[FLAIRE POV 1]

"To put it simply, I'm searching for a criminal!" Flaire held his neck with his t-shirt collar. He was sweating buckets not just from being scared but by the heat of the swords that Flaire was holding.

"I, really don't know! Please! Let me go..." He was stuttering as he looked at the flaming sword. "Why are you even targeting me... I'm just a lowly syndicate in this big city. How would I know about such a... criminal."

Flaire pointed the flaming sword at his neck. The scared man took a big gulp.

"Listen here. I don't plan on playing. I've killed thousands and I don't mind adding you to the collection." 

"I... He... I did have a customer who goes by the name you are looking for." Flaire tightened the grip on the man's collar.

"Speak old man or I'll slit your throat! You shouldn't have made it harder for you if you knew what I was looking for." The burning seriousness in her eyes was intense enough to bring fear to any man's face.

"He gave me money to keep this secret. He left yesterday... He... He said he would deliver the ITEM to a big syndicate group in the neighboring city..." After stuttering from telling his story, he pleaded again, " Please! Our group is only acting as a middleman. I don't know anything aside from that."

Flaire let go of her grip on the man's collar. The man fell to the floor and cried like the sore loser he was.

"I just wanted some money..." He said.

After that, a speeding arrow was shot towards Flaire where she was standing, coming from outside the window of the building. She quickly deflected the projectile using her flaming sword.

Multiple men then entered the room and surrounded her.

"The boss! Our pathetic boss! Protect him at all costs!"

Flaire sighed as if she shouldn't be dealing with such an event right now.

"I'm in a rush."

The group of barbaric figures started swinging their knives at her. She sheathed back her sword and began to punch the hell out of the enemies using her flaming fist. She used enough force to knock them all out and not kill them.

The boss then got up and pointed a gun. The boss shot her right in the head but he missed. Flaire already rushed in front of him and knocked him out as well.

"This is why I hate criminal organizations like this. They are all pretty stupid."

She looked towards the window and saw the guy who shot the arrow earlier. She quickly ran out of the window and jumped from three stories high. Instead of figuring out how to deal with the one who shot the arrow, she focused on her agenda.

Because she jumped from such a high place, the city guards took notice and chased her.

"Hey! What are you doing? Come back here!"

They chased her for a while but eventually gave up for they can't outrun her. After squirming into a tight alleyway to escape the guards, she saw a person sitting on a bench.

"Do you know where can I get a map of this city, Mr?"

"Well, what are you looking for? A place near here?"

Flaire explained that she needed the map to look for a train station in the city.

"Train station? There is a train station in the northeast of the city. You should hurry though, I believe the train leaves in..." The man looked at his watch. "Around an hour. The trains always leave early."

Flaire didn't search for a map, she went straight in the direction where the man said.

She ran so fast that could be considered inhumane. It was as if the limits of being a human were her whole being. 

"This city is so big! Where is that man?" She arrived at the train station in just thirty minutes.

"He couldn't have escaped so fast. The trains leave only in the morning so he should be here."

She pushed her way into the crowd. She saw a line that was taking the tickets of the ones that were going inside the train. There were a lot of guards there both from outside the ticket area and inside the trains. She looked at everyone's faces but couldn't see the man she was looking for.

Because of her actions, she caught the attention of the guards again.

"What are you doing? Are you also going to ride on the train? Please get your respective ticket. We cannot have you do as you please like this."

Someone then shouted, "The train leaves in 10 minutes!"

Flaire was thinking of a plan and so she was preparing to put on a show.

***

[TORA POV 1]

Tora was getting in line. He was covered in a hoodie and a mask. He quickly lined up to get on the train. He heard a commotion from outside so he looked at what was going on there.

He thought that it was just a juicy fight between some guards and a drunkard.

"The guards in this city all have blessings. Why are people so eager to fight them?"

He took a peek and what he saw scared him.

"That red fiery hair. Tsk. How did she know? Why did she follow me here?"

He was scared that he might not make it so he excused himself from the crowd and squeezed in to get into the train faster. He didn't think that he was also making a commotion by doing that.

"Hey! Wait in line like the rest of us!"

"Please, I need to get inside of the train!"

Since he was also making a ruckus, the girl who was following her saw him.

Tora looked back and saw that she was staring in his direction.

"Tsk. She found me."

"Found you!"

The girl suddenly burst into flames, her hair turned bright yellow and it forced the guards to step back. One of the guards shot him with a gun but she easily sliced through it using her sword. The other guard unearthed a giant wall to encapsulate her but it melted.

"Everyone! Run from this place!"

Everyone was panicking, rushing to get on the train as it was already moving. The girl was directly headed to Tora. He also wanted to get on the train but he knew that it would not be safe since the girl who was aiming for her would know. She would easily catch up as well at how slow the train is moving in its early running.

Tora quickly took his hoodie off and covered himself in an energy barrier. He boosted himself and ran as fast as he could in the other direction.

[Tsk. Why was she so fast to know where I was.]

"There you are!" The girl said and chased him.

Even with an enchantment that increases his speed, The fire girl was still closing in on his speed.

[Please! Just this once! I need to shake her off somehow.]

He continued to run with his best speed but the girl caught up. They were playing cat and mouse for a couple of minutes and Tora was already exhausted. He couldn't run anymore.

"What is she, a beast?" Tora stopped in a small park. The girl who was chasing her also stopped.

"So, give it back or I'll have to force you. I really don't like hurting people so if you would be so kind."

"Say, how important is this amulet?'

He didn't know that by saying that, he only pissed off the girl.

Since they stopped, the guards of the city that were stationed next to the park have caught up to them.

"There they are!" Get them.

Both Tora and the girl knew that they didn't want to get caught by the guards yet they also knew they wouldn't get together. He needs to deliver that amulet to a syndicate group in the neighboring city after all to get the money that he needs to survive.

The fiery girl dashed toward him and pointed her flaming sword. Although he was covered in a barrier, the girl in flames destroyed it in one swing.

"I really can't get away from you, huh?" He quickly took the amulet out of his pocket and threw it out.

"You're one of those elite warriors, are you? You have to be because your hair changed in color. I'm just a lowly thief and I don't want to get caught by those guards as well. How about you say we have a truce and help each other for now?"

She smiled and said, "No, you're getting arrested and I'm leaving you here."

Tora had no choice but to whip out something or he would get arrested if the girl left her. Tora was already exhausted since he used most of his energy using the enchantment that boosted his speed earlier.

"I know of a place where you can find another one of those amulets! I can take you there. Please, I can be of use!" He was desperate since the guards were getting close.

"I don't like you since you're a thief. I'm leaving you the moment I get that amulet." The girl got into a position in which she would be carrying a person like a princess.

"You can't be serious, right?"

"Come on! I'm not so soft of a girl. If you want to live, I'm carrying you!"

Tora was embarrassed but he did anyway.

"This feels so weird and I don't like it."

After that, a blazing wing-like fire engulfed the girl's back. 

"A phoenix wings?"

As they flew up, a spike of vines shot out from the ground towards them. The guards caught up and used their blessings to get them down.

Tora activated his blessing and covered him and the girl with an energy barrier. Although he was panicking that the vines might get them, the vines instantly burst into flames as they flew up.

"By the way, I'm not one of the elite warriors that are fighting the Dark Entrophic Shades above. Well, not anymore that is. I'm a hero."