At nine in the morning, Akai was preparing to go scouting with the team. She strapped her sword to her back and made her way downstairs, where all the members were waiting for her.
"You came," Kiara waved at her, carrying her guns and rifles she got from the police station, "and with your sword at that."
"Yep," said Akai.
"Akai," Rose called, "I have to report."
"What is it?" she asked.
"We have more than two hundred people now," said Rose.
"What?" Akai exclaimed. "Are you serious? Well, we will have more again," she said. "Don't worry about it."
"Hey, Akai, can we take Drake today?" asked Sky. "He will be handy."
Akai agreed and called out to the dog-wolf. Drake came running out of the kitchen. The large dog jumped on Akai, throwing her to the floor. This was Drake's first time out with the scouts, and it was the same for Akai. Exhausted from not having proper sleep last night, she didn't scold the dog nudging her face.
Just as the scout team was about to leave, Yun called Akai to wish her good luck and gave her a bear hug, which was very uncomfortable for her. Not even her own friend did this to her. Yun was such an unusual person; she was very clingy to others around her.
The scouts went to the city plaza, where they had previously found survivors. The entire area was a mess, as if two huge monsters had fought there.
"This place is a mess itself," said Sky. "What shall we do, Akai?"
"Why are you asking me?" she asked, as though she herself did not know about being their leader. "Right," she paused, "go search the area to find anything."
"What will you do?" asked Chi.
"I will stay here with Drake and stand watch for any upcoming danger," she said, smiling. "Mr. Caligo will accompany you all and keep you safe."
"That isn't what I was asking you about," Chi said, narrowing his eyes.
"Woah, now," Sky exclaimed and put his arm around Chi's shoulders. "Let it be, bro; she needs rest after all the hard work she did."
Kiara agreed with Sky along with the rest of the group. They all went in different directions to look for anything they could find, anything important. Akai awaited them in the center of the plaza. She had even sent Caligo with them; the man just agreed on whatever she asked of him. He was being suspicious about something, Akai thought. She was sure that nothing dangerous would happen as long as Caligo was with them.
"Let them do all the rough work," Akai said to Drake. "One should let others do the work for them sometimes," she tickled his furry ears, "but should not make it obvious," she smiled, "and make them feel used; that is bad."
Akai enjoyed not working hard and making others work for her. Most of the time, she'd do things all by herself and not dare even ask for help from the others. Such were her parents' teachings since childhood.
"I hate to ask for help now," Akai said to Drake, with hateful feelings in her eyes. "My parents made me do things all alone without any help from their side."
At that point, Drake barked in the direction behind Akai. He kept on barking. She caught on the pattern of the barking. It was 'warning,' the dog-wolf had sensed something in that direction. Akai turned to see what it might be, but there was nothing.
"What are you sensing there, buddy?" But the dog kept on barking, making her guard up. "Take me there, Drake," said Akai, "to where you are sensing danger."
The dog must have understood what she had said because the next second, he was running towards whatever was there. Akai ran behind him, thinking that there might be someone in danger. She had to check it out, even if it was dangerous. Besides, she had Drake with her, so she would be alright.
Drake ran into the residential area where the locals stayed and the houses were provided by the government. It looked more like a ghost town now. Akai was now far away from the plaza. She was still running behind the dog.
"What a strong sense," said Akai. "That's the power of magical beasts?" When they got close to the crossroads of the street, Drake barked again. "There, finally on the spot," she ran faster and took hold of her sword. The wolf-dog took a sharp turn to the left. When Akai got there, she was right; someone was hurt and needed her.
It was a boy; he was bleeding from his waist. And it looked like he had lost too much blood from the wound he received. The wound was deep, from what she saw from afar. He was young and had the most astonishing appearance she had ever seen, even more than Caligo.
The silky white locks of hair covered both his eyes, and what appeared to be a tattoo was marked at the corner of his thin pale lips. He also had tattoos on his neck. The boy wore oversized clothes with golden carvings on them.
"What unique features," said Akai. She suddenly felt something behind her. "Something is there, and Drake has gone away somewhere, so there is no one to protect me," she thought and slowly grabbed her sword, unsure of what was behind her.
Multiple hands emerged from the huge tree behind her. Akai had no superpowers to block nor did she sense that she was getting attacked. Nonetheless, her reflexes were on a totally different level from normal humans.
Just as the hands were an inch away from her, they were severed, all of them. How? Akai had cut them off with her sword. "Holy shit, that was close," she huffed as she turned around to see what had tried to attack her. She was scared and also dumbfounded by her own actions.
Her reflexes saved her life once again.
A monster emerged from within the tree branches, camouflaged to hide from people. The monster was in pain, although it quickly regenerated its hands.
"What the hell? What do I do? It's scary," thought Akai while stepping back close to the strange boy. "I can't even run while carrying the boy. Damn it, Drake, where are you?" she was furious and scared at the same time.
When the monster lunged at her a second time, the big black wolf appeared out of thin air and bit the creature's arms off. The monster backed away in extreme pain. Drake came back to protect his master, Akai. He spat the torn arms of the monster on the ground. "Drake," Akai was happy seeing him again. "Boy, can you defeat it?" Drake gave out a bark as if to say 'yes' to her question. By the looks of it, he had grown a bit from two days ago.
The giant wolf thrust its red horn into the monster's chest, but for unknown reasons, the monster could not regenerate again, not even its hands. The pain was excruciating, and the monster tried to pull itself away. Drake, on the other hand, pushed the creature back against the wall. He pulled back immediately after the monster's movement became slower and bit the head off, finally killing the beast.
He was still holding the head in his mouth when he turned to his master and placed it near her feet. This was a sign of loyalty towards her. Akai was speechless; her wolf-dog had just killed something unbelievable. At one point she felt proud, and at another, she felt nervous.
"You did well, Drake," she patted his big furry head. "You are the best." The wolf was happy by getting praise from his master, and he started howling.
From the distance, a few monsters responded to the howling and roared as if in response. Akai got a bad feeling about this. She quickly decided to leave the area. She carried the boy with her and climbed onto Drake's back. He was wagging his tail from the excitement.
When they came to Main Street, there were three different creatures heading their way. "I take back what I said about you, Drake," she cried funnily. "Run back to the plaza, Drake."
In the plaza, Sky climbed up on the pedestal of the statue of a symbolic figure and called out Akai, not only him but all the others in the scouts. Kiara looked for her inside the buildings but to no avail.
"Did you find her?" asked Chi.
"Not yet," said Roy, feeling so worried. "Where could she have gone now? She told us that she'd wait right in the middle."
"She rarely does what she says," said Chi. Then he saw Kiara heading towards them. "Did you find anything?"
"No, I did not," she replied. "Damn it, Akai, where are you?" she looked around the surroundings. All the other members gathered around the center of the plaza, where she was supposed to wait. Suddenly, they heard roaring sounds of monsters echoing in the air. "Chi," Kiara called, "I think they are coming this way."
"I know," said Chi.
"We should leave right away," said Roy.
"But what about Akai?" said Sky.
"We can't risk it," Roy replied. "We can find her later; she will be alright anyway."
"He is right," said Chi.
"This is what we did the last time," said Kiara, glaring at Chi. "I won't leave her again, and if you won't help, then I will do it myself."
"I am coming with you," said Sky. When both of them got ready to leave, Chi asked them not to as they all will search for Akai together but all that after the monsters passed.
Right on that moment, Akai called to them, "hey, I am here"
"Oh there she is" said Chi "the dog was with her so she was fine, nothing happened"
"Thank goodness" said Sky in relief and asked "but why is she screaming like that?", when he saw her getting closer to them, behind her were the largest monsters they'd ever seen till now. They were following her and she was leading them here, in the plaza.
"Chi, you were right let's leave her and run now" while preparing to run, "we should run now" and he begun to run away. And the other did too, as well as Kiara who was sweating bullets because she thought highly of her best friend.
"She bought trouble again" said Chi as he hurriedly run along with the others "let's hide in the buildings"
All of them were running as fast as they could when Akai had caught up to them, "Run faster, guys" she said "they are right behind us"
"Akai, you are just sitting on Drake and not running like we do" said Kiara "running is hard"
"But you always get first prize in sports" said Akai
"That's a different story" replied Kiara
"Why are they even talking about it now?" asked Marc while running beside Chi, "leave them be" said Chi "and focus on running"
They all ran together and came into an abended building and hid inside it. Drake lured the monster away from the building and his master. The entire group ran up to the roof to be extra safe. All them were huffing and puffing from running hard.
"She couldn't even" Marc huffed "give us a ride"
"He can't take" said Akai grasping for air "the weight and climbing stairs are even harder"
"Anyway who is that?" Sky pointed at the white haired boy who was being carried by Lake, "what happened to him he is bleeding badly"
"Don't know; just found him on the way" and she asked Lake to put the down, creasing the soft hair of the boy with a napkin to wipe the blood off the hair and his face, "we need to go back now. Did you find anything useful?"
"Not really, except for more dead bodies" said Chi "we couldn't find anyone, that said" he paused, "we might have rescued everyone from here, the last time we came"
"We should go back" said Akai
"You can take him back" said Chi looking at the pale boy "we will scout more here and other places around the area. We'll return by evening"
"Did you not hear me I said 'we" said Akai glaring at him "that means all of us"
"You need to stop thinking about others now" said Chi equally glaring at her, "we are doing this for our own good", both of them had some sort of invisible sparks between them. It was very uncomfortable to the others seeing their two leaders fight like this. Maybe they were enemies in their past lives thought the others around them both.
After arguing for a while, Akai noticed that Caligo was nowhere to be found. Then she asked about him and no one knew where he'd gone to.
"What is he? A ghost?" asked Akai "disappearing like that all of the sudden and making us worried about him"
"Look who's talking" said Sky "you did the same thing, Akai"
"But I came back"
"You should go back now" said Sky "the boy needs the doc"
She looked at the strange boy and agreed with Sky but Drake hasn't returned yet. So there is no way she could go back by herself. "Can't you call him" asked Chi
"He is very far away" said Akai "so, no, I can't call out to him"
"He is magical beast after all" said Sky "he has to have good sense of hearing. Give it a try anyway"
Akai took out all the courage she had to do something so embarrassing because if Drake doesn't show up, by her calling out loud. She won't be able to show her face again.
"Drake" she called out, but there was no response. Gosh that was so embarrassing, everyone was kind of expected something, but nothing happened.
"You should wait here until Drake comes back, Akai", said Razia, "it will be the best solution. I think the little boy can hold up for some more time"
"Yeah I guess", said Akai feeling all so very embarrassed about herself, where could that damned dog have gone to? She asked herself.
Drake popped out from behind her and onto the rooftop, surprising everyone. And more surprising was that he was holding the head of one of the monsters that was chasing after them. He killed them all but bought one back thought Akai.
"Impressive", Akai shrugged her shoulders, she had nothing else to say to him "anyway lets go back home Drake, that guy doesn't want me here" she pointed at Chi, and he laughed it off with his sarcasm.
Akai and Drake were on their way to the station when they encountered a monster straight out of a video game—an Orc. It was gigantic, with a terrifying presence and a huge square hammer in its right hand.
They were spotted immediately. There was no option to flee or hide; they had to fight. However, Akai knew she wasn't strong enough to take on the giant creature alone. Only Drake had a chance.
"Drake, it's all on you, buddy," Akai said, jumping off him and grabbing the boy. "I'm sorry, but I'm not strong enough to fight that thing." She patted Drake's head and stepped back.
Drake assumed an attack stance, locking eyes with the Orc. As he leaped toward the monster, the Orc let out a deafening scream, causing Drake to falter mid-air. Before he could react, the Orc's hammer connected, sending Drake crashing into a wall.
"What in the world?" Akai gasped, watching in horror as Drake lay motionless. "How is that thing so strong? It sent Drake flying." Paralyzed by fear, she watched the Orc advance. Drake still wasn't moving.
"That damned thing dared to hit my friend," she muttered, glaring at the Orc. She gently placed the boy on the ground and stood to face the beast. With no other choice, she charged at the Orc, drawing a gun from under her shirt and firing. The Orc dodged effortlessly.
The Orc hurled its massive hammer at her. Akai swiftly bent backwards, grabbing the hammer's handle as it sailed over her. Using its momentum, she flew back, clutching the boy's collar and pulling him with her. They landed safely away from the Orc before the hammer crashed into the ground.
"That was close," she panted, gasping for air. "What luck..." Her mouth dry, she yelled, "You think I can fight you, stupid Orc? I'm running away, bastard!"
She bolted, the Orc in hot pursuit. Despite her fear, she didn't dare look back, knowing it would slow her down. Survival was her only focus.
The Orc was closing in, ready to strike her down. Suddenly, its entire shoulder exploded. It roared and halted. Akai skidded to a stop and turned to see what had happened.
"You almost got us both killed, girl," came a calm, soft voice from her right shoulder. It was the boy, his galaxy purple eyes barely open. "Why aren't you fighting it?" he asked, staring into her eyes. "Are you pretending to be weak?"
"What nonsense are you spouting, kid?" Akai retorted. "I'm just a normal human, and you're not." She pointed to the boy's clawed left hand, which he had used to blast the Orc's shoulder. "Are you from another world?" she asked.
"I am," he replied, "and the Orc's friends will be here in a few seconds." As he spoke, six more Orcs appeared, surrounding them.
Akai's fear surged. How could she escape this? Her luck had run out.
"It seems you won't fight, girl," the boy said, jumping off her back. "How troublesome. I have to fight even when I'm badly hurt."
"What does he plan to do?" Akai wondered. "Hey kid, are you sure?" she called out.
"Right now, I'm more useful than you," the boy replied, disappointment evident in his gaze.
"He's mocking me," she thought, forcing a smile. "Please, help me," she finally said.
The Orcs leaped to attack the boy. "Look out, kid!" Akai warned.
He glanced at them, sighed deeply, and said, "Too easy." With a single swing of his right hand, all the Orcs were sliced to pieces.
Akai was stunned. The boy now had white horns and purple tips on his silky white hair. "What in the world are you?" she blurted out, covering her mouth in shock.
The boy knelt in front of her, meeting her eyes. "You haven't awakened yet," he said, tilting his head. "Don't worry, you won't be asleep for long."
"What the hell is this kid talking about?"
"I'm not a kid," he replied.
"He can read minds?"
"No, I can't," he insisted, though his expression suggested otherwise. "I really can't."
"Bastard, lying right to my face," she thought.
"I'm not lying."
"Seriously, keep on lying, kid," she finally answered in annoyance.
"I'm not lying. It's written all over your face," the boy said, equally fed up. "And for the second time, I'm not a kid."
"Oh," was all she could say.
Back at the station, the scouts were concerned. "What happened to her?" asked one.
"Did something happen?" asked another.
"Even Mr. Caligo is missing," someone said.
"I'm going out to search for them," said Chi. "They might be in danger."
"She'll come back, so don't worry," said Kiara calmly. "She always does this."
Akai entered the station, carrying numerous shopping bags. Drake walked beside her, carrying the wounded boy on his back. He had passed out after their brief conversation. Akai had gone shopping for clothes for him.
"If something really happened to you," said Chi, "next time we wouldn't go look for you, thinking you might come back as you did today."
"I didn't have a phone to call, and there was no signal," she explained. "And besides, I didn't have time to inform you."
The boy was taken to the infirmary. Akai explained his situation to Dr. Yagi, noting his inhuman regeneration abilities. The doctor didn't need to perform a full surgery.
The boy was a demon, Akai thought. His abilities and appearance were proof.
"Take good care of him, Mr. Ebi'iro," she said to the doctor. Noticing Caligo's absence, she asked about him, but no one knew where he was. He had disappeared after she went missing.
Exhausted, Akai went to her room and collapsed into bed. The day's events had drained her completely.
Akai and Drake were on their way to the station when they encountered a monster straight out of a video game—an Orc. It was gigantic, with a terrifying presence and a huge square hammer in its right hand. The creature's skin was a sickly green, its muscles bulging grotesquely under its rough armor.
As they approached, the Orc's yellow eyes locked onto them, and Akai felt a shiver run down her spine. There was no option to flee or hide; they had to fight. However, Akai knew she wasn't strong enough to take on the giant creature alone. Only Drake had a chance.
"Drake, it's all on you, buddy," Akai said, jumping off him and grabbing the boy. "I'm sorry, but I'm not strong enough to fight that thing." She patted Drake's head and stepped back, her heart pounding.
Drake assumed an attack stance, locking eyes with the Orc. The two opponents glared at each other, tension crackling in the air. Drake's fur bristled, and he bared his teeth in a ferocious snarl. The Orc responded with a guttural roar, raising its hammer high.
With a burst of speed, Drake leaped toward the monster. But the Orc let out a deafening scream, causing Drake to falter mid-air. Before he could react, the Orc's hammer swung with terrifying force, connecting with Drake and sending him crashing into a stone wall with a sickening thud.
"What in the world?" Akai gasped, her eyes wide with horror as Drake lay motionless. "How is that thing so strong? It sent Drake flying." Paralyzed by fear, she watched the Orc advance, each step shaking the ground beneath her feet. Drake still wasn't moving.
"That damned thing dared to hit my friend," she muttered, her fear giving way to anger. She glared at the Orc, her fists clenching. Gently placing the boy on the ground, she stood to face the beast. With no other choice, she charged at the Orc, drawing a gun from under her shirt and firing. The Orc dodged effortlessly, its movements surprisingly swift for its size.
The Orc hurled its massive hammer at her. Akai swiftly bent backwards, grabbing the hammer's handle as it sailed over her. Using its momentum, she flew back, clutching the boy's collar and pulling him with her. They landed safely away from the Orc before the hammer crashed into the ground with a deafening boom.
"That was close," she panted, gasping for air. "What luck..." Her mouth dry, she yelled, "You think I can fight you, stupid Orc? I'm running away, bastard!"
She bolted, the Orc in hot pursuit. Despite her fear, she didn't dare look back, knowing it would slow her down. Survival was her only focus. The Orc's heavy footsteps thundered behind her, gaining ground with each stride.
The Orc was closing in, ready to strike her down. Suddenly, its entire shoulder exploded in a shower of blood and flesh. It roared and halted, clutching the mangled stump where its arm used to be. Akai skidded to a stop and turned to see what had happened.
"You almost got us both killed, girl," came a calm, soft voice from her right shoulder. It was the boy, his galaxy purple eyes barely open. "Why aren't you fighting it?" he asked, staring into her eyes. "Are you pretending to be weak?"
"What nonsense are you spouting, kid?" Akai retorted, her voice shaking. "I'm just a normal human, and you're not." She pointed to the boy's clawed left hand, which he had used to blast the Orc's shoulder. "Are you from another world?" she asked.
"I am," he replied, "and the Orc's friends will be here in a few seconds." As he spoke, six more Orcs appeared, their monstrous forms materializing out of the shadows, surrounding them.
Akai's fear surged. How could she escape this? Her luck had run out. The Orcs' growls echoed around her, their eyes gleaming with malevolent intelligence.
"It seems you won't fight, girl," the boy said, jumping off her back. "How troublesome. I have to fight even when I'm badly hurt."
"What does he plan to do?" Akai wondered, her heart racing. "Hey kid, are you sure?" she called out, her voice trembling.
"Right now, I'm more useful than you," the boy replied, disappointment evident in his gaze.
"He's mocking me," she thought, forcing a smile. "Please, help me," she finally said, swallowing her pride.
The Orcs leaped to attack the boy. "Look out, kid!" Akai warned, her voice breaking.
He glanced at them, sighed deeply, and said, "Too easy." With a single swing of his right hand, a shockwave rippled through the air, and all the Orcs were sliced to pieces, their bodies falling apart as if made of paper.
Akai was stunned. The boy now had white horns and purple tips on his silky white hair. "What in the world are you?" she blurted out, covering her mouth in shock.
The boy knelt in front of her, meeting her eyes. "You haven't awakened yet," he said, tilting his head. "Don't worry, you won't be asleep for long."
"What the hell is this kid talking about?" Akai thought, bewildered.
"I'm not a kid," he replied, as if reading her mind.
"He can read minds?"
"No, I can't," he insisted, though his expression suggested otherwise. "I really can't."
"Bastard, lying right to my face," she thought.
"I'm not lying."
"Seriously, keep on lying, kid," she finally answered in annoyance.
"I'm not lying. It's written all over your face," the boy said, equally fed up. "And for the second time, I'm not a kid."
"Oh," was all she could say.
Back at the station, the scouts were concerned. "What happened to her?" asked one.
"Did something happen?" asked another.
"Even Mr. Caligo is missing," someone said.
"I'm going out to search for them," said Chi. "They might be in danger."
"She'll come back, so don't worry," said Kiara calmly. "She always does this."
Akai entered the station, carrying numerous shopping bags in both hands. Her body ached from the day's events, but she held her head high, determined not to show any signs of weakness. Drake walked beside her, a loyal companion, carrying the wounded boy on his back. The boy had passed out after their brief conversation, leaving Akai to wonder about the strange powers he possessed.
As she stepped into the bustling station, the scouts who had been waiting anxiously immediately crowded around her. Their worried expressions softened at the sight of her, though their concern for her well-being remained evident.
"If something really happened to you," said Chi, his voice a mixture of relief and reprimand, "next time we wouldn't go look for you, thinking you might come back as you did today."
"I didn't have a phone to call, and there was no signal," Akai explained, her voice weary but steady. "And besides, I didn't have time to inform you."
She glanced around, noting the curious and relieved faces of her friends. The boy was taken from Drake's back and placed on a portable emergency bed, which was quickly wheeled towards the infirmary. Akai followed closely behind, her mind racing with thoughts about the boy and the encounter with the Orcs.
The infirmary was a sterile, quiet place, a stark contrast to the chaos outside. Dr. Yagi, the station's chief medical officer, greeted them with a nod. He was a middle-aged man with sharp eyes that missed nothing.
"Akai, what happened?" he asked, his tone professional but laced with concern.
"We ran into some trouble," she replied, giving a brief but detailed account of the battle with the Orcs and the boy's strange powers. "He might have inhuman regeneration abilities, so you might not need to perform a full surgery on him."
Dr. Yagi examined the boy, noting the unusual features that marked him as something other than human. "A demon, you say?" he murmured, mostly to himself. "Interesting."
"Take good care of him, Mr. Ebi'iro," Akai said, using the doctor's first name out of habit. She scanned the hall and noticed that Caligo was missing. "Where's Caligo?" she asked, her worry for him bubbling to the surface.
"Nobody knows," replied one of the scouts. "He suddenly disappeared right after you went missing."
Akai frowned, her mind racing with possibilities. Not wanting to worry anyone further, she sighed and said, "If anyone hears anything about him, let me know immediately."
Leaving the infirmary, Akai made her way to her quarters. The day's events had drained her completely, and all she wanted was to collapse into bed. As she walked through the dimly lit halls, memories of the battle replayed in her mind—the fear, the adrenaline, the boy's enigmatic powers. She couldn't shake the feeling that something significant had just begun.
Her quarters were small but cozy, a refuge from the chaos of the outside world. She set down the shopping bags and took a moment to breathe, the silence enveloping her like a comforting blanket. Drake padded in behind her, his presence a steady reassurance.
"Thanks, Drake," she murmured, patting his head. "You did great out there."
The wolf-dog gave a soft whine, nuzzling her hand before curling up on the floor. Akai smiled faintly, grateful for his companionship. She changed into more comfortable clothes and finally allowed herself to lie down, her body sinking into the mattress.
As she closed her eyes, her mind drifted to the boy's words. "You haven't awakened yet," he had said. What did he mean by that? And why did he seem so familiar, yet so alien? Questions swirled in her mind, but exhaustion soon claimed her, pulling her into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Meanwhile, in the infirmary, Dr. Yagi and his team worked diligently on the boy. Despite his wounds, the boy's regenerative abilities were remarkable, knitting flesh and bone together at an accelerated rate. The doctor watched in awe as the boy's body healed itself, confirming Akai's account.
"He's not just any demon," Dr. Yagi mused aloud to his assistants. "There's something special about this one."
As the night wore on, the station gradually quieted down. Scouts returned to their posts, and the air was filled with a sense of uneasy calm. Akai's friends whispered among themselves, their thoughts heavy with worry and curiosity.
In her room, Akai slept soundly, unaware of the storm brewing around her. The boy's presence had stirred something ancient and powerful, something that would soon change their world forever. For now, she rested, gathering her strength for the challenges that lay ahead.
Little did she know, her journey was far from over. The encounter with the Orcs and the mysterious boy was just the beginning of a much larger adventure, one that would test her limits and reveal the true extent of her destiny.
***