the column of soldiers following him.

But, instead of trying to incinerate all of them in one go, he emits a burning, blue sword from a horizontal opening above his wrist. Silo charges and thrusts his blade through the sentinel in front of him with such little effort that he stumbles forward and slams into it, knocking his opponent down. He proceeds to rotate his body in complete circles at the waist and slices through each and every one of his ambushers.

All of the sudden, his blade disappears. Silo's aura weakens.

The last guard tries to stand, but Silo uses what strength he's got left to repeatedly bash the drone's head against the ground until it no longer responds.

Once Silo's finished, he takes a moment to catch his breath before turning to address me:

"I've less than five percent of functional power... we can't stop here."

Silo takes a step forward.

Natsune approaches him.

"Hello again, mister," she says.

Natsune touches his side with her index finger. The air warps around them as immense pressure condenses within the center of Silo's body. A faint, red-colored wave emerges to form a halo around him, and he appears to bloat from the tremendous energy coursing through his body.

"Wow," Natsune exclaims with wide eyes.

Silo continues to bloat; he shakes, and the expression on his face contorts to show extreme discomfort. Blood-red aura passes through him and concentrates itself into the arm he's been using as a cannon. As this energy moves into one limb, it expands it to a grotesque level.

Without further warning, Silo fires a great maelstrom of blinding energy that bursts open his entire arm and becomes a volcanic blast; this blast strikes the walls of Inuyo Port and smashes through them with light that brightens up the whole station and enough thermal energy to change the temperature throughout it. The power being focused continues to pour out from his very being, until a clear view of the clouds is seeable through the crater ahead.

Silo's aura unexpectedly returns, and a ring filled with white tau encircles him. His eyes widen, and, although he acts as if he's fine, he's still lost an arm.

"Your aura... combined with mine. It replaced the energy that was depleted; my power reserves are now at thirty percent," he remarks while looking himself over.

"You're amazing, mister," Natsune exclaims, "I wanna see it again!"

She tries to touch Silo, but he steps back to avoid her this time.

"Aw, c'mon!" she cries. "Do it again!"

"SISTER!" shrieks a voice from behind us.

I sense energy disappear from my rear flank and then reappear in front of Natsune. In an instant, Nasuka has teleported herself past us.

Nasuka towers over her sister as the tau surrounding her body turns crimson. She sneers and pushes Natsune's head back with one finger.

"You little slut! What do you think you're doing, huh?" Nasuka growls and takes hold of the collar of her sister's dress. "Why did you let them destroy our soldiers? Why?"

"Big sister," Natsune cries, "I told you I didn't like them!"

"You selfish bitch," Nasuka drops her to the ground and then clenches her fists. "You've been nothing but a curse on me ever since you were born. Nothing you've done has supported this family; you're a brainless monster--do you hear me!" she screams before Natsune's expressionless face.

Because her little sister doesn't know what to say, Nasuka gets angrier.

"You're just as pathetic as always. Get out of here--get the f--"

Natsune touches her, and Nasuka explodes.

Patches of wet skin fly alongside her organs; a fountain of blood splatters over Natsune.

She turns to face us.

"I'm sorry. Nasuka wouldn't stop," Natsune frowns while fixing her eyes upon the ground as she speaks, "she wouldn't stop. She was being mean and angry again, and I wanted her to go away."

When she manages to look back up at all of us...

Natsune grins.

"I'm glad she's gone. The other sisters hated her, too. Aunt Nyoka said that she would eat her when she was older, but she never did. Without them around, that makes me the ruler of everyone here.

"Si,"--Natsune turns to him--"you absorbed my power and survived. He's the strongest one out of all of you!"

"That's not true," Hadrian exclaims while preparing to advance.

"Really?" Natsune's eyes go wide again; she says, "Wow! Let me see how it works on you."

"No!" Hadrian steps back and scowls. "Don't come over here!"

"Hehe! Fool. I already know who the strongest one among you is...

"And I own him now."

"What?" I exclaim in disbelief. "But he hasn't done anything wrong!"

Natsune chuckles and smiles at me despite being covered in her sister's drying blood.

"Sister Nasuka said that Silo owed a debt, and I always believe my big sisters! Because Nasuka is dead, Silo owes me now. That's that: Silo will join the Agakuren Family!"

"Wait, no!" Raiko and I both shout, and he says, "That debt's bogus, yo! You can't just take our friend away!"

I put my hand on Raiko's shoulder and try to calm him as I take the lead, "Nasuka tried to deceive us, Natsune. She was trying to make Silo into her victim."

Natsune crosses her arms and frowns again. "I don't care!" she says. "He's the best robot. I want the best robot."

"He's also a person," I speak up for him, but Silo cuts me off and stands next to her with a stoic expression.

"It's fine. I'll be her bodyguard."

"Are you kidding me?" Hadrian remarks, "She'll just keep trying to blow you up!"

"I will be fine, Hadrian. Natsune," he addresses the girl, "if I become a part of your family, you must promise me something?"

"What is it, mister?"

"If I agree to stay behind and miss my flight, will you take me to the city of Gi-Io?"

"What's that?"

"The City of Androids."

"Oh, cool," she replies with a smile, "I wanna see the robot city! Let's go, Silo!"

"Then you agree with my conditions?"

"Yes," Natsune nods, "you will serve us as a robot butler, and I will let your friends go now that I know which robot is the best.

"For now and forever, your name will be Silo Agakuren!"

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# 8

Pythagora

--

Tavon

--

On the way back from the Agakuren palace, we pass several of the same shops we saw earlier and then happen upon one I didn't notice.

It looks like a thrift shop, and most of the clothes seem really plain. When I look closer at the holographic sign hovering above it, I spot the words: "Weighted Clothing." There's one robust clerk standing behind both a card and Kom Cell e-reader and wearing a brown apron that digs into the skin at the base of his neck. He's sweating with the effort to stand, but he grins and perks up as we approach.

"Excuse me," I ask, "do you guys really sell clothes with weights in them?"

"Yep," he replies with enthusiasm, "but the alloy we use is actually melted down and threaded between the fibers of the clothing. They're all flexible but just a little uncomfortable in cold weather."

"Interesting," Hadrian remarks as he picks up a grey t-shirt to feel its weight in his hands. "Is there a real demand for these?"

"In this area?" the shopkeeper gasps, "Absolutely! Why, Isamael's Ring is right around the corner, fellas. It's a jungle over there."

Raiko picks up a hoodie, but it quickly drops out of his grasp. "Damn! That's heavy, man! Who in their right mind would wear this shit?"

"See," the clerk points at him and laughs, "that's how I know you guys aren't from around here. It's amazing how many people don't know about the crazy culture they got going on over in the Ring."

"What kind of culture?" I ask him.

"Dude, everything is about martial arts to those people. Day and night, we have fighters come through here looking to load up on vests, shirts, joggers--you name it; the fighters who come here from Isamael's Ring usually clean this place out in less than a week's time!"

Hadrian and I both exchange a quick glance.

"Does it really help?" I prod further.

"What? With fighting?" He shrugs. "I mean, I guess you'd have to ask one of them. They're the guys who live in that warzone.

"Over there, everyone's divided into students and tourists. If you're not a student, you'll spend your whole time there watching different schools get into fights with each other over nothing. The School Tournament's coming up, so the disciples have probably gotten worse."

"How many schools are there?" Hadrian asks while putting together a few outfits.

"Twenty-six."

"Twenty-six?" I'm surprised. "That's a lot of martial artists."

"Uh huh," he snorts, "that's why Isamael's Ring's so popular--especially around this time of year. Traffic's picking up. People from other cities are gonna pay to see the schools duke it out."

"Shit. I wish I could compete," I remark while grabbing some black, sleeveless shirts and three pairs of grey joggers striped with black; although fairly heavy, the joggers come with two pairs of thick laces that should keep them from falling down during a fight.

Hadrian picks out some dark shoes, and then I do the same thing to make him mad.

"Hey!" he glares at me, "Don't get the same gear as me."

"It's not your money, is it?"

"We can't look the same, Tavon."

"He's right," Raiko approaches the clerk while struggling to hold up a dark blue t-shirt, "ya'll would start to look like two men who love each other."

"Shut up, Raiko!" Hadrian yells, and his aura intensifies.

"Nope," I reply and carry the gear I've chosen over to the clerk. "I don't think sworn brothers get down like that."

I begin logging into my Kom Cell in order to have it scanned so that I can pay for both mine and Raiko's stuff. Raiko doesn't thank me and looks down grumpily; Hadrian follows behind us with an aura that still burns embarrassingly bright.

"Woah!"--the clerk looks him over--"Whoever you are, dude, you remind me of one of them. If you've all got talent like this guy, then you should be able to get into a school no problem. Once you're in, you're in, fellas, and those guys are mad famous."

"I'm not that interested in joining one school," I tell him. "Nah. I'd rather learn from all of them."

--

One shirt is what slows us down while on our way to finally purchasing our tickets. One shirt that Raiko pants and struggles to carry while keeping up with me and Hadrian.

"Good grief, child," Hadrian spits, "why would you choose to encumber yourself with armor you can't carry!"

"Leave him alone," I say to Hadrian, and he sneers back.

"You shouldn't be enabling his stupidity! Why I--"

"Good evening, gentlemen."

The three of us turn to see Grandmaster Jia, who smiles as if he's mocking us for arguing once again.

I'm the first to bow, and the others follow after me. Grandmaster Jia bows in return, then he says, "I'd thought that young Silo would be with you. I'm sorry to bother you gentlemen, but would any of you know where I can find him? The next flight to Gi-Io leaves in twenty minutes."

"I don't think you're gonna be able to get him back," Raiko breaks it to him.

"Is that so? Was he captured?"

"Not exactly," I finish Raiko's explanation for him, "the Agakurens went back on their word."

Jia gasps, "Oh my! Well then," he scowls, "they've not only betrayed your trust but mine as well."

"Two of the Agakuren sisters got into a bad argument. Nasuka provoked her little sister into using her power, and Natsune killed her."

Grandmaster Jia raises both eyebrows as he scratches his beard. He doesn't say a word.

"Natsune Agakuren agreed to let us go if we gave up Silo as a hostage, and Silo offered himself without resisting."

"Hmm. That won't do," he replies. "Well now, this was certainly unexpected. Silo has the most potential out of all of you when it comes to truly mastering the Pythagora Spectrum.

"With my help, he could learn to shoot his tau farther, to properly manipulate the energies and objects around him. Pythagora is the Spectrum of time, distance, and control--all of which I believe the young android can come to understand. No, no, this won't do at all."

The Grandmaster shakes his head and begins to walk past us.

"Wait," exclaims Raiko, "where are you going?"

"Watch it, Raiko," I scold him. "Address the Grandmaster with more respect."

"If it's all well and good with you, I'd like to have a word with this 'Natsune.' She shall not steal my training partner out from under my nose."

"Wait, Grandmaster!" Raiko calls after him again.

"Yes?"

"What's your ability?"

"My ability... Hmm..." Jia grins. "It was once said by the sage, Dhidamadhi, that, 'He who discloses his strengths to others makes an error concerning human nature; he who discloses his weaknesses to others makes an error concerning human nature.'"

Everyone's silent for a moment.

"What?" Raiko squints his eyes at the Grandmaster.

Grandmaster Jia turns around, waves his hand in the air, and says, "I wish you all a safe journey."

--

Once we're within range of the Sky Traveler company's main server, I'm able to buy two tickets at five hundred credits each. Hadrian follows Raiko and I as we board our next flight. Since getting to Inuyo Port, we haven't seen Shotobai or his genzaon, and we leave the port without getting a chance to say goodbye.

We book our rooms, and the receptionist in the marble-floored hotel lobby of the vessel lets us know that we'll be departing in the next ten minutes. There's a dining hall next door to the lobby, and we all grab a quick bite to eat in silence while trying to decompress.

After our meal and on our way out, with maybe two minutes to spare before we depart, Grandmaster Jia greets us at the entrance to the dining hall. What's left of the hair on his head is frayed and blackened in spots; his beard's been scorched as well. A dark smudge covers his forehead, and his face has completely reddened.

"Ah, good to see you all again so soon."

We awkwardly bow to each other, and the Grandmaster cuts the tension by laughing to himself.

"It appears that I may have misjudged that little girl after all. Heh. She was less open to negotiation than I could've imagined... what a stubborn child. Natsune poked me and nearly killed me on the spot."

"She's got a big problem with that," says Raiko.

"Indeed. After some extended negotiations, I found retreat to be the wisest option. As for Silo, I'm afraid the young android is now on his own. With Natsune by his side, I'm not sure who to be more worried about. The android is a harbinger of destruction, but Natsune is like a bottomless hurricane that's trying to hold within it all the power in the world.

"She's one to be very cautious of," Jia states as he continues on into the dining hall, "but, someday, she'll make an excellent Grandmaster."

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# 9

Free Agreement

--

Tavon

--

The next morning sees us nearly at our destination. Isamael's Ring is now one colossal, slowly spinning oval. The size of our cruiser appears to be about a fourth of the size of just one chamber among twenty-six. I see thick, blue glass separated into sectors by white metal; the Sun's shrouded over by clouds of red and pink. Cherry Blossom River rushes in our direction, and we immediately ride over a spreading sea of mist with ripples like rose petals. A steel stadium hovers in the center of the ring; propulsion jets line its bottom, and half of a domed enclosure of white glass covers its foundation.

Surrounding Isamael's Ring, like planets in orbit, there are dozens of terraformed landmasses held suspended hundreds of miles away, and each one provides the resources needed for this floating nation to survive. Because the World Below was too dangerous for them, the people of Isamael's Ring brought what they wanted from it into the sky.

As we fly against the current and toward the western end of the great ring, Raiko, Hadrian, and I gather within a mostly unoccupied gym room. The grey walls and floors both contain dark, latticed patterns running through them. On the far end, weightlifting equipment is spaced out next to fully-equipped weight racks; in the center, there's a black mat covering a broad area meant for sparring, and there's a blue punching bag hanging near one of the mat's edges.

I try to warm up on the punching bag, but the first punch I throw busts it right open.

Raiko sighs and shakes his head while finally putting on the weighted t-shirt he bought. Hadrian and I do the same, but he moves less comfortably than me. When walking to face each other on opposite ends of the mat, I notice that his body's all tensed up from the weight. As for me, I only feel a little slower than before; the load's not too burdensome. Raiko watches on from the sidelines in silence.

"Last time," Hadrian sneers at me as he says, "the terrain favored you, but your fists can't overcome me at my best."

Hadrian extends the palms of his hands out at both sides, and, with sure ease, two bright bolts of blue form and grow into round shields just as azure chains are drawn out from the veins in his wrists.

"You should take it easy," I warn him. "Aren't you supposed to be recovering?"

"I know I can beat you, Tavon. I want you to fight me, and I want you to bow down at my feet and tell me how much stronger I am! Fight me!"

Hadrian looks ready to swing, so I put my hands up and smirk. "All right. I guess this'll make for good training."

He's about to make his move, when the glass door to the gym flies open and bangs against the wall. No one steps out, and yet I feel a remote presence sweeping this way all at once. Dread fills my chest, makes me feel heavier. Ink-black tau emerges from the entrance and shoots out from a bald stranger the color of a dark moon. He's no nose, and the whites of his eyes shine from within long, horizontal slits running up the sides of his forehead.

This thing is neither demon nor human, and something about it standing before us causes my heart to race. Here's an opponent who I'm sure is beyond my level, and yet...

The stranger walks away.

He walks away, and Artemis Spilsbury enters with some nervous, brown-haired kid in tow. This surprises all of us, at least enough to the extent that Hadrian drops his guard. In the face of one of his old colleagues, his anger's diffused.

Hadrian's the first to address him, "Have you come back to try to kill me?"

Artemis stops, then he bows.

"My apologies. I spoke rather harshly toward the two of you before, and I wanted to express my remorse at having done so."

"Remorse?"--both of Hadrian's eyes open wide--"You can feel remorse? Why would you bother apologizing to people your master hates?"

"First of all," he says, "Lord Inen is not my 'master.' I choose to serve Inen as a comrade because he recognized my talents early on."

"Who's the kid?" I ask him.

"Avodeus, introduce yourself."

"Yes, sir!" the young genzaon shouts in response and quickly bows to us.

"Avodeus was assigned to me due to how our abilities complement one another. I'm shocked that you didn't bring your genzaon along today, Hadrian."

"I don't have one."

"Why not?"

Hadrian sighs. "The old bastard told me I'd be assigned one later on. Probably after my first kill."

"You're very fortunate," Artemis remarks. "Teaching has many challenges. After our fight, I came to the realization that I had limitations of my own. Before, I was agitated, yet it was simply because I'd failed."

"You wanted to kill me, bonehead," Raiko interrupts while crossing his arms over his chest. "You tried to gut me in the hallway--you expect me to forgive you for that?"

"I was punished for acting on my worst impulses. I don't expect full forgiveness," he says, "but it's only natural for me to seek out better teachers. I'd like to train with you, Tavon, and to give my student over to Hadrian for further instruction."

"I'm not doing your work for you, Spilsbury!"

"Easy." I glance at Hadrian. "He might be on to something."

"He's wasting our time."

"No," I reply while shaking my head, "the weight of my clothes is enough to slow me down a lot. Against my worst enemy: someone who uses blades, that is, it'll be good practice for me to try to outwit him."

"But we're supposed to fight."

"Artemis is ahead of you in line, though."

"What the hell are you talking about? What 'line?'"

"Ay," Raiko shouts, "I think the bone man might be right. As long as I don't gotta fight him, I think we'll be okay. Why don't you try to take me and Avo on at the same time, Hadrian?"

"Hmph. It would be too easy."

"I dare you to try us. I think we can take you--ain't that right, Avo?"

"It's 'Avodeus,'" is all he says despite coming to stand beside Raiko.

"Yeah," Raiko nods, "like he said: we're gonna beat your ass, kid."

"Kid?" Hadrian exclaims. "Okay then. I've had enough of you anyway!"

While the three of them find another spot on the mat to duke it out, Artemis and I confront each other.

"Lord Tavon," he says, "I never imagined that you would survive, much less grow any stronger. You've no cunning tricks nor strange talents; there should be nothing remarkable about you, yet your understanding of Jeigon tells a different story."

"Is there anything you can teach me about Jeigon?" I ask before we square off.

"Hmm. I'm afraid not. I used to dismember weaker zol users for fun, and they all typically relied on the Power Spectrum. Within the upper echelons, however, I've rarely found anyone who fights as you do."

Just when I think Artemis is about to make a swift attack, he prostrates himself and says to me, "I'm ashamed of my past behavior. It appears there's much I may learn from you."

"Why don't you learn from the guy who was at the door just now?"

"Oh, Eigog?" Artemis looks up.

"Whoever that monster is."

"Number Nineteen, Eigog. He's not from Earth as far as I'm aware, but he's also not very interested in speaking to anyone. Ever."

"Why didn't he come in?"

"He said that you were all disappointing."

"What'd he mean by that?"

"That you're too weak."

"Bullshit! I'll fight him right now."

Artemis sighs, "And he would destroy you in an instant, even with my help. Come to think of it, I'm not sure why he's with Noboros in the first place. He must find it interesting enough to stay around at least."

"Eigog, huh? Well, tell him to find me the next time you see him."

"Child, you do not know what you are asking."

"Don't speak to me like that," I sneer at him. "Let's get started."

--

The weighted clothes I've got on prove to be much heavier than I thought.

Artemis attacks with speed I never expected, and I'm cut nearly every time we engage each other. Any time I try to watch his movements closely and react, my body lags behind. Artemis punishes me for each sluggish mistake. I have brief flashbacks of the torture induced by Jigen, but Artemis is more merciful. As we fight on, I realize that he could cut me down at any time. This fear allows me to battle through any fatigue I might feel, to push myself in dodging at a faster pace.

Before long, my battle against Artemis is entirely defensive. I can't hope to land a strike without sacrificing myself to a storm of blades. When I'm not in close proximity, Artemis shoots jagged shards of bone at me; I enlarge both of my arms, cross them in front of my face, and deflect each one in succession. By the time I've gotten used to the barrage, he closes in again and places me back on the defensive.

My clothes become massive stones that press me toward the ground. I'm panting hard, and my body's covered in sweat. More than anything, I need water, but I've enough fury left to see our fight through.

Or, so I think. Artemis charges in without having to catch his breath. His attacks almost knock me into Hadrian, so I dash around my opponent--

He slices through the skin on the outside of my thigh.

I pivot and decide to rush him, so I throw a haymaker just as he thrusts one sword at my knuckles. I move my arm down, barely missing the blade, and I use my back muscles to turn while maintaining the momentum in my fist. I punch Artemis in the chest--in the same moment that spikes of bone jut out to smash into my hand.

My fist breaks through, and Artemis is thrown onto his back. When he stumbles to his feet as a grey aura erupts around him, I hold up my hand for him to stop.

"Wait..." I struggle to breathe for a second. "I need a break."

"A break? Tavon, how is it that you've gotten weaker in only a few days?"

I remove the heaviest item on me, a black hoodie, and let it slam into the ground.

Artemis gasps, "I see. You've been holding back."

"Wait. That's not it."

"Now, now, Tavon," he relaxes his posture and grins. "There's no pressing need to finish our rematch today. I'm afraid that if we go too far, we might bring the ship down with us."

"Good point." I nod while halfway through taking off my weighted gloves.

In the meantime, both of our pupils are performing poorly.

We both look over at Raiko, who covers his face with his hands while running as two shields strike the ground behind him and erupt into scalding waterfalls. He manages to avoid most of the spraying water and flinches when a few drops touch his arm.

Meanwhile, Avodeus is keeping as far away from Hadrian as possible. When Hadrian forces him to back up off the mat and toward the lifting area, Avodeus cries, "Teacher, can I drink the blood now?"

"Only if you swear not to use the wicked aspect of your power."

"I swear I won't! Please!"

"Go ahead."

Hadrian waits in place while Avodeus retrieves a vial of blood from a satchel attached to his belt. His hands shake as he uncorks the vial, then he chugs it too fast and coughs.

Avodeus wipes the blood from his lips, and his eyes turn scarlet red. He grins at Hadrian, then--

--SHINTE--

Avodeus soars at his foe with speed Hadrian can't track. The kid drives his fists into Hadrian's face and chest so rapidly that his opponent fails to react. Avodeus hops back, springs forward, and pummels his opponent again; when he tires, he leaps away right before jumping back in.

Finally, Hadrian catches one of Avodeus' arms before he strikes, hefts him up, and slams him down onto his knee. Avodeus hits the floor and clutches his stomach as he gasps for air.

Raiko swings a metal fist at Hadrian's back, but Hadrian steps to the side in time to avoid it. He swiftly draws his katana, scaring Raiko into backing off.

Avodeus is soon able to stand again. He looks happy, and he's about to charge at Hadrian when--

The entire vessel halts, rocking back and forth as a result. I nearly lose my balance, and Raiko tumbles to the ground.

"What's going on?" Hadrian asks.

"We're here," Artemis announces with a proud smile. "We've docked at the School of Jaodan. Please, let me show you all around. Isamael's Schools are this country's crowning achievement."

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# 10

The School of Jaodan

--

Tavon

--

The five of us march through a winding hallway which connects the docking station with the inner sector. As we move, the path twists until we're walking upside down while still attached to the floor. The gravitational field ahead is on a different plane than the rest of the world.

We cross a blue portal over into the School of Jaodan, where fields of gold and tangerine spread out into vast foothills. The foothills are decorated by trees with autumn-colored leaves; in the open yellow plains to the east and west, I can see farmland, areas to house cattle, and distant temples. Past the foothills, the heads of twenty finials belonging to twenty pagodas extend into the sky for all to see and with golden eaves marked by blue pearls at each endpoint. The towers look to be a fair distance ahead of us, and I soon regret having brought all the extra weight.

On the way, over a mountain of soft earth and glistening blades of golden grass, I feel myself growing more exhausted by the moment. I toss out the hoodie and continue with the rest of the group while Artemis is harassed by Raiko's constant questions.

"How do you know so much about this place, bone guy?"

"Ah," he mutters without looking back, "it seems you've forgotten my name."

"Nah. You tried to kill me, so it's cool. I'll call you whatever."

"Very well. The School itself will expect better manners, but I can make an exception.

"Jaodan is a religion which spread from Saizakune and was adopted by the martial arts schools here primarily. Although most of the official schools don't approve of it, the School of Jaodan has maintained a strong presence. It's one of the most profitable factions in Isamael's Ring."

"Profitable?" Raiko asks.

"Very. The Jaodan School has a few skilled fighters of its own, and they allow free commerce in a district specialized for trading almost anything in the world. Because they've so much marketing potential, Jaodan fighters have been stealing the spotlight as of late. I'm quite taken with them myself."

"Oh yeah, bony? How's that?"

"Hmph. That is something I'll have to explain in detail and at a later time. For now, all you need to know is that they will train newcomers. There are merely a few conditions you'll have to abide by if you're interested."

"I don't like the sound of 'conditions,'" he says, and I agree with him in spirit.

"Everyone must follow some kind of moral code," states Artemis as we cross the highest point in the rolling hills.

From here, we can see a town with stone walls at the base of an inner citadel and about fifty miles away. Each pagoda varies in width and height, and Artemis tells us that the organization's leaders are given each tower according to rank. The highest pagoda, with eaves of purple and gold, belongs to the General of Heaven, Fang Shubao. Its finial resembles a golden palm reaching out to the heavens.

"Without morality to bind us," Artemis says, "we're like rabid animals."

"Yeah, well," Raiko snorts, "guess I'm a rabid animal then."

"It doesn't make you irredeemable, if that's what you're wondering."

"Boy, you tried to kill me!"

"Ah, but I thought we'd moved past that."

"The kid's right," I tell him. "Even if Raiko doesn't have any manners, he's right that you came after him for no reason. How can you talk to us about morality when you'd murder any of us on a whim?"

"Everything I did was out of loyalty to Lord Inen. You were rude to him, so I fought you to defend his name."

"Fair enough, but you should've left the kid out of it."

"Don't call me that!" Raiko clenches his fists as he glares at me.

"C'mon, let's go."

I move ahead of everyone and try to diffuse the situation by continuing on...

But they don't stop.

"So, what, you a changed man now?"

"I never changed, just decided to explore."

"Why'd you wanna come here first?"

"There's to be an important gathering before the School Tournament officially commences. Normally, the tournament begins on the first day with an exhibition match; in the days following that, every school is made to compete for supremacy. Being the best means a lot, and Grandmaster Ao Guang has held the title for the last five years.

"The Jaodan School is having an official prayer before things begin."

"Prayer?" Raiko exclaims. "They gonna have everybody pray over an exhibition match?"

"It's more important than it sounds, child." Artemis replies.

"You want us to pray, too, bone man?"

Artemis doesn't give a response, and the rest of the way feels like a heavy trudge through an unending field of yellow.

Eventually, we come to a jade torii gate: the entrance to cobblestone roads that pave the way between small huts, houses, and open bazaars. On the other side of town, dozens of stone steps lead upward and connect into a stone path which is drawn toward the inner citadel.

Artemis urges us to hurry so that we'll be on time, but a bald, middle-aged man in a grey kimono and wearing a yellow scarf around his head rushes to stop us.

"Please wait!" he begs. "Who are you? Have you all brought ID's?"

"I thought the Jaodan religion accepted anyone?"

"Uh, well,"--he scratches his cheek--"Jao does love everyone, and I'm not supposed to detain you if you're here on religious reasons."

"That's it?" Raiko asks him.

"Yes!" he bows his head eagerly. "Our movement's grown so much that it's clear we've been blessed. The General of Heaven is a wonderful healer, and he wants all who seek to do good to follow him. Will you be joining us for the Great Gathering?"

"Hmm. Looks like we might as well," I tell him.

"Going to the assembly should allow you the opportunity to see Fang Shubao for yourself," Artemis says. "His understanding of zol seems to transcend our own and that of most disciples within the Ring."

"Is that so?" Hadrian asks him.

"Indeed," Shubao's disciple speaks while leading the way. "The General of Heaven has restored those who were crippled in battle. He has halted the process of aging, he has Awakened others without endangering them, and he has amassed a following of people who can do anything!"

We're led through a stone torii gate and into a gigantic plaza with towers spaced throughout it. In the center of the inner citadel, the tallest pagoda stands over the long body of a grand cathedral held together by polished, golden bricks. Above its iron doors, stained glass of multiple yellow shades depicts two men in robes handing down scriptures from a bright beacon overhead.

Artemis bows to the disciple. "Thank you for showing us the way," he says.

"Not a problem at all! In fact, I'm going with you--look how many people showed up!"

Throughout the entire cathedral, with all its pews positioned in rows across multiple stories, not one seat appears to be open. So many struggle to fit within white walls embroidered with gold illustrations of bears, elephants, and tigers. Those who can't find a seat, even on the hundred or so mats directly in front of the ground floor pews, are forced to stand; alongside them, camera crews have arrived from both local and foreign news stations from around the world.

The focal point of everyone's attention is an older guy who's sitting cross-legged over a velvet pillow. His hair is a mesh of grey and black that's been gelled and shaped into what looks like two horns. He's got a mustache that twirls out in opposite directions and a grey, bushy beard. Around his head, he's wrapped a yellow scarf; gold circles have been painted on his cheeks, and two small blots of ink stand in for his eyebrows, which have been shaven off.

The General of Heaven, Fang Shubao, puts his palms together in prayer and bows to the congregation. When he looks up, his eyes shine like golden stars; his voice reverberates throughout the room as if he's right next to every one of us:

"Before the tides of hell, be at peace. The 'Way' that you have all sought for so long is finally here, here in grace and in love.

"Would it surprise anyone to know that we've had over ten thousand converts since we became a School two years prior? Lord Jao has blessed us, and, in proportion to your faith, He and the Enlightened Sons have continued to grant me unimaginable power. With this power, I have performed miracle after miracle--yet the media refuses to tell the world about the Lord's work!"

The congregation gasps together out of disapproval.

His voice continues to echo within my head: "The world wants to hide us, but the truth belongs forever and always to the Lord. Let it be said that we are the faithful, that we are the tried and true believers of everlasting life. If today's your first time in the congregation, I invite you to come up and receive Jao's blessing. Give your heart unto the righteous ruler of kings, and today we shall see victory in the name of Lord Jao!"

"It's a sham!" someone stands up from his mat and points his finger at Fang in accusation as he declares to everyone, "He's lying to you! Just look at what was done to me, one of the 'faithful!'"

The speaker lets the top of his kimono drop down to reveal an upper body covered in compression bandages. He's missing one eye, his hair's singed, and his face and body have both been badly burned.

"Dogs from the School of Gozadalus ambushed me! They ambushed me, and I prayed to your god! Look at my face!" he shouts with as much authority in his voice as Fang.

"Son, come here." Fang waves him forward.

"What? You think a prayer's going to solve this? Why haven't you taught us all how to defend ourselves?"

"Young man, you have suffered a terrible tragedy while under the banner of Lord Jao. I am embittered that someone from that foul cult would attack my family outright.

"Come here, and I will heal you."

"You're not a doctor," he says.

"Let miracles speak for themselves."

The speaker reluctantly approaches Fang and then kneels before him. "I've sacrificed everything to serve Lord Jao," he remarks before clenching his jaws as his eyes become fixed upon the ground.

"What is your name, child?"

"The name you gave me: Astaroth."

Fang Shubao places his hand over the man's forehead, and he recites a prayer: "Lord Jao, in thy name, let Astaroth be healed. Let his faith be made sure so that his heart may open once again to receive your teachings. Omi shun, shun omi..."

A yellow, autumn haze paints the atmosphere around the two of them. Small, shining bursts of static concentrate around the body of the nonbeliever.

"My Lord, let it be as you desire. Omi, omi, omi..."

Spectral forms appear to float directly over them: two colossal hands are barely visible as their fingers connect over the congregation.

"Lord Jao, show them a miracle!"

Golden light, as bright as a hundred lightning bolts, bursts from them both, and I sense the energy of a strange tau transfer from one space to another. Astaroth momentarily shines before the light fades away; it leaves behind a changed man.

His injuries are all gone, his former appearance restored. Both of his eyes widen as he carefully touches the one that wasn't there earlier. The man removes his sarashi and exposes a fully healed upper body.

"It's amazing," he remarks and then smiles at Fang. "Lord Jao gave me His blessing--it's amazing! I can see with both eyes... I can't thank you enough!"

"Render all thanks unto our Lord," Fang replies and smiles back. "Take your place among the other worshippers and let them see Jao's grace at work for themselves!"

"Yes, Master Fang!" the man bows his head with tears in his eyes; he quickly retreats to his original seat while everyone else stares in wonder.

Right afterwards, a young guy in a black suit and with curly blond hair strides confidently toward the center with a microphone in hand. As Fang Shubao stands in order to bow to him, the newcomer starts in unexpectedly; his voice blares through speakers embedded in the walls and ceilings:

"Hi everyone, I hope seeing a miracle has got you all excited for our School's performance coming up! I know I totally am!"

He and Fang shake hands, then the business executive is given the stage.

"Everyone, my name is Jacobi Debbue, and I'm here to represent the Devidson Corporation. Devidson provides all the audio and electrical support for the tournament's stadium, and we personally sponsored Jaodan's admission into Isamael's Ring. So far, this sponsorship has resulted in a beautiful relationship between this school and our company. Of course, without the General of Heaven none of this would've been possible.

"On this day, your unyielding leader will take on the greatest fighter known within Isamael's Ring: Grandmaster Ao Guang, who founded the School of Utama. If Jaodan's champion overcomes the 'Dark Warrior,' sponsors will flock to your city--Jaodan could even become the Ring's predominant religion!"

The congregation is moved to an applause, and Fang is compelled to chime in, "The glory of Jao is all ours and ours alone. Ao Guang is said to be the Master of Rouketin: Spectrum of Darkness, but I have faith that we can show him back to the light. Ao Guang will become my disciple!"

Most of the audience shouts in agreement and claps even louder than before.

"Well, there you have it," announces Jacobi, "let's all say a prayer to Lord Jao and be on our way. This exhibition match will be nothing short of historical for martial artists everywhere!"

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# 11

The School of Utama

--

Tavon

--

It's noon on a day with clear skies and a bright Sun shining down on Jawata Stadium. The sound of the Cherry Blossom River mixes with the voices of millions. Members of every known species and nearly every civilization have shown up from all over the globe. The Jawata Stadium has several hundred levels of assigned seating to accommodate all of them; in some sections, in fact, I see both alcoves and overhead balconies reserved for some of the wealthiest people on Earth.

The stadium itself is a slab of latticed steel about two hundred yards in length. At the pull of a lever, it can be transformed into multiple stages intended for the first phase of the tournament. This slab of metal is encircled by smooth, black iron, and it's in glaring contrast to the wild yellow and green field enclosing it. The first set of seats are positioned high above the stadium grounds, and, without the overhead dome, the stands reach upward with consecutive walls of spectators. Holographic screens with a visual on the upcoming match float in every corner and on every level.

A giant monitor hanging above and a few feet away from the stage zooms in on the confident figure of Fang Shubao and just as the light touches his face at an angle that conjures up the image of a saint.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!"

A chubby guy, in an all-white suit and with curly, grey hair that reaches past his shoulders, takes to the center of the stage. He bows to everyone with one hand on his chest and the other extended at his side. When he straightens up, the announcer twirls his grey, handlebar mustache with a grin.

"It's so lovely to see just how many were able to make it out here today! Thank you all so much for coming; the weather's perfect for a day like this, and I know that you're all tired of waiting for what you've been promised: a thrilling battle!

"So, with further ado, allow me to introduce our sponsors before we begin. The General of Heaven is already here, and Ao Guang is said to be on his way as we speak."

The announcer gestures to twelve men and women in suits of grey, black, and navy blue.

"These are the esteemed Twelve Generals of Isamael's Ring of Commerce: Tuo Isshin, Maor Kensin, Wakute Tak, Ebun Shariy, Cybil Erbinder, Raskol Masters, Ehring Denver, Sancha Moroc, Isib Neo, Alexander Suro, Qin Hurong, and Jacobi Debbue. The people you see in front of you are all responsible for this ecosystem we call Isamael's Ring; they fund Jawata Stadium and the private armies that protect this country, but every School plays its part, too, folks. Would everyone please give it up for the Twelve Generals!"

The rest of the crowd goes wild while Hadrian, Raiko, Artemis, Avodeus, and I all watch from the back of the third level.

"What's going on," Raiko tries to move me out of the way as he shouts, "I can't see!"

"Grr," Hadrian's jaw clenches, then he shouts, "Dammit! I can't take it anymore--I'm going up to the front, even if I have to stand!"

"Yeah, me too!" Raiko exclaims and bumps into Avodeus on purpose before gesturing for the kid to follow him.

Artemis and I nod to each other and then move up to the front as well. When the five of us get close enough to the action, we accidentally block someone else's view. "Hey," some pissed-off dude yells.

Artemis turns to stare at him, laying bare all the cuts running through his face with a blank expression, and this shuts him up.

The Twelve Generals have already left the stage and exited through a door underneath one of the stands by the time we've moved, and Fang Shubao puts his hands on his hips as he waits patiently for his opponent.

"All righty, folks, it should be any time now! I apologize for the delay; in case you want to curse my name later, it's Kuri! Kuri the Entertainer!"

There's no applause this time, and the whole stadium quickly becomes quiet. In the following moments, all that can be heard is the rushing of the river below...

A door opens beneath the stands on the west end.

A young man in a black kimono dashes out with a black katana. The monitor above zooms in on him, and all I see is a skinny swordsman with black hair tied into a topknot and a short beard; another close-up, and I notice that, near the tip of his weapon, there's what looks like mad, red eyes and a shrieking mouth full of human teeth.

The swordsman hops with incredible lightness onto the stage and strides toward Kuri with a worried frown. He halts and then grabs the hilt of his katana with one hand and the end of the blade with his other; as he bows, his hand covers the shrieking face, and blood immediately drips down onto the stadium floor.

Kuri the Entertainer shudders and nervously asks, with his microphone still in hand, "Uh, sir... who are you?"

The swordsman grimaces as he says, "My name is Kimesu Utama! I'm a follower of the Utama School and Ao Guang's best disciple!"

"But, uh," Kuri stutters, "where is Ao Guang?"

"Lord Guang has left Isamael's Ring."

"What?" exclaims the entertainer, "This is a serious match! He can't do that! Is he abdicating his seat as the world's greatest martial artist?"

"No," Kimesu replies, "My Lord merely believed that I'm more than capable of handling this heretic."

"Hmm, harsh words. Can you back up all that talk while fighting in the name of Ao Guang?"

"It will be no problem. I'd never heard of this man until he established his school here. Those who came before him, the Atsugi School, were better warriors. Not only will I fight for my teacher, but I'm also making a stand in the name of the Atsugi, the superior school!" he shouts this last bit and all but spits in Fang Shubao's face as he does.

"You heard it from the source, ladies and gentlemen: the fight's still on. Introducing Kimesu Utama, Ao Guang's champion!"

Only a small portion of the crowd bothers to applaud his entrance. Everyone else, on the other hand--including Raiko--boos as loudly as they can while Kuri tries to calm them.

"This has been an unexpected turn of events, but there's no need to hold the two of them back any longer." Kuri looks to them both. "Are you all ready?"

Kimesu and Fang both nod without breaking at all from their staring contest. Kimesu's tense, and blood drips down from the hilt of his katana as he grips the sword tightly with both hands. Fang simply stands in place and takes several deep breaths while a smile spreads across his face.

"Excellent! The exhibition match will commence in three...

"Two...

"One...

"Begin!"

Kimesu's sword screams; he dashes at Fang and cries:

--SHINTE--

A barrage of wind blasts in Shubao's direction; Kimesu flies to within an inch of his target, swings with an intimidating roar, and a deafening clang rings out across Jawata Stadium. Kimesu's katana produces golden sparks as it makes contact with a wall that's blindingly bright. When Kimesu backs up and withdraws his sword, the wall instantly disappears.

--SHINTE--

Kimesu exposes the gnawed flesh on his hand, fires black kunai at his enemy, and dashes to increase the distance between them; the kunai all bounce off Fang's reflective barrier. Fang smiles wider while keeping his eyes fixed on Kimesu.

"My son," he says, extending his hands before him in welcome, "you may try whatever you like. Jao is the unstoppable constant. Your moves are what a twig is in comparison to its mother tree."

Without chanting, Kimesu soars past Fang faster than Fang's eyes can see; a trail of black clouds follows in his wake. Kimesu appears behind the General of Heaven, the katana's face issues a harrowing scream, and he flips his sword so that its hilt is facing out. Kimesu flexes, then he strikes, an invisible blade now moving to cut Fang in two.

The shield of light emerges, and so too does the shape of an abnormally long, black katana.

Kimesu steps back, then he raises a two-sided sword high above his head. As he does, the mouthed blade extends to match the same length as its counterpart, which was previously invisible.

Kimesu twirls his double-bladed sword above himself and angles it in its constant rotation so that he can advance and strike at Fang's head. When he edges forward, his strikes slice and smash repeatedly against a shield that forms and vanishes just as quickly. The face howls, and it's so loud that everyone covers their ears from the pain; its voice is strong enough to make the entire stadium vibrate.

When Kimesu can't manage to hit Fang from overhead, he lowers his weapon and then uses the momentum of his body to strike at Fang's sides. With his torso as the lever, each blow from Kimesu sounds like a giant bell banging into a wall. Kimesu's tenacity seems to grow as a familiar dark tau begins to envelop him. He displays an enraged glare, and every attack from then on causes the stadium to tremble. Long streaks of floating, black ink trail in the wake of Kimesu's blade; subsequent to his most powerful strike yet, Kimesu raises his bloody hand and shoots five more kunai at Fang's face.

This time something compels them all to the side, and the kunai are immediately knocked to the ground. Kimesu then chooses to fight Fang on the opposite side of the stage in order to avoid stepping on one as he moves, but, so far and despite using a variety of different skills, he hasn't landed a single hit.

Fang chuckles to himself and strokes his beard with pleasure.

"What's the matter?" he says, "You should feel blessed to witness what you're witnessing today. Jao is showing you how insignificant you are in the face of His might. Can a seed uproot itself from the earth?"

Kimesu breathes heavily but refuses to say anything in response. Instead, he gathers his spirit. Dark tau continues to circle him in a loose field of black smoke. Kimesu raises his double-bladed sword over his head and crouches.

Kimesu darts forward, rotating both hands with lightning speed: each end of the blade extends farther and farther, becoming like sharp whips that tear at the air around them; a second anguished face appears to make a complete pair of blades that scream through the air like razor-edged ghosts seeking the same target. Kimesu swings with more speed than I can keep up with myself, and he creates a lightshow of sparks as a result. Fang's figure becomes obscured beneath the constant clanging of dark metal.

Suddenly, Fang Shubao hops and spins on one foot: a whirlwind rushes around his body, almost pushing both blades back before they collide once more with the golden barrier.

Fang spins again: the whirlwind he produces this time definitively forces back Kimesu's steel whips.

He spins again: Kimesu is blown onto his ass.

Kimesu roars at Fang, then he renews his attacks while allowing dark tau to cover his entire body.

Fang takes a deep breath and then breaks into a constant spin: a tornado appears right where he was standing. Kimesu uses his full strength to swing his blades at the General of Heaven, but they're both blown back before they can get anywhere near close! Fang's tornado whirls and bends in Kimesu's direction. Kimesu shrinks the length of one blade so that he can sprint to avoid being taken by the incoming storm, but he's promptly lifted into the air anyway. The narrow shape of the tornado swiftly whips at Kimesu and sends him flying until he lands on the very edge of the stage as his weapon leaves his grip.

Kimesu quickly comes to his feet and growls in frustration. Fang Shubao is simply standing there with a serene expression.

"There's no more need for you to fight, son. This battle was decided long before. With or without Lord Ao Guang present, Jao vanquishes all opponents."

"Your god is repugnant," Kimesu replies with a snarl.

"Please do not speak of the Lord that way."

"Does your Lord take delight in knowing that his disciples are too weak to face me themselves? This whole time you've done nothing but hide behind the same barrier. I don't sense any form of zol from you, so one thing is clear...

"You are not a martial artist, Fang Shubao." Kimesu points at him as darkness gathers around his form. "You brought a god from another country here so that you could become famous. You're no fighter, and your god is a crook."

At last, Fang Shubao frowns.

"Watch what you say," he warns.

"Heh." Kimesu takes a few steps toward him and says, "The men who led the Atsugi School had more to offer than your conniving religion. You don't train your students, you teach them to hide! Your god has no place in the martial arts!"

"Be quiet, you."

The Golden General glares at Kimesu. He balls his hands into fists.

"Lord Jao will not tolerate disrespect. Cease speaking that way right now, child."

"Or what?"

Kimesu moves for his sword.

Fang warns him, "Don't do it! If you do, you'll be lost forever."

Kimesu grabs his weapon, and Fang shouts, "Fool!"

The Golden General raises both hands and then throws them down. Above the stadium, the translucent outlines of two clawed hands slam down onto the stage and press Kimesu's body against the ground.

When he appears to have been crushed, Kimesu stiffly struggles to his feet and surprises everyone. Amidst all the pain he's got to be feeling, he manages to look up at Fang Shubao and laugh.

"You're a false prophet," he taunts, "and your god has no place here."

Fang slams the side of his right fist downward.

Kimesu is smashed into a mesh of ripped skin, crushed bones, and organs floating within a pool of blood.

"Lord Jao," Fang utters reverently, "I've destroyed Your enemies today. Let those remaining now receive Your holy word."

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# 12

The School of Zunaga

--

Tavon

--

There's a mild applause, but most everyone in the audience is dumbfounded. Fang Shubao hasn't stressed his body at all, and he bows before the bloody mess in front of him. Kuri the Entertainer scampers over to block the scene with his body. Security teams and members of the stadium's medical staff run toward the stage; Kuri frantically calls out, "What a show! I was truly shocked at such a display of raw faith--why, the General of Heaven barely moved a muscle!"

Except for the very few who do clap, everyone else remains silent and fixated only on the smashed corpse behind the entertainer.

"I think it's safe to say that Fang Shubao of the Jaodan School is the victor, but I'm afraid that we'll be having a short intermission so that we can clean up after Lord Jao's wrath. We apologize for the inconvenience."

--

The five of us wait around for the next two hours in the inner stadium lobby. While walking through a hallway of ivory and steel, past epic portraits of celebrated fighters, we come upon a stand that sells steamed buns and ginjo sake. The only ones who don't eat or drink are Artemis and his genzaon, and Avodeus has gone completely pale.

"Ay man," Raiko nods to him after taking a bite, "you all right?"

Avodeus doesn't answer him. He swallows hard as he stares at the floor.

"I feel you," Raiko continues anyway, "he shouldn't have been killed like that."

In that moment, I notice what I hadn't before. There's something standing atop one of Raiko's shoulders.

"Raiko, is that a bird?"

"Huh?"

Raiko turns to look where I point, but a yellow chick skirts around the back of his neck and stands on his other shoulder. He feels the movement regardless, so Raiko tries to brush the thing off. The baby chick flies away, hovers around him, and lands on the opposite shoulder.

"What the?" He shoos it away again and curses when it inevitably returns to his shoulder.

With such small wings, it shouldn't be able to fly. Despite almost being killed by Raiko several times already, it chirps away happily as a small golden aura surrounds it.

"Interesting," Artemis remarks. "I should've expected to find kamuy in this place--but for one to choose you amidst everyone else in Jawata Stadium is fascinating."

"What the hell you talkin' about? Get this shit off me!" Raiko growls and swats at his new friend.

It's too fast for him and acts like some sort of boomerang that causes the kid to lose it.

"It's silly to try to reject it. That little bird wants to be your onomusol, your greatest companion."

"No!" he gasps while swatting more desperately, "Kill this thing, bone dude!"

"That would be cruel and unwise. The two of you are now bonded to each other."

"Ain't nobody gonna take me seriously with this bird on my shoulder!"

"No one ever did," Hadrian says with a smirk.

"Ay, fuck you." Raiko glares at him, but seeing the innocent baby chicken next to his angry face causes Hadrian to start laughing.

"I wouldn't be upset," I tell him. "A dog saved my life when I was a kid."

"Yeah," he scowls at me, "but that was a dog. The fuck am I supposed to do with a bird, fool?"

"That's something everyone learns with time," Artemis chimes in, but Raiko won't be swayed.

"Why can't one of ya'll kill this thing?"

"Its tau field is connected with yours."

"I don't care, boney. Teach, can you punch this thing or something? If we roll up in the wrong place, they're gonna laugh at us!"

"I don't care, Raik."

"Well I do!" he exclaims like a brat having a tantrum. "You may not care because you're a fucking serial murderer, but I can't call myself a martial artist and have this be my spirit animal."

"I'm not just a murderer," I raise my voice at him, "And you're acting immature, Raiko. Why are you so angry?"

"Who do you think I get it from, huh?"

"Are you gonna take all that abuse, Tavon, or are you going to discipline him?" shouts Hadrian. "This child has made everyone miserable since he's been in our company."

"Good," Raiko yells over him, "if I'm such trash to you people, then I won't bother anyone anymore."

He turns his back and begins walking away.

"Raik," I call after him, "you weren't bothering me."

Raiko holds up one hand as if to stop me from speaking, and this prompts an infuriated response from Hadrian.

"What's wrong with you?" he says to me, "Why are you just letting him treat you that way--you're his teacher!"

"Calm down," I brush him off while watching the kid depart with the bird resting on his shoulder and steadying itself every now and then with brief flaps of its wings. "Give him some time and he'll come around."

"Master," Avodeus bows to Artemis, "may I accompany Raiko?"

"I see no reason why not. Go. Make sure he doesn't anger the wrong individual."

"Thank you!"

He bows again and takes off after Raiko.

"Well, I don't know about you guys," Hadrian remarks while pointing his thumb behind him, "but I'm heading back outside early. Members of the School of Senzang are scheduled to make a speech soon, and they're rumored to be specialists in two different spectrums: Maia and Jeigon."

"If that's the case, then I think we'd both be interested in joining you," I say to him.

Artemis nods in agreement, and the three of us move back to the stands of the outer stadium.

--

While waiting in the same spot as before, the stands begin filling in behind us. Two different schools are waiting below and near the center stage as Kuri the Entertainer speaks with their representatives.

Raiko and Avodeus rejoin our group without a word. Raiko won't look at any of us directly, so I ask, "Are you okay, Raik?"

"Yeah."

He continues looking down at the stage and ignores us all. The baby chick on his shoulder starts chirping, and he sighs as he rests his chin on top of his arms and over the steel safety rail.

Down below, the School of Senzang is dressed in tan and crimson kimonos; at the hems and sleeves of each, golden embroidery glints against the Sun. I notice students of widely varying body types as well as a mix of humans with one other species. Those who aren't human have teal colored skin, hair that ranges from green to blond, and are mostly humanoid in appearance, if built a bit more robustly. Among the fighters' weapons, I spot two pairs of nunchaku, three crossed hilts attaching three broad swords to one central handle, katanas, odachi, a long koto, a broad drum, a shamisen, two double-bladed axes, stone clubs, and even a few firearms. The School of Senzang's armed to the teeth.

"They've done this on purpose," Artemis remarks when noticing the same thing. "You see, the School of Gozadalus is traditional. They've all dressed themselves in black kimonos and brought either swords or tantos, yet, if you compare the two schools, the Senzang appear much more impressive, and they must appear impressive in the eyes of their natural rivals."

"Who leads them?" I ask.

"Those two,"--Artemis points at a pair of older, broad-chested humans who've tied their greying hair into topknots--"Master Tenbu and Master Chibale. Their influence on Isamael's Ring is impressive, and it would be of no surprise to me at all to learn that they desire more territory to call their own."

As he says this, the two elders walk side by side toward the center of the stage. Kuri introduces them to the crowd as its numbers continue to swell with returning spectators, then he attaches a miniature microphone to the collar of the clean-shaven elder's red kimono. Master Chibale speaks with a solemn voice and with his hands clasped over his waist:

"I understand that you've all come here today to celebrate the results of the exhibition match. What none of you expected, however, was the inhumane murder of a mighty warrior. Fang Shubao's behavior is inexcusable; because a man did not submit to his god, Fang killed him before our very eyes.

"My message today is for the twelve Trade Generals of Isamael's Ring: it is only natural that you revoke Mr. Shubao's license to instruct and abolish a school that is stocked with nothing but untrained students. The 'Jaodan School' is a mockery cheapening the names of martial artists everywhere.

"Trade Generals, I humbly request temporary allocation of Jaodan's school territory to us. If our demands aren't met, we will declare war upon the followers of Fang Shubao. We cannot allow this wound to fester, and, if any one member of our school was privileged enough to fight Fang themselves, we believe a very different scenario would unfold. That being said, the people of Isamael's Ring have heard us.

"Respond soon," he declares, "or we'll be forced to make a very political decision."

--

The School of Senzang leaves the stage amidst a silent crowd. All of them move to stand by the wayside, and they begin staring fixedly at a group of a hundred followers approaching the center stage. The Gozadalus School has arrived, dressed in black, grey, and purple kimonos.

The leader of the group is a black-haired guy who looks like he's barely out of his teens. He strides toward Kuri with supreme pride and takes the mini microphone from him.

"My name is Atanase," he says to us all. "I am a direct servant of Gozad, and I'm here to inform you that 'Lord Jao' is an insect feeding on and tearing apart the foundations of this country.

"Many years ago, I helped lead the charge on Ruzumbhad. I saw the power of my own god firsthand, and I'm here to tell you that it surpasses anything of which Fang could be capable. Gozad has been empowering us all to succeed, and so we'd like to lend our talent over to the aid of the Senzang School.

"As of this day forward, the School of Gozadalus will ally with the Senzang in case the twelve rulers refuse to act appropriately. Gozad can Awaken you if you train under me, and so our school will lead the way in both training and faith. Thank you all for allowing me a moment of your time."

Atanase bows gracefully and then hands the mic to the entertainer.

"We've one more group scheduled to speak before the end of the tournament's first day, and, hold on to your seats, folks, this gang of marauders is known worldwide!"

A door below the western stands opens, and out walks a familiar adversary.

"That's right, we've some of the most dangerous criminals in the stadium with us tonight: the Noboros Clan!"

Behind Inen, I spot a beautiful but sickly-pale woman, then--behind her--I see the Demon Knight for the first time in years, not any less prepared to kill him if I ever catch him alone. A man with a rose-colored vest, a brown undershirt, and black skinny jeans follows behind the Demon Knight while carrying a dark violin case at his side. After him, a human with pallid, crater-filled skin and a greatly enlarged head emerges from the door followed by the last newcomer, whose raven blue hair covers most of his face and hangs down over a black blazer and undershirt.

The six of them stride toward the stage while the audience gossips nervously in a quiet uproar. Kuri hands Inen the mic, and he speaks to the crowd while the rest of his companions form a half circle protecting his rear flank.

"I'm sure most of you know who I am already, but my name's Inen."

He talks calmly and shows off a slight smirk, "I was born a slave, and a friend showed me the way out. I used to know someone who could move the Earth. He was a slave, too, but he grew up to become unbreakable.

"I'm not the founder of Noboros, and yet I've inherited a jewel like no other. After traveling the known world, we secured the means to negotiate with both the School of Gozadalus and the School of Jaodan. With these two forces vouching for our many talents, I've decided that we will establish our own school."

All at once, the crowd boos and curses at the lord of crime. Someone throws their trash into the stadium, and others follow in suit.

Tau sparks from Inen's mind and eyes, converging and forming a ray of violet light. This light expands into a polygonal shape, then it shoots forward and silences an entire section of the crowd.

Everyone goes quiet, and Inen laughs.

"In the old days, that would've given me a bad headache. Hmm. This is how I know we're ready. I expect all members of Noboros to contribute to the construction of the School of Zunaga. I made a promise to my former mentor, and so I will go through with the official examination process. Once our license to instruct is approved, we'll create the best, well-rounded school on Isamael's Ring. Our petition to the Ring of Commerce begins today and with the full support of two schools. The worthiness of my followers cannot be denied; therefore, we will make our mark on this country, with or without the consent of those who govern it.

"When there were only ten of us, we were nothing. Many seasons have passed since then. There are twenty of us now, and this is our time. Nothing will stand in our way."

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# 13

Fang Shubao

--

Tavon

--

The first day of the tournament ends with Inen's speech dominating the public conversation. On the way back to the School of Jaodan, I overhear other travelers condemning Inen.

"He's an arrogant psychopath," they say.

"He's got no loyalty to anyone but himself."

"That boy is nothing but trouble, a bookworm way too in over his head."

Artemis has his share to say as well and as soon as we aren't surrounded by any crowds.

"He's acting much too soon," he laments. "While I'm pleased that the young master has acquired a focal point to his ambition, threatening the Trade Generals was probably not the best idea."

"Wait a minute," I stop him there. "So if I want to participate in the tournament, I have to do what he's doing?"

"Correct." Artemis nods.

"Yo--" Raiko begins to say, but I finish for him--

"That's not right."

"It's an exclusive event, Tavon."

"But they can reject your application, right? What if they're not really putting the best fighters on display and Noboros is proof of that? They have to accept Inen's petition because he's strong enough to force the issue without needing the exam at all."

"Perhaps if he had millions to spend, he could actually afford the process. It would almost be easier to exterminate Isamael's Ring than to join it, but either course of action will see us at war for quite some time in some way or another. I, too, remember being young and foolish," Artemis replies.

"Excuse me, uh, are you the 'Knight Murderer?'"

An old man dressed in the yellow kimono of the Jaodan School nervously bows to us all.

"I am. Is that a problem?" I ask him.

"Oh," he smiles while still shaking, "why not at all! It's just that the General of Heaven would like a private audience with the man who escaped from the Citadel."

"Can I bring everyone with me?"

"Uh, well, I think the smaller the group the better."

"Very well," Artemis interjects and puts his hand on Avo's shoulder, "we've our own errands to run anyway. My genzaon's lacking some vital training, so I thought I'd find the school best equipped to teach someone with his powers. I'd like to get this done soon in case Inen calls for us all to rally around him."

Artemis pauses, then he looks at me.

"If that does take place, Tavon, I'd advise you to go to his aid as well. There's still a place for you in Noboros."

"I can't juggle more than one job at the moment," I tell him. "Besides, I have some problems I need to work out with the Demon Knight personally... I'm just not ready yet."

"I see." Artemis bows to me. "Well, regardless, we'd better be off. Hadrian," he glances his way, "be sure you give the School of the Hayashi a visit."

"Seriously?" he gasps, "There is such a thing?"

Artemis nods. "Indeed. It would be well worth your time to go and see them," he says, and then he and Avodeus walk away from us without another word.

"So," I say to the Jaodan disciple, "are the three of us too many?"

"No," he shakes his head and smiles as he replies, "the three of you are becoming well known--the Shieldbearer, the Knight Murderer, and the Knight Murderer's genzaon--so there's no doubt that Lord Shubao will be happy to meet you all."

--

When we arrive back at the inner citadel of the School of Jaodan, we're led into the highest level of the central tower. There, we find the combination of a bedroom with a tearoom. The olive-colored carpet, patterned with green tracings, runs from the outer waiting area to the hardwood floors of a small alcove where a king-sized bed juts halfway out. The mahogany table between the three of us and Shubao is long enough to accommodate several drinkers. Above the table, a flatscreen television monitor is attached to the yellow wall.

Fang has four cups and two bottles of honjozo sake brought to us by his followers, then we're provided with fresh tea and treated with a seasoned breadbasket. Fang is the first to eat and seems to sway from side to side as if he's already been drinking. He holds his cup of honjozo in both hands and sips as his cheeks redden even more.

"Oh my," he sighs in between sips, "what an eventful day. My friends, I wasn't anticipating such a foul display of hatred against our cause. Long have we been persecuted and-and... whatever the rest was."

The three of us stay silent, wondering what he'll say next.

"Say," he winks at Hadrian, "there were quite a few ladies watching the tournament, weren't there?"

"I wasn't paying attention," he replies.

"Of course you were! There were beautiful women for miles, Shieldbearer!"

"I don't go by that anymore."

"Nevertheless, I believe those same ladies would go wild for a gang member."

"I left Noboros. And they wouldn't."

"Oh well, haha!"--he looks to me and Raiko--"I'm sure you two lads know what I'm talking about. What a fine sight: fighting, liquor, and women. This is the life, boys, so consider joining the Jaodan School yourselves if you're interested. This is the truth behind the truth. You could all fight for us in the tournament."

"We've got a contract to finish before we can accept any offers," I lie.

"Oh," he says, "I apologize. Are all of you occupied with the same mission?"

"More or less," Hadrian shrugs his shoulders with his arms crossed over his chest. "I'm supposed to take down a king."

"A king?" Fang's eyes widen. "That's very interesting. I think I like it," he remarks. "So, I suppose there's no pressing reason for me to inconvenience you over a recruitment."

"You're a lot different from how I thought you'd act," Raiko says out loud and before I can cover his mouth.

"Oh?" Fang chuckles. "I imagine that's true. I usually only show my real face when around close friends. Seeing as the three of you are passing through, however, I thought I'd unwind for a bit. I've been shackled to my duties for too long; a man needs to relax and live in the world, after all."

"You're saying it's all an act then?"

"Raiko!" I start to scold him.

"Kid's right for once," Hadrian cuts in and leans forward while staring deep into Fang's eyes. "Where I'm from, Jaodan is the predominant religion. In Saizakune, the Church of Jaodan controls all of society. I grew up under what your religion stood for, and it ruined the lives of the people around me. It's the reason why I was separated from my family when I deserved the same rights the humans had. Under your god, I suffered."

Fang looks down and clasps his hands together.

"I'm very sorry to hear that..."

I glance to the side to make sure Hadrian doesn't pounce on him, but he waits in place and continues glaring in the priest's direction.

When Fang Shubao raises his head, his eyes become a sickly yellow color. His pupils darken into black embers, and he grins.

"I've no real interest in converting others. When I first became a believer, I was a crooked man. Even so, I found that faith was stronger than any of my past actions. With faith, I can do anything I want.

"I can vanquish whomever I please, command anyone I desire, and change Isamael's Ring as we know it."

The light fades away. Fang Shubao's eyes return to normal, and he sighs with a chuckle.

"But there's nothing to be concerned about. No, not at all. I could give a shit about 'The Tenets' or anyone else's faith. I've been blessed with an esteemed position, and nothing about my behavior has caused my blessings to cease."

"You're like those business dudes at the casino," Raiko mutters. "You're in your position for the opportunity. For the money."

"The money comes naturally." He nods earnestly and with an aggressive glare at the kid. "Nonetheless, I am where I am, aren't I? And, speaking of a 'casino,' please tell me more."

"It's nothin'," replies Raiko. "We almost got fucked over by a mob that was on the same cruiser with us."

"Right," Fang scratches his ear as he remarks, "you all came from the Citadel, so you might know what happened to one of our disciples. We sent out one of our most faithful to start a church in the Dawn Federation, but he was set to return after the Federation was attacked. Unfortunately, we haven't heard from him since..."

"If he was one of the conmen we ran into," Hadrian replies, "then he probably didn't make it."

"That's not good. He issued a report describing a major investment, yet both he and this investment have disappeared."

"That's the mob's fault," says Raiko. "Around the time we got to Inuyo Port, the Agakuren family started butcherin' a whole bunch of dudes sellin' pyramid schemes to people. The ones they didn't get to were taken out by some other psycho."

Fang immediately perks up. "Psycho, huh? Did you see what he looked like?"

"No, but their necks were all broken."

"Ah," Fang exclaims, "that sounds familiar. Gentlemen," his voice gets serious, "I've been getting strange reports since the beginning of the School Tournament, and this is largely the reason why I called you all here today. Tavon?"

"Yeah?"

"Is it true that you killed more than a hundred men in order to leave the Citadel?"

"I don't like to think about it."

"It's true," Raiko says for me and sighs, "He's crazy."

"That's rather exceptional," Fang replies. "And then for a former member of Noboros to partner with the Knight Murderer at such an opportune time is fantastic!

"As we speak, that 'psycho' is out terrorizing the School of Risasi, near the eastmost section of the Ring. I've been getting reports of Risasi disciples murdered alongside members of other schools. The killer's path appears to have started within a section to the south, and, so far, he's worked his way up until finding one of the most reputable schools in the nation.

"This man is calling himself the most powerful member of Noboros, and, as of now, I'm inclined to believe that. One man is out there killing warriors trained in zol. I'd like for the three of you to track him down and stop him. I believe he's their eleventh member, Samazoshi."

"Samazoshi? Are you sure?"

Hearing that name has me recalling anger I've never gotten over. When Fang nods to confirm it, I feel rage well up inside.

"We'll do it for free," I assure him.

"What the--" Raiko starts to exclaim while looking my way.

"Hold on," Hadrian takes over the discussion, "I'm not going to turn my back on Samazoshi."

"What?" I can barely keep myself from yelling, "But you're not on the same side anymore!"

"Samazoshi has never transgressed against me," Hadrian replies nonplussed. "If he challenged me, I'd accept it, but hunting old colleagues is not my thing."

Hadrian comes to his feet and asks, "General Fang, do you know where I can find the School of the Hayashi?"

"You mean you've never been?" He raises one eyebrow. "I'd figured you'd already trained with them. If not, then hmm..." Fang ponders to himself.

"What is it?" Hadrian asks impatiently.

"It's nothing. Only, you must know what they don't take kindly to new recruits or tourists in general. They're southeast of here, on Sector IR-E, but security's extremely tight. If you joined us instead, you'd be able to participate in the tour--"

"Get your foul religion away from me," Hadrian scowls.

Fang scowls back. "Wait a minute now. Don't make the same mistake as Kimesu," he warns.

"I won't." Hadrian turns away and begins to depart. "My path's already laid out ahead of me."

Raiko shakes his head in disappointment. "Damn! I needed to get some more of those pattern things from him, but he left too fast. Why's he gotta be so hardheaded, huh?"

Fang laughs at Raiko's comment while instantly cheering up. With flushed cheeks, he tells us, "On the way to the Risasi School, over on Sector IR-D, you'll pass through the School of Senzang in IR-C. If either of you are interested in the Jeigon or Maia Spectrums, I'd suggest that you stop there and learn what you can. Senzang's warriors usually average second or third place in the annual tournament; they'd be first if not for the Utama School. However, do not spend too much time training. If you can put an end to Samazoshi's wickedness, I'll compensate you generously for your efforts."

Raiko and I stand up to bow, and Fang does the same. On our way out, he says, "I see a bright future in the two of you partnering with the Senzang. Go amongst them as humble men, let them guide you by their wisdom and hospitality."

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# 14

Jupiter Kang

--

Tavon

--

The east end of IR-B, the School of Jaodan, is like a small city buried in the wilderness. In the middle of a forest of red and gold leaves, concrete roads weave around tall, steel buildings with glass walls. From our point of view, at the foot of yet another mountain, we can see motorists riding either scooters or small motorcycles around restaurants and supermarkets with golden banners. One high rise tower has the narrow body of a plant stem, but the top of it is rounded, has circular glass windows, and looks too wide for the structure to support it.

As we cross through a bazaar near the golden arches we enter from, Raiko asks if we can stop by a blacksmith, and I oblige him. He takes his time studying every sword in the shop, and I soon grow impatient.

"Can't you create your own weapon?" I ask him.

"That can only go so far," he snorts. "Hadrian showed me another method of fighting."

Raiko asks to see yet another katana. Its blade is slender and average in length, but his eyes are fixed upon it, like he's found buried treasure.

Raiko's eyes flicker between me and the katana as he says, "I was going to do things your way, T, but Hadrian's style makes more sense to me."

"How so?"

"When his shields aren't enough, he draws his sword. He's good enough with it that he could just be a swordsman if he wanted, but Hadrian switches it up. He's always got more than one trick up his sleeve. I wanna be like that."

While Raiko nods to himself, the clerk chimes in, "That's right. Some of the Ring's most famous fighters--Li Ruko, Gonroku Hei, Isadom Rue--all knew how to adapt when the situation called for it. Did you need help finding anything in particular?" she asks us.

Briefly, I think back to the moment when I decided that I'd only use my fists to deal with my enemies...

"No thank you," I tell her and smile politely.

Raiko and I leave the bazaar and travel along the sidewalks of the city until closing in on the separation chamber between IR-B and IR-C. A great wall of metal enclosed by thick glass lies beyond a dark, orange-tiled plaza. One cobblestone highway leads all the way into the separation chamber, and a fairly large number of robed travelers come and go; produce stalls and sweets vendors are set up by the wayside, and tourists travel from between them to coffee shops, malls, and even a theater.

We've almost finished the trek through Jaodan territory when we come upon another blue-skinned humanoid posing for a group of people holding microphones and small cameras. His dark green hair's been gelled in a combover; his complexion's clear, and his face has been powdered over. He's rocking a blue, sleeveless leather jacket and black skinny jeans. One of the reporters asks him to flex, so he strikes a pose to show off biceps bigger than any average human's.

"Jupiter Kang, what do you think will be the driving force behind your success in the tournament?"

"Driving force?" he smirks and looks at the reporters slyly as he replies, "It's not like I need any help. I'm the best fighter the Senzang School has, and they know it. It only took me three years to join them, so they obviously saw something special in me."

"But, Mr. Kang," asks another reporter, "I thought most applicants got in after one year?"

Kang blushes, but he continues, "Well, I decided to train for an extra amount of time. That's how dedicated I was."

"But doesn't the School already train on a regular basis?" asks a woman holding a camera.

"They... do," Kang gives them all a thumbs up and says, "but I do it better. That's why I'm going to be the champion this time around. I can't let someone whose name rhymes with my last name lay their hands on the title!"

"Mr. Kang," yet another reporter presses in, "why did you come to the Jaodan School today? Have you converted?"

"Huh? No!" he gasps, "I would never--I mean, I wanted to see if it was as cool as its followers say it is, but it was just... eh."

"'Eh?' So you think Jaodanism is a false religion."

"No! Look," he raises his voice, "I came here because I wanted to ask somebody out... but I'm not sure if that's the right move anymore."

"Are they a part of Jaodanism, too?"

"Okay," Jupiter Kang walks off and shakes his head as he responds, "it's getting too personal. I'll see you all at the tournament."

We're a short distance behind Kang and the separation chamber, but he's ambushed by a bunch of women in yellow and grey kimonos before we can get much farther.

"It's you!" a ginger-haired fan screams and jumps in the air.

"Jupiter!" another takes out a micro-camera and tries to snap the two of them in a picture.

Kang backs away reflexively, but then he eases up and starts taking pictures with all of them.

"You're all Narah's friends, right?"

"Yeah," one of them says while staring him down like a piece of meat, "why? Is she important or something?"

Another interrupts and asks, "Are ya'll together now? Please, Jao, don't let it be real."

"Oh no," yet another shakes her head and frowns, "you can't like her over any of us. She's got no class, no style, and no money, you dummy. Jupiter, you need to set your standards a little higher, okay? It's making you look stupid."

Just then, we're about to pass the group of them.

One of the fangirls calls my way: "Hey, mister."

Raiko and I turn, but he's more pissed than me. "We don't got time for this," he mutters under his breath.

"What is it?" I ask.

A thin, dark haired woman with purple lipstick and red eyeliner asks me, "Are you the guy who hurt all those people in the Citadel? You look just like him--what do you guys think?" she glances at everyone else with her in search of an answer.

Everybody's quiet as all eyes are suddenly on me. Her friends nod their heads.

"Yeah," one of them replies, "that's him. How's this possible..."

"Who is he?" Kang exclaims as he looks me over with contempt.

"You don't know?" the woman with red eyeliner looks back at him before pointing at me and saying, "He's a fugitive. He broke out of the Citadel, and, when the police tried to stop him, he went on a killing spree--he even called in a demon to help him!"

"That's not how it went," I try to explain.

They all flinch at my voice, but Kang takes a step forward.

"You should fight him here, Jupiter! You're a Senzang warrior, so stop him," she goads him on. "Narah loves strong heroes, and so do I, mister."

The rest encourage Kang by saying things like "Protect us" and "Arrest him." It's enough pressure to make Jupiter Kang confront me. He punches into the palm of his hand and smiles.

"I'd heard that there was a crazed murderer who broke free from that city, but I was expecting a lot more. Now, if you come along with me, it'll make everything easier on you."--he points at himself--"I'm a master of Shungej, so you'd better listen to what I say."

Raiko and I stare back at him and don't reply.

In the silence, Kang loses some of his nerve. "What's up with you guys?" he asks. "Are you both stupid or something? Did you hea--"

"You're a master of Shungej?" I ask him.

"Yeah! What's it to you, guy?"

"Show me a Shungej Punch."

"Be careful what you ask for," he smiles and says, "you might regret it."

With those words, Kang stands in place and breathes in deep, as if he's won a great victory. I expand both legs.

I dash toward Jupiter Kang; my feet thunder against the ground as I sprint. Right before reaching Kang, I jump into the air while collecting my momentum into an overhead strike!

Kang turns and runs.

I land, rock forward, and my fist slams into Jupiter Kang's back. He cries out, then he falls on his face before appearing to faint.

His chest begins to rise and fall. I hear the sound of snoring, and so do his fans. The women who'd surrounded him before take one look at his body, glance back at me, and then they take off screaming for help.

Jupiter Kang groans. He convulses slightly, then he struggles to get on his knees. Once he does, Kang keels over and gags, but, when he notices us behind him, he quickly straightens up and turns around to stand while trying to catch his balance.

"You... you tripped me!"

"No one tripped you. You ran away," I tell him.

"No I didn't," he denies it with a scowl, "I would never run from an opponent. I am Jupiter--"

Kang looks around him and then scratches his head.

"Hey, where did they all go?" he asks us.

"They left after watching you get ya ass beat," Raiko gives him the answer.

"What? Oh no!" Kang presses his palms to his reddening forehead. "That'll damage my reputation. Guys,"--he looks to us earnestly--"you have to let me win, okay?"

"What the hell?" Raiko starts to size him up. "Why would we ever do that?"

"Please!" Kang gets on his knees and begins to beg. "I have to maintain my reputation before my first match!"

"Why?" Raiko and I both ask at the same time.

"Because," he shouts in reply, "I have to fight in at least one match if I want to stay relevant!"

"This is a real convoluted way of livin' your life, man," Raiko says to him.

"I agree. I thought you were supposed to be a martial artist, so you should be able to beat us without a problem, right?"

"Uh, no," he grimaces, "not if I take another hit like that. I'll do anything if you don't punch me like that again."

"Slow down there," I tell him. "I'm not going to hit you. To be honest, you can tell your girlfriend whatever you want."

Jupiter Kang thinks over what I've said, then he smiles. He's about to speak, when--

Some guy my age, in a crimson kimono and with his brown hair tied back into a ponytail, interrupts our conversation by drawing his sword. Behind him, another member with a red top and a tan hakama waits while watching his friend approach me. I come face to face with a dark-eyed, tenacious warrior who's got stubble covering most of the lower part of his face.

"My name is Maeda Senzang," he says. "My brother is Kenji Senzang, the Lord of Jeigon. My father is Iton Senzang, nephew to Lord Chibale, one of the two chieftains of our school. I have come today on the behalf of both my family and the martial artists that raised me. Kenji could've taken you himself--it would've been too easy for him, in fact.

"No," he snarls, "it has to be me if I want the world to know who I am. When you killed all those innocent people, Tavon Meiziki, you sent out a call for the whole world to challenge you. I'm here to do just that, you ignorant brute!"

--SHINTE--

Maeda Senzang flashes toward me with a two-handed, horizontal swing of his katana. His image appears before my eyes; I catch the blade with both hands and squat to absorb his momentum. My feet crack the floor, and Maeda steps back just as his sword splits into three pieces from the strength of my grip.

He tosses his broken weapon to the side, then--

--MAIA: GENESIS--

The blade of a black katana sprouts from his wrist, and he chants again:

--EONSURI: PERMEATION--

Flames erupt across sharp steel, reaching down to the hilt and scorching Maeda's hands. He grits his teeth and sprints; Maeda swings at my head, but I backstep and lunge to the side when he thrusts. Scorching heat seeks to part my flesh every time he swings. After evading several more of his attacks, I fall into a boxing stance. With his next strike, I'll shatter his sword.

Maeda advances on me as expected, then--

--SHUNGEJ--

His arms double in size, and Maeda slashes down with all of his might!

Rather than meet him head on, I know my limits.

I sidestep, avoiding the blade as the wind blows in its terrible wake. Maeda strikes the ground, causing it to shudder as it cracks beneath the weight of his attack.

When he hefts his katana up in the air, I kick him in the stomach. Maeda gasps for air while trying to get away from me, and I sense something strange.

I move on Maeda with reckless abandon. This time, he expands his arms without chanting and prepares an overhead swing. Once I'm close enough, he strikes. I break his blade in two with a punch.

Between breaths, he growls at me, "How did you do that? It shouldn't have broken!"

"The concentration of tau in your katana weakened. I figured it was my best shot."

Maeda answers by summoning another blade from his other wrist. In doing so, his body starts to pale over.

He charges, but, through enlarging my legs, I'm on him before Maeda can think of a strategy. He can only raise his katana in defense, so I break through it a third time.

Finally, having had enough, he screams:

--SHUNGEJ--

Maeda's entire body all but doubles in size. At the same time, he shakes uncontrollably while trying to keep calm.

Without another word, he sprints at me with two fists raised.

--EONSURI: PERMEATION--

Maeda sets his arms aflame. Fully engulfed in the madness of combat, he cries out in agony and delivers a fiery punch my way. I manage to move out of his range in time, and yet the force of his tau licks and tears open my weighted shirt. Beads, melted and solid, pour out, and so I discard it just when Maeda starts to close in again. I almost throw it away, but I choose to throw it at his face instead, and this slows him down long enough for me to act. I lunge forward, shift my hips, rotate at the waist, and ram my elbow into my opponent's gut.

Maeda promptly falls onto his back, and his zol disperses. A second passes, then he uses his abdominal muscles to jump to his feet. His body has deflated somewhat from its former appearance, but his tau soon returns in a thin, blue field surrounding his body.

He looks into my eyes and says, "My name is Maeda Senzang. I am the greatest warrior in the Ring!"

Maeda summons yet another katana, then he moves toward me while wielding it with one hand.

"My name is Maeda Senzang," he shouts and flashes forward. Without chanting, Maeda zooms to cover the distance between us and swings at my ribcage!

The katana breaks against my body.

--SHUNGEJ--

Maeda's thigh expands, he thrusts his right knee at my chest, and I catch it with the strength of one hand. At once, I punch Maeda in the face. He falls to the ground, then he scampers to get back up and confront me once more.

"I am the greatest warrior in the Ring!" he says again and then spits his blood upon the ground.

Maeda approaches more calmly this time, although blood begins to drip down from his lips. He raises his fists and nods to me.

I raise mine, and we duke it out. He punches low and then high, then low again; I block every shot he takes. Maeda throws a jab at my head, I deflect with one hand, then I punch him in the chest. He takes a few confused steps back before falling on his ass. His focus is gone, but it returns as quickly as it left.

Maeda stands up and repeats proudly, "My name is Maeda Senzang." He struggles to breathe and sucks in as much air as he can.

Maeda screams: "I am the greatest warrior in the world!"

He flashes toward me again. Maeda summons two blades and swings both at the same time. I punch out at each, breaking them with consecutive strikes, and he draws two more. Maeda practically throws these two at me prior to summoning yet another pair, and, before I know it, he's dashing around me while simultaneously throwing every katana he can generate.

In the flurry of steel, I retain enough focus and steadily snap every single one I can't dodge. My fists are ripped and covered in my own blood, but my strikes never fail me. As the storm picks up, and right when it feels like I'll be overwhelmed, Maeda charges in, enlarges his right forearm and bicep, and goes for my head.

I send incredible energy into my fist, then I solidify my stance and punch at the same moment he does!

Our fists collide; his forearm breaks inward.

As I move inside his guard, he steps back, crying, "My name is Maeda Senzang. I am the greatest--"

I punch Maeda in the chest, and he collapses to the ground.

The world grows quiet again. I'm looking down at the Senzang disciple and waiting for him to get back up. His resolve's impressive. He used everything he had at his disposal.

Raiko strides up to Maeda and rolls him over onto his back.

"What are you doing?"

He looks at me like I'm an idiot and doesn't answer. Instead, Raiko checks for a pulse. He leans in close and listens for some time, but, eventually, he looks at me again and shakes his head.

"Dude's passed," he says.

I feel...

Remorse.

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# 15

Samazoshi

--

Janelle

--

My name is Janelle, and I follow behind those who create death.

On the same day that Inen of the Noboros Clan announced his intent to start a school, one of his disciples sowed death throughout Isamael's Ring. His path began in IR-F, where those who dared to challenge him were either maimed or killed. After casually making his way through the sectors of the Ring, he chose to infiltrate IR-D upon catching word of how skilled its martial artists were.

Within Sector IR-D, the floor was made of a soft, cotton-like substance known as lagaoite. Lagaoite had a texture resembling the clouds in the sky; found naturally in that part of the world and because of the odd climate induced by the realm beyond the Emerald Rift, it produced its own oxygen and formed a comfortable surface for pupils of both the Senzang and Risasi Schools.

The School of Risasi was known for teaching Jeigon and the Spectrum of Projection: Pythagora. As such, several of its students were adept shooters and could eliminate their opponents up close as well as from a distance. This combination of advantages was the main reason why they consistently scored in either third or fourth place at the tournament every year. Furthermore, Risasi had not one primary leader; rather, "masters" among them were many, and their form of leadership resembled a republic of esteemed warriors: the Brahama Elite.

Among those warriors, Venerable Monk Srasvan sat with six of his pupils within one sukiya-zukuri style building amidst hundreds; each building was spaced far out from one another and with the intent of offering small student bodies adequate room for marksmanship training in the lagaoite fields. The floor was made of polished, brown tatami, and the house was divided into posts and columns between wood-latticed, paper walls.

As Srasvan's students closed their eyes and began to meditate, he recited a prayer:

"Life is so lonely in those last moments.

"Therefore, let life be vibrant.

"Let your actions reflect justice,

"Let your heart reflect peace."

Srasvan, a devoted follower of Dharmanic Lord Sivattokun's teachings, looked over the rest of the sutras he wished to recite, but something else caught his attention. In the middle of his sermon, someone entered the room and stood in front of the doorway with a blank expression.

"May I help you?" Srasvan asked him.

Before the stranger could answer, all six disciples sprang to their feet; one shouted, "You're not allowed to be in here!"

"I'm sorry. Why not?"

"Why not?" the leading disciple exclaimed in disbelief. "The Risasi School is closed to everyone who isn't one of us! You're wearing the colors of the Utama, and it's disrespectful to interrupt a guru's lecture! Master," he looked back at Srasvan and said, "give me permission to punish him for tresspa--"

A burst of air blew past the student.

His neck broke in its wake.

The disciple fell to the ground, at the feet of a man engulfed in black tau. When the others sprang into action, the stranger moved left first: he struck one of them in the throat, crushing it before he pulled back into a swift sprint; he moved right subsequently: he struck another of them with the back of his fist and caused his victim's brains to implode from the inside.

With three of them remaining, one began concentrating his tau into the tips of his fingers. The trespasser took one look in his direction, then he flew toward him and thrusted his hand through the disciple's stomach. His bloodied hand burst out from his target's back, and the assassin was stalled, if only briefly.

--PYTHAGORA: PISTOL SHOT--

A pure concentration of tau was fired directly at the stranger's head from one of the two remaining fighters. He deflected the attack with a fist covered in black energy, and it blasted open one side of the house. The trespasser rushed forward, and one man's head twisted to the right; forward again, and he broke the neck of Srasvan's last student.

With his pupils all lying dead at the hands of a man who'd barely blinked as he'd dispatched them, Srasvan stood and cursed the stranger.

"A demon must've possessed you to go this far," he lamented with a bitter grimace, "never did I believe that there would come a day when I could truly hate another person. You are wretched. Tell me, what do you call yourself?"

"My name is Samazoshi," he said flatly.

"Why, Samazoshi, did you feel it necessary to murder my students?"

"They weren't as strong as I'd hoped they'd be."

"How dare you," Srasvan growled as his body became aglow with golden tau. "You'd kill them merely because you could?"

"They should've fought back harder. They did challenge me, remember?"

At his wits end, Srasvan projected a part of himself into a spirit. This spirit was like a second face, and a spectral twin leapt from out of his body with rage! A field of tau containing tremendous energy coalesced into the cloned form of the monk, and it drew a sword which it thrusted at Samazoshi's head.

Zoshi moved inside the specter's attack. He drove his fist through its chest, and the ethereal body exploded with deadly force. As waves of bright tau threatened to consume him, Zoshi emitted black vortexes from his hands, black vortexes that spat ink-colored clouds. Using two dark portals, Samazoshi absorbed the energy; his body converted a devastating blow into power, and it began to swell with new musculature.

--PYTHAGORA: CANNON--

The ghost was a distraction. Srasvan fired a volt of energy right at Samazoshi, but Zoshi evaded it with a step to the side and flew forward. Simultaneously, Srasvan concentrated energy into the fingers of both hands and aimed them at Zoshi. Zoshi generated two blades made from dark flames above his wrists. He sidestepped to the right and avoided being incinerated by ten beams of crimson aura, then he sliced through the arm Srasvan used to defend himself. Light pulsed in Srasvan's remaining hand, but Zoshi swung and severed it at the wrist.

When the old monk fell to his knees before Samazoshi, his aura condensed inside of his chest as tears fell from his eyes.

"You are a wretched demon," he cursed. "Such ruthlessness was uncalled for!"

His eyes filled with the light of his own tau; Srasvan appeared to pull in more energy from the atmosphere, and his skin burned red. More and more power built up from where he'd been incapacitated, threatening to destroy the building and everyone in it.

Zoshi thrusted his hand through the throat of the sage. Srasvan had started to smile, but he frowned just as promptly as his head tumbled over his shoulders and the energy he'd gathered completely dispersed into a diminishing fog.

Samazoshi stared at Srasvan's body for a few moments, then he grinned.

Students who'd heard the commotion next door soon entered the room to find their colleagues and one Brahama dead. Standing at the end of the room was Samazoshi.

They were only given the time to blink, then he was upon them.

--

After having killed a total of ten martial artists and severely wounding two, Samazoshi made his way to yet another sukiya-zukuri, where the Jeigon Sage Ionda regularly held his lectures and administered over sparring sessions.

Zoshi entered a room with blue tatami floors and the portrait of an ocean taking up most of the space on the white wall opposite of him. Ionda's seven pupils were in the midst of defending themselves against zol-based projectile attacks. Ionda fired weak rays of energy at two of his best students, Ramoz and Halla, and they formed small shields of tau to block as well as partially absorb them.

Samazoshi called out to Ionda, a burly, middle-aged man with his grey hair in a topknot, "Excuse me."

All of them turned and instantly regarded Zoshi with hostility.

"Are you lost?" Ionda asked him.

"Nope. Actually, I was interested in sparring with some of your pupils if you don't mind."

"Which School do you represent?"

"I don't represent anything," he replied.

"So that's how you think this is done, huh?" Ionda raised his voice, "You think you can just barge in and fight anyone you want?"

"Are you not the strongest school?"

"Excuse me?" Ionda exclaimed while baffled at Samazoshi's unendingly cold gaze.

"It's very simple," Zoshi said to him, "you either have the best students or you don't. I'd like to see if I can beat them."

"I'll take him, Master Ionda!" Ramoz called out before approaching Samazoshi. "If he's looking for a good fight, he won't be dissatisfied!"

Ramoz grabbed a long spear from the adjacent wall, then he began circling Zoshi. Ramoz lunged, summoned the power of Shinte, and thrusted at Zoshi with the speed of a tiger. Zoshi seemed to sway through the air in fragments of himself as he avoided each and every attack without much difficulty. The point of the spear came for his head again, and he cut through the wooden handle with a blade of black fire.

Ramoz retrieved the rest of his weapon to use it as a staff. Just as he adjusted his grip, Samazoshi appeared before his eyes and chopped the staff into two parts. Ramoz tried to thrust them both at his opponent, but Zoshi plunged his fingers through Ramoz's chest cavity and pierced his heart, killing him on the spot. Ramoz staggered backward, and his allies caught him before he could fall dead on his back.

Around Ionda, a field of silver lightning screeched to signal his fury. As soon as his students all turned to glare and accost the killer, Samazoshi ran straight into the crowd of them. At once, he drove his straightened palms through the stomach of his first target, then he thrusted his fingers through the gut of the next. After disemboweling two men, Zoshi sprinted, crushed another student's throat, knocked Halla to the ground, and stomped in the kneecaps of the last nearby pupil. As the last disciple he'd struck screamed while immersed in the blood gathering around him, Halla stood to guard the sage with her body and prepared a volley of energy at the tip of her index finger.

"I've beaten you," she said. "Give up."

Samazoshi started toward her, and the energy she'd concentrated vanished.

From behind Zoshi, a beam of light soared until it reached his back. Zoshi turned, black flames erupted from the palm of his hand, and he stood in place as incredible power pressed down upon him.

Halla darted toward Zoshi with a kusarigama while he was occupied. She tossed the chained sickle in an attempt to sink it into his cheek, but Samazoshi dashed ahead of the spike and cut through the rope with his sword of black fire. Zoshi lunged, and he took Halla's head with him.

Before landing, Zoshi threw the head of Ionda's last pupil at him, and Ionda crossed his forearms in time to block it. In an instant, Samazoshi was directly in front of Ionda.

Without chanting, the sage channeled the power of Shungej throughout his entire body. His body, in turn, did not merely double in size; rather, it tripled and made Ionda appear as a great giant towering over Zoshi.

Samazoshi allowed black tau to consume him. He swelled up with power, then he struck at Ionda while he was still maintaining his guard.

Zoshi punched Ionda's crossed forearms, and the impact crashed into the sage's body! Great black flames circled Ionda and then converged around the center of the strike. Black pressure waves emanated from Zoshi's fists, and Ionda's arms crumpled into broken bones and mangled tissue. A dark crater had been pressed into Ionda's side; the resulting pain was enough to make him beg.

He grabbed Samazoshi's feet and cried, "Please stop! I-I can make you a member of our school!"

Zoshi lifted the heel of his foot, then he brought it down to smash in Ionda's head.

--

In another house, where the Guru Amasa Fei resided with her eleven students, Samazoshi arrived to disrupt the Risasi School's daily way of life yet again.

This time, however, he stood before them and introduced himself.

"My name is Samazoshi. I'm most likely the best martial artist here, so I thought I might try out being the teacher for a change."

Amasa Fei and her students gazed at him with mixed looks of curiosity and contempt.

"Young man, do you even know where you are right now?" their teacher grinned and asked him, "Are you perhaps drunk?"

Half of her face had aged far beyond the other, standing out with a wrinkled nose and pockmarked complexion in contrast to a side of her that was youthful and fair complected. Black hair like silk ran down past her right shoulder and hid, somewhat, the side of her face that was aged; greasy and knotted hair hung over the side that was youthful. Amasa Fei wore a grey-colored kimono with a green sash tied around it; from the sash, she withdrew a bottle of ginjo sake and offered it to him.

"No. Drinking is pointless to me, and I don't have any time for tea ceremonies. Whoever wants to learn the Samazoshi Style, come at me!"

Amasa, always kind in nature, bowed to him and said, "Of course, why would I get in the way of my followers learning a new technique! Meko, test the man's abilities."

"Yes, Master!"

A young man wearing an orange headband around short, spiky black hair and dressed in a green kimono bowed to the guru, then he strode up to Samazoshi and stopped when he was a few paces away from him.

Meko began to bow, but Zoshi shouted, "Stop!"

The disciple looked back up and started to speak, but Zoshi cut him off again, "Come at me however you'd like."

Zoshi smiled, and it unnerved Meko to see it. In spite of how intimidated he felt, Meko charged his tau into a small sphere of aura. He moved the flow of his energy to crest at the tip of his finger, and--

Zoshi sprinted faster than he could see. He dashed up to Meko and broke his finger. Meko screamed, nearly letting his fear overcome him, when his expression suddenly changed from a terrified grimace to a scowl. Meko expanded his right arm and punched at Zoshi's head. Zoshi grabbed Meko's arm at the elbow and broke it inward, prompting Meko to stagger forward and fall onto his knees as he cried out in agony. Three students rushed to his side, and Samazoshi waited calmly in the middle of mat.

"You went too far!" they shouted at him.

"Nonsense," Zoshi replied while raising his hand to silence them. "The weak will be of no use to you in the tournament. If you lose to me, you must not be very good."

"Ana, show him what you can do."

A woman with a long, auburn topknot and wearing a sleeveless, purple shirt with black jeans walked toward Samazoshi. She channeled Shungej and more than doubled the sizes of her two biceps, now bulging with heavily-convoluted veins.

--SHINTE--

Ana raced directly past Zoshi in order to catch him off guard with an attack from the side. Samazoshi merely moved with speed which defied time, and he abruptly faced his opponent and corrected his stance--just as Ana punched at him with overwhelming speed. Zoshi made do by catching each fist with the palms of his flaming black hands. When Ana's zol faltered ever so slightly, twisted her arm at the shoulder until it snapped.

Ana expanded the size of her remaining arm and swung a haymaker his way, but Zoshi evaded reflexively. He stepped in closer, then he broke the only arm she had left at the opposite joint. Ana fainted and started to fall. When another disciple hurried to catch her and came too close to Samazoshi, Zoshi thrusted one of his flaming swords of tau through the disciple's head; both Ana and her dead ally fell to the ground.

In a fit of collective rage, Amasa Fei's disciples charged at Zoshi. While some channeled beams of energy, others struck at him directly and with katana, spears, and their fists.

Zoshi's feet clip-clopped amidst great gusts of wind. Each gust brought with it the shape of a man who rapidly snapped the necks of two of his enemies and then drove his foot through the body of another. Four more blasts of wind, and Samazoshi broke the neck of every disciple in the room.

He soared through the air to halt before Amasa Fei, then he raised one black blade of fire above himself.

Amasa's grin became deep, and the look of sheer glee in her eyes gave Samazoshi enough reason to pause.

"You're not sad that all of your pupils were too weak?"

Amasa Fei cackled hysterically.

"My, my," she said, "I don't believe I've ever met a warrior as idiotic as you."

Zoshi slashed downward and cut her head in two--

Amasa's body exploded in a brilliant light which burned through Zoshi's kimono and forced him back as shining particles glimmered in the atmosphere. The particles converged and then shot through the air; they solidified into a human form behind Samazoshi, and Amasa re-emerged while bursting with radiance. From her position, she fired a narrow beam of concentrated tau, and Zoshi promptly deflected it.

When he turned to face the new Amasa, however, she projected a double of herself which quickly materialized behind him. The second image of Amasa Fei fired another beam that pierced very close to Samazoshi's heart. The tau ripped through his chest cavity and left after tearing its way out of his back.

Zoshi flashed forward and then soared just as swiftly in the opposite direction.

In two rapid sprints, he broke their necks.

Both images exploded into particles of light, and then, throughout the room, Amasa's multiplied by the dozen. Amasa Fei replaced her defeated students with eleven clones, and each one began shooting at Zoshi.

--SHINTE--

For the first time in a while, Zoshi chanted. Using the Shinte technique of the Jeigon Spectrum, Samazoshi enhanced his speed massively but at the cost of his overall strength. As a result, he resorted to both punching and cutting down each projection in his way. Every time he eliminated another Amasa clone, it would explode, and he'd be forced to dash to safety as quickly as he could to avoid it. With each kill, Amasa's timing improved.

Zoshi reached the final image of Amasa Fei, but, when his hands closed around her neck, he felt warm, solid skin. Her other clones had been much weaker in composition, and this one appeared to be her true form.

Once again, Amasa laughed at her attacker.

"What kind of man are you that you would choke an old woman? What grudge do you have against the Risasi School to act so savagely toward us?"

"I've already told you," he replied with minor annoyance, "I wanted to see if I could teach any of your students, but everyone here is too feeble to spar with."

"Heh. Is there truly nothing in your mind other than murder?"

"If my challenger is too frail to fight me, then it is not murder. They are walking into their deaths. I'm only interested in finding people who can make me better," Samazoshi declared with a sneer while staring down at Amasa Fei. "It's not very important to me how anyone else feels about it. You'll either survive or perish."

Zoshi crushed her neck in his hands.

Amasa Fei erupted with energy that barreled into Samazoshi's sternum. Zoshi was thrown onto his back; the skin on his chest was exposed and blackened with soot. Light particles scattered across the room, and then it was filled with the laughter of Amasa Fei.

"You wretched animal," she taunted him, "you've displayed such a stupid sense of bloodlust. Your obsession with destruction won't extend to me--oh no! I've no time for thoughtless brutes.

"Ah, but if you're so keen on fighting the best that the Risasi School has to offer, then you might as well look no further than the sage, Kojo Eja. Kojo is the oldest Brahama, and no one has ever bested him in a fight. He is not a tournament fighter but a teacher in nature, so please show him the respect you would a priest. That is the only way you will improve."

Amasa Fei's essence departed, and Samazoshi was left to face six more incoming disciples. With his irritation strengthening his resolve, Zoshi ran through them all and left behind six corpses. On the outside of the house, Amasa's tau guided Zoshi toward the sukiya-zukuri owned by Kojo Eja.

He waited momentarily outside of the house, sensing the presence of only one source of zol. Kojo had prepared for him, he thought, and so Samazoshi stepped through the wood-framed, paneled doors at the entrance and onto the green tatami of the main room. There, at the far side of the room, Kojo sat cross-legged in meditation. When Samazoshi had entered, Kojo looked up at him and nodded with a gentle smile.

--

"Kojo Eja?"

"That's me. I was told you weren't fond of drinking, so I thought I'd honor your words and speak to you straightforwardly. If it's training that you seek, then I can help you. It is your conduct, on the other hand, that makes this issue problematic."

"There is no problem," Zoshi replied.

Without another word, Samazoshi launched himself toward the old sage and drove the dark blade around his left fist through Kojo's chest.

Simultaneously, the image of Kojo broke apart and flowed with translucent tau around Zoshi. Zoshi failed to catch himself in time, thus he breathed in some of Kojo's zol. The tau he'd inhaled continued to flow upward and infiltrated his mind: Samazoshi's Imago was overtaken...

--

Samazoshi

--

I was an infant when my father disappeared.

Mom said that he used to get angry a lot. He couldn't tolerate very much, and she told me that, one day, he had a really bad moment. Something she'd never talk about happened, and I know that she blamed him for how I turned out because of it.

She became distant over time. Mom didn't like how I treated other kids or how I treated animals. I was fixated with crushing things from a young age, so I often got carried away. When I didn't start a fight myself, I watched those who did. All I wanted was to find a teacher.

Mom tried to stab me in the throat with a kitchen knife. I blacked out, but, when I came to, I was in the Second Quadrant of the Lower-City. My mom was a long way away. I was lost, and I never found out what happened to her.

I can't remember her face anymore.

--

Janelle

--

Samazoshi was entranced by Kojo's Imago, and, in turn, Kojo had used this opportunity to examine Samazoshi as an individual.

Just when Zoshi snapped out of his trance, Kojo fired a scarlet beam at his back. Samazoshi barely moved his hand in time and engulfed it in black flames. Before the beam of energy could drill through his body, Zoshi tried to absorb it with one hand.

The pressure proved far too much, however, and two dark flames burst from his hands as he held the attack at bay. But Kojo would not relent. He pressed harder, and a continuous volley of tau soared at Zoshi's head. As Samazoshi connected his palms at his chest and held back the deadly aura, Kojo projected a spectral image of himself that soared and penetrated Zoshi's mind once more.

With Zoshi's full attention, Kojo finally began his lecture. As he spoke, the aura around him increased with golden intensity; his use of Pythagora strengthened, and Zoshi was forced to increase his muscle mass and zol output in order to keep himself from being consumed.

"You have used your talents to torment the weak and the ignorant," Kojo spoke directly to his mind. "Although you may be a warrior of impressive skill, skill alone is not impressive. The conduct you have shown those you should have respected is unforgivable; therefore, let a part of me always reside within your mind, like the Buddha resting within a holy stupa. Though I cannot continue this fight for much longer, what's left of me will do all it can to question you.

"If you can begin to answer these questions," Kojo said, "you'll be able to follow the Way."

"Be quiet," Zoshi replied. "The 'Way' you speak of is mindless gibberish."

At last, Samazoshi channeled both Shungej and Rouketin, increasing his mass twice over while permeating his figure in dark tau. Black static pierced the air around his body, but a translucent stream of tau, sent from Kojo, continued drifting into his head.

Amasa Fei suddenly reformed at Zoshi's side. She fired a beam of aura containing the rest of her energy as well as the entirety of her life force.

The sukiya-zukuri exploded with gold and black light. All of the School of Risasi was immediately alerted and came rushing as flames issued overhead. The building was engulfed in a raging fire, and every disciple of the Risasi School was there to witness a stranger emerging from the smoke.

Samazoshi was there to greet them all, and, just as before, he demanded a battle worth his time.

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# 16

The School of the Hayashi

--

Hadrian

--

This place is a paradise that I never could've imagined. I always thought that the greatest I could do was to join Noboros and rob the world through its own greed. When I left behind those humans, and the rest of the human world, really, I came to sector IR-E to find most of the school itself underwater.

When I told a guard at the border gate why I was here, he took me straight to "Lord" Ru'ni's residence. Ru'ni, like the other Lords, lives in a domed enclosure underground, and I didn't get to see much of it before I was told to go see Lord Ito'ma instead.

A guard in a blue kimono and black hakama escorted me to Ito'ma's dome, where I waited inside a room insulated from the water surrounding it. His lodging was closer to series of grand waterfalls and aquatic valleys leading deeper into the realm. After what felt like a few hours, a different guard came to get me and said that it would be better if I went to see Lord Sousa.

Now, I wait angrily at Lord Sousa's. It's already been an hour--I know it! An hour, and he hasn't even bothered to show his face. Our species has been fucked with for centuries, and yet none of these "Lords" can bother with showing me any respect. I became a part of Noboros because I was always capable of more than what my country believed. But now I'm being passed around like a burden, and I won't tolerate it.

Nevertheless, I keep waiting. Several hours pass, and then, at last, someone shows up.

A bald, broad-chested Hayashi enters the room and walks to stand directly in front of me. I bow, but he doesn't. Instead, the asshole glares at me like I've offended him somehow.

"You wanted to see me, so I showed up. I'm Lord Sousa; why did you come here today?" Sousa asks me.

"I've been an outcast my whole life. I want to join your school so that I can prove that my name means something."

"Hmph."

He continues to glare and says, "It's interesting that a Noboros thug would come here around the same time as that murderer in IR-D. You've been taken farther inside our territory to ensure that we can surround you at once if necessary."

"I'm not here to hurt anyone," I tell him honestly.

Sousa raises both eyebrows, appearing astonished.

"Surely you know that not just any Hayashi can get into our school, right?"

"And I'm not just any Hayashi. My name is Hadrian."

"Right, Hadrian, but your name is not associated with any of the families we already have. The Hayashi disciples at our school are carefully picked, and the process begins with a proper sponsorship from a family member."

"So I can't join even if I'm stronger than most of you guys?"

"Be humble now. It wouldn't be fair to recruit you when so many other members of the Hayashi species are competing to get in."

"But there aren't that many of us on Isamael's Ring! Why not let everyone in to protect them from the hatred we have to deal with as a species?"

"We don't trust 'everyone.' I'm sorry, Hadrian--really, I am--but there is a procedure for applying to our school. Still," he raises one finger and hesitates before proceeding to say, "something has come up. Frankly, all of us believed you were here to murder innocent people."

"Why would you think that?" I ask him.

"Well, a man known as Samazoshi has slaughtered several of the Risasi School's instructors. Our School sent out a small contingent of reinforcements, but Samazoshi murdered them as well. The last I heard, our scouts reported that he was coming back this way, that our show of compassion in our attempt to help has invited his wrath."

It seems unavoidable. Zoshi will be a headache of an opponent to contend with, but I'll have to fight him.

"If I take him down, can I become one of your disciples?"

"Ah," Sousa sighs, "I can't say for sure what the other Lords will decide, but,"--he winks--"I can guarantee that our gratitude will go a long way if you take care of this menace for all of us..."

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# 17

The School of Senzang

--

Tavon

--

"Hey dude, are you really sure we should be here right now?"

"How should I know?" I ask Jupiter Kang. "You're one of their disciples."

Kang, Raiko, and I just got seated in a teahouse the size of a great theatre. The hostess doesn't seem to mind us being here, but we're getting occasional looks from everyone else. Everybody's wearing red, blue, and tan kimonos, but I don't see anyone carrying a weapon.

A waitress in a tan-colored kimono approaches with caution and stares ahead when she says, "I'm Vera, and I'll be your server tonight. Would you like tea, sake, or both?"

"Both," Kang and I answer in unison.

She nods stiffly and then turns before entering another room through opening a bamboo-papered shoji.

For whatever reason, Kang is blushing and leans forward while he sits.

"What's wrong with you?" Raiko asks as the golden bird accompanying him flits from shoulder to shoulder.

"Huh? Uh, nothing," he replies with a shaky voice.

"Why you scared, fool?"

"Gah," Kang begins rapping his knuckles and looks between us both as he says, "look, it's just that you might've killed somebody important. You just left him there and all, so someone from the Senzang School might've already found out about it."

"That's okay," I tell him, "we're just passing through, and that's all. There's no need to make ourselves known."

One student stands up from his table abruptly. He looks around and makes quick eye contact with a few other people. He heads for the exit, and the ones who acknowledged him do the same.

"I think it's too late, Tavon," Kang says to me.

"Then why are you hanging around us? They've probably already marked you, too."

His face loses its color, then it turns a reddish blue again.

"Oh shit," he whispers to himself.

"You really didn't think about that?" Raiko asks while leaning forward. "Why'd you follow us, g? Is 'Jupiter Kang' really the name your mama gave you?"

"Shh!" He holds his finger to his lips. "Shu-shush! Mind your elders, kid. I didn't want to have to ask my brother for money."

"Wait, what?" Raiko exclaims at the same time that his bird chirps.

"Shh," he silences him again. "Listen, my name's actually Kagiso. 'Jupiter Kang' is my stage name; I needed something catchy for the ladies, you know?"

More people begin to walk out.

"I was gonna enter the tournament, win a match, and then drop out," Kagiso says while giving us a thumbs up.

"How the fuck was that gonna work?" Raiko asks him.

"Easy! I was going to give it my all, fake an injury, then retire and get ready for next year with one victory under my belt. That way, I'd get some time on camera--and that's honestly time for my soul mate to get a good look at me."

Raiko snorts and replies, "You mean a good look before you 'faked an injury' and dropped out of the tournament, right?"

"Yes--well, I mean... no. So, yes, it was the best plan," he exclaims while grinning at us innocently.

The waitress, Vera, returns with a tray of three cups of sake resting in hot water and three cups of black tea. She asks, again without looking at us, "Would you like anything else?"

"No thank you," Kagiso says to her while smiling politely.

She bows, then she's off. An entire group of drinkers get up to leave. They line up on the way out, and a woman in a crimson kimono following at the end of the line whispers to me as she passes, "Don't drink it."

I perk up immediately and grab Raiko's arm before he can touch the sake.

"Ay, man, what are you d--"

"One of the disciples who left just told me not to touch it."

Raiko points at Kagiso and asks, "Then why's he doing it?"

Kagiso stupidly chugs his entire cup of sake, then he looks at us too eagerly and exclaims, "Okay! Let's be on our way then!"

"Raiko Meiziki!" the voice of someone Raiko's age echoes throughout the teahouse.

Raiko gasps and gets to his feet quickly; the bird on his shoulder vanishes into a cloud of golden dust with his newfound aggression. He turns in the direction of the voice and stares hard at the newcomer.

A young kid, with dark, curly hair tied into a short topknot, strides toward Raiko. He sports a red kimono and a black hakama and brandishes a katana of white steel.

"My name is Itosai Motosuke, apprentice to Kenji Senzang! Raiko Meiziki, I've come to tell you that you are lower than the bottom feeders of this world."

"What the fuck did you just say to me?" Raiko stomps his way toward him and then halts a few paces back while clenching his fists. "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?"

Itosai begins to move closer, but he freezes in place when I come to Raiko's side.

"What's this about?" I ask Itosai.

The kid swallows and says, "Tavon Meiziki, you murdered hundreds of good men and women. You came to this school, killed one of our own, and then you had the nerve to stick around.

"Raiko Meiziki," he glares at my student as he says, "you serve a foul man, and so you must either be a fool or a sick human being. It is you who angers me the most, because, with all of Isamael's Ring around you, you chose such a wretched monster of a man."

"Careful now," I tell him. "You should insult one of us at a time. If you piss both of us off, you won't stand a chance."

"I-I," his voice quivers, "I'm on the right side. Because I'm fighting in the name of my master, my cause is righteous enough for me to overcome anything!"

"Ow," exclaims Kagiso behind us. "Oh man, that sake's really hitting. Damn! It's hurting more and more now."

Kagiso buckles while placing his hand over his stomach, and Raiko ignores him to yell at Itosai, "You've got your facts mixed up, kid. We're both real martial artists, so it only makes sense that a scrub like you would start drama with us.

Raiko draws his katana with one hand and staggers his feet as he faces Itosai.

Itosai runs at him and swings overhead with a two-handed grip. Raiko foolishly tries to block with one hand, and the impact pushes him back; at the same time, the tip of Itosai's blade cuts a straight line through Raiko's forehead. As he steps back, Raiko's kamuy reappears and soars around him anxiously. It screeches, stunning Itosai momentarily, and Raiko uses this opening to run forward while he thrusts!

Itosai sidesteps, evading the attack, and swings; his blade flies over Raiko's, and Raiko ducks down to avoid having his head severed from his shoulders. He lurches to the left and swings out to the right with one hand; Itosai meets the attack with a two-handed grip once more, and the power he delivers knocks Raiko's weapon from his hand.

I feel tense and strengthen my legs while watching closely. Meanwhile, Kagiso steadies himself as he gets up and walks toward the open entrance of the hallway that leads to the teahouse bathrooms.

Itosai stumbles forward and swings wildly at Raiko!

--MAIA: GENESIS--

Chain-links descend from Raiko's within right wrist, and he whirls a whip of steel through the air before him. Itosai slashes at Raiko, but Raiko knocks Itosai's blade back with a quick, preemptive swing. As his opponent staggers backward, Raiko strikes him atop the head and causes him to shriek while shielding the gash in his forehead with one hand; with the other, he begins thrusting at Raiko's face.

Raiko gains enough distance between the two of them and then sends his whip spiraling through the air yet again: metallic links smash into the fingers of Itosai's sword hand. He drops his katana, and most of his fingers are crushed from the strike. In a crazed fury, he balls his broken hand into a half-fist and leaps toward Raiko. Raiko tries to bring his chain-links up for an attack, but Itosai pushes him to the ground and punches him in the stomach.

I grab Itosai's neck, then I tighten my grip to stop him.

"If your anger stems from hatred of my actions, then you should settle your problems with me. Leave the kid out of it."

Itosai tries to escape, so I throw him across the room. "Enough!" I shout.

At the same time, Kagiso's being blocked by someone in the hallway. Vera stands there and occupies the way by pushing her hands against both walls.

"Hehe!" she laughs wickedly, "Your crimes have finally caught up to you, accomplice."

"Huh--accomplice?"

Vera wrinkles the three deep creases in her forehead while stifling another laugh. She breathes fiercely and doesn't break her gaze as she glares fixedly into Kagiso's eyes.

"Jupiter Kang," she says and then spits on the ground at his feet before continuing, "you were there when the foul Knight Murderer cut down my nephew. Poor Maeda. Poor Kenji."

Vera's eyebrows slant back with a show of suppressed rage as she goes on addressing Kagiso.

"You!" she insists, "You stood by while someone in my family was murdered! Ha!" Vera breaks into vicious laughter. "And so it will be you who must embarrass himself before everyone here today. Like the useless bystander that you are, you will soil yourself in fear--everyone in the Senzang School will know that Jupiter Kang SOILS himself in the face of the enemy!"

"Move out of my way, old human lady!"

Kagiso tries to shove on through, but Vera's steadfast. She won't budge, and she begins laughing again.

"Oh, it's comin', honey! There's no stopping it now--how about I headbutt you in the stomach, hm?"

--SHUNGEJ--

Kagiso blasts past Vera and knocks her over while doubling his muscle mass.

Just as he makes it to one of the bathrooms, I notice that Itosai's retrieved his sword. He's kneeling on both knees and staring straight ahead.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Raiko exclaims as he moves toward him, but Itosai abruptly gets up, holding out one hand to keep him back.

"I've failed. Master Kenji is like a father to me, and I wanted to impress him by defeating the Knight Murderer's genzaon in combat.

"I've failed," he repeats with bitterness, "so I've no choice but to cut open my stomach. All I ask is for someone to fill the role of executioner; remove my head before the pain becomes unbearable."

"Wait!" Raiko calls out, but Itosai's already aimed the point of the blade at his abdomen.

Itosai cries out and thrusts toward his stomach with a firm grip--

I yank the katana from his hands. Holding it directly before his eyes, I enlarge my arms and break the blade where it meets the hilt.

I throw both away, then I say to the kid, "You were brave to challenge us both. One failure doesn't mean that you should take your own life."

"But how will I face my teacher again if I can't even live up to my own words? I've always been a failure..." Itosai sheds a tear, then he looks away from us.

"Itosai," I address him sternly and put my hand on his shoulder, "you're not a failure. Go to your master and tell him to fight me himself if he thinks taking either of us is easy. You put up a good fight, so feel free to tell him anything you want--hell, you can say four guys ambushed you at once during the fight."

"No," he shakes his head, "I'm not going to lie to anyone."

Itosai gathers himself, then he takes a deep breath and looks at us both with respect. "Thank you both for letting me test my skills against you. I'll tell my teacher the truth, that I lost, and I'll strive harder to win the next time we meet."

"There won't be a next time," is all Raiko has to say in response.

"Right," Itosai nods nervously and then walks toward the exit.

When he opens the partitions leading outside of the teahouse, he halts in place. By now, everyone else has left the building except for us and Vera. Standing in the doorway, a tall, broad-shouldered man says something I can't hear to Itosai. Itosai nods, then he steps to the side.

Kenji Senzang enters the room.

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# 18

Jeigon

--

Tavon

--

Kenji Senzang strides into the middle of the teahouse while removing a pair of sunglasses with narrow lenses. His hair's dark blue and flows down to his shoulders freely; around his forehead is a red headband to match his crimson red kimono. He's not brought any kind of weapon with him, and, when he spots me, Kenji promptly widens his stance, turns his palms outward, and draws them both in at the sides of his waist.

His fierce, blue eyes glare at me, and he says with controlled rage, "Tavon Meiziki, my name is Kenji Senzang. You killed my brother."

--SHUNGEJ--

A burst of sapphire light radiates out from his heart; a nebulous aura wraps his body in its embrace, and Kenji swells to an even greater size than before while veins are simultaneously pressed out all around his arms, legs, and neck. As Kenji firmly grounds his right foot behind him, I can see three ugly veins running across half of his forehead in parallel canals on each side.

Kenji steps forward and punches at me from far away with his right fist: a flurry of air condensed with aura slams into me. I'm blown back, and my body tears through paper walls as I'm thrown outside of the teahouse.

I get to my feet, then I see them.

Outside, the ground is made up of lagaoite. It feels like we're all standing on clouds. Midnight's approaching, and millions of stars above shine brightly over a field of white.

All around me, I see disciples of the Senzang School. After getting up, I walk around to the front of the teahouse and discover a crowd of people dressed in red kimonos. Every one of them starts cursing my name when they see me. Master Tenbu and Chibale wait outside the teahouse doors, and both of them study me with their arms firmly crossed.

Kenji steps outside and continues moving my way with a hulking frame. Before I can stagger away from him, Kenji punches at the air again, and a blast of it heads my way. I sidestep, strengthen my legs, then I vault forward. I make it to Kenji, just as he's about to throw a jab at my face, enlarge my arms and fists, and punch him in the stomach while I move my head down and away.

My hit barely causes him to budge.

Kenji throws up his knee to strike me in the forehead, but I block with one hand and then jab with the other. With my right fist, I aim near his right peck, and he blocks with his forearm. Kenji rotates his torso and punches downward, toward the top of my head.

I step back, crossing my arms in front of me, but what feels like a fist of stone crashes so hard into them that I fall on my ass. I roll to the side; Kenji punches through the lagaoite where my head was, and the substance reforms when he withdraws his fist. When I'm up again, he lurches toward me with rapid, long-ranged strikes. Every time I move out of his way, I'm struck with a blast of wind from the strength of his attacks.

--SHUNGEJ--

I chant, calling on the power of the Jeigon Spectrum. My muscle mass thickens, and a surge of adrenaline bestows upon me a strange sense of peace.

--SHINTE--

Kenji chants, and he's throwing punches at me faster than I can see. His first hit connects; my head rocks to the side as he punches me in the face. He jabs to cuff me on the ear, punches harder at my ribcage, and prepares a haymaker strong enough to crush my skull.

I dash away, but his newfound speed doesn't let up. His haymaker still comes, so I'm forced to throw up one arm in time to block. His strike's overpowering, and it slams my arm back and me as well as he continues to advance. With the power of Jeigon still flooding my body, I back away cautiously.

Kenji smirks.

"You cannot hope to leave this place without atoning for your sins," Chibale says from behind me.

"Indeed," Tenbu chimes in with a deeper voice while stroking his whispy, white beard, "the murder of Maeda Senzang was a tragic affair. It is only right that Kenji have his revenge."

Kenji lunges and punches toward my face. I move to the side, but he reacts by kicking out at my ribs. I block in time with my forearm, but he punches at my head once more. Taking the brunt of the strike with my other forearm causes me to lose feeling in it. Even so, I double the size of my right bicep and uppercut Kenji below his sternum. He gasps, staggering back slightly, yet quickly gains his footing. Right after that, a surge of blue aura follows behind his next punch, and it roars through the air as I dodge under it. I jab at Kenji's abdomen, and he blocks each hit while slowly backing away yet still controlling the fight.

For a moment, he breathes in hard through his nose and eyes me with hatred.

"You defeated my brother with such little knowledge of your own specialization. This is a nightmare," he exclaims.

--SHINTE--

Kenji dashes inside of my guard and strikes so fast that I've no time to defend myself properly. If I manage to get my hand or elbow up to block, his fists smash into me nearly a whole second before. Kenji busts my lip open with one punch and knocks my head to the side with another; when I raise my guard, he goes lower: he jabs at my stomach, steps in close, and strikes with his elbow. I move back and he falls forward to anchor himself on one hand and send a low kick my way. He tries to sweep my legs out from under me, but I jump before putting more distance between us.

I'm not sure if it'll keep working, but I chant wholeheartedly:

--SHUNGEJ--

Mass is added onto mass. My body grows more than it ever has in the past. I feel heavy, so I remove the weights from my hands and feet; I loosen the sash around my weighted hakama and let it slam to the ground to expose the black outfit underneath. Intense heat gathers inside of me, and my skin blotches red as enlarged muscles, bones, and joints tremble with my efforts to move them.

Kenji laughs.

"You lack a basic understanding of Jeigon. That's why there's so much blood on your hands!"

He says to me, "Listen here, otherwise you'll destroy your body before we can finish this.

"There are four specializations in the Jeigon Spectrum: Shungej, Shinte, Shudente, and Shioya. So far, 'Knight Murderer,' I've only seen you make use of Shungej, and the strain will end up being too much for you in the end."

"Move, lady!" I hear Raiko shout while emerging from the entrance to the teahouse. "She was just blockin' the way to be petty," he mutters to himself.

Both Kagiso and Raiko shoulder Vera out of their way as they scramble to break through and see what's happening. Raiko takes one look at me and goes silent. His bird companion disappears, and his eyes deaden; he becomes still, like he's too afraid to speak.

"You," Kenji glares at Kagiso. "You're the worst out of them all, a traitor to your own people! I'll come for you next!"

"Oh, well," Kagiso stutters and shields his stomach with both hands. "Huh, m-my stomach's worse all the sudden--sorry guys!"

As he runs in, Vera runs out and screams, "Kill him, Kenji! He took my nephew from me. Kill him or the whole world will laugh at how pathetic our family is! To live on the Ring is to have the people know your name, so don't you dare ruin it!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Kenji bows earnestly, then--

--SHUDO: ONE HUNDRED STRIKES--

With the strength of Shungej and the speed of Shinte, Kenji races toward me like an image flickering from one point to the next. When he appears in front of my face, I stagger my stance--but I'm not quick enough to do anything else.

A mountain of rock-like knuckles soars to crash into me; Kenji's haymaker emerges from a hundred different angles. I block one punch with considerable effort, but I receive three more in return to my jaw, chest, and right shoulder. I deflect a rapid jab, but four more drill into my stomach.

--SHUNGEJ--

I chant while punching forward. The combination of Shungej with a concentrated attack propels me toward my target. Red tau mixes with black around my fist, and, through Kenji's constant attacks, I break his nose and force him back.

The tau I sent forth returns and forces my body to swell so much that I'm in serious pain. My heart's beating way too fast. I focus on my breathing, slow it down a bit, and then I advance on Kenji.

"Can't you see what you're doing to yourself?" he yells, "You'll make your heart explode!"

I punch at Kenji's face, he blocks with his left arm, chops down on the inside of my elbow joint with his right, and strikes at my head with his left again. I soften the blow as his fist reaches my cheek by hitting the underside of his forearm as the strike lands. From there, I draw in the arm he tried to break with a chop, enlarge it even more, and uppercut Kenji in the stomach. I use enough power this time to drive my knuckles deep, and Kenji keels over without full control of himself.

Because I don't want to kill him, I ball one hand into a fist and hit his exposed head with the back of it. He passes out onto the lagaoite.

The crowd around us stares in baffled silence.

Kenji reawakens, sniffs hard a few times, and then he steadily rises to his knees. As he looks toward the stars above, he says, "Shungej is the multiplication of energy. Shinte is used at the expense of it."

He stands while wiping the blood from his nose and stares directly at me. While his body shrinks slightly, Kenji continues, "Sivattokun says that teaching your enemies demonstrates greater integrity than defeating them with an unfair advantage. If I'm to put you down, then I'll do so only under honorable conditions."

The crowd around him breaks into a loud applause and cheers. Raiko shakes his head, uttering, "No, no, no."

I dash toward Kenji, maintaining all of my accumulated strength from Shungej, and punch--

--SHUDENTE--

Kenji blocks. He crosses his arms in front of his face; they both turn the color of bronze, and my fist connects with what feels like metal. My knuckles create a small dent in his right forearm, but Kenji remains unmoved; my momentum carries me forward, so he thrusts his knee at my face.

I evade the strike, sweep under his left leg, kick, and shatter his right kneecap! Kenji cries out in agony as he falls over and onto his side.

"Yeah, that's right!" Raiko's the only one in the crowd who cheers me on. Tenbu strides over to him and slaps the back of his head.

At the same time, Vera sprints toward me with a butcher's knife. In her eyes, I see a storm of hysterical rage. She cries shrilly and thrusts at me.

Although my muscle mass is starting to decrease, it doesn't hurt when I grab the knife from her hands. I toss it aside, and Vera beats her fists against my chest, but that isn't painful either. Chibale comes over to whisper to her, then he walks her back inside the teahouse before returning.

A beacon of blinding, blue light flashes from where Kenji fell:

--SHIOYA--

Kenji's leg reforms, fixing itself from within, and he stands before us all as the crowd begins to really lose its mind. Sake's passed around in abundance, and the disciples chant the name of their champion in cadence: "Kenji! Senzang! Kenji! Senzang!"

Kenji shakes in place with a grimace. As his body withers in stature, he grunts more than he speaks, "'Shudente' is the process of hardening,'" he says. "'Shioya is the art of unpredictability, of fluid motion.' If you'd learned from the right teacher... things might have gone differently for you."

With that said, Kenji rushes at me with another haymaker, and I block his attack with crossed arms.

"Shioya," Kenji whispers.

After striking the outside of my left forearm, Kenji's arm bends upward, moves over my guard, extends down toward my head, and he advances by punching me in the cheekbone.

I'm knocked on my ass, and Kenji's arm reforms itself, but I hear a slight cracking sound when he starts to move it again. If he's used Shinte and Shioya in conjunction, then...

I advance on my opponent.

My arm swells, and I throw a jab with my right fist while I aim toward the left of his head. Kenji blocks by raising one forearm but hides the other behind his back protectively. Because my punch causes him to turn and expose a little more of his side, I kick right at his ribs.

Kenji's fast enough to block with the same arm, but I advance again with a strike on the left side of his head once more. Kenji uses his other arm, and, instead of continuing to strike, I grab it.

He gasps, and I easily bend his arm all the way back. His bones crack again, and Kenji hurries to escape from me before falling on his knees as he cries, "Dammit! Damn you!"

The audience's glares resume. Lucky for me, however, Kenji isn't finished. A permanent sneer marks his expression as he steps toward me. He grunts each time his body twitches involuntarily.

"Let's... continue," he urges. "There's no reason a minor injury should stop me from accomplishing my mission."

Kenji positions his heels far apart and tries to draw both arms in at his sides as he did previously. In spite of the pain he feels, Kenji channels Shioya through his contorted arm, and, as he screams even louder, it twists back into place.

With one more look of contempt, Kenji chants fiercely:

--SHUNGEJ--

While my strength diminishes, his begins to rise again. We meet in the middle of the ring of disciples; he throws the first few punches, and I block two before the third catches me off guard and lands near my waist. In the midst of his assault, I strike back; when he hits my face, I uppercut his chin; when I smash the side of his ribcage with a punch, he kicks me in the chest. I rush at him and throw some feints his way. When he thinks I'm aiming for his head, he blocks instinctively, so I focus accurate punches on the inside of Kenji's strong arm. Eventually, I compel him to use his other to shield his face, and that's when I punch as hard as I can and shatter the same forearm I'd bent back previously.

The crowd gasps; disciples curse my name.

Kenji doesn't flinch. He's able to channel Shioya yet again, but now his body withers faster than earlier. The effects of Shungej disappear quickly. The constant strain Kenji's placed on his body by using more than one aspect of the Jeigon Spectrum causes him to look thin and malnourished.

He reaches inside of his ripped, sweaty kimono and retrieves a pen along with a small, sweaty notebook. Although his reformed arm barely moves the way he wants it to, Kenji uses it to write something. When he's finished, he looks at me and says in a bellowing voice, "Because you're not enlightened, you lack the proficiency to create an ultimate expression of your will. Listen as I recite what I've written:

"The Moon is heavy,

"Held by the sky, as the oceans are held by the Earth.

"May I resemble the Moon,

"Mind bright, soul-seeking."

Kenji drops the poem at his feet, then he springs forward and punches wildly at me. I block, yet, with every strike, I sense Kenji's tau getting closer and closer. Although his hits get weaker, something prods at the back of my mind.

Kenji chants:

--IMAGO: MOONFIST--

The next time I deflect Kenji's strike, my mind's pierced with eyes that aren't my own. Something takes hold of my thoughts and drags them into the past. I'm made to recall a recent memory.

Maeda Senzang's death.

I'm compelled to look back further, to see all the events preceding Maeda's fall. Kenji's tau seeks out every detail, wishing to know everything about his brother's last moments. As he reaches out to my mind, I become conscious of the misery he feels inside. Kenji feels humiliated, but watching his brother die is enough to rekindle his bloodlust.

He pulls back from my mind, then Kenji howls and channels Maia for the first time. He summons a broad knife, then he runs at me just as Vera did.

Using Shungej has caused my entire body to burn without end. I can't enhance my strength anymore, and it's fading fast.

Kenji slashes at me and cuts open the bottom of my arm when I try to defend myself. I lean into the cut and strike him in the face. Kenji falls to the ground.

My body returns to its normal size, albeit a little bulkier than before. My heart's still racing, and it's a struggle to control my breathing at this point.

"You've got to stop the fight!" Raiko confronts Tenbu. "If Kenji keeps going, he'll pass the same way his brother did!"

Tenbu brushes him off, "Young child, you know nothing of the Way because your master's failed to teach you. Kenji must continue to fight as long as he is able."

"I am!" Kenji shouts and props his body up before getting to his feet.

He raises his fists and tries to focus with an empty look.

"You're an evil man, Tavon. Anyone associated with you is destined for suffering. Once I kick your head in, I'll break your pupil's arms like you broke mine. How would you like that, huh? Your head and his arms for my broth--"

I close in on Kenji, feint with two jabs, then punch above his guard to hit him square in the jaw. Kenji falls on his ass and becomes dazed. His eyes search around him, but his mind's not there.

Out of what I guess is called "pity," I wait for him to gather his senses. Like his brother, Kenji Senzang persists in getting back up. He's an impressive and intimidating fighter, but, as he stands before me now, Kenji hunches over and tiredly tries to step in my direction.

"Why didn't you hold back?" he says as his eyes refocus on me. "You hit him too hard. Why didn't you hold back?"

He throws a slow punch and nearly tumbles over when I dodge it. Kenji turns, spits on the ground, and says, "Don't be a damn coward! If you're the better warrior, then finish me off!"

Kenji jabs at my head, but I throw his fist to the side with ease. He kicks at my left shin, but I absorb the blow and kick him in his ribs in return. He falls to the ground, and Raiko calls out again, "Yo, this isn't cool!"

"Be quiet, moron!" Tenbu screams and backhands Raiko.

Seeing that is enough to set me off. In a fit of rage, I walk toward Kenji and grab him by the throat. Kenji beats on my arms and kicks at me, so I ram my head into his face and knock him back into a daze.

While old man Tenbu is nearby, I bring Kenji over to him and make him watch as I choke the life out of his best student.

"Tell me when," is all I say to the elder while gripping Kenji's throat tighter and tighter.

"Enough!" Chibale shouts while stepping out in front of Tenbu to confront me. "Drop him!"

I do as he says and let Kenji fall to the ground.

"Petty disputes shouldn't take precedence over the life of a valiant warrior," Chibale states while admonishing his colleague. "Thus far, the young man has refrained from killing Kenji outright. He began at a disadvantage and turned the tables on his foe, then he spared him."

"Right, right!" Tenbu nods his head, brushes off Chibale, and hurries to stand before me with his hand on the hilt of an odachi.

Old man Tenbu isn't as tall as Kenji, but he's built much wider and sports dozens of silver necklaces over his crimson kimono. He's got a full beard of grey and eyebrows frayed like bolts of lightning. Tenbu's orange eyes examine me with the same hateful reception I felt from Kenji.

"Young murderer," he says, "what kept you from killing this man when all you've done is shed blood up until now?"

"I'm a Death Officer."

"Is that so?" he responds without relaxing his grip.

I nod and explain, "If my purpose in life revolves around removing the lives of others, then there's no use in making the damage I do any worse than it already is. I didn't mean to kill Maeda."

"Oh?" Tenbu glowers. "So you're not like that other young fool who's decided he wants to fight every school in the fucking Ring?"

"Huh? No, I--"

"We were on our way to find that dude you're talking about," Raiko interjects. "Maeda wanted to fight Tavon, so Tavon honored his request."

"Through murder?" Tenbu quivers with fury. "Outsiders have come to Isamael's Ring, murdered loyal students from more than one official School, and now we all face mockery because of psychos like you and Samazoshi and greedy men like Fang Shubao! Having the Knight Murderer among us is not a privilege--no! In fact, news stations worldwide will know that we let an intruder kill one of our own. It's disgraceful!"

He's ready to cut me down, when Chibale puts his hand on Tenbu's sword arm.

"Be calm, brother," he tells him.

I sense a rapid exchange of zol between them. Chibale instantly changes Tenbu's demeanor. The old man begins to breathe slower and looks away from us as Chibale starts to speak.

"The fact remains that Tavon was challenged for his transgressions, and he won fairly. Kenji made Tavon's crimes clear to him, and, for the time being, the debt between them has been settled."

"How can you say that?" Tenbu turns back wild-eyed and ready to pounce on his colleague.

"This Death Officer and his genzaon are on their way to handle an imminent threat. Because the Angelos Association is involved, this is a state matter; therefore, all judgment should be allocated to Grandmaster Ao Guang."

"Who's not here!" Tenbu rebuts.

"And that is why we must allow this Death Officer to do his job. If Samazoshi continues his rampage, countless lives will be lost. Lord Sivattokun would not approve of inaction or pointless grudges in this situation, my friend. If Tavon here can handle this threat, then I see no reason why we can't find another manner in which he may pay us back for his crimes."

Tenbu grunts and glances at me. He looks back at Chibale and mutters, "Fine."

"Are you sure, Master Tenbu? I need your cooperation if we're going to form a body of reinforcements. He's already moved through the Risasi School and has begun luring out the Hayashi School's assault teams."

"Then we should hurry," Tenbu replies in earnest. "No one else should have to bear a loss like we have."

"Good, good!" Chibale smiles excitedly, then he addresses me, "Whatever you were called before is unimportant. You spared Kenji, who's a cousin as well as a good friend of mine, therefore you deserve an opportunity to redeem yourself.

"Tavon, you must go right away. If you can take him down before anyone else gets hurt, you'll have earned the gratitude of every school in Isamael's Ring."

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# 19

Setbacks

--

Tavon

--

Raiko and I leave Jupiter Kang behind as we cross over into the School of Risasi. Small houses are separated across a field of lagaoite hundreds of miles wide, but there doesn't seem to be anyone around.

The way to Sector IR-E takes us past rows of residential buildings. In the silence, all I can hear is our footsteps and the beating of my heart. It beats faster.

I see a dried blood oval on the ground, next to someone who's had his brains knocked out. Additional corpses surround his body near the entrance to a place with a slanted roof and red eaves; the wooden door below's been left open. On the inside, we find more bodies.

When leaving, I spot a loose trail of dead Risasi disciples leading into the next house. From one building to another, the dead have fallen in the wake of a single person's path. As we continue on, blood increasingly decorates the lagaoite as well as the surrounding walls. The pattern I can see shows every point where the invader was ambushed; at each one, at least six people lie dead.

Samazoshi was moving toward the center of the school, drawing in every opponent he could. The line of fighters ends at a house that's been blown up from the inside. Only half of two walls remain standing over the charred wreckage of someone's home. Not so far from the blast site, I can see a giant mound of bodies piled atop each other. Samazoshi ended the School of Risasi on that very spot.

"Damn," Raiko mutters. "You really think one guy did all this?"

"I do." I nod and continue checking out the battlefield as I say to him, "I remember who he was and everything he's responsible for. I hate him."

"Why?"

"He doesn't care if his actions affect other people. He came here to be a prick."

"It's all good, teach. We gonna catch up with him and make him answer for this."

Hearing that makes me yawn. "Earlier, I was ready," I admit, "but Kenji nearly destroyed me."

"Aww shit, so I'll just have to go by myself then."

"No you won't," I raise my voice, quick to glare as I tell him, "I want to get some rest in before I go straight into another impossible fight."

"Uh huh, and where you gonna sleep?"

While looking over the area again, I sense a very weak source of zol coming from a nearby house. Three or four specks of light glide out from its open door one at a time, and I start to walk toward them, saying, "Let's use this one for now."

"Wait--you just gonna have us sleep in these peoples' houses after they were killed?"

"If you want me to beat Zoshi," I glance back at him darkly, "then you'll stop complaining and stand guard while I rest up. You didn't have to fight Kenji, did you?"

I don't pay attention to his response when I reach the front door. Instead, I peer inside to see the portrait of a cheerful woman with a golden crown. She's adorned by colorful beads and necklaces. Below her portrait reads: "The Bodhisattva Tara."

Around her image, a golden haze of particles floats and glows brightly when Raiko and I enter. Behind me, he's still complaining.

"We can't give this guy any more time to play, yo. You saw what he did out there!"

I decide to ignore him once more and walk closer to the portrait. When I'm so close to the particles of light that they can touch me, I feel my heartrate slow down. I'm filled with a sense of serenity, and Raiko's voice fades into gibberish. It's warm here; not only that, but it feels as though my mind wants me to empty it. No matter what thoughts I might try to have, I'm pulled toward nothingness, toward resolved emptiness.

My mind clears, and two faces of a woman, old and young, appear and converge into one. The image of a beautiful woman a little older than I am emerges sitting across from me in what's now a bright field of short, green grass.

"What's happening?" I ask, and my voice echoes throughout paradise.

Hers echoes back, "Now, now, there's no reason to worry; you've fallen asleep, my dear."

In the blink of an eye, I'm moved through space and into the arms of a woman in a silk dress. She's holding me in her arms, and I'm too tired to move. She strokes my hair, and I feel her probe deep into my mind. While I'm incapacitated, she sifts through my memories and says, "You've led a complicated life, haven't you?

"But, after all that brutishness, you feel guilty. You're now more aware of yourself than ever before, so let the healing begin, dear. You've come a long way. Hmm...

"Someone like you came here," she says, "yet he was of a very different mindset. He attacked me and killed the rest of the Brahama; he murdered every student with whom he came into contact. If they didn't perish upon first meeting him, Samazoshi backtracked and cruelly began to execute those he'd made vulnerable. He came into this very house and murdered my son, his wife, and my three beautiful grandchildren."

She stops for a moment and begins to cry. Two tears strike atop opposite sides of my forehead, and I'm plunged deep into a state of paralysis.

I can't see--I can't even open my eyes, but I hear her voice in my head:

"Tavon... Tirohei...

"In return for my help, I ask that you remove Samazoshi from this world. With everything you have in you, seek justice for me and my family. My name was Amasa Fei, but, without my family, I am nothing. One day I will reform, but I'll return just to weep for what I lost tonight. If you can bring me Samazoshi's head, my suffering will be short-lived.

"Bless you, Tavon. May Tara inspire you to greatness."

--

"Yo, wake up. We're about to die." I hear Raiko say before he shoves me.

I swat him away, then I get to my feet as my heart starts to race again.

"What's going on?"

"They're outside waiting for you. Noboros."

"Noboros?" I exclaim and double take while addressing him.

"Yeah, fool," he nods, "they told me to come get you. They all look like they wanna fuck you up."

"Well, that's good," I remark while walking past him.

"You feel better?"

"Yeah," I tell him, "I think I got this."

We both leave to enter the darkness outside. It's past midnight by now, and the moon shines down on Inen as he crouches on the eaves of the house directly across from me. His glasses glint in contrast to his dark kimono, and he's holding a black, spiraled katana down at his side in anticipation. Weraugi gets up and barks at me from a few feet away. The pale woman I've seen Inen with before is leaning against the side of the house and sizing us up; the man with the abnormally large head is standing a short distance from us and off to the side while baring his teeth at me; the Demon Knight looms to the east; and the stranger plays his violin softly, where no one can see him.

"The two of you are really no different," Inen speaks with a patronizing grin, "Tavon and Samazoshi, two brainless morons who kill for no good reason--do you know what that evil bastard has cost us?"

"None of us have the right to call each other evil," I tell him.

Inen grunts, then he jumps down, generates black aura around his feet, and softens his landing. He strides up to me confidently, with his hound at his back and with his sword held casually at his side.

"What did you say?"

I clear my throat and continue, "Don't compare me to him. Zoshi's a different kind of evil."

"Why did you come here?" Inen scowls as he asks, "Did you intend to take him on by yourself?"

"Yeah. He beat me once, so Zoshi owes me a rematch."

"Psh. That's all either of you care about: fighting. You two have been so busy 'fighting' that you haven't noticed the odds steadily being stacked against you. Samazoshi has buried himself by challenging every school in this country; you fought with the Senzang, escaped, and now we've found you.

"We've come full circle, Tavon. I told you what would happen if we met again. Are you prepared?"

A jolt of adrenaline runs up my spine.

My head shakes as I start to nod and respond, "Yes," knowing that I'm about to be violently ambushed, then--

"Lord Inen, I have terrible news!"

Avodeus precedes his master, and Artemis follows behind him with two bone swords drawn at the ready. Artemis and his genzaon prostrate themselves before Inen, and Artemis reports.

"Samazoshi has ceased his assault on the Hayashi School. He's no longer hunting. On the contrary, he's now stationed himself on the outskirts of the School and is officially declaring his intent to defeat every disciple who dares to do battle with him."

"He's become a nuisance," Inen remarks with a sigh.

"I'm afraid there's more: he wishes to start his own school on Isamael's Ring."

"You're not serious?" Inen's so awestruck by what Artemis has to say that he forgets about our confrontation completely and turns to face his subordinate.

Artemis stands beside his pupil and bows his head.

"I wish it were only a joke, but he's declared that he'll build the 'School of Samazoshi' once his bloodlust has been sated."

"Dammit," Inen balls his free hand into a fist. "He's already ruined our chances of building our own school peacefully. The Trade Generals think that we've condoned his actions, and so the whole world will soon believe that Zoshi acted according to our will."

Black tau gathers around Inen. He stares dejectedly at the ground. "I'm tired of setbacks. If we're going to fix this, we'll have to kill Samazoshi."

"With all due respect, my lord,"--Artemis gestures my way--"we've already a challenger who might be able to wear him down. If Tavon here can bring out Samazoshi's full strength, then our target will be ripe for assassination."

"Hmm."

Inen thinks it over without looking at anyone.

"It's not a bad plan, although it does seem too convenient."

He makes eye contact with me and says, "You refused my offer to join, yet would you be willing to fight on our behalf?"

"I've no problem with that."

"Strange," Inen comments before addressing Artemis again, "to think that someone we hate would offer us help. If the two of them manage to weaken each other, they'll both be vulnerable."

"Indeed," Artemis replies, "and then you may resolve the matter however you like..."

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# 20

Fated Encounter

--

Tavon

--

In Sector IR-E, the hilly ground is covered in sea-blue grass; the land before me spreads out below the Moon as it begins to set. The Moon highlights a blue and green haze drifting above the ground. I smell the shore and hear the movement of water, but all I see are hills like blue waves moving out into the deepening fog.

Five miles in and over another broad mound of earth, we look over dozens of small lakes as well as rivers weaving crooked paths among tall, jagged mountaintops. Gathered around most nearby bodies of water are domed enclosures and great glass tubes leading outside of them and downward in order to connect to the School's settlements below. The majority of the dwellings I can see hug close to overhead cliffs, as if hiding within one great ravine that takes up the rest of the Sector.

At the westmost river, with tributaries flowing left and right from its narrow channel, domed, metallic houses of blue and white are spaced out along it. The river ends in a lake which has had stone foundations laid overtop it to support an ivory temple. Immense columns stand out from the blue-green mist; aside from the mountains towering above it, this temple makes up one of the Hayashi School's greatest landmarks. We travel in its direction first in our search for Samazoshi.

On the way, dirt roads turn to cobblestone roads, and cobblestone turns to paths formed from blue marble. Traffic starts to pick up the farther we move in. Hayashi and humans alike appear to be hurrying away and perhaps out of the Sector itself.

After a countless number of school disciples have passed us, Raiko reaches out for one and grabs him by his sleeve. This causes a young, bald guy to jerk around and look at us in horror. With wild eyes, he asks, "What are you doing? Don't you know what's going on?"

"No!" Raiko shouts at him. "Why the fuck are you all leaving?"

Just as he asks his question, three more students shoulder by. They're followed by a group of ten and then ten more after them.

"Some psycho's taken over our temple and is demanding that we offer up people for him to kill. He said that if he isn't given a 'decent fighter,' he'll move on the village and attack everyone!"

When neither of us respond right away, the disciple rushes off. We're left to wade through the incoming crowd, and many of them curse at us for going in the opposite direction. This entire section of the Hayashi School is fleeing without a fight. Samazoshi's really made a name for himself.

At the entrance to the ivory temple, a flight of steps replete with narrow columns leads up onto a grey platform. Here, statues of saints and deities paid reverence to by the Hayashi line the way forward. Some yards ahead, the main platform divides into three parallel bridges of stone that run over the lake below. Fountains sculpted from faceless heroes are embedded in short walls that divide the temple up into separate chambers. At its northmost end, a flight of stairs descends onto white, tiled flooring decorated by black, blue, and golden drawings of sea creatures mixed in with symbols mirroring the shapes of the Sun and the Moon.

Naked stone pillars stand in two straight columns directly across from each other and surround the temple's largest fountain. Clear blue water flows eternally around the statue of a faceless Hayashi with two pairs of arms. From each of his hands, streams of water filter back into a lake that's been built atop a much larger lake.

The Sun begins to rise, and, by the time we've traveled the full length of the temple, the whole area's been all but deserted. The frantic crowds from before have left behind their homes. The temple feels desolate; every impressive sculpture we see stands amidst a silent terror that emanates from one spot.

At the base of the temple's grand fountain, a man in a torn, sleeveless, and bloody kimono waits quietly while sitting cross-legged. He doesn't seem to be meditating; instead, his eyes remain completely open as he fixes his gaze upon the ground. His stillness resembles the statue of the faceless Hayashi behind him. I can't sense his zol, so maybe he's lowered his guard.

Raiko starts to move with me, but I stop him with my hand and shake my head. "No."

"No?" he exclaims while looking at me like I'm stupid.

"Get back," I lower my voice, "he'll go for you first if he sees you've got a ranged weapon."

"I'm gonna fight," he says to me.

It takes everything in me to keep from yelling, so my reply comes out like growl, "Stay here! If you see him slow down, then you can attack."

He tries to move again, so warn him: "I'll kick open your leg if you take another step."

Raiko freezes, then he turns around, angrily brushes me out of his way, and leaves the temple altogether. I needed him for a tactical advantage, but it looks like it really will be just the two of us.

I move toward the fountain cautiously, keeping my eyes trained on Samazoshi in case he makes any sudden movements.

"At last," Zoshi remarks without looking my way, "have they sent another?"

"No. Do you remember me?"

Zoshi waits another moment, then he stands.

He stares at me with empty eyes and says, "No. I've never seen your face before. Did you come to die, too?"

The floating heads of dead disciples drift behind Samazoshi. I see dark bodies lying below the shallow fountain water.

"My name's Tavon."

"Should it matter to me?"

I burst forward.

I sprint, in a mad dash, to transfer all that momentum into a rapid, unstoppable punch.

Shungej flows naturally within me, and my body begins to swell without me being totally conscious of it. My adrenaline's so great that it feels as though I'm carrying the weight of the world with my attack.

He's right before me, and I punch straight at his nose. I feel skin under my knuckles, then he's gone.

I trip forward; my fist meets the air. Zoshi disappears in an instant, and I turn while chanting--

--SHUNGEJ--

When I think he's about to outflank me, I find that Zoshi's standing far away again and simply observing.

"I might remember you after all," he mutters calmly. "Hmm. There have been so many like you. How could I be expected to recall another wannabe?"

I dash again, but I forget that gaining size too fast can slow me down. This time, my sprint's much weaker. So I don't make the same mistake, I stop before reaching Zoshi and instead say to him, "The whole world hates you, Zoshi. Your friends have all abandoned you. They know you don't care about anyone but yourself."

"That's interesting," he replies with abnormal politeness. "I wonder what made them do tha--"

I punch through Zoshi's head, I'm sure of it, but the image of my target flashes to left and vanishes. I miss again, and Zoshi stands to my left this time. When I turn to look at him, his eyes narrow as he smiles.

"Are you ready to die now? C'mon, wouldn't you like to end your pitiful struggle?"

Samazoshi advances. His body skips through time and space; in half a second, he's right in front of me. Both of his hands are raised at the level of my throat, and his eyes gleam with morbid glee.

I jab at him before he can choke me, and his form sweeps with the air to the right. Zoshi strikes me in the chest as I turn, and the hit feels like a thousand hammers slamming into me. His punch is powerful enough to create vibrations where he's struck me, and I'm blown back. I roll across the ground while struggling to stop, then I get up--

Samazoshi's there, still smiling wickedly, and he launches a jab to hit me in the same spot.

Swiftly, I stagger my stance, strengthen my chest, and try to absorb the blow. His fist rebounds off my chest hard, but I maintain my ground in spite of how bad it hurts. I blink, and Zoshi hammers one blow into my side and another that busts my upper lip.

I stay up, maintaining my resolve, then I feint a jab at Zoshi's head. He soars around me, but I spin to strike at him with my forearm. Again, I barely feel him before his image disappears. I anchor one leg to the ground, then I kick behind me while rotating my body into the attack!

Samazoshi blocks with both hands, so I pull away quickly and then return with an overhead strike from my elbow. Zoshi blocks again, and I launch my knee toward his stomach; he backs up in time, so I stop the attack midway and kick at him again. Zoshi deflects it, then he flashes inside of my guard and drives both of fists into my stomach, chest, and head. His blows feel like small wrecking balls that rattle my body. Zoshi manages to grin even with some of his hardest punches. He's twice as fast as Kenji, so blocking one hit means being struck by several more.

I catch one fist in place briefly, but it nearly burns through my skin prior to disappearing and then plowing into my gut. I shield my stomach, and one punch rocks my head to the side, another makes my ear bleed, and his third breaks my nose.

Zoshi summons black flames around one hand. He swings at me, and the sheer heat of it whiffing by my face as I dodge puts me on the defensive. Samazoshi moves in shades of himself, gliding through the air while preparing to swing. One wrong move and it's over.

He thrusts, I dodge, he swings at my head; I duck, he thrusts again, I sidestep, and he summons dark flames around both of his knuckles before striking at me.

Because I've gotten him adjusted to how I evade at a close distance, I back away so that I can change up how I move.

Zoshi doesn't miss a beat. He lunges at me with two flaming fists--

Then he halts with a confused look on his face. A second later, and he turns--

A blue shield soars at his head, but Zoshi raises his hand just in time to catch it.

The shield bursts into an explosion of scalding hot water that envelops Samazoshi. In return, dark tau radiates from his body and surrounds a menacing scowl. Zoshi's skin is beet red. His eyes shine white, and his glare reaches out with jagged tau that violently whips through the air.

A second shield soars sideways, aimed precisely so that Zoshi's head will be split down the middle.

Samazoshi roars: tremendous, black energy connects with the shield, ruptures it into dozens of scorching tributaries, and then absorbs it, creating a vortex of tau and water hot enough to burn my skin.

Zoshi directs this vortex at my sworn brother. Hadrian channels Shinte and dashes to the side in order to avoid his opponent's wrath, but Zoshi appears before his eyes and jabs straight.

Hadrian backsteps, narrowly evading the attack, and draws his katana.

Samazoshi steps his way, and I approach from behind with a haymaker directed at his head. I swing, and Zoshi turns his body to the side; he punches out at me, and his arm extends to strike a swift blow across my cheek. Hadrian slashes down with both hands, and Zoshi rotates his torso once more to punch at the blade with the same fist; he breaks it in two, then his fists work like cleavers as he launches six jabs at Hadrian.

I hear Hadrian cry out when one blow from Samazoshi all but crushes his arm. Nevertheless, he chants:

--SHUDO: ONE HUNDRED STRIKES--

With almost as much speed as Samazoshi, Hadrian attacks his foe with a barrage of fists. He curses Zoshi in a frantic rage, and Zoshi's stance tenses up as he blocks each punch with both hands in rapid succession.

I channel Shungej at a greater level, then I deliver a powerful strike to the middle of Samazoshi's back.

Zoshi evokes black clouds around himself. He zooms forward and kicks Hadrian in the head, then he spins around and launches a subsequent kick at me.

Hadrian falls to the ground, and I block with both forearms--then I jab inside his guard: my fist connects with his chin, causing him to flinch momentarily. He recovers and is about to swing, when--

Golden particles separate from my body. They shoot toward Samazoshi, burning brightly, and pierce his eyes in a hail of tau.

"Move now," I hear Amasa Fei's voice in my head. "By the Bodhisattva Tara, bring me justice for my son!"

--SHUNGEJ--

Left and right, two swift jabs, two well-placed shots. Left and right, and I punch him twice in the chest. Before he can cry out, I uppercut him in the stomach; when he backs away, I come at him with a flying elbow attack, and he instantly blocks with his arms crossed before him. Black flames appear around his hands, and he angrily swipes so that he can rend my body into pieces.

His speed steadily returns to a galloping pace compared to mine. Even without his eyesight, he manages to catch up and begins swinging closer and closer. I've got my back to the wall, and Zoshi's poised to drive one blade straight through me.

He crouches low, before the strike, and--

A metal fist smashes into Zoshi's upper back. He's knocked flat onto the ground.

Raiko swings his chain-linked fist up and then to the left before whipping it down toward his target with enough velocity to bash Samazoshi's skull in. Zoshi springs to his feet, evading the fist, and then he flies toward Raiko with murderous intent!

Flanking Samazoshi from the side, I intercept just as he reaches my student and punch him straight in the jaw. The hit knocks Zoshi to the ground, and, rather than pursue, I step in front of Raiko.

"You did good," I shout to him, "but run in a straight line behind me!"

Samazoshi rises to his feet. He glares at me for a few moments while the dark halo around him continues to expand.

Zoshi breaks out into sadistic laughter. "You've survived for far too long," he scoffs. "Your lack of skill shows, so let me put an end to this for you." Zoshi races toward me with a mad grin.

Artemis fires a shard of bone into the left side of Zoshi's ribcage, and he screams with a strange ecstasy. He swerves, changes direction, and blasts through one of Artemis' arms before blowing his target several yards back with the sheer impact of his punch. While soaring through the air, Artemis fires another shard of bone, and Zoshi deftly knocks it aside with exceptional agility.

Inen approaches from behind me.

Just when I think he's about to thrust his sword through my back and out my stomach, he places a large stamp under the folds of my kimono and on the back of one of my shoulders. Vibrant energy courses through me; my eyes suddenly track every subtle movement in view; my vision shakes, stills, and then brings into detailed focus every change occurring in the environment as far as I can see.

Inen brandishes his dark katana in front of him, and it begins to twist into a long, cragged spiral of metal. At its end, black ink drips onto the ground, and Inen traces a symbol on the stone floor in front of him. In one hand, an orb of dark purple tau condenses; with the other, he draws two simple mandalas.

"You've been very selfish, Samazoshi. If you had a true Imago to speak of, I would claim your mind and teach you how to be a better human. It's too bad you're hopeless."

Samazoshi charges toward Inen with a powerful strike enmeshed in black, flaming tau.

Zoshi's fist collides with a transparent shield hovering a few inches in front of Inen's face. The shield holds, cracking like flexible glass, before the force of Zoshi's attack is redirected back at him--

Samazoshi sidesteps the rebound and shocks Inen with his superhuman reflexes. He charges at his rival once again, and Inen tosses the sphere of condensed power at Zoshi's feet.

The orb explodes to produce a cocoon of red energy surrounding Samazoshi. His aura is instantly removed, and the cocoon evaporates; Artemis closes in, and so do I.

Artemis thrusts at Zoshi's head. He crouches down to avoid it, readies himself to strike--

And I roundhouse kick him in the stomach.

Zoshi backs away, Artemis raises one blade to decapitate him, and Inen charges toward him as well. Raiko's not far behind me, looking for his own opportunity to attack, and Samazoshi soon faces lethal threats from all sides.

--SHINTE--

Samazoshi soars to escape and distances himself from all of us by standing atop the edge of the fountain.

Black static pierces the air around Zoshi, then it revolves around him in brief sparks of tau. Snow the color of blood begins to fall from a black halo which expands without end. Stark white energy flows from Zoshi's eyes, and he grins as dark tau envelops him in a wild vortex. His body swells with the strength of Shungej, twitches with rapid bursts of Shinte, and becomes denser under an array of newly-formed blood vessels created from the effects of Shudente.

At once, Samazoshi's tau turns grey and expands so that it just barely encompasses everyone on the battlefield. The ledge beneath his feet cracks before splintering into stone fragments; water drains out of the fountain, but the water parts to avoid Zoshi's aura and continues to spill out into the rest of the temple.

His tau steadily shrinks into a sphere around him that vibrates with static energy. It shrinks to the size of his heart, then Samazoshi's tau bursts outward--

--SHUDO: FIRST TRANQUILITY--

Flames of grey and sky blue highlight the toned, scarred body of Samazoshi. Most of the top section of his kimono's been torn and burned away. His eyes have returned to normal: two all-black spheres that stare coldly at anything they see; in contrast, his long hair's turned a silvery blue that matches the color of his tau. Samazoshi's aura increases, and I sense tremendous energy the likes of which I've only encountered once, back when Grandmaster Kei used the same technique.

At the very moment he achieves a new form, multiple leaders from other schools arrive to settle things once and for all. A man dressed in a broad-collared, orange yukata, with a red headband and his brown hair parted in the middle, steps toward Zoshi and declares, "I am Alanzo the Poet, the Chief Editor of the School of Poetry, and you are the beast which must be put down so that we may all have peace."

Alanzo recites a sutra written in ink on yellow parchment:

"Let he who creates a path of misery be caged.

"May corruptors of the world face entrapment.

"Samazoshi bears the visage of the damned,

"Smug and languishing under judgment's umbrella."

As he states this, a polygonal barrier made from translucent, blue tau forms around Zoshi; its color comes through much clearer at the top and resembles an umbrella.

Samazoshi's own tau is pressed down upon his body, but he doesn't seem to mind.

"You're walled in now," Alanzo remarks and then glances back at seven other school leaders. "Attack," he demands full of rage, "swarm him now!"

Talented masters from all over Isamael's Ring, adorned in lavish robes and tailored yukatas, rush at Samazoshi as a united front. They channel each of their respective energies, and chant as one:

--SHUDO: ONE HUNDRED STRIKES--

Katanas, halberds, brass knuckles enlarged by Shungej and molded by Maia, spears, and kunai all fly at Samazoshi from every angle. They force him to zoom through the air as seven warriors swing at him a hundred times and in thousands of directions. If Zoshi's struck at all, he doesn't make it known; instead, he glides with a field of tau that grows and grows; he strikes back at his opponents in the midst of a storm of lethal blows.

Samazoshi disappears and reappears through the air in brief intervals. With the next interval, his body temporarily emerges, chops at one school leader, and severs his arm at the elbow. He glides toward and around the many thrusts of his next target and punches her in the chest hard enough to throw her against the wall; fortunately, she recovers and quickly rejoins the fight.

Over time, more and more hits find their marks. Zoshi's speed slows to where I can finally see him as he keeps trying to evade his attackers. Artemis joins the battle. Hadrian and Inen follow behind him. Raiko's at my side, and he looks to me for guidance. I nod to him to confirm what we have to do, then I spring toward Zoshi with Raiko trailing behind me.

Everyone closes in on Samazoshi. He tries to muster his power and even channels Shinte, but it's not enough. Countless blows rain down upon him.

In a desperate fury, Samazoshi's aura explodes and turns black. A dark aura covers him, and he laughs as he punches and slashes with total carelessness. The battlefield centering on Samazoshi becomes a mix of blood with shades of various auras erupting around every strike.

Just then, a power greater than Samazoshi's descends from the heavens.

The presence of such an incredible force dawns on us all at the same time. Something compels everyone to run and make way for a giant shadow that plunges down toward the temple from the morning sky.

Behind Samazoshi, a newcomer crashes into the statue at the center of the fountain and punches a crater into its stone foundation. Water from the outer lake seeps through the ground at the stranger's feet. The bodies that were submerged before now roll toward the center, and he calmly steps around them.

A giant human, with white hair tied into a ponytail and a long, grey beard reaching past his chest, begins walking toward all of us. Over one of his shoulders is a polished, black carapace, and it's fastened by a thick belt running under his other arm and around his upper body. Around his waist is a kilt made from the black fur of an animal, and, across his right peck, I see the tattoo of a dark elephant. A sutra in another language is also tattooed under his left bicep. He's as wide as three humans standing shoulder to shoulder, and just one of his fists is bigger than my head.

The old giant stands tall and looks down on Zoshi with narrowing, bushy eyebrows.

"My name's Ao Guang,"--he soars toward Samazoshi and punches him in the face; Zoshi's body slams into a pillar and breaks through it before hitting the ground in a roll as the stone column collapses--"And fuck your insolent behavior! Your actions are unbecoming, Samazoshi!"

Zoshi, now completely drained of his aura, weakly manages to get to his feet.

Grandmaster Ao Guang extends one of his hands skyward: an ink-colored apparition shoots up and forms a massive fist. Ao Guang brings his fist down, and the colossal apparition smacks Samazoshi into the ground while nearly crushing him altogether.

When the Grandmaster withdraws his arm, Samazoshi's body remains motionless. He's unconscious.

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# 21

Ao Guang

--

Tavon

--

The Grandmaster of the Utama School strides over to where Zoshi's fainted, then he picks him up and tosses his body over his shoulder.

Ao Guang looks around at everyone who's decided to just now show up at the scene. Word's spread quickly, and a crowd begins to gather in awe of the stoic giant. At least fourteen school leaders approach and prostrate themselves out of respect, but the rest of us, including Inen, keep our distances. For a short time, it feels like we're a part of the same team.

The Grandmaster of Isamael's Ring straightens his back and announces to everyone, "I'm taking this criminal with me. His actions have been horrendous, but I have a use for him."

Ao Guang turns his back to us and says, "I'll leave the way I came."

"Wait, Grandmaster Guang!" Alanzo the Poet cries out.

Guang halts, breathes in deeply, and asks, "What is it?"

Chibale, who's recently arrived on the scene, cuts off Alanzo and shouts, "That man is a vile pest. He's a mass murderer who owes something to the people whose lives he ruined. Where are you taking him?"

As Chibale strikes a wide, confident stance, Ao Guang casually turns back around and addresses the school leaders as a group:

"I'm leaving Isamael's Ring, but I'll be returning infrequently. A dreadfully powerful person is following me, so I've resolved myself not to stay in one place for too long. If this madman catches up to me, I fear the encounter could have very serious consequences that would affect everyone's future.

"Samazoshi is irredeemable, and this has been established as a fact."

All school leaders nod their heads and listen intently to his next words:

"He possesses a natural talent for combat as well as an advanced understanding of Rouketin. Thus far, Samazoshi is the only fighter in Isamael's Ring who resembles a capable student.

"If my stalker continues to chase me across the globe, I'm afraid I'll need a capable student to whip me back into shape. I'm an old man now," he shrugs. "Besides, it's only fitting that I get to knock out this irredeemable clown as many times as I wish. When I'm finished with him," he declares while beginning to leave once more, "he'll piss himself the next time he hears my name."

Just as he's about to go, I run after him.

"Grandmaster Guang!"

He doesn't stop, so I keep running and shout, "Grandmaster Guang, wait a minute!"

Ao Guang halts at last.

A black lightning bolt shoots from out of his body to claw at the heavens, and a halo the color of midnight envelops the giant.

"What do you want, weakling?"

Ao Guang confronts me with a dark glare and a wrinkled scowl.

"I want you to teach me!" I clench my fists while raising my voice, "Make me your student and I'll surpass Samazoshi!"

While keeping his eyes fixed on me, Ao Guang throws Zoshi's body off his shoulder. He reaches out with one hand, generates of burst of sapphire tau, and the weapon of a titan begins to form from static-like particles. Each particle converges into a physical shape which expands outward and then solidifies into a long, iron staff. The weapon, in its entirety, is about as wide as one of the temple's columns and longer than two of them combined. He raises the staff and twirls it over his head with ease before dropping it down so that he can hold it in front of him horizontally and with a wide, two-handed grip.

"You're much less of a warrior than any school leader here, yet you've the arrogance to ask for my direct instruction. You know nothing of Rouketin, and it would devour you if you did try to learn."

"Talk as much shit as you want. I'll be a better student than Zoshi. I promise."

"Heh!" Ao Guang grins while baring his white teeth; his grip tightens around the staff, and he replies, "Okay then, I'll make a deal with you. Young weakling, if you can manage to land just one hit on me, then I will induct you as an official student and set Samazoshi on fire.

"When you're ready," he announces, "give it your best shot."

Rather than sprint, I run toward him at a slower pace while watching for any signs of a quick attack. My eyes seek out the best possible opening or blind spot, but, once I'm close, all I see is a titan wrapped in black flames.

I channel Shungej into both legs, then I spring off the ground with enough force to crack it with my heel. I jump and soar through the air before Ao Guang. I raise one knee that I'll drive into his chest, and--

Ao Guang moves the staff up, bangs it rapidly against my knee, and sends me tumbling backward; as I fall, he raises his weapon straight up and then swings down in an effort to crush me in place.

--SHUNGEJ--

I raise my arms in time to catch the metal pole as it crashes down. The weight of it starts to break the ground around me, then Ao Guang raises it high again.

I dart outside of his range, then I sprint toward him and jump this time with a punch aimed at his head. Grandmaster Guang swings; thick metal slams against my chest, and he bats me out of the way.

I come at him again, and he knocks me back. Again, and his next blow feels like a boulder shattering every bone in my body.

"Yo man," Raiko calls out, "stop it! You gonna get yourself killed!"

"Fuck that," I reply, and dark energy begins to flow from me.

The pain I felt before fades away, so I charge at Ao Guang again--I just need one hit!

I swing at Guang's left shin, but he swings down faster than I can strike. I'm forced to rapidly shift into a defensive stance to block, but the staff instantly knocks me on my back and presses down with more weight than I can handle.

I'm starting to think that I'll be smashed in place, but the Grandmaster lifts his staff at the right time. He prepares to bring it down once again, and I dash out of his reach.

I--

I fall to the ground. Raiko comes to my side and starts pulling on my shoulder. "C'mon, fool," he says, "Grandmaster Guang ain't gonna take your ass."

The pain's awful this time around, but I won't let it keep me from standing back up. I get to my feet and ignore Raiko in favor of glaring back at the old giant. I charge at him defiantly, but my knees buckle underneath me, and I nearly fall on my face.

I'm within Ao Guang's range, and he raises his staff high before bringing it down.

Hadrian slings me over his shoulder, then he chants:

--SHINTE--

He sprints us both to safety and tosses me to the ground. I land on my hands and feet, then I slowly attempt to get back up.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Hadrian shouts while getting in my face.

I don't acknowledge him. Nah. My eyes are set on the same goal. I'll get through, somehow.

"You can't just challenge a Grandmaster without any prior preparation! Quit being a moron for once, Tavon, and give it up!"

I grin, taking some kind of twisted pleasure in the way forward. I flashback to almost all the fights I've ever been in, and I feel...

Happy.

I keep walking toward Ao Guang. I don't trip this time, and I confidently move within his range. Ao Guang steadily raises his staff...

He grunts, exuding tau, and the staff breaks up into millions of sapphire-colored particles. They dissolve around the giant as he laughs, and he fills the temple with the sound of his amusement.

"You should know how this ends by now," he chuckles. "While you've shown a fiercer aura than before, this battle will be meaningless to you without the same level of skill as Samazoshi. I respect your will to fight, little warrior, and so allow me to point you in the right direction.

"In the far Northwest, in the Mountains of Jin, there resides a king and a teacher of martial arts whose name is Myeong Asoka. He is also known as the King of the Apes, and he'll have much more to teach you than me--heh, if you can survive the way there, that is. Why waste your time on an old man when it could be better spent?"

His reasoning cools my anger. Pain starts to creep in.

Raiko, Hadrian, and Artemis surround me to keep me from pursuing him any further. "You should call off this foolishness," Artemis insists.

My breathing gets harder, and my legs buckle again. As I fall to my knees, Hadrian steps out of my line of sight. I see Ao Guang directly ahead. He smirks at me, then he moves to pick up Samazoshi's body and walks back toward the center of the ruined fountain. Once he reaches it, he leaps high into the sky, above the rising Sun, and then disappears on the horizon.

I've been rejected by the Utama School's Grandmaster, and the best he could give me was some asshole's name who lives on the other side of the planet. I'm angry. I should've prepared.

I should've been patient.

--

All school leaders present begin answering everyone's questions. The crowd overwhelms them until they designate Alanzo to explain today's events to those who just arrived.

I recover well enough to be able to walk, then I bow to Hadrian.

"Thanks."

"Thanks?" he sneers in his confusion.

I nod and say, "If you hadn't intervened at the right moment, Zoshi would've killed me."

"Don't thank me. I was fighting for the name of Hayashi warriors everywhere. I'm going to report back to the Hayashi School, but I appreciate your assistance."

Hadrian bows stiffly, then he leaves us behind without another word.

"I don't like that guy," Raiko remarks when he's far enough not to hear.

"He's growing on me," is all I can say to him.

"Fighting Samazoshi and then Ao Guang right after was a thoroughly insane decision, Tavon," Artemis addresses me with politeness. "However, I imagine that people will talk about what we did here today all over Isamael's Ring. Everyone who engaged in combat with Samazoshi risked their lives, so perhaps some merit will be added to your name."

"Hmm. Maybe." I think over what he's said, then I reply more fully, "I was beaten. I never thought I'd meet an opponent I couldn't hit."

"Yet you've lived and learned from the experience. When you gain that kind of knowledge, your perception of the world is changed forever."

Avodeus shyly steps toward Artemis. "Master," he starts.

"Yes, Avo?" Artemis speaks to him like a concerned parent, "What's the matter?"

"I've run out of blood. I... I need more."

Artemis hesitates briefly, then, without any change of tone or expression, he complies with a nod. "Okay," he says, "let's go."

The two of them leave, and so do we.

Or, at least we try to in the beginning. After exiting the temple, we encounter Inen, who's sitting on a moss-covered stone platform outside and underneath the leaves of a willow tree. He stares at the ground while appearing to be lost in thought. Raiko's apprehensive about going forward and waits while I proceed.

Inen looks up at me and nods before looking away again.

"I was going to have you killed once you stepped outside of the temple, but, after we fought together, I had ample time to think about what I really wanted."

Inen flashes a sincere smile at me and says, "I'm going to be taking the School of Risasi's territory for myself. I've sent my people on ahead to take care of anyone willing to try to defend it. I'll build a school, but it won't be called the School of Zunaga," he declares. "It belongs to Noboros now, and so we'll hold the land in name."

Inen moves down from the ledge and steps toward us. Raiko gathers the courage to stand by me, and the leader of Noboros bows to both of us.

"An official 'School' on Isamael's Ring is nice and everything," he remarks in high spirits, "but that's still only one step toward another goal... and then another."

"What do you plan on doing?" Raiko asks as he finally approaches and uses more politeness than I've ever seen out of him.

"I want to build something more monumental than a simple martial arts school. Both Zunaga and Samazoshi lack a real vision that isn't out of pure self-interest.

"I find that knowledge changes people in rather interesting ways, and, in this world, there's such an intimidating amount of information which absolutely must be collected. With every experience, every book, every piece of research we discover, we progress into a new state of thinking. When the mind changes, so, too, does a person's actions.

"That's why I'll do more than both Grandmaster Guang and the Ring of Commerce: I'll build the world's greatest library. Noboros will have a new base of operations, and, from there, we can begin laying out the plans for what will be a period of enlightenment."

"That sounds real good," Raiko responds with a nod while keeping the rest of his thoughts to himself.

"You've been scheming and pillaging all this time just to have a library?" I ask him.

"Hmph." Inen looks at me with contempt. "I suppose that's why we can't get along. You're not much different than Samazoshi, who's likely never read anything in his life. He believes that brute combat is the only path toward excellence as a warrior, but I've decided to explore another route. You see, mastery of Jeigon is an impressive feat. Mastery of more than one Spectrum is infinitely more impressive.

"True prowess must lie in understanding the natures of each Spectrum. If this is the case, as I believe it is, then it's vital that I create my own wellspring of knowledge right here on Isamael's Ring."

"That sounds like it'll take years, Inen. I never thought I'd try out methods other than direct combat, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to learn about another Spectrum. I'm assuming this means you aren't mad at me anymore?"

"I won't need you," he says dismissively. "You and Aaliyah remind me too much of each other."

"What do you know about Aaliyah?" a protective urge rises within me as I ask.

"Neither of you can be made to submit, which makes both of you useless to me. This is the most important time in my life, so I'm demanding absolute loyalty from my entire family. There will be no more Samazoshi's running around doing whatever they please."

"I guess that makes sense," I laugh, then I bow to him and reply, "I've got a lot to learn myself before I'm ready to take on Ao Guang again, so I appreciate that you didn't ambush me right after I'd gotten my ass beat."

"No problem. It would've been a waste of time to ambush you."

Raiko bows after me, then Inen speaks to both of us with a stern expression:

"You shouldn't let yourself get caught up in fights you can't win, Tavon. Raiko, if you see your instructor throwing his life away, rein him in."

The leader of Noboros turns his back to us, then we take a moment to rest at the same ledge he was using and watch as he departs.

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# 22

Faith

--

Tavon

--

Following the battle, Raiko and I decide that we should report back to Fang Shubao and then locate Hadrian before leaving for Zannica, the Dreaming City. Hadrian said he was from Saizakune, so I want him to go with us if I'm going to find my first target.

When we cross back over to the Risasi School, most of it appears to be abandoned. I sense a group of zol power signatures near the center of the place, but I know better than to go near it; Noboros isn't far.

On the way back through the School of Senzang, most of the Senzang disciples keep their distances. We're not exactly permitted to walk freely through their lands, so we rush through as fast as my legs will carry me. Less than halfway through their territory, though, we've got to stop because the pain from earlier's gotten worse. My body feels disjointed, like I don't have the strength to take another step.

Raiko begins standing guard while I rest beneath a tall oak tree with a narrow trunk. I say to him, "What are you doing, kid? You haven't gotten any sleep between walking, fighting, and watching over me."

"I can't sleep."

"You've got to try."

"Why's that? I feel fine," he tries to assure me.

"It doesn't matter. Get some rest. I'll keep an eye out."

"Yeah," Raiko chuckles, "I totally believe that."

"Tavon Meiziki!" I hear someone's call carried on the wind.

A kid a little older than Raiko and wearing a crimson-colored kimono runs down a hill to the west and along the dirt path leading toward us. I try to stand up, but Raiko puts his hand out for me to stop and confronts the disciple before he can get close.

"Teach is asleep right now. What do you want?"

The disciple prostrates himself and says, "I'm sorry to have disturbed you and your teacher, but I've come with a message from Kenji Senzang!"

"Kenji? The fuck he want?"

He holds out a letter with his head still bowed and says, "Master Kenji is recovering from his injuries and won't be able to fight in the School Tournament this year. He wanted to meet with Tavon before he left Isamael's Ring, but he's also taking more time to mourn his brother's death. Because he can't see you today, Kenji's written a poem for your teacher to read."

"A poem?" Raiko scoffs, "For real?"

The disciple thrusts the rolled-up parchment toward Raiko, and Raiko takes it back to me while Kenji's follower remains where he is with a humble attitude. I break the seal and begin to read:

"Family is irreplaceable.

"If the world looks down on one person,

"Family can be their safe harbor.

"My brother is gone, and you are left.

"Our fight was justified, yet I still failed.

"The world lost a good man,

"But there is no fight that can bring him back."

--

Right before we leave Senzang territory, we get another visitor.

"Wait! Hold up!"

On the horizon behind us, with the rising Sun shining down on him, Jupiter Kang comes running in our direction with a brown rucksack on his back.

"Hey guys!" he shouts. "Did ya miss me?"

"No." Raiko replies flatly.

Kagiso stops a few paces away from us and starts to catch his breath. He smiles nervously while putting his hand over his chest.

"Oh boy," he exclaims, "I never thought I'd catch up with you guys! I heard about what happened--Tavon, did you really try to fight the Ring's Grandmaster?"

"Yeah," I nod and sigh as I continue, "but it was a stupid idea."

"That's amazing, man!" Kagiso replies as he winks and gives me another thumbs up. "You beat Kenji in a fair fight, challenged Samazoshi, then you just kept going. Hmm. I could learn a lot from you."

"Don't you have, like, hundreds of teachers to choose from?" I ask him.

"Not anymore," he laughs nervously while scratching the back of his head. "I've been kicked out of the Senzang School, actually. I thought you guys might like some extra security, you know?"

"What the hell," Raiko exclaims, "why'd they kick you out?"

"Well, heh--Master Tenbu says I should've fought you to the death before Kenji tried it, and he was angry at me for trying to get to know the two of you."

"So you want us to take care of you now?" Raiko snorts derisively.

"Uh..." Kagiso takes a deep breath and hangs his head low. "Look, guys, after I was exiled by Master Tenbu, I went to find Narah.

"When I saw her... I just couldn't do it. I couldn't tell the woman of my dreams that I'd lost my station in life. I can't fight in the tournament, and I'm no longer a martial artist. I've nowhere else to go--" Jupiter Kang falls to his knees and begs, "Please take me with you! I can train in Jeigon until I'm better--I can be your second student!"

"Hell no," Raiko says without any further thought.

"I don't need any more students," I admit, "but having another adult around wouldn't be so bad, either."

"What?" Raiko looks wide-eyed at me as he asks, "Why would we bring this fool along?"

"Hey now," I put my hands up defensively and tell him, "I'm going to need another grown adult to train with, so we might as well bring him."

"Why do you wanna hang with killers?" Raiko keeps badgering Kagiso.

"Well, uh, you see," he clears his throat and says, "I fell behind my brother when learning how to fight. I got lazy, and, instead, I just worked out all the time. I'm too shy to fight most people, and I can't talk to women unless I'm pretending to be the great Jupiter Kang. One day I will be great!"

"You're joining our crew because you wanna impress women? Fool, do you know where we're going?"

"No. Where?"

"Saizakune," I say to him. "There's someone there I have to assassinate."

"Okay," Kagiso gulps, "well..."

He hesitates, then he pumps his fist into the air and says, "I still wanna go with you guys. My brother had his fair share to say about what I did... but that doesn't matter now. Where are you guys on your way to now?"

"Where do you think?" Raiko says, "The Jaodan School. Old man Shubao promised us a reward for dealing with Zoshi."

"The General of Heaven sent you guys on that mission? That's really manly!"

"Wait until you meet him," I warn Kagiso. "He's not who you think he is."

--

We arrive at the Jaodan School Palace, and a group of disciples in bright yellow kimonos guides us up into the main tower. One of them knocks on the shoji leading into Shubao's tearoom, and a boy steps out before shutting it behind him. When he addresses us, I can clearly see that his face has been powdered over, and I notice that he's been made to wear gold eye shadow as well.

"The master is busy entertaining his girls. How may I help you?"

"We've come for our reward," I say to him.

"Reward? For?"

"We took care of Samazoshi."

"Oh," the kid exclaims, "right. Give me one moment."

He heads back inside. When the shoji's drawn open a second time, the kid stands out of our way and says, "Come in."

Up ahead, the General of Heaven is sitting cross-legged and wearing a silk, yellow robe. At both sides, naked women run their hands over him in between drinking sake and joking with each other. Fang Shubao looks like the happiest man on Isamael's Ring, and he quickly stands to bow to us as we enter the room.

"Tavon! Raiko!" he says and then looks at Kagiso with confusion. "Hadrian?"

"Uh, I--" Kagiso stutters nervously, "I mean, my name is Kagiso Senza--just Kagiso. My name's Kagiso."

"Thank you." Fang chuckles. "That must have been very hard to put into a sentence."

"You're welcome, sir," Kagiso replies, oblivious to the insult."

"Come," Fang Shubao beckons us, "Sit down and have a drink. We've a lot to talk about."

We oblige him, and he shouts to the kid who showed us in, "Little Rae, go and warm up some more sake for our guests. These three are esteemed martial artists!"

"Yes, sir." He bows and hurries away.

Fang Shubao peers around at the four women who make up his harem. "Ladies," he says, "wait for me in the bedroom. By the time our discussion has concluded, I'll be with you shortly."

All four get to their feet, and one of them kisses Fang on his forehead before leaving with the others. He looks up with a grin of content, then he sighs, "Ah, my life has changed quite a bit, my friends. When I lived in Saizakune, I could barely afford to get by. Once I'd converted, however, Jao never stopped blessing me. It's amazing what our god can do," he exclaims while raising his hands high.

"I never thought praying could win me over with the ladies," Raiko remarks. "I oughta try that some time."

"Are you for real, General?" Kagiso leans in with more seriousness than any of us. "Can you teach me how to make the ladies love me, too?"

"Psh," Fang brushes him off. "There's nothing to teach. Convert and you'll see the light."

"Do we have to convert to get that reward you promised?" I ask him.

"Heh." Fang bites back what he's going to say, forces a smile, and looks down briefly. Then he takes another drink.

The boy that Fang calls "Little Rae" returns with three cups, but Kagiso refuses his. "I'm still recovering from a bad experience," he admits while shielding his stomach instinctively.

"Thank you, Rae," Fang nods to him and says, "please leave us for now. You may return once our guests leave."

"Yes, sir."

The boy makes his exit, and only two of us start to drink.

Fang Shubao clears his throat and says, "About that 'favor' I requested... Hmm. How shall I say this?

"Word has been spreading of your efforts. Both of you were present in the attack on Samazoshi, and the people say that you both acted boldly. Because of your help, Zoshi was subdued...

"However, word has also spread that Tavon Meiziki is a fugitive from the Dawn Federation, a fugitive who killed Maeda Senzang and beat down his poor brother."

"They kept on attacking, so we defended ourselves," is my reply.

"And yet a man is dead. I asked a favor of you, Tavon, and, on your way to fulfilling your promise, you killed a man."

His expression turns to an angry scowl in an instant.

"The Lord tells us not to lie, not to steal, not to pay mind to other gods, and, first and foremost, he instructs us not to do harm against one another. If one of you has sinned greatly while residing here, then this is another matter altogether, and the three of you do indeed require immediate conversion."

"'Immediate conversion?'" Raiko parrots back at him.

"Mhm." Fang Shubao nods and then meets my eyes. "After Tavon killed Maeda, he proceeded to contaminate everyone around him. If you do not seek forgiveness through Lord Jao, I fear that Akoro will eat your soul. If Akoro gets his hands on you, you'll know nothing but pain and sorrow. He is a dark pestilence as well as the reason for why you wander in ignorance.

"Come now," he declares condescendingly, "there's no more need to hold back. If you become a convert, you may yet be able to sway the minds of the people. Choosing any other path would be going the way of Akoro."

"Hold on now," Raiko interjects, "you're saying you won't pay us unless we get on board with your religion?"

"In so many words," Fang replies nonchalantly. "It's all up to you. Unfortunately, if you choose not to surrender to faith, I'm afraid that I'll have to ask you to leave the premises."

"What?" we exclaim in unison.

He shakes his head and says, "It wouldn't make any sense. We cannot harbor nonbelievers and a murderer. To ask such a thing would be ludicrous. If you truly cannot see what my faith has gained me, then be on your way..."

--

We leave. Outside of the grand palace of Fang Shubao, a crowd of disciples has gathered in a nearby field of susuki grass. They're all screaming and shouting at someone they've surrounded in a circle. I'm reminded of Zoshi once again, but, once I'm closer, I can see that they're really flanking two people, who hold tight to each other while shaking in fear.

There are two groups: those in the front holding rocks and stones and those who are there to cheer the mob on from the back. I hear men and women cry, "Traitors! Heretics!" They condemn them with titles like "blasphemers" and "demons." Raiko tugs at the sleeve of one woman and asks what's going on.

"Those two are disgusting. Absolutely filthy. They don't belong here, and we won't tolerate them any longer!"

"What's wrong with them?" Kagiso asks.

The woman snorts and replies, "They're lovers. Can you believe it? Two men openly defying Lord Jao under our watch. They've been siphoning off everyone, wasting our money while sinning without any remorse. They are to be condemned for their actions and stoned to death!"

An older man next to her overhears and perks up. "That's right!" he shouts, "I want my son to grow up to be strong, so I let him have his go at the front! Just wait and see what we do to them," he begins to laugh.

I move through the crowd without a care in the world. If someone's in my way, I shove them to the ground. Somebody my age tries to throw a rock at my head; I catch it, slam it into his chest, and then push my way toward the center.

Raiko follows behind me, shouting, "Get the fuck back! He's a Death Officer!"

Awkwardly, Kagiso trails behind him, shrugs when the crowd glares his way, and declares, "I'm just tagging along!"

When all of us are at the center, we form a loose shield around the couple, then I address the crowd:

"My name is Tavon Meiziki, and I helped defeat Samazoshi before he laid havoc to the rest of the country. If not for people like me, he would've eventually made his way up here and wiped you all out. I've done you people a favor, so you can repay me by leaving these two alone."

"But they've sinned against Lord Jao!" an elderly lady calls out from the back of the crowd.

Someone else at the front, ignoring everything I've just said, points at me and shouts, "Wait a minute--that's him! He's the Knight Murderer everyone's been talking about. Forget it," he says while being the first to exit, "if we don't get out of here, he'll punch everybody to death! I'm not letting him beat me around like a toy!"

"He's right," another disciple chimes in, "the Dawn Knights couldn't stop him, so we don't have a chance. I'm getting out of here!"

"Me too," utters a third.

Steadily, the crowd begins to disperse. The couple's left alone, but they continue shaking and shrink back from us as we approach.

"Are you all right?" I ask them.

"We've lost everything," one of them says while staring off into the distance.

Both are about the same height, close to six feet, and one has long, raven blue hair whereas the other has shaved his head entirely. They fall to their knees before us, and the bald one continues speaking through his tears.

"Neither of us are martial artists. We don't know how to fight, and Fang Shubao said it wasn't necessary to train us. He said that faith would solve whatever problems we had."

"Our lives in Saizakune were hard," his lover adds. "Shubao was a different person before we came to Isamael's Ring, more tolerant. He has seen us embrace, and I'm sure he knows, but he's done nothing to stop his people from wanting to kill us. Now we've nowhere left to run. Because neither of us are fighters, there's no reason for any school to take us."

"We have to leave," the bald-headed one chimes in again, "but we don't have the traveling money. If we wanted to leave Isamael's Ring, we'd have to take money from a loan shark."

"Hmm." I consider paying for their transportation, then I turn to Kagiso and ask, "Do you know of a school that would be able to help them and give us a place to stay at the same time? I haven't been able to sleep much, so it'd be nice to find a place where we aren't hated."

"Well," Kagiso replies, "there's Alanzo Veritas at the School of Poetry. He was at the battle to subdue Zoshi, so I'm sure he's formed his own opinion of you since you helped out."

"That's not a bad idea," Raiko says. "I need some more poetry in my life. Hopefully, they got good music, too."

"I don't know about that," replies Kagiso while deep in thought. "Alanzo is a real eccentric guy. My brother hated him, and so did most of the Senzang School. He doesn't care about martial arts at all--or, at least he doesn't act like it."

Kagiso nods to himself, then he smiles at me and says, "Yeah, that should work! Alanzo only cares about art, so there might be a way of convincing him to let us hang around for a few days."

"Let's try it," I say to everyone. "I think I know how to get his attention."

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# 23

The School of Poetry

--

Tavon

--

"Family is irreplaceable.

"If the world looks down on one person,

"Family can be their safe harbor.

"The world lost a good man,

"And there is no fight that can bring him back."

I finish reading a distorted version of Kenji's poem before the throne of Alanzo the Poet.

Brown, marble flooring underlies an arched roof supported by stone columns. At the top of a hill that's half the size of a nearby mountain, his palace shines with paintings utilizing every color on the spectrum. Like the palace itself, the School of Poetry's followers dress however they please, in rainbow-colored robes and jackets lined with synthetic white and blue fur. Left of the three wooden buttons on Alanzo's long, scarlet robe are four embroidered suns. Light shines on this throne through small slits of glass overhead, and a warm breeze passes through a palace with no walls.

Alanzo the Poet stands up from a small, silver throne marked by geometric finials etched into its armrests. Behind him is a detailed painting of an ocean shore that stretches past the width of his chair. He takes a deep breath and peers out over the green field below us.

"You wrote that?"

I nod quietly as I sit on my knees next to Raiko and Kagiso and the couple we've brought with us.

"I don't understand," he says. "Is this your way of asking for forgiveness? You know Maeda wasn't a part of our school, right?"

"I know. I just thought I'd write my explanation down in a poem. I don't want to be judged for what happened."

"You won't be." Alanzo looks at me with a blank expression. "But what exactly do you want? Why have you brought so many people with you--are these supposed to be your disciples?"

"Uh, no--"

"I'm his student," Raiko says.

"Me, too," Kagiso exclaims.

The couple remains silent, so I explain before Alanzo's attitude turns sour, "These guys were outed by the Jaodan School, and there's no place that they can stay."

"What'd they do," he asks, "kill more people?"

"We weren't open about our relationship," Jikha, the bald one, admits.

"What's there to be 'open' about? You two fools are together, right?"

They both nod.

"Wait," he pauses, then his eyes quickly widen; he holds one finger up in the air and says, "Hold on, you mean the Jaodan School exiled you for being grown adults and having a relationship with each other?"

They nod again, and Alanzo sighs.

"I've known Fang Shubao wasn't all that since the day he got here. I tried to test him in a rapping contest to see if he had any skill in the arts, but Fang can't write poetry to save his life. To think that he's not far across the way and discriminating against people for petty reasons is disappointing, to say the least.

"Hmph." Alanzo closes his eyes and breathes through his nose. When he opens them again, he smiles and says to the couple, "I'd be happy to take you in. Most of the schools here don't discriminate in that way, but, then again, there's a pretty high standard for entry in likely every school but my own.

"Here, brothers, we're more concerned with how our leisure's best used. When the School of Poetry isn't writing advertisements for the Ring of Commerce, we're learning how to use zol to perfect our artistic visions. Down the hallway to the left of me, I'm setting up a gallery made up of art created from tau. I'm a dedicated creator, and so, if the two of you are willing to take up creative pursuits--be it music, dance, or poetry--I'm willing to let you both become a part of our school. That is, if you're okay with building your own house when that time comes? We'll help you, but you've got to put in the work."

They reply in unison, "Yes, Lord Alanzo!"

"As for the three of you--or, really, just Tavon in particular: did you come all this way just to help them? Were you expecting a reward or something? Is that why you read that shitty poem to me?"

"We'd just like a place to stay for a few nights."

"Oh, is that all?"

"Uh, yeah. We didn't know if--"

"That's fine," he replies flatly. "I can get you set up in the school's shinden-zukuri a few miles west of here. That's where we keep a lot of our students, and there's always room. You're welcome to stay as long as you like. After all," Alanzo smirks at me and says, "you might just have a few admirers who'd like to hear your version of the story. Tavon, go ahead and be their poetic goldmine; you have my full permission."

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# 24

Baraka Williams

--

Tavon

--

The shinden-zukuri is a blue-roofed, palatial mansion which extends over a narrow river, over small, grassy hills, and into dozens of Zen gardens and greenhouses. At the northernmost end of the mansion, wood-framed, plastered housing gives way to a courtyard. Within this courtyard is an archipelago that juts out into the middle of a great lake. There's enough room on the flattened terrain of the archipelago for us to spar, and the northern housing units are divided in the middle by a partially-outdoor lifting gym.

We request rooms close to the courtyard, and, with a letter of passage from Alanzo in hand, we're able to each get our own separate quarters. I can finally rest, and there's a public shower not so far from our lodgings.

I sleep for two days, ignoring the door every time someone knocks on it.

On the third morning, I bother answering the door, and both Kagiso and Raiko have brought me rice bowls and smoked-goat curry from the mess hall. We eat in Kagiso's room, where he's already hung up a poster of Ao Guang and readied a table for us to play cards and drink junmai sake.

When we're finished with our meals, we head out to the gym so that all of us can concentrate on strength training as a team. With three people, we can rotate fast and efficiently between sets. After I lead them through deadlifts, squats, and chest presses, the three of us sprint onto the archipelago and race to reach its edge.

I rush to the end before Kagiso and Raiko both fly in from behind at nearly the same speed. Kagiso's a little faster and manages to win with the difference of an inch between them. He rubs it in Raiko's face, but Raiko ignores him completely when catching sight of someone who has followed us.

Kagiso chuckles to himself, "I must've really hurt your ego for you to be so speechless, Raik!"

"Shut up," Raiko shouts and glances ahead, "look who it is."

Not far in the distance, Hadrian approaches.

"Who's that?" asks Kagiso.

"He used to be with Noboros, but he went rogue. His name's Hadrian. He's not the nicest person."

"Shh," Raiko warns me, "he can probably hear you!"

"It doesn't matter," I reply.

I look toward Hadrian, and the two of us make eye contact when he's only a few feet from our group.

"How'd you find us all the way out here?"

"Easy," he crosses his arms as he replies and kicks at the ground. "I've been following you since you left the Jaodan School. When I asked around, there were some disciples talking about how you disrespected their religion and left on bad terms with Fang Shubao."

"He didn't pay us what he owed," I confess. "He said we'd have to 'convert' to receive any kind of payment, and he tried to use the death of a student as leverage over me."

"Psh. Bloody idiot," Hadrian remarks. "He doesn't sound much different from the useless 'Lords' of that damned Hayashi School."

"What's the word," Raiko asks, "did they let you in?"

Hadrian stays quiet for a moment, then he grunts, "Hmph. Nothing I did in the fight against Samazoshi mattered to them. They promised me a reward, too, but all I walked away with was a charity payment."

"Why wouldn't they let someone like you in?" I wonder out loud. "You've probably got a better skillset than most of the fighters they have."

"You're right," Hadrian replies while gritting his teeth. "After risking my life to help them, they told me it wasn't enough. Since I'm not a part of one of their fucking noble families, I have to pay a ridiculous 'examination fee.' It costs more than what I'm worth. The Lords are said to accept only one out of every hundred Hayashi who apply, and this has happened for decades!"

"That's pretty messed up," Raiko remarks while nodding his head in agreement.

"They're low on fighters as it is, slipping in performance at the tournament, and they still have the audacity to charge me for joining. They're a joke!" He sneers, "I'm better off training with you, Tavon. Watch me pass up Samazoshi, then I'll start a school greater than his."

Hadrian suddenly notices Kagiso and, very aggressively, asks, "Who are you?"

"I, uh, I--" Kagiso stutters as his face flushes red. "I'm Jupiter Kang."

"Jupiter... what? You actually call yourself that?"

"Yeah, that's me." Kagiso puts his hands on his hips and smiles.

"Is he even strong, Tavon? I don't sense any zol from him!"

"I'm not," Kagiso admits, "I'm just along for the ride!"

Kagiso punches the air with enthusiasm, but this only causes Hadrian to frown harder.

"What were you all about to do? Did I make it in time to fight somebody?"

"We were about to meditate," I inform him. "It's been a rough few days, so I thought we'd take it slow."

"Ugh." Hadrian sighs, "Meditating is pointless."

He does it anyway, and the four of us sit in a circle with our legs crossed and our eyes closed.

My body still aches somewhat from Ao Guang's brutal attacks. With the rest of the year still to go, it's important to relax whenever we're given the opportunity. I clear my mind, and I allow myself to forget the events of the past week without another thought.

The image of Aaliyah flashes before my eyes every now and then, but that, too, slowly fades to black. In that emptiness, I feel relief come with the ease of tension throughout my body. I take slow, deep breaths, then--

Hadrian stands up.

"All right," he says, "what's next?"

After thinking it over, I make a choice out of consideration for everyone.

"Raiko and Kagiso, you should both go on ahead to the mess hall. Since Hadrian just showed up, I'm going to take him back to the gym and meet with you guys later."

"All right, boss," Raiko nods.

Kagiso gives me his signature thumbs up again, then the two of them leave as Hadrian starts questioning me.

"Why the gym?" he asks. "Can we not get on with our rematch here?"

"We could, but it's more important that you learn techniques for gaining strength. How about this: if you teach me how to use Shinte, I can show you how to make the best use of Shungej."

"Hmph." Hadrian breathes through flared nostrils and considers what I've said. "All right," he replies with a nod. "That makes sense. Samazoshi knocked me out with one hit, and I'd like to prevent that from happening in the future. Let's go to the gym."

--

At the palace of iron, Hadrian and I bench press in competition with each other and start with light weight. From a flat plane, both of us compete as we add more and more weight. Since it's his first time, I cut off the escalation early.

"If we move down in weight from here, there's no telling how many more reps I can do than you!"

"Whatever. If you even try--"

I remove twenty-five pounds from both sides of my barbell. "You won't be able to keep up," I tell him.

Hadrian removes the same weight in a huff, and I start us off by letting the three-hundred-pound barbell slam into my chest before all but throwing it back up to its original position. Hadrian struggles to do the same; he manages to push his bar back up after appearing to fight with it for one whole minute. I let mine slam back down again and then throw it up; Hadrian lowers his weight, and he starts to cry out when it threatens to crush his chest.

I quickly get up to grab the barbell and help Hadrian lift the weight off himself. He stands and then glowers at me as he shouts, "This is idiotic! Why can't we just fight?"

"Because you lack the foundation required to take a hit, Hadrian," I tell him while beginning to lose my temper.

"I dare you to repeat that."

"Listen, man, all the times you've used Shinte has probably taken a toll on your muscles. Without doing any strength training, your hits will become weaker and weaker."

"Fine then!" Hadrian shouts loudly enough to scare everyone else in the gym. "Help me lift this stupid bar again! What's after this?"

"Incline bench press."

"What? There's more of this stuff--oh, nevermind." Hadrian sighs and grips his hands tightly on the bar before he says, "If this is what it takes to beat you, then so be it."

--

At the end of the session, when Hadrian's barely able to move from how sore he is, he asks for a few moments of rest. The two of us sit across from each other on opposite weight benches, and it seems I've been able to catch my breath faster than he has.

"Someone must've taught you everything you've shown me," he says. "I used to think that you'd survived enough fights and that's why you're as strong as you are now. I never imagined what all might go into it, and today's the first time I've ever taken lifting seriously."

"You should keep doing it," I tell him. "I want to take down Samazoshi just as badly as you do, but we won't get anywhere without proper training."

"Hmm. When you put it like that, it makes sense to me. When I was growing up, people took advantage of my weaknesses. But, when I learned how to use zol, my problems started disappearing one by one."

Hadrian looks down as he says, "Inen was a godsend for me at one time, a human who saw the world for what it was and knew how to exploit it properly. He taught me not to care about where I'd come from. I'm destined for whatever I want out of life."

"I'll be here to help whenever you need me. That's why we made that oath."

"Don't remind me," he replies. "That 'oath' was made for our mutual survival. I don't know you any more than you know me."

"But you've got my back?"

"Yeah." He nods. "Don't push your luck, though."

"C'mon,"--I get up and move quickly to spite him--"we're almost finished training. There's one more thing we've got left to do."

Hadrian groans as he struggles to stand and asks, "What is it?"

"Remember that rematch you talked about?"

--

The two of us jog back to the small archipelago north of the gym. Once there, and as the Sun begins to set, we stand a few paces apart and stare each other down.

Pure adrenaline is likely all that's keeping Hadrian going. His aura shoots out into a loose cloud of azure tau around his body. He begins summoning his shields.

"No," I say as I raise my fists, "that's not your weak point, Hadrian. Fight me like before."

Hadrian sneers but stops himself in spite of his shitty attitude. He spits, then he replies, "Fine. That makes it eas--"

I punch straight at his head, he evades, steps back, swings at me, and I guard with my forearm. He channels Shinte and pummels me with a series of jabs, but I hold my own and then proceed to push him back. He battles more aggressively than before. I advance in the middle of his barrage; I punch, he blocks, and my fist resounds with the sound of cracking bone. With every strike, I hear the same noise again and again. Hadrian cringes from the pain, and yet he seeks out openings of his own with impressive determination before launching rapid jabs at my stomach. He catches me on my chin, and I jab him hard in the right side of his head, knocking him back--only for him to come at me again with no less concentration.

We fight on an even level with each other and mostly because Hadrian's learning to absorb my heavier attacks. Over time, and with the Sun at our backs drifting farther down the horizon, his movements become more sluggish. Hadrian throws a haymaker at my face and loses his balance when I duck below it. I step forward and uppercut Hadrian in his stomach, compelling him to hesitate in shock...

He elbows me in the face, I step to the side and turn, and he lunges my way immediately. I punch Hadrian in the head before he can strike, knocking him to the ground. He grunts loudly while steadily getting to his feet. Hadrian raises his fists, but I stop him.

"That's enough for today."

"What do you mean that's enough?" he exclaims furiously and begins stepping toward me.

"We won't have any sunlight soon. It'd be better if we took the time to meditate, grabbed some fresh food, and resumed this tomorrow."

Through heavy breaths, Hadrian scoffs, "'Meditate,' huh? Is that your way of saying you give up?"

"No. Because you refuse to lose, neither of us will win today, and I'm getting hungry."

I sit cross-legged on the ground, ignore Hadrian altogether, and close my eyes. He scoffs again and then takes a seat nearby but facing away from me.

"I suppose meditation is better than praying to that insufferable human deity. The point's to clear your head, is it not?"

"Yeah." I nod despite knowing he can't see me. "I've been having a hard time making myself thoughtless, but that's the goal for now."

"Hmph. Being here isn't so terrible after all," he remarks. "I've finally found an adequate training partner. Next time, Tavon, I won't let you get away with the same excuse. Tomorrow I'll defeat you."

Shortly after sundown, Kagiso and Raiko find us pondering thoughtlessness in silence on the archipelago, and the two them join without uttering a word. The four of us contemplate the nature of reality in the quiet of the coming night; all I can hear is the constant stream of the Cherry Blossom River far below us.

--

The very next day sees us at last putting together a training schedule that will benefit everyone.

At dawn we stop by the local chow hall, pay our respects to a giant statue of Sivattokun presiding over the dining room, and then receive wooden plates topped with rice, goat, and seasoned greens from kind-hearted servers dressed in blue robes. This kind of charity is enough to warm the heart; however, as soon as we take our seats across from each other in one section of a long dining table, school disciples begin sitting near us in increasing numbers. After a group's formed around us, they ask if we're the "outlaws," the people who pissed off Lord Shubao, and Raiko answers more honestly than we would care for him to. During our entire morning meal, this kid explains away our origins, and, on our way out, he leaves an entire crowd thinking that we're actually heroes as they murmur amongst themselves and a few trail after us for more questions.

Three of them follow us all the way to the gym before Hadrian scares them off, then we work in pairs--Hadrian with me and Kagiso with Raiko--and the four of us focus on strengthening our legs, on weighted squats and lunges over a period of two hours. Hadrian and Raiko struggle the most, but Kagiso's able to keep up with me as the weight gets higher and higher. Because I've been practicing some of the same techniques for years, I'm able to outlift Kagiso by a hundred pounds. Hadrian, seeing himself compared so poorly to Kagiso, grumpily demands, "Let's get to the fighting portion already!"

"All right, all right," I reply, trying to appease him before he beats up Kagiso, and then we're on our way to the archipelago.

We make it there just a little after noon, and Hadrian walks a few paces away from us and then turns to face me with his fists raised. "We've got plenty of sunlight left this time. Let's finish this."

Raiko sighs. "My goodness, dude."

"What is it now, kid?" Hadrian barks at him.

"What about us?" he asks while throwing his hands up in defeat. "How long are you gonna borrow my teacher? I need to train!"

"Train with Kagiso!" he retorts.

"Hey," Kagiso speaks up for himself, "I wanted to spar with Tavon, too. I squatted more than Hadrian!"

"I'd kill you in a heartbeat," Hadrian replies bitterly. "We're of no comparison."

Kagiso steels himself and starts to advance when I shout: "Wait!"

Hadrian moves toward me like he already knows what I'll say.

"Hadrian and I need to finish our session from yesterday. The rest of you might as well watch or meditate, if you want."

"Fuck this," Raiko turns away and sits on the ground cross-legged as he shakes his head in dismay, "it's supposed to be my turn."

Kagiso sits down with his eyes peeled and his shoulders tensed as he glances between me and Hadrian.

The fight begins anew, and Hadrian commences his assault with a flare of azure tau that echoes behind him before he strikes with the greatest speed he can muster. He's faster than me, and I suffer for it, taking punches and kicks that drive deep into my bones.

Hadrian fights so desperately that he exhausts himself early, and, because I've adjusted to how he behaves in combat, his use of Shinte becomes less and less effective the longer I hold my ground. Like before, we're near equal to each other in terms of overall ability, but Hadrian's legs randomly buckle whenever he overexerts himself. At the perfect moment, his right thigh cramps hard enough to throw Hadrian off guard, and I send him to the ground with a solid punch.

As always, Hadrian returns to his feet, and our contest continues late into the day and until sunset arrives once more. By now, both Raiko and Kagiso have watched the two of us beat the hell out of each other. With every exchange, I've either knocked Hadrian down or fought off his advances, but he won't give up.

With a busted lip, one eye swollen shut, and a limp arm, Hadrian persists in trying to take me down. He burns out the rest of his aura; his expression becomes a fixed, enraged glare. Although my strikes have torn his skin and fractured his bones, Hadrian has battled on without reacting. Our rematch lasts a little while longer, then he starts to limp.

I remember Kenji's brother, and, reflexively, I ease up on Hadrian.

"What's wrong?" he snarls as a narrow line of blood runs down his chin. "Don't hold back on me now--not when I'm so close!"

"He's already beat you, fool," Raiko remarks.

"Shut the hell up!" he shouts.

Kagiso nods in agreement. "It's true," he says while glaring back at Hadrian, "any one of us could take you as you are right now, Hadrian. You should give it a rest and then try again another day."

"But we're not finished," says Hadrian, clenching one fist as he looks down at the ground.

He wants to win, but he's too tired to say "no" to Kagiso's suggestion.

"They're right," I say to him. "You were a great opponent, but we've been going at it all day. Is beating me really all you care about?"

Hadrian takes a few deep breaths, then he sighs and slumps over dejectedly.

"I'm done for the day," he replies.

And, just as we did yesterday, we meditate as a group. Afterwards, we escort Hadrian to the main clinic of the shinden-zukuri, leave him there while we eat and gather food from the mess hall, and then return to the clinic to give what we've collected over to Hadrian. He manages to utter, "Thanks," and informs us that he'll heal up with proper rest. With that said, we depart with plans to continue lifting and sparring until he's ready to join us again. Tomorrow, I'll face Kagiso and Raiko at once.

--

We're readying ourselves at the archipelago the next morning, and a small crowd's started to gather around us. Some onlookers must've seen my fight with Hadrian, but if they felt shy before no one's showing it now. I can hear them talking about us; as I stand facing Raiko and Kagiso, I catch words like, "killers," "martial artists," and "tools."

Kagiso looks worried, but Raiko can't get started soon enough. "Let's go, T," he says, "you've been making us wait for too long!"

It's then, when I peer over Raiko's curly hair, that I see familiar-looking faces walking toward us.

Kenji and Itosai, side-by-side, step into the middle of both the archipelago as well as the middle of the half-circle formed by the onlooking students. If we weren't famous enough for the School of Poetry, Kenji's appearance instantly sends up an applause all around, interrupting our match before it starts and depriving Raiko of all his thunder. "This is bullshit," he says. "Why the fuck are they here?"

"Calm down." I put my hand on Raiko's shoulder as I walk past him. "This could be good."

Raiko brushes me off but respects my decision with silence. Kagiso tenses up and backs away from the center. Kenji moves to stand just a few feet across from me with his student; Raiko quickly hurries to my side and begins staring down Itosai. Kenji's wearing his ridiculously narrow shades again and doesn't say anything right away. Instead, he just looks back at me with an empty expression.

He bows at the waist, and so does everyone else in response--

Everyone except for Raiko.

"Your student seems to be confused," Kenji remarks. "Is he all right?"

"I'm not confused!" Raiko raises his voice, "Ya'll are cutting into the middle of our match!"

"Easy," I say to him, "we hadn't even started yet. You'll be okay."

"No I won't," he confronts me with a glare. "I ain't no muscle freak like you. I need to improve!"

"You're right," Itosai chimes in politely.

"Shut up! I wasn't talking to you," Raiko barks back.

"Heh." Kenji smirks and says, "That should do nicely. Itosai isn't really the ideal matchup for me, either."

Kenji gently pushes his pupil forward.

"The two of you are on the same level. Test your skills against one another but do so honorably."

"Yes, sir!" Itosai replies and then looks back to Raiko, who says to me, "I don't like him."

"Well, too bad," I reply. "The two of you are about to be best friends. If you can beat him a second time, Raiko, then I'll let you spar me by yourself again."

"Good," Kenji says, "that gives us time to speak. Come with me."

--

On the east side of the great shinden-zukuri, a long flight of polished, stone steps leads up into a shrine and yet another holy place dedicated to Dharmanic Lord Sivattokun. Kenji calls the way up the Three Hundred Dedications. But, instead of climbing the "Dedications" and paying our respects at the shrine far above in one go, Kenji insists we do things another way.

Close by, disciples of the School of Poetry walk up and down the Three Hundred Dedications slowly but constantly. We follow this routine adjacent to another pair of disciples but quickly pass them before we become the fastest to travel up and down. As others stop to look at us aggressively climbing the Dedications for the second time, I talk to Kenji in between bursts of breath.

"I didn't expect to see you again. You look like you've recovered pretty well."

"Yeah," he mutters while scratching the back of his head, "but I missed my match at the School Tournament. My reputation's taken a small hit. I couldn't do my part to help the Senzang, and they're already on a losing streak."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. You did everything right by me, but what you took was irreplaceable."

Kenji looks ahead and toward the stone torii gate right before the entrance to the shrine, concealed partly by a curtain of moss. He says, deep in thought, "Lord Sivattokun is not a figure to be worshipped, but he is a human worthy of remembering. Do you know what one of his fundamental teachings is, Tavon?"

"What's that?"

"'Do not take what is not given.' If you were to commit seppuku right now, do you think this maxim would still apply?"

"No one asked for their body exactly the way it is," is my reply. "So I'm not sure."

"The organic and the inorganic are connected. The body you reside in is the natural result of a process outside of your control. It is a mode of being, but no one has 'given' it to us, and it was not desired prior to coming into being. This body is our prevailing mode of operation, but not all of its properties are under our control. So, yes, taking your own life is frowned upon, although you still have the free will to do as you wish, even if there are truths about yourself of which you're otherwise unaware causing you to take this self-destructive course of action.

"That being said, if your own life has this inherent value, and if your identity is mostly made up of every experience you've had with other people, how much worse it must be to take the life of another who cannot make that choice on their own and whose presence must inevitably affect the world in some way, whether minor or major.

"In accepting only what was given, Sivattokun demonstrated who he was as an ascetic, and he had to sustain his existence in the world to do that. Lord Sivattokun wandered this Earth for a hundred years," Kenji begins as we reach the top step; on our way down, he continues, "he taught the Dharma, unlike Lord Isolakandi of the Citadel, who kept all knowledge to himself. There were other gods who could destroy Isolakandi, but no god was able to hold their own against Sivattokun.

"Lord Sivattokun rebelled against the way of the world, but the gods formed a coalition, captured him by working together, and had Sivattokun executed for daring to challenge the natural order of all things. He taught a Way that was preserved by both the Senzang and a few other schools; his best pupil was Isamael Senzang, who held the title of tournament champion until he was dethroned and killed by Ao Guang. Jiwata was Isamael's successor, but he never competed and left the Ring some time ago."

"How do you know so much?" I ask while trying to process everything he just said.

"Ah," Kenji replies by taking a deep breath, then he says, "I've been using the School of Poetry's library as a place to study my craft for years. I'm very passionate about my work."

"What is your 'work?'"

"Ahem--writing--ahem," he mutters as his face flushes red, "writing poetry," he barely manages as he coughs into his hand.

"So, you're a poet and a martial artist--that's why you were able to use that technique to read my mind."

"Yep." He nods. "That's plays a big part in it. I'm amazed that you haven't developed a secondary power, Tavon, something to back you up in case brute strength isn't the answer."

"Eh," I shrug my shoulders. "I can improvise when I need to."

"If you're going back out into the world, you'll need to be a lot stronger than you are now. I hope you're open to sparring with me again."

"I definitely am." I smirk at him. "I've needed a teacher like you for a long time."

"Hmm. 'Teacher.' Not sure how I feel about that," he replies as we reach the bottom of the steps.

Instead of heading back up this time, he rubs his chin and says without looking at me, "We're not friends. We're not enemies, either. Hate is complex. It's a hindrance, but I can't just forget. I'm still angry with you... and that's why I thought it would be better to introduce you to a close acquaintance--someone you might refer to as my teacher, though not in the art of combat.

"Follow me," he says while striding toward the northeast corner of the building, "I want you to experience what it's like to meet a master of the tea ceremony."

--

At the northeast corner of the shinden-zukuri is a spacious tea house with paper walls and partitions dividing the tatami into dozens of individual sections.

Kenji and I are greeted by a bald disciple in a blue, corduroy robe. Kenji tells him that we're here to see the "tea master," and he leads us past partitions, etched with the images of various trees with narrow, spiraled trunks, into an enclosure made out of them and where a guy my age sits cross-legged as he smokes out of a long, wooden pipe. His dark hair's been cut into a high fade, and the top of his head has long, highlighted curls. His beard's trimmed short, and he's wearing a black, button-up shirt decorated with grey and white lotus flowers connected in loose, smoke-like patterns.

He hums to himself while pouring out sapphire-colored tea into three broad-rimmed cups. At his side, he's placed a group of notebooks next to a row of pens and pencils. On his lap, a black kitten sleeps and isn't disturbed by us entering the enclosure.

The tea master nods to us and says, "Good evening. It's lovely to see you all." He extends one skinny hand toward the zabutons (cushions) he has set across from himself. "Go ahead and have a seat if you'd like. You're just in time."

We both bow before sitting down, and our host chuckles without anyone knowing why. He looks at me through the red slits his eyes have become after smoking for so long and says, "What's good, man? How are you, brother?"

At a glance, he seems genuine.

"I'm all right, I guess. Why are you called the 'tea master?'"

He instantly glares at Kenji. "Man," he says, "I thought I told you to stop telling people that! I'm not that type of sage, feel me?"

He turns back to me, nods, and says, "My name's Baraka Williams. I'm the illest motherfuckin' poet in the whole School. What about you? What's your story?"

"Tavon," I reply. "I'm a Death Officer."

"So I've heard," he says while smiling broadly, then his expression gets stern. "Now, I don't approve of what ya'll do, but I respect that you're brave enough to admit it. As for me," he says while taking a deep breath, "well, I suppose you could say that I've been using the School of Poetry as my very own printing press. Whatever I write, they publish. I'm sure you've already heard of Life Behind The Mirror--that's a real popular work of mine."

"I haven't."

"That's okay," he laughs, "because I make mixtapes every now and then, too. They play my stuff in clubs around the world, and no one can write a rhyme like me."

"I wouldn't mind seeing a poem or two--"

"Sutras, my brother. I write sutras for the soul. My word exists in praise of the Dharma that's been handed down for generations. Why don't you try it," he says while nodding toward my cup.

I take a drink...

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# 25

Inspiration

--

Tavon

--

I've lost sight of where I am. In the blink of an eye, everything's gone, having vanished into a vacuum of nothingness.

It's almost as though I've vanished out of existence, but then, with the passing of a few more seconds...

I can see again, and what I see is an expanse of sand dunes scattered across a golden desert. The three of us reappear next to a small, clear pond, with green grass and palm trees providing cover as we sit across from each other with the same table and cups present before us. I'm actually still holding my cup, and, upon that realization, I recognize what tastes like liquid greens--sour, leafy, and bitter.

Kenji and Baraka finish their cups, and I follow shortly after.

"What you see here is a mix of more than one discipline of zol. I'm a creator by nature, a creator with a poetic heart. I call this place the Oasis of Thought.

"Be dispassioned.

Be free here,

Be real.

Be eternal here,

Creative, still."

After finishing the worst tea I've ever had in my life, I get a head high that makes me feel the weight of my aching body. As soon as I try to relax, Baraka looks at me and says, "You've come here and disregarded the Way completely. The damn disciples can't stop talking about the 'fugitive from the Citadel,' and, as far as anyone knows, you've shown no desire to repent. I don't understand it."

"Tavon's acted in a way that shows he's willing to change," Kenji interjects on my behalf, but Baraka glares at him as well.

"How is it that this man could kill your brother and yet earn enough of your favor to bring him here before me?"

"My brother fought until he couldn't anymore. Tavon has apologized, and he's shown remorse. Sivattokun says to look deep into the hearts of your enemies. Examine them, and, if they try to carry out a great evil, dispel them from the world. I've decided not to pursue a course of vengeance and hatred after Tavon spared my life in battle. That is mercy, and so I must show the same in kind."

"Huh," Baraka glances at both of us and says, "I never thought I'd hear Kenji say he lost to somebody. I wondered why your match was canceled, and that's a damn shame."

"Have you already won your match?" Kenji asks him.

Baraka laughs, "Boy, what makes you think I'm interested in beating on people? All you combat-heavy types are all aggression all the time, angry as hell even if it's an issue as simple as stepping on a pebble the wrong way--which is impossible."

"I think that might be possible," Kenji replies out loud. "If we understand tha--"

"Nah, man," Baraka cuts him off, "I didn't mean it literally. I mean that there's no real reason for me to compete in the tournament, Kenji. Look at me!"--he points to his body--"I'm tall, yeah, but I'm not built like a tank. Don't have the time to be that way."

"That's why he left the Senzang School," Kenji whispers to me, "Can't fight."

Baraka glowers at him.

"I can hold my own, okay. I'd prefer to focus on what inspires me for now, and fighting isn't my thing at the moment. This Oasis is the result of me using Maia and Pythagora to project an abstract world that exists only partially. With Imago, the Dhamma Eye, I can realize this world in the here and now. As we speak, I'm maintaining that mental groundwork with my aura, and, with every poem I think of or write down, I'm able to remain in the Oasis for an extended amount of time. Our physical bodies aren't present in the real world; we're preserved here until I say our time's up."

"That's an incredible ability," I'm the first to tell him.

"He's an incredible poet," Kenji says to me with a smile. "I learned everything I know from him. He'd be an even better man if he'd stop sleeping with random disciples and tried being faithful for a change."

Baraka fires back at Kenji, calling him a "Meathead," and berates Kenji for giving out his personal details to strangers. As the conversation continues, it gets more and more apparent--as we move from the topic of love poetry to war poetry to one-night-stands to money and, finally, to a list of the random cats that Baraka's seen in his lifetime--that we're all high.

The conversation eventually circles back to poetry and then to writing. Kenji mentions the sutras he's read, and Baraka perks up with excitement.

"Listen, my brothers, no amount of sutras will ever be enough. The sages and intellectuals who followed Sivattokun's example have left behind a body of work that provokes real insight about the Self, and it feels like it's unending.

"But there's word going around now about somebody who can write sentences and rhymes to make your mind spin. They've made waves in international news. They call this person a 'converter,' a 'revolutionary,' and they say this writer can change your mind on whatever topic they choose to write about. Now that's some serious talent, my friends. That's what I'm interested in seeing up close and personal," he says.

"What's their name?"

"Guin Teram. I'm not sure if it's a man, woman, or someone who doesn't identify as either, but they've been able to wake up the slaves who've been suffering because of where they stand in the caste system."

With the sound of that name, "Guin," I hear the inflection of Qizadeus's voice. I suddenly understand that it's the same person I'm after, and I have to know more.

"Do you know where I can find their writings?" I ask.

Baraka laughs at me. "That's a good one. As if Saizakune's government would allow something like that outside its borders in any commercial form! No," he says and smiles sincerely at me, "I'll have to go there myself if I want to get ahold of one of their manuscripts. The issue with this is finding someone who can make up for what I'm not capable of for the time being."

"I see. Well," I say to him, "I'll be heading that way soon myself. You're welcome to come along if you want."

"Mhm." Baraka nods. "Hell, if you were good enough to handle Kenji, then I might as well take you up on that offer."

"Awesome," Kenji exclaims happily. "This worked out better than I thought it would."

"You knew we'd end up traveling together?"

Kenji turns to me and replies, "Something like that. I thought I could help two people at the same time, and I knew you'd serve as a sturdy shield that could protect Baraka."

"I appreciate the matchmaking, but can he teach me that 'Moonfist' move you do?"

"Who do you think I got it from?"

"Brother," exclaims Baraka, "I've got several tricks up my sleeve that I've been waiting to try out. With you on my team, I don't need strength. Our combination on the battlefield will be devastating. It will be poetic."

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# 26

Zitsulo Undō

--

Tavon

--

In the morning, Kenji and I compete to see which of us is the best lifter.

After a breakfast of boiled eggs and seasoned greens, the two of us warm up at the gym before getting started. We're side-by-side on our respective weight benches; Hadrian waits behind Kenji as his spotter, and Kagiso stands proudly behind me. Raiko and Itosai are watching from the sidelines, and several of the disciples we've spoken to before in the chow hall have gathered around to watch.

Hadrian and Kagiso both rack four-hundred-and-fifty pounds. We lift this as our starting weight.

They rack five-hundred-and-fifty, and my body tenses up when I bring the bar to my chest. I feel Shungej flow through me, and my muscles expand without my control. I complete the rep.

Next...

Seven hundred. The two of us brace ourselves for what Kenji claims is his max. I push up on the bar, but it doesn't budge. I push harder, and metal rings out as I bring it to hover over my chest. My arms shake as the bar descends; before it can touch me, I channel Shungej deliberately, determined to beat him. My arms double in size, and the weight suddenly feels lighter. It taps against my chest, then I heft it up just as Kenji brings his all the way down. He quickly glances over, grunts, and then expands his body as well. Both of us return our bars to their original positions.

And then they rack on eight hundred.

--SHUNGEJ--

We both chant, and our frames all but triple in stature. Even with all the muscle I've packed on, my arms still shake as the bar comes down. Something like a roar comes out of me when I manage to get it back up, and Kenji's is even louder.

By now, everyone looks on in bewilderment. Silence follows, and then there's a slow applause. I know better than to meet Hadrian's hateful gaze right now, so I look to my pupil instead. He bows his head as a gesture of respect, then he says, "Do more. C'mon."

"What?" Hadrian exclaims. "They just lifted eight hundred pounds! If they go any higher, it'll crush them!"

"Heh. It has been crushing us," I laugh. "But that's why we've got you guys."

I notice flashing cameras in the background. The crowd's getting bigger; I hear someone murmur, "There's no way this is real," and someone else says in response, "Of course it isn't! What normal person can lift that much weight!"

"Add more," demands Kenji.

"You're kidding me," Hadrian snorts. "All right. If that's how you want to go out, I won't stop you."

"I'm thankful for your support," Kenji replies without acknowledging him any further and lays back into the proper position. "I'm going to bench press one thousand pounds. I'll win."

"Kagiso, add enough to equal one thousand!" I tell him.

"Wait. Can these barbells even support that?"

"They can support up to two thousand pounds," Kenji replies.

Kagiso's rendered speechless, and he can only stare in wonder as both of our bars bend into a wide angle at the middle.

We lift at the same time, and, once the bar's lowered midway, we both chant, embracing the power of Shungej. I clear my mind, sense a thousand shocks of adrenaline flowing through me, and my body grows outward. My bones, ligaments, and muscle tissue expand so much that it hurts. The barbell touches my chest...

My arms explode up and black tau erupts from all around me, causing the nearby crowd to gasp. I hear Raiko curse under his breath, and Kenji's arms tremble as he attempts to bring his bar back up and makes the mistake of looking my way. Even though his arms shake even more, Kenji completes the rep, and we end up in yet another tie with each other.

"Hmm. We'll stop here," Kenji declares.

He stands up before I'm ready and then talks to me as if I'm the only one in his presence.

"If we keep going with this contest, I won't be able to instruct you how I intended. Come with me," he says while turning his back, "you're lacking something important, but that can be fixed."

"Wait a minute," Raiko gets my attention before I can follow him right away. "You're supposed to be training me today!" On his right shoulder, his bird friend has reappeared and chirps after everything he says.

"Did you win?" I ask him.

"What?"

"Did you win your rematch?"

"Uh, well--"

"No he didn't, sir." Itosai interrupts and bows to me. "Raiko tired himself out too early, and the rest of his movements were easy to interpret from there."

"I see." I nod and then say to Raiko, "Fight him again."

"Man, why the fu--"

"This isn't up for discussion," I remark while walking past him. "Beat Itosai and you'll get your shot at me."

--

"I always looked up to Alanzo as a fellow poet. It was through him that I came to discover my passion," Kenji says. "After I'd won my first victory at the tournament and against Agisai the Hammer, of the Utama School no less, Alanzo requested a meeting. He read stories and wise passages to me that had come from all over the world, and, as I kept visiting him, he let me build a little gym of my own in this place."

While Kenji continues to speak, we walk through an open hall filled with grey columns supporting a stone roof overhead. This outer hallway wraps around the side of the shinden-zukuri and leads out into a barren courtyard that's covered by a domed ceiling. What might've been a lush garden at one time is now just earth patched here and there with grass and weeds. In the center, I spot strange objects made from stone and metal.

"This is my little garden, though it's not for growing anything."

Kenji puts on a pair of metallic gloves, and his arms tense as he raises his fists. He moves into a proper stance, then he says, "With enough time spent here, I could be the strongest man in the Ring."

Kenji practices a few swift punches, then he removes the gloves carefully and shows me what looks like a pair of stone sandals. Next to those, I notice grey and white, thermal t-shirts that Kenji hefts up from the ground; he lets me feel how heavy they are. When he puts them in my arms, the weight of three shirts throws me off guard and almost brings me to my knees. They're worse than the clothing we got at Inuyo Port! Kenji gestures toward a series of sturdy punching bags that hang down from the ceiling in a sequence.

He tells me to have a go at striking it and says, "When your second tau appeared earlier, it reminded me of Kimesu and Agisai. Ao Guang's tau is said to be the same way: like black clouds of ink. This is Rouketin, and, unlike other users, Tavon, you seem to be involuntarily invoking it. That kind of energy is sporadic, unpredictable. It's no wonder that you've left behind such a violent legacy. Without proper guidance, you'll hinder yourself. Now, strike the bag as hard as you can."

I draw both one leg and fist behind me, square up my stance, and chant loud enough to fill the hallway outside of the garden.

Red tau combines with black; my fist combines with leather, and the bag bursts open with my first punch.

Although I'd expect him to be angry, Kenji simply nods his head, mutters, "Good," then he gestures toward the next bag. "This one's harder," he warns me. "Don't worry about breaking them. Alanzo can find more, and he should if they're really that weak."

I step up without hesitation, prepare another punch, and blow open the bag with my knuckles. Sand sprays out from its side, and Kenji points to the last bag. It's as broad as two of me, but I take this one like any other.

I punch the bag with another explosion of tau: my fist plunges deep, makes an impression, but recoils off the bag and sends it flying forward. It swings back my way like a boulder that'll flatten me in its wake, and I counter with a kick, channeling Shungej as I do, and cut the bag open with a more powerful strike.

"Good, good," Kenji smiles and claps his hands. "Those were really starting to smell, and I needed another excuse to see Alanzo anyway. I have more poems I want to run by him."

Kenji closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, then he puts his hands behind his head and says, "I think you're ready."

"Ready for what?"

Kenji picks up a long bundle of bamboo that's been tied together at both ends. He inhales deeply and then breathes out pure white aura. As his tau begins to form a cloud around his body, Kenji delivers his lesson:

"What you lack is conditioning."

"But I've had that already."

"Not in the way that you think," he replies. "The style I'm going to show you is called Zitsulo Undō, which has been passed down from both Hojo Undō and Iron Palm and is the true art of conditioning.

"Tavon, I've taken a vow. I swore not to use this creature in combat--even out of hatred--and I've kept that promise. I'm going to introduce you to my kamuy now," he says.

Tau erupts from Kenji's form in bluish-white flames. He calls out: "Lieutenant Durian!"

The sky above appears to darken. I hear the sound of thunder as the Earth shudders near a spot between the two of us. Radiant light congeals at the origin of the quake, energy compounds itself, and a white-haired baboon emerges from the burst of light which follows.

This small creature lunges for Kenji and grabs the bamboo bundle out of Kenji's hands. Before Kenji can turn around, Lieutenant Durian hits him on his backside and dashes to the right to smack his ribcage.

Kenji straightens his back, grits his teeth, and clenches his fists. He reddens as he starts to flex, and his kamuy proceeds to beat on him from all sides.

"Tavon!" he shouts.

"Uh, did you want me to stop him?"

"No, Tavon! I want you to--agh!--stand next to me!"

"Won't I get hit?"

"That's the--ugh, dammit--the point!"

"But why?"

"Fine!" he roars, "I'll show you!"

--SHUDENTE--

Kenji's skin hardens into the color of bronze metal. His kamuy continues to attack him, but the bamboo bends back against Kenji's defenses. Lieutenant Durian gets frustrated and shrieks while striking him harder and harder. Kenji remains in place, but none of his kamuy's strikes come close to making him so much as flinch.

Kenji relaxes, and the effect disappears. His normal body returns, and the baboon's hits once again leave an impression.

I stand next to him.

Smack! Stinging pain throbs from my right peck. By the time I can see the bamboo bundle, it strikes my arm and then the back of my neck.

"Shit!" I cry out, but the bastard keeps going.

He smacks the side of my head, my shoulders, my ass, and anything I leave open to him.

"Stay calm," Kenji says. "He'll tire out."

Lieutenant Durian appears to have heard him. He shrieks louder and then smacks Kenji hard on the back of his head.

"Damn," he remarks while wincing. "Durian's probably upset because I haven't summoned him in so long...

"All right, Durian," he says and begins drawing streams of white tau back into himself, "you've got to go back inside your cage for a little while."

Durian starts to shriek again, but Kenji forces the physical form of his kamuy to break down into formless particles. He draws his companion's essence into himself, then Kenji picks up a metal rod from his collection and continues his lecture:

"Shudente isn't commonly practiced because the majority of Jeigon users don't know how to cultivate it."

Kenji generates Shudente within his right forearm, transforming it into a metal sheath. He strikes his forearm with the rod, and the sound of metal banging into itself rings out.

"The conditioning I speak of involves striking the body over and over again, starting from weaker objects and then graduating to stronger ones. This will create microfractures in your bones, so you must remember to eat often and to study the mandalas and sutras I'll be bringing you tomorrow."

"Wow, Kenji, that's really kind of you. If I'm going to improve at all, I might need a rod of my own."

"Have mine."

Kenji throws his to me, then he says, "We've covered everything we need to today. Tomorrow we can go through more Shudente drills, but today I thought we'd end things with a sparring match between the two of us. That's why I couldn't give my all during our competition earlier. Now that we have some privacy, I want a rematch."

--

We fight, but the difference between us is much clearer this time. With focus more resolved than my own, Kenji calmly blocks everything that I throw at him. His expression's dominated by an unshakeable urge to win.

When I use Shungej, he uses Shudente. When I go on the defense, he uses Shungej and Shudente. With more aggression than ever, Kenji fuses both disciplines; he expands one arm and simultaneously turns it metallic, then he punches at me with enough force to send a rush of air in my direction. I dodge, and his fist buries itself in the ground.

Kenji's left his face open for me to kick...

But I don't.

I let him get to his feet. "Thank you," he says with a bow, and then we're back at it.

We fight for what feels like hours. In comparison to my rematch with Hadrian, however, Kenji gets the better of me. He presses his advantage relentlessly, and, whenever I make a mistake by leaving myself open, he's there to smash his fist into my body. I persist in trying to outwit him, but Kenji corners me at every opportunity to get some breathing room. My stamina eventually runs out, and he uses me as his punching bag when I can't move in time to defend myself.

When I try to stop him from elbowing me in the face, Kenji answers with an uppercut. I fall to the ground, and he waits for me to get back up.

"Tavon," he says with no emotion in his voice.

"Yeah," I manage to get out while trying to control my breathing.

"I haven't been totally honest with you. I brought you to this place because I wanted to use the same technique one more time."

"Which one?"

"Moonfist," he says as he retrieves the old poem tucked beneath his sash. "I didn't bring you here to fight exactly, although I do want to win. I brought you here because I wanted to see my brother one more time. In your mind, I know there is more that you could've remembered before the moment he perished, so I wanted to say goodbye. Is this all right with you?"

"Of course," I tell him. "you can use Moonfist as many times as you want."

Kenji bows his head to me in thanks and recites his poem:

"The Moon is heavy,

"Held by the sky, as the oceans are held by the Earth.

"May I resemble the Moon,

"Mind bright, soul-seeking."

When he finishes, Kenji's right fist begins to glow with a white light. He steps toward me and swings--

--IMAGO: MOONFIST--

Kenji cuts the punch short, smirks, and lightly jabs me instead: he triggers the effect of his poem, and our minds temporarily exist together as we both watch the same memories unfold.

Kenji reaches back into the past, to my recent fight with his brother, and, silently, he watches Maeda's last moments. Whenever I think he's finished with the memory, I find us going back again and again. Kenji proceeds to see what he can of his brother for a long while, then he exits.

When my consciousness returns to our present reality, I can see that he's standing off to the side now. He's crying.

"Kenji, what I did was terrible," I say to him. "For a long time, I fought without caring for my opponent's survival or what that survival meant to other people...

"I've been cruel. That's why I hate Samazoshi, because he can do what I can't. He doesn't care, but I do. So, Kenji, I'm going to make things right. I won't accept this."

"What do you mean?" he looks at me blankly.

With all the sincerity I have, I make a promise.

"I'm going to bring Maeda back."

"Bring him back? How?"

"I don't know," I admit. "But I'm going to figure it out. If it means going to hell, I'll go. I was an awful person for what I did, so the best I can do is promise you that you'll see your brother again."

Kenji looks away as another tear rolls down his cheek. He regains his composure quickly and says to me, "Tavon, the reason I forgave you was that I wanted to do as the Way says and 'ignite a fire in the heart of my enemy.' I meant to show you the right path, so that, even if I couldn't defeat you, you wouldn't move on from here and harm others. If the words I've said to you have really changed who you desire to be, then that's all I ask for."

"You don't have to be so humble. I said I would fix it, and so I will. I'll bring your brother back."

--

Before I retire to my room, later on in the night, Kenji gives me an empty notebook and a pen so that I can write my own poems. When I tell him I don't write poetry, he suggests I write a sutra.

I'm bruised, bloody, and worn out by the time I make it to my bed. Before sleep overcomes me, I write:

"How does someone change?

"After a hundred battles, I am the same.

"After one, I am different.

"I've changed.

"But why does someone change?

"I wander, looking for the Way in darkness."

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# 27

The School of Gozadalus

--

Tavon

--

Morning comes, and Kenji summons all of us to the gym before we can get breakfast. I'm fairly sore from yesterday, and I'm hoping it's not another competition.

When all six of us have gathered together, Kenji accosts everyone but me:

"Listen up," he exclaims while glancing back and forth between Hadrian, Raiko, Itosai, and glaring at Kagiso whenever he sees him. "The four of you have fallen behind. This is inexcusable."

"Oh, you think so?" Hadrian steps toward him and smirks. "Just because you can fight well up close doesn't mean you'll be of any use in a ranged fight. How about we have a sparring match of our own?"

"That won't be necessary," Kenji brushes him off. "Today should be spent on conditioning before we do any more sparring. Raiko!"

"Yeah?" the kid replies as he crosses his arms.

"Itosai tells me that you've lost to him twice now."

"He's lyin'."

"Tell the truth, Raiko," I say to him.

"All right, all right," he snorts, "Ito beat me again. He always runnin' away from me like a coward and shit. I'm out of breath all the time 'cause he won't fight me for real."

"We've been fighting for real this whole time!" Itosai interjects. "You don't know how to use a sword at all--who taught you?"

"No one," says Raiko, "that's why I'm so good."

"Your teacher has taught you nothing but arrogance," Kenji remarks while shaking his head. "I should've known that the two of you would share the same attitude."

"What's wrong with that?" Raiko replies, raising both eyebrows.

"It's not wise. Raiko," Kenji warns him, "don't treat your enemies as carelessly as your master."

"Don't tell me what to do," is Raiko's response.

"You'll be the first to start us off on deadlifts then," Kenji replies and points at him with a smirk on his face.

"I ain't doing noth--"

"Sunimo!" we hear someone shout after entering the gym and catching their friend's attention. "Sunimo!"

"What's wrong?" the disciple named Sunimo stands up from the weight bench he's been using.

The newcomer glances at us and seems shocked for a moment before he looks back to Sunimo and says, "What are you guys doing? Don't you know what's going on right now?"

Kenji immediately understands. "It's of no concern to us," he replies.

"No concern?" he exclaims. "Something crazy's about to happen at the tournament--you've gotta see it!"

"It's just that cult guy again, right?" Sunimo responds while scratching his head absentmindedly.

"Shubao was supposed to fight some random Gozadalus dude, but the leader of the Gozadalus School asked to take his follower's place."

"Hmm. Is he any good?"

"That's Atanase," Kenji interrupts them. "He's in charge of the Gozadalus terrorists on Isamael's Ring. His followers are delusional fools who've Awakened too soon and turned into abominations. He does not follow the Way."

"Atanase versus the General of Heaven, huh?" Sunimo remarks. "I've got to see that."

"Agreed," Raiko chimes in.

"I want to see it too," Kagiso says, "are you all flying over to the stadium?"

"No," the newcomer replies and shakes his head. "It's premiering in the chow hall. We've got a holographic projector that looks like the real thing!"

I look to everyone else in my group and tell them, "We should hurry if we want to make it on time. As for me, I've got to see how strong Fang Shubao really is."

--

In the great chow hall of the shinden-zukuri, the projection's just as the disciple said: so clear and vivid that it feels as though everyone in the room has been transported to the tournament stage. As the six of us settle in to watch the upcoming match, dates, grapes, pears, and sake are passed around. The chow hall's filled with the clamor of an excited crowd, but it's abruptly hushed as the screen shows the General of Heaven walking up to his side of the platform in robes of flowing gold.

Somehow, he's dressed even more luxuriously than before, with a golden crown for a hat, glimmering rings on every finger, and a cape made from flakes of gold and the heads of dandelions wrapped around his shoulders.

After Kuri the Entertainer introduces him, Shubao asks for Kuri's microphone and proceeds to preach to everyone:

"Today, ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to ask that everyone places their faith in Jao's power. If enough people in this stadium believe, we will see miracles performed today! Yes we will!"

To Fang's right, Atanase quietly walks up from his side of the stage with his hands buried in the waist pockets of a black, leather jacket. He looks like he's around my age, if not a little older, and, even though the day's just starting, deep bags have already formed beneath his eyes.

Shubao hands the microphone over to Kuri, who offers it to Atanase. Atanase shrugs and then takes it from him. He faces the crowd with a bored stare and says, "He's deceiving you all right now. But that's okay with me. It'll just make you easier converts once this is all over."

Kuri nervously takes the microphone back from him. "O-Okay then. Are both of you ready?"

Fang and Atanase nod their heads.

"Awesome! Then, with consent from both competitors, let the match commence!"

Fang Shubao brings down his hand, and the clawed hand of a colossal phantom appears from above. Ethereal claws tear through the air above the stadium and crash down upon Atanase. Atanase is pressed against the ground so fast that both of his arms are broken against the stadium floor.

Dark clouds fume from the bloodied body of Atanase. His neck's been nearly twisted off, yet red and purple veins increase in number near his throat. Black tau turns to a deep purple, and Atanase's limbs suddenly twist back into place. His body reforms, and he stands to his feet without a grunt of complaint.

"Heh. Foul devil," Fang taunts him and frowns, "Only devilry could lead to a resurrection in that manner."

He swipes at the air, and the muscular flesh of an enormous, inhuman hand with contorted digits collides with Atanase from the side and knocks him off his feet.

Before Atanase can be thrown from the stage, black ink rimmed with shining lavender emerges from him and wraps his body in a shield which hardens against the attack. Fang swings again, and the shield of tau meets the next blow head on! Atanase is slightly pushed to the side, but the strike has no other effect. Fang tries to punch at him, but the colossal fist rebounds against the zol surrounding Atanase to no avail.

Out of breath and red in the face, the General of Heaven cries out as he brings both hands down.

Atanase is smashed into the floor. The blanket of tau from before bursts and spills out into a pool of gushing black which mixes with gushing red. Atanase lies among smashed bones and organs, but he smiles while peering up at the sky.

The crimson pool converges at the center of his body. Black light covers his remains and begins reassembling Atanase right before everyone's eyes. Veins reattach themselves, along with tendons, and skin regrows until his body is whole once again. His face slowly recomposes into its original state, and Atanase begins to stretch as a faint, golden light glows around the outline of his body.

He stares out at the audience, then he confronts Fang Shubao with a childlike smile.

"You were stupid to bother showing up, old man. Your tricks aren't that impressive."

"In all my years, I've never seen a demon like you!" Shubao retorts.

The light surrounding Atanase intensifies. Dark red tau begins to swirl around his body and fill the sky.

"In the Book of Jaodan, the only being capable of injuring Jao's followers is Akoro. Therefore, is it really you? Have you come to bring about the end of the world, Akoro?"

"My name is Atanase," he speaks through a contemptuous smile, "and you're nothing but an ignorant old cheat."

Atanase reaches one hand skyward and grins wide.

"Hanumashi is the God of Great Darkness, the God of All-Consuming Flames..."

Far above his head, two great tusks, with flames burning at the end of each spike, extend past the massive head of a burning god. Great, black wings reach beyond the east and west limits of the stadium. Its trunk reaches down below gigantic, flapping ears. A dark titan elephant, with the wings and body of a wyvern, breathes fire down upon the General of Heaven.

In response, Shubao's own shield activates and forms a tight barrier around him. Flames spread out over the shield, and Hanumashi proceeds to unleash an even greater flurry than before. As the intensity of the fire increases, the entire stadium grows dull in comparison to the brilliant light at its center. In the midst of all the heat that rains down upon Fang Shubao, he manages to hold out with a bitter grimace. His forehead beads with sweat, and he pants in between trying to recite every scripture he knows.

"Hanumashi is vengeance," Atanase proclaims over him loudly, "Great Darkness which consumes the ignoble."

Fang shouts back, "Talk all you wish, demon! My god stands firm against yours. You haven't managed to so much as lay a scratch on me, little fool, so what will you do now? We're at a standstill."

"No," Atanase chuckles.

"No?"

"I don't have to do anything. Can't you see it? Right behind me?"

A black sphere hovers above the entire arena. Black ink fills the sky, and the world becomes dark. Obscuring the rising Sun, a dark moon releases haunting energy that spreads throughout the arena in waves. It reaches out from the giant screen in the mess hall, and, all at once, everyone in the dining room gasps in confusion. A cold chill runs up my spine. I feel uneasy.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Raiko says; he's covered in sweat and shuddering as he looks down at the ground.

Hadrian and Kagiso go pale, and Kenji and his student stiffen.

In the arena, shrieks of terror reverberate. Some people begin contorting in various ways as bloody appendages burst from out of their bodies. Hundreds of humans are Awakened too early and all at one time, and this leads to hundreds of metamorphoses.

Humans transform across the stadium: some have their limbs on one side enlarged beyond belief and out of proportion with the rest of themselves. Some tear at their bones to become veined flesh pools lining the stands.

Others become like monsters and fiends, with enlarged heads equipped with fangs or bodies covered in spikes from an overproduction of minerals such as calcium.

Fang Shubao trembles beneath the glare of the moon. Next to the moon is the enraged face of Hanumashi. As both gods look down upon the stage, Fang's eyes go wide before the image of Atanase, cloaked in his own flames. He laughs at the General of Heaven and says, "My parents left the cult of Gozadalus when I was little, but they never asked me how I felt about that decision. I ran away. I stayed behind, and Gozad gave me His blessing. All that was left of my family likely perished in the wilderness, but I inherited everything. After serving Gozad, I decided to research Hanumashi.

"And thus," he declares, "two gods are better than one."

Fang Shubao's shield begins to erode at the touch of Gozad's influence. Atanase draws a slender sword and begins walking toward Shubao with a smirk of satisfaction.

"Wait a minute, Akoro! Wait," cries Fang while quickly backing off. "This is trickery--this isn't right! How ca--"

Atanase thrusts--

"STOP RIGHT THIS INSTANT," Kuri the Entertainer shouts so loudly that the sound of his voice fills the entire chow hall. "This match has come to its conclusion, ladies and gentlemen!"

"Huh?" Atanase exclaims.

He takes his eyes off his prey. His sword's plunged partway through the left side of Shubao's chest, and blood runs down from the wound in a narrow line. Fang is still in shock and breathes nervously while staring back in horror at his opponent.

Atanase withdraws his blade, and Fang Shubao falls to his knees as he covers the shallow stab wound with one hand. Atanase strides toward the announcer, who speaks in his defense.

"This decision has been handed down from the Ring of Commerce: the current match is officially considered a draw!"

"That's absurd," Atanase retorts. "I was just about to finish him off. You can't just call the match!"

"I'm afraid it's not up to me, candidate," Kuri replies nervously. "Because multiple gods have been dragged into this fight, the Ring of Commerce has decided that the two of you will not face each other unless it's concerning the final, decisive match of the School Tournament. If that becomes the case, however, you will both share the victory. Remember, competitors, you're here for the audience!"

--

Everyone in the chow hall starts losing their minds at this decision, becoming louder and louder as the angriest drunks decry the "draw."

"That's crazy," Raiko mutters more to himself than anyone else. "They didn't let him win."

"Yep," Kagiso shakes his head, "that's typical of the School Tournament."

"Summoning Gozad caused a lot of people to get hurt," Kenji remarks. "I understand why they canceled the match, but lives were lost for no reason."

"That's a shame," I chime in. "We'll have to make up for it by having Raiko fight Itosai again."

"Fuck that," Raiko retorts.

Kenji stands and says, "I'm going over to the library. Anyone wanna come?"

"I'll go," I stand with him.

Raiko does the same. "Yeah, that sounds good," he says.

"Okay," I reply while glancing over at Hadrian. "Hey."

"Yeah?"

"You should try to take on Kagiso and Itosai at the same time."

"Hmph." Hadrian gives what I've said a moment's thought and then nods. "That should be good practice for when I crush Kenji."

Kenji ignores him and starts on his way, saying, "There's more to battle than cultivating the body. I've got a few texts to show you, and, if you can understand them, you'll understand Jeigon."

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# 28

Decadence

--

Tavon

--

"Kenji, these books are over two thousand pages long," I tell him. "You're saying that I'll only understand Jeigon if I read five huge books?"

"Yes," he replies flatly while looking through the Philosophy section of the shinden-zukuri's library.

The floors are red velvet; sunlight pours in from stained-glass windows of white, orange, grey, and blue; each section of the library is marked by partitions with illustrations of the general theme of each topic. Raiko's lost himself over in the Ethics area, but Kenji's found a subsection of Philosophy dedicated to Jeigon literature, and he begins thumbing through a short row of blue, leather-bound books.

"Three of Sivattokun's verses are said to be worth as much as three palaces. In all the libraries on the Ring, aside from any that might be in the Utama School, there isn't much literature on our style of fighting. Each book I've given you concerns a different discipline of Jeigon: Shungej, Shinte, Shudente, and Shioya. The fifth book covers a different subject entirely, and it's one you'll have to take in pieces to understand."

"Why's that?"

"The Jeigon Spectrum demands everything of your body. Once you've begun to reshape it and have molded yourself into a balanced warrior, there is another step you can take. When you've learned enough, you'll be able to take that step, Tavon, and then you'll be ready to prove yourself to Grandmaster Guang."

"Yo," Raiko interrupts, "that all sounds dope, but how's a book gonna help me?"

"I don't know. You should give reading them a shot and just tell me what they say."

"Nah, T, you're on your own on that."

"He'll come around," I say to Kenji with a smirk.

"Well, kid," Kenji responds, "you'll definitely learn more from a book than you would from watching another School Tournament match. I'm afraid our country's going bankrupt."

"Does the Ring of Commerce care about all the people Atanase hurt?" I ask.

"Heh." Kenji sighs, "They probably got higher ratings because of Atanase. They might build a bigger stadium in the future, but those guys won't put a stop to their main source of income. The School Tournament is everything to them; it is everything... and nothing."

"Yeah," Raiko says, "they should've let Atanase do his work."

"Atanase wouldn't be any nicer about his cult, Raiko," I warn him.

"Correct," Kenji says. "Both Atanase and Shubao pose serious problems to the wellbeing of Isamael's Ring. There are no mental health facilities here, and the antics of both cult leaders have taken the spotlight over warriors who don't use gods to fight their battles. I can't make others follow the Way, but I'm afraid that disciples from other schools will convert simply for the sake of power.

"If the Ring of Commerce prevents the School Tournament from having a genuine outcome, then I'll no longer fight under the banner of the Senzang."

"Really?" I raise an eyebrow. "What are you planning?"

"Don't take this the wrong way," he replies with a frown, "but others from the Senzang School are aware of our training agreement. My colleagues pressured me to avenge my brother again, and I could've...

"Since I've chosen not to, it's likely that my reputation will fall even further. But that doesn't matter," he remarks while looking away. "I may end up studying under Alanzo directly and training for a much better opportunity."

"What opportunity?" Raiko asks him.

Kenji smiles at both of us and says, "The Alandran World Tournament. It takes place every two years and is actually going on at the end of this one. Its outcomes are always unpredictable, but every match is real and decisive. Winning the tournament at Alandra means declaring that you're the greatest fighter in the world. It's a badge that will bring the strongest enemies you've ever met to your doorstep, and that's why I want it," Kenji explains while heading toward the exit and gesturing for us to follow. "I want to spend my life crushing hatred, and so I'll train to endure it."

As soon as we've exited the shoji doors of the library, we're confronted with a legion of disciples in robes, yukatas, and kimonos of every color.

"Tavon Meiziki," a woman steps out and confronts me directly, "your presence has been requested."

"By whom?"

"Sir Alanzo the Poet, the leader of our school. He says it's urgent, and he won't be kept waiting."

--

"I'm disappointed in all of you."

"What have we done for you to be disappointed?"

Hadrian, Kagiso, Raiko, and I sit on our knees across from Alanzo the Poet, who smokes hash from a pipe and crosses his legs while eyeing us from his throne. It feels like he's talking down to us.

"You promised not to cause any trouble while you were here, Tavon Meiziki. Thus far, however, you've managed to put together the worst crew I've ever seen. Kagiso is a traitor, and Hadrian is also a traitor who used to run with murderers. And is that kid supposed to be your son or something? Do you even have the legal right to take care of him? You, who are known for murdering hundreds?"

"He's my genzaon. I'm a Death Officer, and he's my student. So, yes, I think I've got a little bit of authority over someone who's got nowhere else to go."

"So you're just shepherding whoever then? They can be a thug or an idiot or a killer, and you won't give a damn? You've even gone so far as to involve Kenji in your mess! Kenji's been fooled by you all, I'm sorry to admit. I heard about your 'competition' with him yesterday, the one that cracked the floors of our gym. I heard about how the four of you started beating the hell out of each other in broad daylight and scared away some of our new admissions to the school! You were supposed to provide my students with inspiration, not scare them all into fearful worship. Ain't a soul besides Kenji getting any artistic work done where ya'll live!"

"I apologize," I say to him. "We're all fighters by nature. Kenji just wanted to help us out."

"But why does a Death Officer need a crew anyway? Why didn't you choose companions who don't have some sort of criminal record?"

Hadrian and Raiko both start glaring back at Alanzo now, so I try to come up with a good answer that can diffuse their anger fast--

"I don't care about what they've done. Whatever problems they've had with me have been worked out, and I trust them more than anyone else in the world to have my back. I don't care about how we're perceived. We have our own goals."

"I see," Alanzo replies while scratching his chin, "and, normally, I'd respect that kind of cavalier attitude."

Alanzo sighs and continues, "Look, gentlemen, this is how it is. I still remember everything I said when we met the first time, but the Ring of Commerce has been coming down hard on any schools harboring known murderers. There's mad controversy since Noboros took up residence on the Ring without asking, and Atanase's stupid ass didn't help things by prematurely Awakening all those people. The School Tournament's lookin' more and more dangerous to the Trade Generals all the time, and the Ring's talking about postponing the whole thing until next year and having exhibition matches every week instead."

"And you're siding with them?" Hadrian asks.

"I've no choice if I want to keep my school open. They can't replace fighters like Kenji, but the Ring of Commerce can easily find another poet in the world to take my spot. Be mindful that they are in charge of everything behind the scenes here. They know where you are, and they'll know when you leave.

"The Ring of Commerce has strongly suggested that you all leave. If Atanase and Shubao are going to keep their positions as school masters--and Noboros is to have its wish granted--then the rest of the Ring has to be polished up so that ordinary people don't think this country's a paradise for killers."

"I understand," is all I can say.

"What?" Raiko exclaims. "That's not fair, though. We haven't done anything, man!"

Alanzo politely humors him with a nod. "You haven't, but policies are changing with the times, and they want you out.

"I'll give you until the end of the day to gather your belongings and be on your way. I'm sorry, but I can't help you anymore."

--

The four of us do as asked, getting our things ready without so much as a word to each other. With such a rapid turn of events that echo our treatment at the hands of Fang Shubao, none of us know what to say.

Before we leave the shinden-zukuri, we encounter Kenji and Itosai again, who both rush across the field to meet us. He stops a few feet away and bows.

"Tavon, I've just finished speaking with Alanzo. He told me everything."

"Did he talk about us being murderers again?" Raiko asks before I can respond.

"No." Kenji shakes his head. "He tried to explain his position to me, but it was wrong. I told him that his treatment of guests who'd observed his rules was immoral, and I lectured him on the Way."

"You what?" Kagiso says in shock, "You lectured the School of Poetry's leader on poetry?"

"On sutras. And, after I'd told him how I felt, we made a deal."

"What's that?" I ask him.

Kenji smiles and then awkwardly gives us all a thumbs up.

"I promised Alanzo that I would become one of his students if he allowed you all to stay a bit longer. We'd have to convince the Ring of Commerce that you left, of course, but--"

"Kenji," I say to him, "I appreciate you making that sacrifice, but it's about time that we were on our way."

"Agreed," Hadrian says. "I've got my own target to chase. Plus, the future of Isamael's Ring isn't looking too good at the moment."

"Heh." Kenji chuckles. "That's a wise observation. Jaodan, Gozadalus, and Noboros have all chosen the same place to live. Only one of them can survive while in the presence of each other, and I'd prefer not to be around when they finally go to war."

"You should come with us then," I reply with a sincere smile.

"I haven't finished perfecting my craft just yet," he says. "I think I'd enjoy traveling the world and seeing what it has to offer, but I've other objectives in mind for the time being."

"I guess this is goodbye then, friend."

I extend my hand, but Kenji pulls me forward and into a manly hug before pushing me back again.

"The next time you see me," he promises, "I'll show you the path I'm cultivating. I'll obtain mastery over poetry and Jeigon, and then I will use both to overcome anything the Alandran World Tournament happens to throw at me."

Kenji looks at the group of us and continues, "You should all start training now if you want to be good enough in time for the next tournament, in two years. When that day comes, we'll all meet again, and then we'll see who the best fighter is with no restrictions or 'draws.'"

"That sounds good to me," Hadrian replies as the rest of us nod in agreement.

"Itosai," Raiko calls the name of Kenji's student while trying to stare him down once again, "I'm gonna train for that, too, so you'd better be there. I won't get tired like before, and then you'll have nowhere to run. I'll beat you."

Itosai, expressing himself with a little more maturity, bows and responds by saying, "I'll be sure to improve so that you don't pass me up any time soon."

Everyone bows to Kenji and Itosai, who both do the same, then we start on our way; though, before we can leave, Kenji puts his hand on my shoulder and says, "There's one more thing I need to teach you. If I let you leave this place without it, I'll have failed as a teacher."

I turn to him and ask what it is.

Kenji says to me, "Always remember the Noble Eightfold Path: right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right meditative union with the Self.

"Keep this in mind, read the texts I've entrusted you with, and you'll be victorious at the World Tournament. I look forward to seeing you there."

---

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# PART THREE

Change

---

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# 1

Negotiations

---

Aaliyah

---

I live in a cell of solid, white walls. I live under the Dawn Bureau, deep in a tomb where I've no hope of escape. When I left my apartment, I knew it would be for the last time. Sometimes goodbyes are sudden, but I prefer them that way. It's so much easier and even more so when you've got nothing.

Every few days, Maxwell lets me out to play Unik with him. When I first started, I was a poor player, and I was punished for that. He'd let me out less and only to use the bathroom or shower every once and a while. As I got better, however, he began summoning me more and more. Getting better means experiencing a small slice of freedom, so I've resolved to defeat Maxwell in Unik one day.

Just like always, we're playing in the simulated environment of a green pasture replete with old oak trees all around. I sit across from Moti, Maxwell's youngest personality, who'd rather pout than play the match properly. As time's progressed, Moti's become the only personality who slows down to win against me. He's gotten more and more frustrated with each of our matches.

This time, he's mad enough to spill most of what I want to know.

"The Citadel's losing any hope it's got left for survival at this rate, lady!" He facepalms and breathes harder, then he says, "I didn't expect the Democratic Council to be so stupid."

"Are things not holding up so well since I left?"

"You're just another piece in an ongoing problem, so it's not like anything you could do would change the situation...

"The Council was supposed to meet today to announce their decision on whether or not the space in the Upper-City should be made use of to protect all citizens. That idiot, Lauren, split the Council between those who backed her decision to open up the Upper-City and those who backed Mosley's decision to keep everyone where they are and to strengthen our border's security instead. The decision itself is of no importance to me, but this division was unexpected. Those who've backed Lauren appear to have identified with nearly all of her policies; those who've backed Mosley are doing the same thing."

"They're forming two parties."

"You've got it, lady. And, because they've divided themselves, no affirmative response has been given to the Bureau. There is no partnership, and so the Citadel is being split up by three different groups: the Council and the Ministry, the Dawn Bureau, and the Angelos Association."

"The Association didn't side with the Council?"

"No. The Council wishes to abolish them and convert their Death Officers into Dawn Knights so that they fight alongside Enrec troops--" Moti suddenly transforms into the middle-aged and more charismatic Cascendo, who leans forward eagerly and says, "Most of the leaders on the Democratic Council have been in their positions for a long time and hold themselves in high esteem. But, if they keep fighting with each other, there will be no voice available to speak for the people, and all we'll have left is our army of sentinels."

"You're right," I admit. "So, what's your plan?"

"I need your help again."

"Really? You want to start moving pieces around like before, huh?"

"It's out of my control," Cascendo replies. "I requested a partnership with the Angelos Association, but they denied me. It's almost been a week since then, but Ayer Kei came to the Dawn Bureau himself this morning. He's expressed interest in meeting you."

"Hmph. Yeah, I remember him. What would make that crazy old man wanna see me?"

"Kei has omitted any pertinent details, but he's agreed to being recorded if the two of you do meet. The Grandmaster appears to be willing to work with us solely on the basis of having encountered you before your murderous boyfriend escaped and you disobeyed me.

"Aaliyah, the fate of the Citadel might depend on how this meeting proceeds."

"But you haven't given me any clothes besides shorts and a t-shirt. How's that gonna look?"

"It's unimportant," he declares blankly. "My patience with you is running thin. If you don't convince Ayer Kei to side with the Bureau, I'll lock you up for a whole year..."

---

Stepping back into the upper office for the first time in a while is surreal. Two sentinels lead me up a set of steps that I struggle to climb after having been put out of commission for so long. The office itself looks the same, just barren. There aren't ranks and fancy suits anymore, and most of the sentinels have spread out into the outer district.

Zola's dead. Amour's dead. The only enemy now is the one I've been working for all along.

Unsure of where to go, I walk past rows of abandoned desks on each side and move closer to the exit. The glass door leading out into the hallway is pushed on gently by a tall, skinny old man who makes eye contact as soon as he sees me approach. I press in a blue button on a wall panel to the left and unlock the door for the Grandmaster of the Angelos Association.

Ayer Kei strides in and looks me up and down with an expression that seems out of place. He looks... pleased.

Kei smiles at me with an odd approval and says, "Yep. That's about how I expected he'd treat you after all that mess. That damn robot tried to make you look like a prisoner, but I can see the strength in your eyes. The same strength as on that day you're so famous for now."

"I'm real tired of hearing about that."

"Any regrets?"

"Yes and no." I shrug. "In that moment, I thought it was right, but that doesn't justify anything."

"Mhm, and it's what you did, in defiance of every governmental power over you, that has inspired quite a few people out there. The idea of an individual rising up on her own isn't something they've seen in a long time."

"What's your point?"

"Hmm. You might not get it depending on how long he's kept you locked up. I'm amazed that you're even standing before me now, but I suppose it's only natural considering that Maxwell's gone and been backed into a corner.

"The fact is, Miss Aaliyah, that this country needs Maxwell's army if we want to formulate a real defense against the foul monstrosities spilling out of Zone H. The Mid-City is not safe, and yet all that these people can talk about is what they wanna get out of the situation, how they can work everything over in their favors. Defense has ranked low in the public conversation, and it's because the Council's not willing to cooperate with anyone. They're too focused on who they want to protect in all this chaos."

"What do you think someone like me can do about it, huh? I'm a prisoner, and I've played my part."

"Don't say that. Don't let a computer demoralize you."

"No one has 'demoralized' me," I retort. "But there's no way out other than right on through. Hope or despair, history will turn out the way it does regardless of how I feel about it. What is it that you actually want me to do, Kei?"

"What if I told you that your work wasn't over? If there's gonna be any real political change in the Citadel, it'll depend on what the Bureau chooses to do. Now, I'm willing to work with the Bureau," he says and raises one finger in the air as he informs me, "but only under one condition.

"Aaliyah, you have to become the face of the Bureau proper."

I laugh at him. "And why on Earth would I want that?"

"Because no one in this country is going to allow a robot any authority in human politics. That terrifies the Council, it terrifies the people, and it bothers the shit outta me.

"Aaliyah," he says, "if the people see the same face that represented their interests in the public execution of Blood Storm, they'll place more trust in you than they do in the Council."

"How do you know?"

"Because I'm the mothafuckin' Grandmaster, miss Aaliyah, and the division that's occurring now between Mosley and Lauren is going to slow down any progress we might make in protecting ourselves against an army of fuckin' demons. I need you to tell Maxwell what I've said, even if he's got me on recording right now. The fact is that you've got the potential to be the entire city's detective, and you're wasting it by sitting around in a cell. The people need a positive idea to rally behind, and it's obvious to me that you should be the one to give it to them. So, you go back to that mechanical overlord, let him know where the Association stands, and install yourself as a symbol of justice. Miss Aaliyah, those people out there want to believe in heroes who remind them of themselves, not assassins like me. Step up. Show them what you can do..."

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# 2

Dark Clouds

---

Tavon

---

Before leaving Isamael's Ring, we stop by where Baraka Williams lives on the way out. Although it's extremely sudden, when we explain to him what's going on and that we're leaving before dark, he responds plainly, "I'm in." After waiting perhaps less than thirty minutes, Baraka exits his dorm room with a red rucksack and follows us without complaint.

From the School of Poetry's docking station, the five of us board a small, round vessel that takes us higher into the atmosphere and then a short distance West of the giant Ring. We land at Iditaka Port, where I'm forced to spend more of my stipend to pay for Kagiso and Raiko's tickets along with mine. From Iditaka Port, we board a polished, black vessel with a long but slender body, which narrows to a greater degree before connecting with a cockpit in the shape of a giant spear that's encased in thick, blue glass. Two pairs of wings extend into broad blades that curve toward the rear slightly at their ends and extend past horizontal, one-way windows that obscure the dining lounges and living quarters within.

This ship, known as a zekomata, has enough fuel to carry us all the way to Zannica. And so, shortly after boarding, it gives off a tremendous boost of energy prior to us launching deep into the sky. Behind us, the Cherry Blossom River fades into a flowing pink mist in the distance, outlined by the radiant Emerald Rift hundreds of miles behind it.

We sail on through the atmosphere, and, as the night comes, Raiko and I settle into our separate beds. Everyone else has their own room, but this arrangement's cheaper. Also, I was serious about Raiko reading the books Kenji gave me out loud and summarizing them so that I don't have to.

While he's catching up on all that, I look out the tinted window above my bed and manage to catch a glimpse of what looks like winged creatures with human hair passing near the zekomata.

"What the hell? Raiko," I call over to him, "you see that?"

"Yeah," he replies nonchalantly, "They're called heracla."

"'Heracla?' How do you know that?"

"Itosai told me about them, said that they're humans with wings--ay, T," he says while closing the first book I gave him. "I don't understand this shit."

"Keep trying. And good on you for learning something. Itosai sounds like a smart friend to have."

"He's not my friend."

"Tch. Then who is, kid?"

"Don't call me that. I'm not a 'kid.' You know my name."

"Okay, Raiko. Why don't you consider Itosai your friend? The two of you spent a lot of time fighting each other."

"He's another blind idiot hellbent on tryna please somebody else. The entire time we were together, this fool wouldn't stop talking about honor and the code and the Way and--just a whole lotta bullshit that showed me this dude had no personality."

"Hey now, don't be too harsh. He's just another kid; he'll grow out of it."

"Uh huh, and yet I still see grown men out here like Fang Shubao believin' in nonsense that'll get him killed one day."

"You're right," I tell him. "Old Shubao probably won't last if more people like Atanase show up to challenge him."

"You didn't listen to Kenji, did you?"

"What do you mean?"

"The School Tournament's not gettin' any better. The way things are going now, Atanase and Shubao might end up being the prime celebrities if the Grandmaster doesn't return. They won't want competition, so they might pressure the Ring to make it harder and harder to get into schools, like it was for Hadrian."

"I get that, but all we can do is prepare for the next best thing. I did listen to Kenji. He said to get ready to fight at Alandra."

"Ever since the two of ya'll talked, you've been actin' different, T. You went from a hardass to... I don't know, nice. Are you tryna follow some 'code,' too?"

"Well, Raik, I had myself convinced at one time that I couldn't feel anything for other people, but that was never true. Maeda shouldn't have died, and, out of everything that Kenji said, I can at least remember to be mindful. The people we cross paths with might surprise us in ways we don't expect, so it would do us both some good to practice restraint in combat."

"Yeah... I guess so," Raiko replies while pondering to himself.

He picks up the book he was reading before, the text on Shungej, and he squints his eyes when trying to concentrate on the same passages.

"I thought you couldn't understand it?"

"I think I might be able to manage," he says. "When I'm older, I'm gonna be real intellectual--smarter than you. You'll see."

"Ha! I'll believe it when you stop talking trash to people you don't know."

"Be quiet," he says, "I'm tryna read."

---

The following morning, Raiko, Hadrian, Kagiso, Baraka, and I all meet in the eastern lounge of the zekomata. Again, I have to pay for Kagiso, Raiko, and myself in order for us all to eat, and, instead of anything resembling a real meal, they serve us each one cold egg, one stick of sausage, and a single piece of bacon to hold us all over for the long flight.

In the days to come, we're scheduled to pass over the Eriden Desert, the Takangi Mountains, and then through the Red Rift marking the beginning of the Western Oceans: Thiodanis, Thiodevas, and Thiodin. Far above the Thiodanis Ocean is the Dreaming City, Zannica, and it's there that Raiko can hone unique abilities of his own to help everyone out along the way. Southwest of Zannica is Saizakune, where I'll catch up to Guin soon enough.

The five of us sit in rose-leather seats around a teal, oblong table. As four of us eat what little we have, content with the view from the window on our side, Raiko curses in between bites and says, "This food ain't shit. I miss Isamael's Ring already."

"He's right," Hadrian remarks. "I can't taste anything."

"My drive to eat anything ever again is lost," Baraka says dramatically while pushing his plate away from him. "I'm vegan."

Baraka looks out the window with his pipe in his hand and takes a puff.

"So, Baraka," Hadrian asks, "are you ever going to train with us, or are you going to spend every day in your room writing poems?"

"I've no need for physical violence really," is his calm reply. He doesn't address Hadrian as he says, "I'll be the man who reaches my opponents through my words, just like Guin. Give me some time and you'll see."

"'Time,'" Hadrian repeats mockingly, "if you say so."

"Yo, Hadrian," Raiko asks, "why are you so rude to everyone all the time, huh?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he replies aggressively.

"Easy, man. Just wondering what's got you so competitive with everybody."

Hadrian frowns. "You don't get it. I wouldn't expect you to."

"Kid's right about you, Hadrian," Baraka adds. "You've got some steam you seem to need to blow off on a constant basis."

"Where I come from," he says, "there's no time to joke with people--especially not humans. All of you are either human or accepted by humans, and that's why you wouldn't understand."

"Hey," Kagiso speaks up and points at himself, "everyone at the Senzang School used to call me the 'blue freak' when I was younger. I don't know where I come from, and my parents were brought over by their parents a long time ago."

"I've been through a different kind of suffering," Hadrian's quick to respond.

As everyone's listening, he proceeds to explain:

"The caste system in Saizakune divides the population into four groups: the Hayashi, the peasants, the serfs, and the Lords. Each has a special name under Saizakune nomenclature, but it's all a disgusting lie. Under that system, my family was treated like a pack of wild animals, like stray dogs trying to find food wherever we could. The Hayashi and the peasants--the Ahuro and Udin classes--have nowhere near the same rights as the upper castes. The Jaodan Church made it worse, and I left around the time that they were starting to seize power from the lords, or "'Mahashus.'"

"And your family?" asks Baraka.

It becomes eerily quiet.

Hadrian says, "I don't talk about them anymore. They were property. In the eyes of the humans, property lowers in value every year. My parents, my sister, and my brother were all 'property,'" he spits. "And that's that. The humans didn't care how I felt about it."

Baraka abruptly stands to his feet and stares outside the window. The rest of us do the same, but there's nothing but the open sky which clouds over with a storm that's slow to form. Shortly after witnessing Baraka freak out, a jolt of adrenaline runs up my spine.

"What's wrong?" Raiko asks worriedly.

"There's something coming," Baraka warns us. "It's on its way here, and it's coming fast."

His expression darkens with terror, and he says, "A hundred different souls are speeding this way at once, tearing through time and space with the use of zol just to meet us. I pray that it's not who I believe it to be, for, my brothers, if it is, then we're finished before we've even begun. Prepare yourselves for the worst."

TO BE CONTINUED...

Note From The Author:

If you're a longtime reader, then it'll probably come as a surprise to you that Volume Four ended at this particular point. This was done for three reasons.

The amount of content in this series has grown to such an extent that it would take a page count of at least eleven hundred to cover every section I'd like for this specific story arc. Unfortunately, most distributors for indie literature have a cut-off point in terms of word count, and so I decided that it would be better to publish sequels which would focus on the development of the individual locations I had planned for the entire fourth volume. This is my first reason. By separating these arcs, I have more time for character evolution, which serves as my second reason. As for my third reason, writing a continuation of Tavon's story in a more episodic style would be an interesting method of delivering the overall narrative, and I feel that this could be done in a way that's more respectful of everyone's time, with regular releases planned for every year the series continues.

My goal is to begin working on Volume Five after this, and so I hope you'll continue to follow me along as I add on to the expanding canon of Angelos Odyssey.

Sincerely,

Josh

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