Chapter 9-Training Day

Though Sai’s guest room had two beds, Kira and Saya decided to share just one bed for the night, just like they used to do as children. The twins didn’t feel like sleeping separately after everything that happened today. They laid in bed and huddled together in the covers, seeking warmth and comfort in each other even when sleeping.

Saya most of all waned the support her brother brought in order to keep the nightmares away. Physically and emotionally exhausted, the tins had a rough night of sleep as they shared the same dream, or rather a memory, from different perspectives. Now that they knew the truth, their minds slowly began to fill in the blanks of that fateful day. Whether that is a good or bad thing is still up in the air.

When morning came, the sun rose and sunlight shined through the window down onto them. It was a warm feeling, not unlike standing in the middle of the sun, but different in a way. Kira and Saya awoke feeling as if someone was embracing them, and they stared into each other’s eyes, which were perfect reflections of one another.

“Morning.” Saya whispered.

“Morning.” Kira said back. “How are you feeling?”

“Still a bit tired, but better than yesterday.” Saya said. “This might be the first time we woke up without screaming at each other.”

“Yeah.” Kira nodded. Neither sibling moved to get out of bed, still staring at each other’s eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay, Saya?”

“Who said I was okay? I only said I was feeling a bit better from yesterday. Even the thought about learning magic isn’t doing much for my mood.”

“Come on, Saya, hang in there.” Kira grasped her hand. “We have each other, right? We can get through this together.”

Saya smiled. “This is weird.”

“How so?”

“Usually I’m the one giving you encouraging pep talks about being confident and strong.”

She said.

“Oh, I’m just as scared as you are, but we can be strong together.” Kira said. “You can take this at your own pace, okay? Just keep in mind that I’m here for you, like auntie, Sai and Amaru.”

“And dad.” She added. Kira nodded.

“Especially dad.”

“Thanks, Kira.” Saya sat up in the bed and stretched her stiff arms out with a big yawn. “Let’s go before Sai comes bursting into the room like a freight train.”

“Yeah, I got to go make breakfast.” Kira said, getting up as well.

“Seriously?”

“Neither of them can cook, and I’m sure you don’t want takeout for breakfast.” Kira said.

Saya made a face. “I’ll fire up the stove.”

XXXXXX

Mai knew that she’d have a rough time when she woke up that her day was going to be a rough one from the moment she opened her eyes. After putting her brother into the hospital and making sure that her niece and nephew were safe and protected, she wanted to get right into searching for the terrorists that tried to kidnap them right under her nose. On top of finding who the hell leaked their location to the Phantom Society in the first place.

Her bad feeling only got worse by the sudden appearance of Captain Rukia Ogura of STAF’s Nippon branch, who had come all the way from the capital city of Edo to visit Mai’s division in Makura Town, or rather, to visit Mai herself. Rukia was a short, petite young woman who was a talented combat magician and a soldier with a stellar military career in magical affairs, which ran in the family. It helped her position that her older brother was a member of the Sun Guard.

Mai and Rukia talked about the events that transpired via telecommunication over a closed, heavily encrypted channel to ensure that their conversation remained secret. Mai was quick in explaining the details on her side, but the more she talked, the less pleased Rukia looked, and that worried her.

“I must say, Mai, this news isn’t reassuring considering the reports we’re getting from the London branch.” Rukia said.

“Why? What’s the matter?” Mai asked, already dreading the answer.

Rukia thought about how she wanted to present this information. “We’ve just got word that Captain Roger Fergusson was killed in a raid trying to apprehend Margareta Walcott.”

“Excuse me?” Mai blinked. She heard about Fergusson; she respected the man’s work ethic, and how he ran a tight ship despite the unholy number of rowdy STAF operatives under his command. How the hell did Margareta get the jump on him?

“We’re still trying to figure out the details. Margareta was physically there in the safe house, but moments after encountering and killing the captain, she vanished without a trace. We can only speculate that she was using a magical item that we were unable to detect.” Rukia shook her head. “You never know what kind of relics that the Phantom Society might be fielding until it’s too late.”

“Do you know where she might be going?” Mai asked.

“Considering two of her associates recently tried to make a move on the twins, as well as Sai Huang being there at your location, it is highly possible that Margareta might to coming to Nippon to make capturing your niece and nephew her top priority.”

‘Of course.’ Mai thought with a grimace. She heard tales of Margareta’s abnormally high magical powers, being highly skilled in psychic magic. If the good Captain Fergusson was unable to face her in open combat, then there was nothing stopping her.

“I’m increasing STAF patrols at all the airports in the country, as well as putting out a notice for her arrest, but if she is as good at psychic magic as they say she is, then finding her will be extremely difficult.” Rukia narrowed her eyes at Mai. “And I’ve also heard that you refused to move the twins to a secure facility.”

“They just learned that their mother is an angel and that they’re hosts for an ancient power that hasn’t been seen in Nippon since the time of Queen Himiko. I’m not going to uproot them from their normal lives after my niece almost killed her father.” Mai was steadfast on this. “The Phantom terrorists won’t be foolish enough to make a go for them a second time now that we know they’re here. Right now, I’m focusing my efforts on find them…and the people who smuggled them into the country.”

“Are you saying that this is an inside job?”

“Possibly. There’s no way they could’ve known that Kira and Saya were Hosts unless they were informed ahead of time. I’m not putting them in harm’s way until I have more information.”

Rukia sighed at Mai’s hardheadedness. “Very well, commander, but you’re taking a big risk here. We don’t know why specifically Margareta wants those children and what she plans to use them for, but it can’t be anything we’re thinking of given her history of odd behavior. I’ll let you handle the situation, but if things reach a critical point over there, I’m moving the twins to our base in Edo to ensure that they remain safe and out of enemy control.”

“I understand.” Mai said and nodded. “Thank you, captain.”

“Thank me after we capture these criminals, Asakura.” Rukia replied. “They’re presence is causing an already bad situation in our country to escalate drastically.”

XXXXXX

Breakfast went smoothly for the children, though Kira mentioned that sooner or later they’ll have to buy more food in the future. Not that Sai and Amaru were complaining; Kira was a wizard with what he was able to do with the ingredients that weren’t spoiled.

“So how are you two feeling today?” Amaru asked while scarfing down her rice. “Refreshed and ready to kick ass?”

“You know it.” Saya grinned.

“We’re feeling loads better.” Kira said. “Sorry for sleeping in so late.”

“Don’t worry about it. You guys had a rough week. I’d be surprised if you two didn’t sleep for a year.” Sai said. “You two needed the rest.”

“So now that we’ve gotten everything else out of the way, when do we start training?” Saya asked.

“Right after breakfast. I’m going to be overseeing you basic magic training. I’m not exactly the best teacher in the world. I’m just showing you the ropes the same way my dad did when I was starting out.” Sai said. “Normally, at this age you’d learn the basics in private middle schools, and you don’t start learning actual magic until magic high school.”

“So we’re entering the game early. That’s cool.” Saya nodded.

“How long will learning the basics take us?” Kira asked.

“Not too long for you two. Some people grasp the basics better than others, especially people with strong mana levels like yours. In fact, Nephilim make the best magicians if they put their mind to it.” Amaru said. “Just keep in mind that all that power requires training and control.”

“Yeah, you two will be fine.” Sai said. “Just follow my instructions and you’ll do great.”

After breakfast, Sai and Amaru took the twins out to the backyard, which also doubled as a training area. The yard was surprisingly well kempt and looked nice. The grass was cleanly cut, and there was even a nice little stone walkway leading to a small pond. It would’ve been impressive had Sai not revealed that the grass was only trimmed due to the many magic sparring matches he had with Amaru.

Still, the backyard looked like a miniature Xingese garden. So they couldn’t get too mad at the cheeky bastard.

“I’m really digging the look of this place, Sai.” Kira said. “Has a lot of Feng Shui.”

“Don’t mention Feng Shui. I had enough of that from my neighbors in Shou Lung.” Sai grumbled. “You’d be surprised how many people our age are into that crap.”

Sai led the twins to the middle of the yard and had them sit on the grass in front of them. Amaru sat down on a bench to the side to let Sai take the lead.

“All right, welcome, my humble students, to your first class of magic training. I am Sai Huang, you all-powerful and all-knowing instructor, and this walking Shojo archetype is Amaru Koizumi, my assistant.”

“Get bent.” Amaru grunted.

“For the next couple of days, we’re going to work on the basics, so if I go over stuff you already know, just grit your teeth and bear with it.” Sai clapped his hands and looked at his ‘students.’ “Now, let’s begin our class with the basics. Can either of you tell me what mana is?”

Saya, being a bit more knowledgeable about magic than her brother, was the first to answer. “Mana is the energy magicians use to perform magic.” She said, sounding like a dictionary.

“Exactly, but mana is more than that. It is the energy that exists in all forms of life, not just humans. Even monsters have it, although it’s a bit different for them.” Sai went on, weaving his hands through the air and conjuring lines of bronze energy from the tips of his fingers. “You can liken mana as an energy source that fuels magic and enables mages to manipulate the forces of nature. It flows through us, and throughout nature, anything that is alive and has a soul.” The energy began taking shape as Sai talked, liking and chaining into an intricate mandala design before the twins’ eyes. “Magicians harness this energy to weave spells, to conjure shields and weapons to our aid, and enhance our bodies, to make magic!”

Sai flicked his hands towards the twins and the mandala he had constructed so exquisitely rumbled as its energy was released in their faces, engulfing them in a shower of fizzling sparks and ethereal warmth.

It was at this moment that Kira and Saya realized that they were really doing this. This boy was going to teach them magic. Saya looked positively giddy at this point, and even Kira was a bit excited at the idea of becoming a magician.

“Before we even get started on learning any spells, you two must learn how to manipulate your mana. Proper control of your energy makes it easier to cast spells and strengthen your body. If you don’t have proper control, you risk using up too much energy too fast and exhaust yourself, which isn’t ideal when fighting for your life.”

Sai had them sit cross legged on the ground as he paced around them, showing them the proper meditation pose that he was taught by his father.

“To draw out your mana, first you must focus on your core, the source of your body’s energy. It resides in your stomach, and is basically your body’s physical center of gravity. Dad taught me to visualize energy swirling inside our energy center, focus on drawing that energy out into your limbs.” Sai said, very softly. “It’s not something you can force.”

Kira and Saya sat with their eyes closed, following his directions and focused on their stomachs. They visualized energy swirling, invisible within their bodies, like a whirlpool that was constantly moving in line with how they moved, how they breathed. They also noticed how they began feeling a strong warmth within their lower abdomen. Sai waited a moment before continuing.

“If you’re feeling a warmth within your body, that’s your energy. Now visualize that energy moving through your limbs, up to your shoulders and into your arms.” He said.

They did that. Saya’s eyebrows twitched as she felt a warm tingle spread through her arms as her mana flowed through them and coalesced into her hands. Her fingers twitched and tingled from the warmth that almost felt real to her.

“You’re doing very good, Kira. Don’t draw on too much.”

Saya took a deep breath and let it out again.”

“Don’t force it, Saya. Do you have it?”

“Y-yes, I feel it in my hands.”

“Good. Now move your mana above your hands.”

Saya began to do just that, but then she saw a red light through her eyelids and snapped open her eyes. Kira had done it. He sat, wide-eyed, watching the little red ball of mana floating above his outstretched hands. Saya could actually feel the warmth from it. It was red, almost crimson in coloration, about the size of a tennis ball.

“Do you have it?” Sai asked.

Kira nodded. His hair floated around his head with the static his little ball created.

“Can you maintain it?”

“It’s…hard.”

“Concentrate. Keep it there.”

“I think I have it.” He said, straining. This was harder than drawing on his light powers.

“Good. Draw it back into your body.” Sai instructed. “Gently, Kira, float it back into your hands.”

Saya followed the little red ball of light as it dropped back into his hands and disappeared. Kira’s shoulders visibly sagged in relief and he slumped in place.

“That was pretty good, Kira.” Sai grinned. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” Kira nodded. “Just…winded.”

“That’s normal. It’s always a bit exhausting to control your mana for the first time. Your body will acclimate using your mana as we continue these lessons. It’s like training a new muscle you haven’t used since birth.” Sai looked to Saya, who’s back stiffened up at his gaze. “You ready, Saya?”

“Yeah, of course I am.” She said, trying not to look envious of her brother.

“Is your mana still there? In your hands?”

Saya could still feel the warmth flowing through her arms and hands. “Yes.”

“Good. Relax. Just follow my directions, okay?”

Saya nodded and closed her eyes. She focused on her mana and let it remain in her limbs. Sai directed her the same way he directed Kira; she visualized her mana moving into and above her hands. Focused on shaping it into a small little ball above her palms.

“Move the mana to your fingertips.”

Her fingertips glowed with the mana. The concentration of energy in such a small area made them almost painfully hot.

“Now curl your fingers over your palms. Good. Float the mana from your fingertips into your palms. There we go.”

She opened her eyes. Her hands didn’t feel attached to her. She generated slight more than Kira; it was a little more than a tennis ball, and was pitch black, like ink. Saya watched it float above her hands with awe.

It was getting difficult to keep it there. She felt as if a rubber band was trying to pull it back into her. Saya struggled to keep the mana outside her body.

“How long do you think you could keep it there?” He asked.

“I don’t know. I’m struggling to keep it out right now.”

“Very good. Let’s see how long you can hold it. If you can hold it for a full minute, that’s really good. If it feels that it is getting away from you, let it fall. Don’t try to force it.”

Saya’s eyebrows creased as the mana in her hands started to shake in the air. She tried to keep it in position, but it was getting harder by the minute to hold in place. Why the hell was it so hard?

Then she lost it.

Her mana shot like a rocket right into Sai’s chest. He gave a breathless grunt and flew back, actually lifting off his feet before landing on his back.

“Sai!” Saya got to her feet, but she swayed a bit, feeling slightly dizzy. “Whoa…”

“I’m okay!” Sai coughed, holding a hand to his chest. “I’m good!”

“Sai, are you okay?” Kira asked, keeping his sister on her feet.

“Yeah, I’ve got hit harder by Henry and Anya. It’s nothing.” Sai grunted, rubbing his chest where the mana bolt hit him. “Though that mana certainly packed a punch.”

“I’ll say. I’ve never seen a novice’s mana hit with that much force before.” Amaru walked up to them.

“The benefits of being an avatar.” Sai remarked and got to his feet. “Saya, how are you feeling?”

“A bit dizzy.” She said, blinking rapidly.

“Considering how much mana you generated, that’s not a surprise. Let’s take a break and start back up in an hour.” Sai said.

“Wait, we can still keep going!” Saya protested. Sai gave her a two-fingered smack on her forehead. “Ow!”

“Rule number one of mana control: Don’t overexert yourself. If you push your body too far and use too much mana, you’ll exhaust yourself and possibly pass out. Trust me, it’s not a good feeling, and you’ll feel like wet noodles for hours until your energy recharges.” He said and pushed the twins back into the house. “Go on and get something to eat. We’ll continue the lesson later. I promise.”

Amaru smiled at the disappointed looks on the twins’ faces. They really were excited about learning magic. It reminded her of when she was learning magic from her grandmother. That feeling of accomplishment at achieving what only a handful of people at a time could manage at her age.

Still, it was surprising seeing how strong those two were. Amaru had never seen a demigod before, so she was a bit surprised at how much mana they could generate at a given time. It must be why they were being hunted by so much yokai all the time. The things they could do with that power.

But the things their enemies wanted to do with that power. Amaru hoped the twins were ready for the challenges ahead, because if things were as bad as Sai told her, then they were in for a rough ride.

XXXXXX

Shirai frowned as he looked at the text Saya sent him over the phone. Things had been crazy since that sudden faery attack in the middle of downtown, and Shirai was itching for some monster hunting to relieve the pent up stress he had. Saya hadn’t been very forthcoming with the details, aside from mention that her dad was attacked in his apartment.

That was all he needed to hear, really. The twins had family they needed to take care of. He could respect that. The only family he had was his aunt, the only one who didn’t toss him to the wayside because of his freaky powers, so he knew what it was like. Still, that left him without much to do.

‘Looks like it’s another day at the arcade.’ He thought, though the idea of it didn’t sound as appealing as it once did.

“Hey!”

Shirai cursed himself for actually jumping when he heard the bubbly voice of Ayane squeal behind him. He turned around and glared at the grinning girl, who now had short pink hair and a lavender striped shirt with a matching skirt and sneakers. How the hell was she changing her appearance so fast? He just saw her with a completely different look the other day!

“What the hell do you want?” Shirai asked.

“I just wanted to see how you were doing.” Ayane said.

“Well I was doing just fine until you popped up.” He said.

“Oh don’t be like that, Shirai. I thought we were friends!”

“You thought wrong.” He grunted, walking down the street. To his dismay, Ayane began following him. “How did you even find me?”

“I have my ways.” Ayane said coyly, glancing at the white cats lingering amongst the houses.

Shirai shook his head and kept walking. Now he was stuck with a hyperactive cat girl with a sadistic bloodlust. What a great day he was having.

“So what are you doing?” Ayane asked.

“I was about to get something to eat.” He gave her a pointed look that warned her not to ask for details. He didn’t like so many people learning his secret.

“Sweet, I was just about to go yokai hunting anyway!” She chirped and skipped down the street. “Come on, I know where the really juicy prey are hiding!”

“Saya, I’m going to kill you the next time I see you.” Shirai growled. He followed Ayane, ignoring the glowing veins appearing around his face and hands. It was a good thing he was hungry, because this was going to be a long day.

XXXXXX

Saya and Sai were watching TV in the living room, giving Kira time to check up on his emails on his laptop. There wasn’t anything he missed, aside from a few concerned emails from his friends from book club. A little bit of web surfing kept his mind from drifting to some of the darker issues that were plaguing his mind.

“Hey, there, soldier boy.” Amaru said as she entered the kitchen. “How are you feeling?”

“Better now that I’ve had some rest. I felt a bit dizzy after generating my mana like that.” Kira said.

“It’ll feel strange for a couple more lessons until your body acclimates to manipulating your mana like that. It’s totally normal.” Amaru said and sat down next to him.

“Um, I forgot to do this earlier, but I want to apologize for any lasting damage that Saya might have done to you last night because of that…misunderstanding.” He said, but Amaru waved him off.

“It’s cool. We smoothed it out last night.” She replied. “Though your sister can really hit hard for a girl her age.”

“Yeah, she’s always been a powerhouse. I guess it’s because she’s a Nephilim that she’s strong like that.” Kira smiled. “I heard from Saya that you have seven sisters?”

“Yup, and none of them look like me aside from our hair color.” Amaru said. “Got it from my mom’s side of the family. Guess who got what from my dad.”

Kira could see that Amaru was a bit bitter about this subject, though she tried not to show it. So he tried to change the topic. “So, um, are you a hunter like Sai?”

“No, I’m not officially part of the Hunter’s Union. I’m descended from a family of monster hunters. We basically exorcise, fight and drive off dangerous monsters that are hostile to humans.” She explained.

“Oh, so you guys are like a clan of hunters.” Kira said. Amaru nodded.

“Yeah, like that.” Amaru reached into her pocket and took out an ikupasuy prayer stick. It looked old and was covered in carvings that Kira did not understand. “My family is part of the Oina people from up north. The mages in that land practice a type of magic called spirit magic.”

“Spirit magic?”

“It’s a form of magic that allows us to communicate with spirits. You see, there are clusters of natural energy that exist in nature called phasms. These phasms are connected to primary elements like fire, water, earth, air and wood. Spirit magic is the ability to communicate and control these spirits, and the Oina use prayer sticks to house phasms and utilize their powers.” Amaru explained.

“Oh, I get it. They’re like the shamans of the First Nations in Atlantea.” Kira noted.

“Something like that. Spirit magic can be used to communicate with ghosts and phasms, though my people just use it to control phasms. When you live in such an isolated, natural environment, you must rely on nature itself to support you for survival. Spirit magic is our way of working with the land to make a living.” Amaru put her prayer stick onto the table and looked at it fondly. “I learned spirit magic from my mother, and she learned from her mother. I never really took to the monster hunting business like my grandparents, but I was a natural at spirit magic. It makes you feel more connected to nature, you know? The Oina sometimes communicate with phasms to divert natural disasters or even predict the weather, stuff like that. It pays good money and helps us strengthen our relationship with rural communities.”

“So this goes back generations, huh?” Kira commented. He read in school about the Oina tribes that lived in their own lands in the northern regions of the country and practiced many traditions that were unique to them. Traditions that were almost wiped out when the Imperial Family drove them off their lands to create what would become the Nipponese Empire. “Are your sisters hunters too?”

“Two of them are. The rest never really got into the family business. They all just wanted to be regular teenage girls, unlike me, who took a liking to the more…abstract parts of our culture.” Amaru grinned. Then she muttered, “It doesn’t stop granny from getting on my ass about looking like a boy…”

“Huh?”

“Nothing.” She said. “You better eat up before the hour’s up. Sai may not look it, but he’s a hardy teacher. Once you and Saya get the gist of the basics, he’s not going to go soft on you two anymore.”

“I can believe that.” Kira said. The night before they went to bed, Sai told the twins that he wasn’t going to go soft on them. He needed to teach them how to at least protect themselves from other mages. They won’t be skilled magicians right off the bat, but with some skill in addition to their considerable power, it’s the best they could do until the threat of the Phantom Society has passed.

“Say, Amaru,” He began. “Um, is there anything you’re going to teach us later on?”

“Sorry, Kira, I’m not much of a teacher. And my magic isn’t really the standard type you can learn from.” She said. She punched his shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Just follow his instructions and take your time, okay?”

“Sure thing.” Kira smiled.

XXXXXX

Once their break was over, Kira and Saya went back outside with Sai and Amaru. The twins sat cross legged in front of Sai, who looked as good as new after Saya’s little accident.

“How are you not hurt from that?” Saya asked when she saw the unblemished skin on Sai’s chest. “That blow should’ve at least left a bruise.”

“That’ll be something we’ll discuss before continuing your energy training.” Sai grinned. “There are many ways you can control your mana aside from using it to cast spells. First, there’s body strengthening.”

The twins saw a faint outline of bronze light around Sai’s body right before he did a spin kick at the ice construct behind him. Their eyes widened when his leg smashed through the thick ice like it was glass.

“By channeling mana through your body, you can enhance its physical capabilities, sort of like a watered down version of what you see in martial arts movies. How much your physical abilities will improve comes from your original capabilities, so if you’re a skinny dude, this method will only get you so far compared to someone with martial arts training, like me. You’re not expending mana externally, so you don’t use up any energy, though it takes concertation to maintain.”

That was relatively simple. There were many popular martial arts centered on mana manipulation to enhance the body and strengthen physical attacks. There were also many sword-based martial arts that used the same principle to make their weapons stronger too. It just toed the line separating these techniques from actual fighting and sword based magic.

“Now, to answer your question, Saya, this next technique is the reason I’m not hurt from that slug you shot at me.”

Sai clapped his hands together and a faint cloak of bronze energy shimmered around his body for a moment before fading.

“This is the aura skin, another skill that most magicians know how to use. It’s basically emitting mana from your body to form a defensive cloak around you, like armor. Very good for taking hits that’ll break your bones or avoiding serious burns and stuff, though you can still feel pain and heat.” He said.

“So that’s how you got out of that battle with just a few scratches.” Saya said. She wondered how he was able to fight two mages and not even look like he got thrashed around by a bunch of magic grenades.

“Yup, but keep in mind your mana skin will only last as long as you can maintain it. Taking direct hits will wear away at it until the mana skin is gone completely, then you’ll be vulnerable to actual wounds. So don’t be afraid to dodge.”

Sai created three more ice constructs from the moisture he drew up from the grass.

“Up next are the offensive techniques, the most basic of which is the mana bullet.” Sai raised his hand and shot an energy blast at the first ice target, destroying it. “It’s nothing special, but the stronger the user, the more powerful the mana bullet. You two are already spiritually strong, so you’ll need to be careful so you don’t blast a hole through someone’s torso when you were trying to just knock them out.”

“Oh boy.” Kira breathed.

“The last technique is shaping your mana. This is for people who really have good control of their mana. You can shape mana into things like weapons or shields, or little things, like stepping stones and slides.”

Sai held his hands out and channeled mana into his hands. Energy flowed out of his palms and lengthened, widening out at the ends to form a short sword. He twirled the blade in his hands before leaping at the last two ice targets, spinning to slash one of them in half before stabbing through the other one in one smooth motion.

“Show off.” Amaru muttered.

“I heard that! Don’t be jealous of my swagger!” Sai said back and cleared his throat. “Okay, so that’s some of the things you’ll be learning as he ease into our first steps into magic. I know it seems like it’s a lot, but keep in mind that shaping and controlling your mana hinges on visualization. Willing your energy to protect your body, willing your energy to form constructs, it’s all centered on visualization.”

Sai thrust two fingers at the ice and the ice constructs melted back into water. Dispelling his mana spear, Sai turned back to the twins.

“Now that we got that demonstration out of the way, let’s get back to your training.” He said. “Close your eyes and focus on your center. Remember what I said earlier and you’ll manifest your energy again.”

Kira and Saya nodded and got back to work.

XXXXXX

“Hey, girlie, you lost?”

Ayane grinned as she saw two thugs walking up behind her in the alley she was walking down. They looked like your typical stereotypical thugs, like they were trying to play dress-up as gangsters. To a normal person they’d look somewhat threatening, but not to someone who drank water out of a kappa’s shell once.

“Who wants to know?” She asked coyly.

“We do. What the hell are you doing in our turf?” One of them growled.

“Just taking a walk.” She said. “And I don’t recall you having possession over public property.”

“You made a big mistake coming here.” Another thug walked up to Ayane with a bat in his hands. “”But don’t worry, we’ll make it quick-“

“Nya!” Ayane spun around and slashed her claws into his face. Her sharp nails tore into his cheek and cut off a chunk of his flesh.

“Ah!” He howled, stumbling back while holding a hand to his bloodied face. Ayane did a spin kick to his chest that knocked him back into a trash can. The other two thugs growled bestially at her, which was not common for human thugs to do even in anger.

“She’s a half-blood!”

“Kill her!”

Their skin tore apart like tissue paper as their bodies began to change. Their skin turned green and scaly, and their clothes tore apart as a large shell formed on their backs. Their faces grew out into a snout with mouths full of sharp teeth and their skulls shifted to form round, bowl-like deformations at the top of their heads.

“Kappa,” Ayane pouted at the monstrous pair. “I thought you guys would be cuter.”

The two kappa brandished a katanna and a spiked club and rushed at Ayane. She moved faster, closing the distance between them in a single leap. Ayane dodged a slash from the katanna and kicked its wielder in the face, her heel nearly breaking his jaw. She twisted her body and snatched the sword from his hand, spinning around and slicing the blade into his neck. The now headless kappa stumbled back before falling to the ground.

The second kappa swung his spiked club, but she easily deflected his attack with her katanna, jumping off the wall to slam her knee into his nose. He stumbled back and she pressed her advance, smashing the club down on his head and shattering his skull in a gory mess.

“That’s right. Come and get some you stupid fucking ninja turtles!” Ayane cackled.

Ayane didn’t see another kappa, who had been hiding behind the corner, sneak up on her with chains in his hands, and was ready to bring them down on her head when a hand grabbed his wrists and broke them with a simple snap.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Shirai growled.

He swung a glowing fist and it sank into the kappa’s chest, immediately killing it. He pulled his fist out of its chest and let it fall to the ground. Spiritual energy rose off of the kappa’s body, consumed by Shirai, who was also consuming the energies of the other dead kappa. He sighed as he felt his body become full and energized, as if having eaten a hearty lunch and dinner at the same time.

“Oh, a katanna, sweet!”

Shirai looked at Ayane, who was collecting the weapons the kappa dropped.

“Are you seriously snatching up their weapons?” Shirai asked.

“Yeah, sometimes yokai carry around awesome weapons like these. I can’t use my claws on all of them, so it helps to snatch up anything that’ll work for me.”

Shirai shook his head. “You talk about this shit like its normal.”

“Of course it’s normal…for us anyway.” Ayane looked at Shirai, her striking eyes piercing in their intensity. “I’m sure you’ve already noticed more and more yokai are popping up in the city, and they’re hunting people like us.”

“Us?”

“People they call half-bloods, the children born from humans and angels boning each other.” She said.

“Wait, hold up. I’m not a Nephilim. I know my parents just fine!”

“You sure?” Ayane grinned cattily.

Shirai almost said yes, but something stopped him. He had almost forgotten his family at this point given the hatred he felt towards them, but he suddenly remembered that his father was married to his step-mon, his second wife. Shirai had never known his real mother, and he never got the chance to properly ask his father about her either.

A stray thought passed through his mind. Was his mother an angel? Was he the reason that he had these powers? It sounded a bit far-fetched, but there was a slim chance of it being possible, and the idea made Shirai’s head hurt. His silence made Ayane’s grin widen.

“I don’t know who my dad was either, but I was raised as a kitten by my mom as a kitten for a few years before she kicked me out.” She said.

“A kitten?” Shirai inquired. Ayane shrugged.

“She was a bakeneko. I was lucky she cared enough about me to raise me.”

“Look, why are you telling me this?” He asked.

“Because you need to know what’s going on. We’re being targeted, hunted. Someone’s trying to wipe us out because we’re half human.” Ayane said seriously. “And they won’t stop until we’re all dead.”

Shirai grimaced. He had a feeling after hearing about the murders from Saya, but he didn’t think it would be connected to them. Just a week ago all he worried about was homework, and now he had to look over his shoulder for any nonhuman looking to gut him.

“So what the hell are we supposed to do?” He asked.

“And you’re supposed to be in high school.” Ayane snorted. “Please, Shirai, just do what you’ve always been doing.” She gave him one of her signature bloodthirsty grins that he quickly learned to hate. “Kill, kill, and keep on killing.”

XXXXXX

The day was almost over when Sai had the twins work on another small exercise. Once they got the hang of generating their mana, he had them create small orbs of energy and move them through an obstacle course. It was a lesson in control and precision, having them direct their energy through visualization. It was nothing too large scale and it was kind of fun.

“I think it got it.” Saya muttered as she slowly weaved her orb through multiple hoops. It was hard, and she needed to use her finger to help move the tiny black orb. She grimaced a bit when her orb nudged one of the ice hoops and her concentration caused the orb to fizzle out. “Crap, I almost had it!”

“That’s okay, you were doing better than earlier.” Sai said. He smiled and crossed his arms. “You two are definitely talented. You’re breezing through these exercises, but that doesn’t mean it’s over. I want you two to continue training in drawing out and controlling your mana every morning for at least an hour. Once you’ve refined your technique, we’ll move onto generating mana blasts and shaping your energy.”

“Got it.” Kira said, dispelling his red mana orb. He had completed the course twice already and was just helping Saya along. “So what now?”

Sai looked up at the darkening sky. “Now we stop and get something to eat. I’m starving and Karas is almost on. Don’t wanna miss that gem.”

“Of course.” Saya said, rolling her eyes.

“I’ll whip up something. My hands feel tingly and I need to get the feeling back in them.” Kira said, shaking his hands. It wasn’t an uncomfortable feeling, but it felt like he had slept on his arms for too long.

Amaru walked up to Sai as the twins went back inside to clean up and get ready for dinner. “You think they’ll be alright?”

“Considering how much progress they’re making already, I think we might be moving onto finding out their elemental affinities soon before moving onto teaching them basic spells. Being Nephilim they’re having an easier time bringing out their mana.” Sai said. “Whether or not they’ll be capable of using these skills in a real fight depends on them. Training or not, real battle is a terrifying thing to experience for the first time.”

“I can attest to that.” Amaru sighed. Sai smiled and nudged her shoulder.

“I have faith in them. They won’t be going into this alone. With Ms. Asakura keeping watch, we’ll be safe long enough to get those two in fighting shape. Margareta isn’t going to have an easy time getting the twins under my watch.”

‘Margareta isn’t the one I’m worried about.’ Amaru thought. She had been communing with the spirits, and she was getting unsettling feelings coming from the ambient spirits lingering in nature. Something dark was coming, something not human and very powerful.