"Brother, what are you doing?"

"What do you mean 'what am I doing'? I'm coming with you."

Xeno glares. "No."

He watches his brother slip on his overcoat - ocean blue with their city's emblem etched on the left of its velvet collar - which signifies the rank of a Reaper hailing from the Northern City. When his brother catches his eye, Xeno glares harder.

"But then, if you're there to protect them, then who'll protect you?" Ansel asks.

"Me," he replies, simply. "I passed that ridiculous Reaper Test, didn't I? Did it with a dormant core, too."

"I know that. Of course, I know that. Can't I just come with you, though?"

"Brother, why do we have to have this conversation every time I have to leave the city borders?"

It's a well-worn argument. Something his brother is not keen on stopping anytime soon, it appears. For all he grumbles, Xeno knows his brother is just being protective. He may be a Reaper, but compared to the others, he has a quite the severe limitation. So, really, he can't fault him for acting the way he does. Ansel should go out more, though. Maybe once he finds a lady to court he won't be as insufferable.

"I'm busy with the business. I don't have time to settle down."

Xeno clicks his tongue. How could he tell he was thinking about that? "You should. You're getting old."

"I'm only 25!" Ansel splutters. "You're 5 years younger than I am!"

Xeno ignores him as he smooths down his shirt. He double checks if he has all his cards - dubbed famously as Core Supporters - on him. He found a sigil for rope binding a few days ago. He plans on testing it out after escorting the group of travelers who hired him back to their town. "I'm leaving."

"You better come back in one piece, you hear me?"

He only grunts in response.

Xeno checks his pocket watch as he nears his destination. He finds his patrons ready to go when he arrives. They're small group of five. "Apologies," he says in lieu of a greeting. "I'm late."

They scramble from their seats once they hear him approach. "T-There's no need for apologies, young sir. Thank you for escorting us back to our town."

"Just Xeno is fine."

The leader of their group, he assumes, stutters over his name. He wonders why everyone's always so nervous around him. It's not like he's going to bite them. He furrows his brows. He wants to ask, but their leader looks like he's quaking in his boots. He gives him a nod instead. "Let's go, then. Best if we leave before midday."

The trip is silent. Xeno notes the way they stare at each other nervously. "I'll protect you. You don't have to worry."

Their leader, who stands closest to him startles. His name is Leon, if Xeno recalls correctly.

"Oh, it's not that. It's just..." Leon trails off. He clears his throat. "Nevermind."

One of the women walks up next to him. "Just Xeno, right?"

He gives her a side glance. A petite woman. Xeno thinks her name is Tina. Her eyes glitter with mischief, a little tick in the corner of her mouth. It's a look he's well acquainted with. He's seen it enough to know that he's being playfully teased. He grunts in acknowledgement.

"So, how'd you become a Reaper?"

Another woman suddenly appears next to the first. Her sister, Rina. "Ooh, do tell. I hear they hold practical tests for you before you're properly enrolled in the city's academy. How long did it take you to complete?"

"One minute."

He hears a round of exclamation. Suddenly, everyone is crowding around him, and he has to stop walking.

He glares. "Too close."

They look sufficiently cowed as they step back. They continue walking. The others have started chattering comfortably behind him. Not nervous anymore. Good. The sisters continue the conversation after a moment of silence.

"One minute is insane. That has to be a record."

"I know someone who finished in thirty seconds," Xeno says. He doesn't share how one minute had been all he could afford. His core has been dormant for as long as he can remember, but Xeno has always been ambitious. Ever since he was seven years old, he had always wanted to become a Reaper, so he found a way to make it happen. Simple.

He learned how to read ancient texts to create sigils that could help him get the demons faster, discovered that there's actually residual core energy in the air that was just ready for the taking, searched for ways on how to harness it (pros of having resercher parents). The result was a one minute time limit. Another three full years of research extended it to five. Five minutes for every hour.

Reapers, generally, though not all, have a more athletic build. Strength is needed to harness internal core energy better, after all, and punches definitely hit harder when energy is added to it. But Xeno's not like the rest, so what he doesn't have in strength, he makes up for with speed. It's why his body is more lithe than it is muscular. He may not be as sculpted, but at least, his muscles are still toned.

Xeno leads the group further doen the trail, and they keep walking until sundown. He moves to help when he sees them setting up camp, but the ladies just shoo him away when he tries. Xeno grumbles, but leaves them be. They giggle at his sour expression.

Getting to the town is a one-night travel. They should be able to get there by midday the next day. Xeno sets up protection sigils on the surrounding trees and stays on high alert, but the night is uneventful. He almost thinks they're going to make it without any demons showing up when, just as they catch sight of the forest's exit, three live cadavers appear. "Get behind me," he tell the others. They immediately scramble for cover.

Xeno mutters his incantation, taps into the energy in the air, and unsheathes his sword. Five minutes.

He charges forward and clashes swords with the first, hits the other with his scabbard, making it stumble backwards. He quickly sidesteps when he hears the third come up behind him, dodging a heavy downward swing. These are low-level demons, he notes. Slightly sluggish movements, weak strength.

Xeno activates a card - for purification - and slams it into the first one's chest. He's about to do the same for the second, who's trying to get up after another hit, when he notices the third has gotten bored with him and is advancing towards weaker prey. Xeno activates the rope binding card, prays that it works, and throws it towards the demon.

It only works for 30 seconds, but it's enough for the five travelers to move further out of the way. Xeno purifies them quickly, and the cadavers fall limp to the ground. He glances at the others. "Okay?"

They nod, mouths slightly agape.

The rest of the trip goes off without a hitch. He bids them farewell just as a rambunctious group of children run past him in giggles.

"Where have you guys been?" he hears Leon scold them. "You shouldn't be out in the woods right now. Didn't your parents warn you about the demons that appeared in the area recently?"

The children chorus out an apology before running back to their homes.

Xeno heads back to the forest. He's barely in there for five minutes when he hears the scream. His eyes widen in alarm, eyes darting around the trees before he starts to run towards the source of the sound. In a little clearing, he finds a kid backing away from two live cadavers. Xeno curses. He knew it was weird. Low-level demons like these usually travel in packs of five. These two must have gotten separated from the other three they ran into earlier.

It hasn't even been an hour since he last harnessed the core energy around him; only 30 minutes since he last used it. But, that should give him at least a good, full minute. There's a pistol on the ground a few meters from him.

He mutters the incantation again. It should be enough time. Two condensed balls of energy shoot out the muzzle when he pulls the trigger. One gets hit square in the chest, but the other - the one who's getting uncomfortably close to where the little girl stands - misses. He activates the rope binding card. The kid's legs buckle.

"You have 30 seconds, kid! Get over here before they tear off your limbs."

Xeno sees her wince as she shakily scrambles towards him. When he sees that she's out of hitting range, he shoots again.

He quickly purifies the two cadavers before turning sharply to face the kid. He fights to tamp back his anger when he sees that she's crying. Even for him, that was a really close call. He feels the energy around him fizzle out. Now, he has to wait another hour, instead of the other half hour he was supposed to have left, to get back his full five minutes. If they run into any more demons, he'll have to grab the kid and make a quick getaway. Xeno sighs. This is why he only takes little cases like escorting civilians. If he partakes in those large sieges, what use will he be to the other Reapers? He'd be a liability, no matter how quick he is, and Xeno refuses to be that. Besides, little quests aren't so bad.

Or, so he tell himself.

But, it's infinitely better than nothing.

"Kid," he must still sound angry because the girl looks at him with wide, watery eyes. "What in the world are you doing out here all alone? Don't you know how dangerous it is?"

"My friends said we were going to play hide and seek," she hiccups, shoulders hunched up to her ears.

"And they just left you here?"

She nods.

"Then don't call them your friends. Real friends don't leave each other for dead."

At least, that's what Xeno assumes. He doesn't really have any friends either. His brother says it's because he looks like he hates everyone. He can't change the way his face looks, though, so he always leaves the conversation at that, scowl ever-present on his face. Ansel just laughs and ruffles his hair like he's some sort of kid.

"This yours?" he holds up the gun. She grabs the gun from his hands, holds it tight to her chest. "What are you doing with that? You're only, what, eight?"

She narrows her eyes at him. "I'm 11."

"Still too young. Aren't you supposed to start with swords?" Xeno doubts she even knows how to use the thing. He narrows his eyes. "And don't 11-year-olds start learning the theory before practice?"

She doesn't reply. She doesn't look him in the eyes, either. "Whatever. Get up, kid. I'm taking you home."

"I live in Forx Town," she says.

Xeno grunts, recalls the gaggle of giggling children by the town entrance. He starts walking back to the direction he came from. "I know."

"Hey, mister," she tugs on his coat.

"Hands off," he glares. She doesn't even look scared anymore. He thinks he even hears her humming a soft tune under her breath. What are kids made of nowadays? Stone?

"What do you want?" he asks.

"Where did those demons come from? How do they choose who to corrupt?"

"Didn't they teach you that in school?"

"But history is boring. I just want to be a Reaper."

He scoffs. "Then pay attention in school, brat. It's part of the training."

"As if you did," she pouts.

"I did. I was the top of my class." Xeno sees her sulking from the corner of his eye, then sighs. "Demons are made of malice. It's what we call corrupted energy."

At her slightly confused look, he rolls his eyes. "It's the black stuff that comes out of them. They come from hell, but around 500 years ago, a bunch of sailors came across a mysterious island in the Atlantic Ocean."

"The Devil's Triangle?"

"Exactly. They found a cave, touched something they shouldn't have, and opened a gateway between here and there. The requirement for corruption is that your essence has to have accumulated lot of negative energy. When you're at your weakest, that's when the demons get you."

"What was that rope thing that came out of that card?"

"A core supporter."

"I don't think I've ever seen that one before," she muses. "My parents only use the Purification and Protection Cards."

"It's a new thing I'm testing out. Others don't use it as much because they have cores that are developed strong enough that they don't need them."

Xeno adds, "It's also optional. Those who don't travel in pairs or a group usually use them more because they don't have anyone to watch their backs."

"Oh, so what happens if you get caught by the demons?"

"Demons either kill you right away, or, if they think you body is compatible with their aura, they corrupt you and slowly suck away your core energy. It helps them last longer in the body they chose to corrupt. This way, they don't have to find another host body to possess so quickly. Corruption is just a slower, slightly more painful death. You get killed either way."

The kid quiets down after that. Xeno thinks that's the last of the questions when she tugs on his cloak again. "What?"

She's biting anxiously at her lip. "Do you think I can become one?"

"A Reaper?"

She nods. Though she's a little hesitant, there's a quiet determination in her eyes that makes Xeno regard her a little more fondly. Ugh, kids. "If you're determined enough, sure."

She perks up at this. He raises a brow. "Are you determined enough?"

The kid nods more enthusiastically this time. "I want to be just like you!"

Xeno feels his ears warm. He fights down a smile and forces himself to scowl instead. "Don't settle. You should always aim for better."

They see the town entrance when they exit the forest. Xeno stops walking. "Alright, kid. First step to becoming a Reaper: make it back home." He tilts his head towards the town. "Think you can make it?"

"Yeah!"

"Good. Don't wander."

He watches as she runs away from the forest, catching as she waves at him once. Xeno ensures that she makes it safely within the boundaries of her little town before he finally leaves.

Right, time for him to make his way back home, too.