Nox was frozen, trapped within her own body. The overwhelming presence of the monstrous man before made terrified her. Her mind raced as his serious eyes stared down at her, studied her, evaluated her.
"This guy is the headmaster?" Nox thought. "Why is he so scary? Why is he looking at me like that? Is he angry? What should I do?"
It was Hitsu that interrupted Nox's thoughts and the man's gaze.
"This is Nox," Hitsu introduced, "our newest member."
The man's angry eyes snapped to Hitsu and it turned forcefully. The man brought his massive hand up high above his head. With malicious intent radiating off of his body, the man brought down the side of his hand against Hitsu's skull. With a sickening thud, Hitsu fell to his knees as he held his head in pain.
"Wha-" Nox said baffled.
"Don't bring people into headquarters without telling me," the man said sternly.
"Yes sir," Hitsu squeaked from the floor.
"And another thing," the man continued. Once again his hand shot into the air before falling upon Hitsu's skull with the force of a guillotine. "Don't refer to her as 'newest member'. I didn't accept anyone."
Hitsu slumped down to the floor in pain. Nox stood in shock at what she had just witnessed but Juno watched from the nearby windowsill causally.
"Yes sir, I'm sorry sir," Hitsu whimpered into the floorboards.
The man turned back to Nox causing her to jump in fear.
"Calm down," the man said, "I'm not gonna chop you like that idiot.
"R-r-right," Nox stuttered nervously.
Nox took this time to study the man closer. His clothes were dirty and plain, consisting of a worn, black, sleeveless shirt and brown pants filled with tears of various sizes. Around his waist was a belt, various different bottles of unknown liquids hung from it. The man's arms, legs, and face were decorated with different scars he had gained over the years. His black hair was messy and unkempt as it flowed down his back. His gray eyes lacked the earlier anger and he looked more like a hobo than a threat.
"So," the man said as he pulled one of the bottles from his belt, "Your name is Nox right?" He uncorked the bottle and began to drink its contents as if he hadn't had a drop for days.
"Y-yes sir," Nox said as she found herself standing at attention, "My name is Nox Etena and I'm from the town of Twindawn."
The man pulled the bottle away from his mouth just long enough to ask his next question. "Is it true you want to join the Future Veins?"
"Yes sir," Nox answered as if she were being interrogated, "I've decided I want to become a hero."
Once again the man only stopped drinking to ask Nox more questions. "You have a power?"
"Yes sir," Nox replied.
The man pulled the bottle away from his lips and sighed. The once full bottle now sat empty in the man's palm, its contents drank over the duration of the short conversation.
"Alright," The man said. With the flick of his wrist, the man sent the bottle sailing in an arc across the room. Nox spun around expecting to see it shatter against the table. To her surprise, the glass bottle landed in such a way it spun several times before coming to a stop. The bottle sat upright at the end of the grand table.
"My name is Takeshi," the man said causing Nox to turn back to face him, "and I am the leader of the Future Veins guild." It was then that Nox noticed the same symbol printed on Hitsu and Juno peeking out from behind the man's shirt and across his chest. "If you want to join us then show me what you can do."
Nox was caught off guard by Takeshi's sudden challenge but she quickly understood what she was supposed to do. She took a few steps towards him before turning around towards the bottle. Nox could feel her heart beating much harder than it should, she took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. A weak groan from the floor nearby caught her attention.
"You got this," Hitsu said with a pain-filled voice. With one hand he held his head and the other he gave Nox an encouraging thumbs-up.
Nox couldn't help but smile. "Your right," she thought, "I do."
With determination flowing through her veins, Nox began to dance. As she spun she lifted one of her hands in the air and guided it downward in a zig-zag line.
"Lightning," she said as she danced. Instantly, small bolts of electricity began to appear around Nox's body as if she were a storm herself. As she continued the bolts began to connect and soon Nox was surrounded by a jerking storm of lightning. The lightning shook as though it were unstable but stayed around Nox's body regardless.
Nox opened her eyes and nearly fell as the sight before her was an unexpected one. Takeshi now stood between her and the bottle. He stood with his arms crossed as he studied Nox and her dance.
"What the hell?" Nox thought, "What is he doing? Does he know he's in the way? I can't hit the bottle like this? What do I do?"
"You got this."
Hitsu's words echoed inside Nox's head, silencing her swarming thoughts. Nox looked down and realized the lightning she had created was starting to break apart as her focus shifted away.
"I get it," Nox thought, "I can't expect it to be too easy, this is a test after all. Looks like I'll have to show him what I'm made of."
Nox continued to dance, only now with more ferocity. The lightning around her came together once again and started to grow in size. The charge caused Juno's fur to stick up in the air as she and Hitsu watched on. With a grin across her face, Nox took one final spin and pointed her hands at Takeshi.
"Release!" She shouted as the lightning shot off of her body in a bolt. The bolt raced towards an undisturbed Takeshi who continued to down another bottle of liquid. The lightning shot directly towards his stomach like a bullet threatening to tear through him. Suddenly, the lightning shot upwards just inches away from colliding with the headmaster. The lightning followed along Takeshi's body as it went up to his arm and over his head before dropping towards the table. Just before colliding with the table the lighting once again changed direction as it shot straight for the bottle.
CRACK
The lighting impacted the glass bottle causing it to shatter into countless pieces. The lightning wasn't done though as it split off into dozens of bolts that zapped the glass pieces. By the time the lightning was gone the bottle had all but disappeared, nothing remained to show for its existence.
Takeshi finished his drink and place the empty bottle on the table. He looked down at Nox who took in heavy breaths, her body attempting to recover from the demanding attack she just used.
"Congrats kid..." Takeshi said genuinely.
"...Welcome to the Future Veins."
...
End of Episode 21