[Soul Energy]

A [Compatible]’s greatest strength and greatest tool. While they may lack the finesse to use it and express it in more useful forms like the [Inhuman] do, they do have a few tricks available.

Body strengthening, for example. A textbook application of excess [Soul Energy].

Is it any wonder, then, that [Compatible] bloodlines tend to be warrior clans?

Like a certain clan of shinobi with the family name of Saito.

---

A figure clad in black and decked in gear hopped from rooftop to rooftop at the dead of night.

Of course, this was Yuudai.

And it was a troubling mission he was on. Very troubling.

His family superiors had instructed him mere minutes ago to do a simple task: To protect Shiori’s house from any enemy attack.

They had refused to specify as to whether there was actually going to be an attack, and if so why they knew about it.

Quite troubling indeed.

It was possible that this was a test, but the urgency of the message seemed much more real. It had urged him to ignore standard gear-up protocol and get to the scene as quickly as possible.

No shinobi would urge another shinobi to gear-up improperly if the situation were not truly urgent.

With one last hop, Yuudai arrived at a house next to his protection target. Nothing seemed abnormal.

And just as he was about to ease his fears for a moment, Shiori’s house burst into fire.

---

“Fuu~ such a smell…”

A sleepy Shiori came to her senses as she realized what exactly she was smelling.

The flames were already everywhere and rapidly spreading.

A rapid knocking started to sound on the window.

“Open up! You have to get up now, Shiori-nee!”

“Yuu-kun!”

“I'm getting the lock give me a mo-”

There was a loud smash as a fist burst through the glass right next to where Shiori was standing.

“There's no time! I'll pay for the glass, okay?! Get on my shoulders now!”

Shiori did as she was told.

“Ara~ an assertive Yuu-kun is also nice.”

“Are you seriously going to do this now of all times?”

After landing softly after a drop from the second-floor balcony onto the street, and placing down Shiori, Yuudai turned around to assess the situation.

“... these aren't normal flames, Shiori-nee.”

‘Huh? How do you know that?”

“It's spreading much faster than you would expect a normal fire to. I got here just in time. Also that greenish tinge is definitely not normal.”

Sure enough, the fire was not a pure orange but rather had greenish specks in it.

“... are we thinking of the same thing?”

“This was the work of an enemy [Inhuman].”

“...”

"Quite the perceptive fellow, aren't you, young Saito."

A woman's clear voice rang out from behind as the flames mysteriously went out.

“One correction though: Not just an [Inhuman]. An [Inhuman] and a [Compatible] with a [Soul Link]. I hope you two realize how hopelessly outmatched you are.”