Takabi placed his pencil on his desk and stood, handing his test to his teacher and stepping out of the room. He leaned against the lockers, waiting a few minutes before Nana came out after him. They held stern gazes at one another, the clicking clock filling their ears.
"Well," Nana asked.
"Well," He replied.
Their tones were equally low, and tension filled their air like cackling energy. The mana between them gave a slight shake through the building. A strong silence, their eyes remained locked, until Nana broke into a smirk and Takabi started laughing, the two giving each other a quick thumbs up and high five.
"Easy! I'm surprised you finished before I did," Nana said, moving next to him and leaning against the lockers. His shoulders relaxed and he let his lips rise in a smug smile.
"I guess that shows which one of us is smarter."
"Or which one is just faster. Remember, you asked me to help you study the past week." Nana held a strong, confident air, twirling a gentle breeze around her finger. "You wouldn't be out here right now if not for me."
Takabi stuck his hands in his pockets and nodded slowly, partly agreeing with her. Tests definitely weren't something he was great with, though the past week he focused less on his classes. Each night, he spent hour after hour until the early morning hours honing and focusing on his training.
His mental strength, physical strength, and control over his mana were things he knew he had to polish. Regardless of how reluctant he was to fight Carlos, he knew if the time came to it he was going to have to put him down, and he wanted to be strong enough so he wouldn't have to take the lethal option. Overpower him to the point he was unconscious, no more, no less.
His fingers curled in his pocket.
He did improve, a lot more than he thought he would in just those few nights. As of now, he was running on fumes, and fumes alone. Next time he fell asleep, it would be for at least a week.
At least that's how he felt.
"I could use a long nap," He said.
"You and me both. This week has been killer." She raised her arms, stretching wide. "Relaxation is all I'm thinking about right now." Her eyes snapped to him, and she grabbed his arm, eyes practically glowing. "Up for a quickie on the roof?"
"Definitely not." He said quickly. "Let's just head home. We finished the test already, no point in staying." He took his arm back, patting her head with his hand. "Soothe yourself, little horn dog."
Nana opened her mouth to say something witty, but stopped herself as her gaze moved past him towards the end of the hall.
Takabi tilted his head, following her eyes. Out the window at the end of the hall, a large dark cloud was rising above the buildings downtown. At first he thought it was a simple fire, but the darkness of the cloud seemed too thick to be flames.
He tightened his jaw, looking back at Nana and the two nodded in agreement to go check. As they left, what felt like a stone of nervousness settled in Takabi's stomach.
---------------------------
Unsurprisingly, once they arrived, all that met them was carnage and destruction.
The street was littered with dark red and loose limbs. Cars and stores had their windows smashed in. Neon lights erupted with sparks. Silence stretched down the road, and any people that were left alive were lying face down in puddles of dirty water and blood. Nana hurried over to one of the survivors, raising her up on her knee and examining her closely.
"This is awful."
Takabi slowly looked around, opening his nose and sniffing around. His eyes switched their field of vision, a single trail of magic residue that led into the gym by the police station. Glancing back at Nana, he said, "I'm gonna go look around. Any people that are still alive, help them as much as you can."
She nodded in response. Her brown eyes glanced down at the woman, keeping her voice low and tone stern. "Stay safe. I have a bad feeling about all of this."
No response came.
When she looked up, Takabi was already making his way ahead. Following the trail, his body grew extremely tense.
His skin blackened completely when he stepped into the gym. His body transformed more and more after each step. The long white hair, glowing violet eyes, and large wings that burst from his back. Takabi stepped into the weight lifting area when he finally noticed his change.
Curiously, he examined his arm, exhaling a white flame with a sharp breath. "Why did I change?" He closed his palm slowly.
There was a danger lurking in the air.
So much, Takabi had subconsciously taken his Fallen Angel form on instinct. His blood boiled in excitement, in a strange fear. Takabi didn't feel scared, not for his life. His mind was burning, a faint image of a massive mushroom cloud erupting, disturbing the silence around him.
In his head, that's all he thought.
In his head, that's what he wished.
His thoughts, so distracted on the vision, he never noticed the source of the mana creeping up behind him. His ear twitched, and his mind was brought to reality.
He turned back, bulky grey arm slamming against him, knocking him into the wall. The brick gave way like butter, hitting the floor in a loud smash. Takabi picked his head up slowly, eyes wide at the creature before him.
A striking resemblance to Hunters. Grey body, around six or seven feet in height. The muscle, however, was very lean. No facial features. Just a blank surface, and olive shaped head.
Despite how it looked, Takabi could see below the surface. It had so much magic power, to the point it seemed bottomless compared to himself. The pressure of its presence and mana. "Drew you out. As expected, your kind can't resist death and destruction."
"What the fuck…. Are you?" He asked, standing and raising his fists.
The creature rushed at him, faster than his eyes could follow. Takabi's eyes went wide, and he blocked his chest, only to feel a heavy palm slam down on his back. Magic pulsed in his ribs, disrupting his heart's rhythm, body momentarily going limp as the creature spoke.
"What you are not."
Straightening himself, he spun around and threw a kick. The monster blocked with its forearm, bringing his knuckle back and striking Takabi's forehead, another pulse of magic rushing through his brain.
If not for his healing, he would've died from that attack for sure.
Takabi slapped the knuckle away, throwing a flame punch, only to miss and get knocked through another wall, crashing into a car outside the gym. He picked himself up, waiting for the creature to step from the building.
When he never came, he blinked, then turned and once again suffered another blow to the chest, this one much heavier than the last few. He spat blood, feeling his ribs give way under the attack.
Once more, he flew back, however the creature gave no time to recover. It bounded after him, feet stomping the concrete in with ease. It rushed beside him, throwing a fist that connected with his chin.
"I am simply High Breed."
Its knee slammed into Takabi's back, rapid punches and knees striking with such speed and force there was no time for recovery of any kind. The last punch sent Takabi rolling into one of the store windows that had yet to be shattered. He landed perfectly in a barber shop chair, body emitting an intensely thick steam as it healed.
"I shall not give you the chance to recover." It clapped its palms together, slowly spreading them as a glowing sphere began to form. Pulling back, the High Breed pushed his arms forward, releasing the ball of magic. The size expanded once it reached Takabi, an explosion of red light ripping the building apart with ease, each piece of brick, stone and metal quickly turning to ash, then simply nothing. All that remained was smoke, and the traces of what once stood.
High Breed lowered its unseen gaze. "No. That is not all."
The smoke ripped apart.
Takabi stood, healed but battered with dirty clothes and soot. His body shed its Fallen Angel looked, replaced by the pure light of the White God Gem. The tattoos on his body burned brightly with purity, his aura of magic thick enough to push back the dark cloud around them.
"Yes. That's it."
Takabi grit his teeth, clenching his fists and letting out a roar of power.
His aura burst suddenly, and he charged forward, bringing his hand back in a chop. High Breed blocked it with his right forearm, reaching forward with his left to grab him. Takabi flipped back, bringing his foot up and connecting a kick to its chin. Sliding his palm against the floor, he spun and took a deep breath, releasing a roar of fire that rushed down the road in a massive wave.
High Breed reached out, gripping Takabi's throat and stopping the flames. "Such ferocious heat. If I was anyone else, I surely would've been erased."
His grip lessoned.
Suddenly, his free arm shot up, and fingers wrapped tightly around Kairas' fists. The black haired boy grit his teeth, aura of blackness erupting like a volcano, black tattoos prominent against his skin.
"That makes two. I'm so glad you chose to join us." High Breed swung Kairas downward, slamming him against his twin, before pulling his foot back and kicking both boys towards the police station. They smashed through the metal beams and marble walls, landing on a wooden desk inside one of the offices. Takabi picked himself up first, holding his side.
"Damn it."
"The hell is that thing," Kairas asked, helping his twin to his feet. "It's not a Hunter is it?"
"No," Takabi replied, rubbing his jaw. "Calls itself High Breed. That's all I know. Thanks for picking up my distress signal. Although at this rate, we'll both be sending one out soon. Where's the Dragons?"
"No clue. They weren't in the Bunker when I left." He ran a hand on his neck, cracking it softly.
The High Breed climbed into the station from where the twins entered, hunching himself over slightly. He looked larger than before.
"Did he get bigger," Takabi questioned.
Kairas shrugged it off, aura bursting around him. "Let's just erase him and get on with the day." Takabi willed Nova in his palm, placing his left hand on top and rotating it, pulling his palms down to his right side. Light erupted around him, the white and black auras dancing in harmony.
Kairas raised his palms towards the left side of his face, cupping the back of his right hand with his left. Green lightning cackled in his grip, eyes momentarily shining a deep green hue.
High Breed rushed at the two, visibly struggling to maneuver around the cubicles.
The two threw their palms forward, two blasts of magic bursting around, swallowing the High Breed. The station roared in a fiery explosion, black smoke rising in the air, both beams shooting out the side and bending up towards the sky. The magic thinned, both boys dropping to their knees and wiping sweat from their forwards.
The smoke cleared, High Breed holding a still stance, with both his arms blocking his body.
"Oh, come on." Takabi got to his feet first, Kairas following him not long after. "That seriously had no effect?"
"It seriously didn't," The High Breed mocked, straightening its posture. "I applaud your efforts. Master spoke the truth. You both have amazing potential. Why choose to stand against the Kult? Against your father?"
Kairas spoke up, stepping in front of Takabi. "He's no father. He drove our family apart for seven years, and caused our Mom's death. Ignoring what he was probably planning to do with us, I've seen his inside heart recently. Cold, and uncaring."
"Speculation," It replied. "You both misunderstand his true intentions." High Breed's image faded.
Kairas blinked, frozen in place. Takabi rushed towards his brother, only to be blown back by High Breed's free palm. A ball of magic connected with Kairas, power raising until High Breed simply released it.
Kairas was consumed by the sudden explosion, smoke rising from the spot he stood in. High Breed reached down, picking up the boy and throwing him away from the station.
Takabi watched his twin, gritting his teeth tightly. Once Kairas was out of his view, he let go. His anger consumed him for a moment, and the whiteness faded, replaced by a strong surge of darkness. The left side of his body gave way to the violet power, and Takabi dashed ahead at speeds invisible to the naked eye.
His knee slammed into the High Breed, sending it high into the air. He jumped after it, closing the distance in seconds, throwing fist after fist until his knuckles were bloody. He spun around and kicked the High Breed's head, before raising his left palm, willing another Nova to form. He slammed it down, watching it dig into the High Breed and erupting in a blinding explosion.
Kairas picked his head up, rubbing it and looking towards the cloud of smoke hanging in the air.
"Did he do it," He muttered, glancing at the shattered glass and noting he wasn't using the Gem's power anymore. When his eyes looked back up, two figures came into view. He narrowed his eyes, then widened them.
The High Breed was floating, a thin light around it. In its grasp, it held Takabi's shirt.
The boy was burned and bleeding, and his left arm was nowhere to be seen. An intense steam was emitting from him, but his head was hung back.
He wasn't conscious.
High Breed dropped the boy, kicking him hard and making him hit the concrete next to Kairas. Once more, the High Breed clapped its hands, pulling them apart and willing a ball of magic to form.
"A message to you boys. Continue to stand against us if you wish, it is a futile effort. Nothing you do will be able to stop Master and the Goddess. I do wish for your survival, I've grown strangely fond of watching you both struggle against absolute power."
High Breed raised its right palm, the magic expanding to the size of a mini sun.
Kairas watched in awe as the blast rushed down at the two.
He couldn't move, overwhelmed by the amount of mana within the sphere. High Breed turned and took off towards the south, watching as the magic erupted. Red consumed the buildings nearby, expanding and blowing the next set of structures to nothing.
It erased everything within WaterSlum. Consuming Takabi's home miles away, then Jewel's. Un Ala ripped apart and disintegrated, as well as Nana's home miles further.
The High Breed listened closely to the endlessly screaming of death at those who realized what had happened, and those that didn't.
By the time it got within a safe distance, it watched in satisfaction at the mushroom cloud in the distance, lowering its head and bowing respectfully to the destruction of the town. "So long it took to build civilization, and how fast it crumbled. I believe that takes care of all our enemies, yes?"