The moment he saw the clouds begin to rotate, Lukas knew exactly what it meant.

As someone who had lived in the Midwest for over a decade, Lukas knew and accepted tornadoes as a part of life. People thought they were scary— which they were —but they were also very survivable provided one followed some simple guidelines: warn people early, and when you heard the warning, quickly head for the safest space you could reach. Usually, it was a basement or cellar, or maybe beneath a staircase, or an interior bathroom. Other times, the best you could hope for was the deepest ditch you could find.

Basically, it amounted to ‘run and hide’.

And right now, all of his instincts screamed at him to do exactly that.

His heart rate rocketed and his mouth went dry. The clouds churned faster and faster. Screams, real and ethereal, exuded out into the atmosphere as strange, semi-translucent beings soared up into the heavens to join the newly created revolving mandala of power. The air became dense and the drizzling rain cut off as if a valve was suddenly closed. Lightning with no thunder flickered weirdly through the clouds, turning every shade of white and blue and sea green as water vapor split light into the visible spectrum.

Then, he felt it.

Something slashed through the air, its fury palpable. It struck whatever remained of the Binding Circle and shattered it completely in a burst of green and golden sparks.

“Yes,” Arah commented in the background. “It is Raikou.”

He doesn’t sound like an agreeable fellow.

“Tanya?” he called out. “I might have disturbed something really strong and angry.”

“Yeah,” Tanya deadpanned, “I noticed.”

“So… care to lend a hand?”

The Wind-shaper sighed. “I’d rather not. Ezzeron is a spirit of the Wind. Not very helpful against the spirit of the Storm. Plus, that thing’s power is off the charts. Worst case scenario, it could snatch Ezzeron away and force it against us.”

“It can do that?” Lukas exclaimed.

“You underestimate Raikou’s powers,” Arah commented.

You’re no help at all. Lukas grimaced, gathering power within him. The Raiju was no kami, or at least not something that fell in the usual category. It was a being with Soul Capacity, and thus not something he could bind. Soul Siphon was an option, but based on Arah’s words, this thing was a bigger deal than itself. That meant in terms of Soul Cap and Presence, it was a far greater deal than Lukas himself.

Still, it could work if I manage to beat it down. Right?

“I am not sure how you can do that, but I’d very much like to see.”

Oh shut it, Lukas scowled.

What else was there? Territory Creation? That would be laughable. This thing was a manifestation of the Storm, which meant Wind, Space, Lightning, Water, and of course, Force of considerable magnitudes. He had enough trouble trying to exercise Territory Creation over rough sand without killing himself in the process.

This creature was the territory itself.

It would swallow him whole and scorch him to soot before he even had a chance.

Swallowing, Lukas made his decision. “Don’t interfere in this fight. If Mori’s done, get the treasure and go.”

His lifeforce doubled, its predatory nature almost about to overwhelm his rationality.

“But, what about you?!” Tanya hollered.

“Don’t worry. I’ll catch up.”

“You don’t even know how to get out!”

“I’ll find a way. Now go!”

“Partner, I have to ask. I do not see those channels your woman is using. Can you use my powers without them?”

“The way I see it,” Lukas replied, no longer caring to speak within his mind, “You know your powers better. Might as well use them yourself. I’ll just stick to mine.”

“…You are the strangest Binder I’ve ever encountered.”

Good to know.

Prey Found You

Lukas looked at the gathering power over his head and saw the clouds swoop down in the shape of a funnel as they began to descend down towards him.

“Yeah,” he murmured, “I noticed.”

Accessing Monster Prototype —Kirin

Accessing Skill — Speed Blitz

A self-destructive technique employing the disintegration of Soul Capacity into potent lifeforce to achieve extreme speed

Lukas dashed into a sprint and disappeared.

Raikou followed.

Tanya had been to the Banksi estate only once in her life, and she had been troubled with way too many things to actually look around and appreciate what the owners had done with the place. It was an enormous estate away from Haviskali proper, and one of the many, many holdings of the Banksi clan that distributed itself throughout the Asukan Empire. The mansion was surrounded by half a mile of old-growth forest that had been converted to an idyllic garden. Huge trees and smooth grass dominated the terrain, with the occasional, suspiciously symmetrical outgrowth of flowering plants located in the center of golden shafts of sunlight that shone through green-shadowed trees. Tanya had a sneaking suspicion that the forest housed more things than just physical creatures.

Already, she could sense several detection fields sprawled around on the campus. Proximity wards that would instantaneously report to the Mansion security about the presence of an intruder. And, if she were honest with herself, that was what she felt like.

An intruder.

Especially after what had happened.

As promised to Lukas, Tanya had brought Mori back with her safely and navigated the Mists to descend into the outer periphery of the Keep. As expected, the Elders expected a narrative report of what had transpired, and Mori had been the one to do it.

It had not painted Tanya in a good light. Say what you would about svartalfars, but they were masters of bluntness.

Mori had described, in intricate detail, how an Outsider had bested an ifrit— raising both wonder and skepticism from the audience —and performed a Binding Ritual— drawing an increasing number of frowns that did not make Tanay feel better —before unexpectedly gaining the attention of a Storm kami close to the league of the Big Three. Then, in an attempt to safeguard his charge, Lukas had vanished, taking the Storm with him.

Tanya had done her job successfully, but her relative lack of contribution made her look unappealing even if the entire mission was meant to analyze the Outsider’s skills in the first place. The fact that Lukas had vanished into the Mists hadn’t helped matters at all.

That was three weeks ago.

Three weeks with absolutely no information about Lukas Aguilar. What happened to him? Where did he go? Was he even alive?

Nothing.

And then, she had been surprised by a missive with a Clan Crest on top.

The Banksi clan.

It was a formal request for her to show up at the Banksi estate.

That was how she had found herself trudging through the estate, feeling worse and worse about her upcoming predicament. Had Zuken somehow sensed that something was wrong? She hadn’t left the safety of the Keep, and she knew for a fact that Asukan scanners could not breach their defenses. Perhaps he had been inquisitive about it and simply wanted to know if she had returned?

…

No. The missive was too direct.

Zuken Banksi knew where she was. And he wanted her to report to him.

She reached the outer doors and rapped against them. A tall, square-jawed rōnin in his forties opened it and allowed her inside. Banksi must have warned him of her arrival. Either that or impressive wards. Or both.

“The Master is expecting you.”

And that was it. No words of welcome, no interrogations of her identity and purpose.

She was expected inside.

Adopting her best smile, Tanya squared her shoulders and stepped inside.

The door opened onto a long hallway with light at the far end, enough to let them walk by without feeling claustrophobic. The interior walls were decorated with graffiti while the air smelled like dewy wet grass, something that automatically put Tanya on edge. The mansion boasted of large, open spaces, with incredible attention to the architecture and room positions. Almost every inch of the floor was elevated slightly above ground-level, and knowing the Banksi’s reputation with Earth-shaping, she wondered whether she was entering into a mansion or a garrison. There was no doubt in her mind that so long as Banksi stayed within the estate, he was practically unassailable.

“Charming place,” she commented, walking beside the rōnin. Maybe in a different life, she would have lived in such a building and called it her own. Zuken talked about the Shimizu estate, but in the scheme of things, she doubted it’d be a priority anymore. Especially since Lukas Aguilar was—

Gone.

That was the crux of the situation.

Lukas Aguilar was gone.

“Has Zu— I mean, your Master stated why he expected me?”

The rōnin shook his head. “It is not for me to know. Master, however, has asked that he not be disturbed. All appointments today after this are canceled.”

“…I see.”

The hallway ended in a flight of stairs. Tanya climbed after the rōnin and faced a doorway. Finally, the rōnin stopped and turned towards her.

“It is not my place to know the details, but as Master’s protector, I must ask this of you. Before you accept the hospitality of the house, I ask you to give me your personal word that you are here in good faith. In return, I will offer no violence while you are a guest.”

Tanya nodded. It seemed to be enough.

“Master is inside with his patient. A mutual acquaintance of you both, I am told.” The rōnin bowed. “I will excuse myself.” He knocked on the door and left.

“Come in,” came Zuken’s voice.

Gulping, Tanya stepped in.