**ABANDONED WAREHOUSE**

**JULY 3, 2010**

"Seems you're getting fairly used to it."

"Well...it's not that hard if there isn't much to deal with."

We come back to the Dragon-Tails' Hideout, where Ivan and his son Gyuwhan are in an

underground chamber of the warehouse, engaging in training. After turning 11 years old, Ivan

had given a portion of his Dragon to his son, to get him used to the power since Gyuwhan

was to become the next Dragon Leader. To Ivan's astonishment, the boy was handling the

power quite perfectly, almost unmatched.

What an amazing kid...I started him off with just about half of my Dragon's full power, and it's

nothing to him...

As he practiced his energy manipulation, he started getting bored because of how easy it

was.

"This is nothing. Just give me the rest already."

"I told you I'd die if I do that, you brat."

"Then die already."

"you're merciless, you know that?"

Well, I can't ignore the fact that my life will expire soon...the Dragon's energy can only keep me

alive for so long...

But, I have faith in you, my son; you're more like Hellam Ryūjin than any of your ancestors.

Suddenly, Ivan remembered something. He recalled 8 years ago, when there was a sudden

shift in the atmosphere. Since he was no longer the only person with that Dragon, he

decided to ask his son:

"...By the way, Gyu. That power widens your sensory range tremendously."

"Do you sense anything...off?"

Gyuwhan raised an eyebrow, confused. Nevertheless, he focused on the presences he felt all

around him, trying to pick up on any suspicious energies.

"...Like what?" he asked.

"You don't sense some powerful presence or anything?"

"Except for the Clan Heads, those guys, and you, no. I don't."

Surely I wasn't mistaken back then...something definitely happened.

"Don't go spacing out on me, old man. Let's continue training already."

Ivan still had his suspicions, but eventually shrugged them off, deeming them now

irrelevant.

"...Alright, nevermind. Let's proceed."

That's right, whatever I felt back then won't even matter.

Gyuwhan...I'll teach you how to become a God.

-------------------------------------------------

**FAMILY GROUNDS**

**AUGUST 2, 2010**

At the Family Grounds, was a gathering of persons on a field; these were graduates who

decided to become Hunters, and had come to the field as instructed to begin their training.

Among the dozens of participants were Jamal, Tarik, Ilmar, Gina, and Satoru. They were

waiting on the instructors to arrive. While they waited, Jamal and Tarik talked with each

other:

"So, our real training is about to begin..."

"This won't be anything like what we've been doing before..."

"Yeah. It hasn't been that long since Graduation, but we're already beginning our

training today. Those of us who decided to become fighters have gathered here. I wonder what

kind of training they have in mind for us..." Jamal thought.

"Look, those must be our teachers."

Two adults approached the field; one male, one female. The man was tall and muscular,

wearing a track suit and sunglasses, and drinking a bottle of beer. The lady was slightly

shorter, also wearing track clothes with a hat and sunglasses.

"is...is he drinking?"

"i...think he is."

The man then cleared his throat and began to address the trainees:

"Good morning, uh..."

"..."

"what should i call them?"

The students were dumbfounded.

"Oh, right, Good Morning Graduates."

"this guy must be joking."

"I'd like to congratulate you all once more, and I'm glad to see that so many of you desire to

become Martial Artists and Ninjas."

"But...you guys could have chosen any other area of expertise, y'know."

As he said this, many were confused. They wondered if it was a bad thing that they chose to

become Hunters. He noticed their confusion, and decided to conduct the first test.

"Fine, I'll show you all exactly why not everyone is cut out for this. Here's your first test.

Miwa?" he signalled to his female associate.

The lady, Miwa, then showed them all a map of the Family Grounds. On the map was

highlighted 3 major areas: a field known as Field A toward the south, a Stadium in the

centre, and a Field B toward the north.

"As you can all see, we're currently situated at Field A. But, what if we told you that you're

not supposed to be here?"

Once more, they were confused.

"Huh? But, in the announcement! We were instructed to come to Field A, in the South of the

Family Grounds!"

"Yeah, we lied."

bruh moment.

"You're actually supposed to be at Field B, toward the North. So your first test is to make

your way there immediately."

"...That's all we have to do?"

"It is a bit far, but, going there is no problem-"

"Who said that's all you have to do?"

The trainees felt chills run down their spines as the instructor's tone shifted.

"Whoever takes longer than 3 minutes to get to Field B, don't bother showing up."

"I'm waiting."

Upon declaring this, he suddenly disappeared; it was a clone. The students were all sent

into a panic after hearing the man's instructions.

"A clone???"

"TH-THREE MINUTES? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"

In the middle of their panicking, the lady addressed them once more:

"I'd recommend that you all start moving."

"Now."

She, after saying this, disappeared as well. They were both clones, their real bodies being

situated on Field B. Before any more could have been said, the trainees started running.

They all moved at full speed to get to the other side of the Grounds in just 3 minutes;

however, even briskly walking that distance would take at least 30 minutes. There was no

way everybody would pass this test.

As they were running, Tarik was having an internal dilemma; lacking physical energy, this

would be an impossible task for him.

This is really bad...thankfully my body got a little bit stronger, but there's no way I'm getting to

Field B in 3 minutes! Just getting to the Tournament Ring from here is difficult enough!...

As he was in thought, Jamal appeared next to him with a grin on his face:

"Hey, did you forget our promise already?"

Crouching down, he invited Tarik up on his back, volunteering to help him pass the test.

"We're gonna be the strongest, Tarik!"

"Thanks, Jamal! Let's go!"

Some trainees saw them do this, and weren't happy in the slightest:

"Huh?? Hey, no fair!"

"You've known Tarik for 3 years, haven't you?"

Satoru came up next to one of them suddenly, reminding them of Tarik's situation.

"But still-!"

"Either way...I doubt those two can ever be separated."

As he said this, Satoru began running even faster, speeding past Jamal and nearing the

front. Tarik got uneasy when his brother ran past them:

"O-Oi! Satoru!"

"We have to catch him up, Jamal!"

"Relax, Tarik. Being first place in this test won't really matter, since all that man said we

have to do is get to Field B in 3 minutes. The main task alone is very difficult, so let's not

worry about anything else."

That's right, the instructors didn't say anything about being in first place; they simply told

the students to arrive in three minutes.

Yeah, Ja's right. But still...

Damn it, just you wait, Satoru!

At the same moment came Ilmar and Gina, Jamal's siblings. They sped past Jamal & Tarik

and complimented their cooperation:

"You two are quite the duo!"

"See you on the field, little brother!"

Jamal slightly lost his cool when they did this.

"Y-you too, 'Mar? Gina?"

"take it easy Jamal! remember what you just told me!"

By this point, almost 2 minutes had passed, and the trainees at the front had passed the

Stadium at this point. But, as for the majority of them, this was where they began to slow

down, and sadly accepted their loss:

"I won't make it...!"

"This...is too hard!"

"Is this really possible?"

"Those jerks!"

Meanwhile Tarik, still on Jamal's back, was keeping track of the time as they progressed

past the Stadium:

"This is bad, we've only got a minute and a half left...hey, let me run now, Jamal! You've

done so much for me already!"

"Are you sure you can manage?"

"Don't worry, let's go!"

And with that, Tarik jumped off his friend's back and started running on his own.

At the front was Ilmar and Satoru, with a few others behind them. As the two sons of the

Clan Heads fought for first place, it seemed like Ilmar would have been the victor:

"Heh, you're amazing as usual, Satoru. But, right now..."

Suddenly, it was as if energy had burst forth from within him; he began sprinting much

faster, and outran Satoru!

"I need to shatter that ego of yours!"

"Yeah! You go brother!" Gina cheered him on from behind.

However, Satoru was up to some scheming:

"Tch! You think I'll let you?"

I'm still nowhere near an expert on this technique...but I guess I found my first test subject.

*chuckle*

"Ilmar, never you forget that you've got nothing on me!"

As Satoru sprinted ahead, he stretched forth his left hand toward Ilmar, glowing with a

light-blue Mana, and shouted:

Inverse-Flow! · 逆運動 (Gya-kuun Dō)

For a single second, Ilmar came to a complete halt. His movement was completely

restricted. In that small window, Satoru was able to overtake him.

Wha-?! My body...?

As Satoru bolted past him, he yelled out:

"SATORU, YOU DAMN CHEATER!!"

What the heck was that?...it felt like the entire flow of my energy started going backwards...

Damn it...well, it's not like first place really mattered in this test. Thankfully I made it, with 20

more seconds to spare.

At that point, Satoru, Ilmar, Gina, and a few others made it to Field B. Upon arriving, their

times were recorded, and most of them immediately fell on the field, completely exhausted.

But as for Ilmar, he straitly looked behind him:

Those two...will they make it?

At the same moment, the two appeared, with Tarik slightly lagging behind, and two others

behind them. Jamal's eyes lit up as he approached the field:

"Alright, we're right there! We'll make it just in time, Ta-"

When he looked, he could only see Tarik lagging even further behind him.

"O-Oi! Fight it, Tarik! You're right at the finish!"

Tarik was gasping for air, desperately hanging on to the little stamina he had left in him:

No...I'm right there!

Is this really...it...for me...?

Tarik started falling to the ground.

"TARIK!!"

"Damn it, that show-off!" Satoru shouted as he dashed off to pick up his brother.

Jamal was also ready to turn back and pick up his friend, when his siblings called out to

him:

"Don’t turn back, Brother!!"

"You have 5 seconds!!"

"Damn it! Tarik!..." Jamal grumbled as he regretfully continued ahead, seeing Satoru

running toward him, heading for his brother.

When Tarik thought all hope was lost, he was swiftly picked up by someone; one of the

persons who'd been behind him and Jamal, a girl. Her name was Maki.

"You're...?"

"I'll have you pay me back later for this."

The time winded down, and they managed to all make it to Field B on the 2:59.75 mark.

"Three minutes have expired! Nobody else will be accepted on the field!"

"We're safe...for now."

"That was scary."

"Are we really the only ones?"

"Those poor guys..."

Satoru immediately turned to Jamal, angry with him for almost causing Tarik’s loss:

"Why did you let him off your back?!"

"I-I didn't want to, Tarik wanted me to."

"Look what almost happened to him...and you call yourself his friend?"

"What did you say?!"

Before the conversation could get any more heated, one of the participants, Galib Sanjuro,

swiftly intervened:

"Stop, both of you."

"We've made it here, so let's be thankful for now."

While they settled their small dispute, the male instructor focused on their numbers:

So that's really all that's left of them...a bit more than I anticipated, but I figured as much.

"I want to congratulate those of you who've made it here, you've now officially been

accepted as trainees. However, don't think-"

"Hey, what the heck was that, Sensei?"

Another one of the participants, Amira Sanjuro, interrupted him:

"Why'd you give us such an impossible task? To think there were dozens of us at the

start!..."

"That's because as long as you're all in training..."

"I'm going to be giving you all every reason to quit."

They were all shocked at this saying, and speechless. However, he continued:

"Listen...this isn't easy stuff, what you guys have chosen to invest your lives in. By being a

Hunter, you're automatically 99% more likely to be killed."

"I'm glad to see how devoted you guys are. The mere fact that you pushed through to

complete this near impossible task is proof of your tenacity...but, I will constantly remind

you all, every day, that there's still time to walk away from this."

"If you do not want to be a Hunter, leave this field immediately."

The students were actually touched by his words. They had decided to join the Hunters, but

hadn’t actually given any in-depth thought to the risks involved in being a Hunter, except

for Satoru, who was arguably the most mature of the bunch. They were left without words,

until the silence was finally broken:

"...No way."

These words came from none other than Tarik, laying on the ground, catching his breath:

*wheezing*

"Remember this...Jamal and I..."

"Are gonna be the strongest in the world."

It was these words that came from the weakest of the bunch, that managed to stir up their

spirits.

"Hmph."

"I think Tarik speaks for the rest of us, Sensei."

"Yeah, no way I'm turning back now."

"Me too!"

"Same here."

When he saw their dedication, he was proud, but also annoyed.

*sigh*

"Well, here we go again, I guess."

"Alright, allow us to reintroduce ourselves. Call me Chojo-sensei."

"Call me Miwa-sensei. I look forward to having you all for the next 3 years."

"wait, 3 years?"

"ah, they never did actually say how long we'd be training."

"what bothers me is what these 3 years consist of."

"Before we get into other matters, how about you all introduce yourselves?" Chojo

suggested.

"Satoru." "Amira." "Galib and Genki."

"Maki and Saki." "Jamal." "Haruo."

"Ilmar." *wheeze* "Tarik..." “Kinshi.”

"Gina." "Akiro." "Kento."

"Zeke." "Namiyo."

When they had finished exchanging greetings, Chojo began instructing them on what the

training course consists of:

"Well, let's get down to business."

"First of all, you'll be running that same distance every day. In the same time-frame."

They regretted all their life decisions up to that point.

"Secondly, this will be the easiest task in your training routine."

"yeah. we're doomed."

"so he really was trying to save us."

"For one year, you will all be engaging in rigorous physical activity in order to push your

physical and mental prowess to their absolute limits. If I'm being honest, this will be the

most difficult period of the entire programme."

"Next year, we will begin teaching you to use magic. What we'll teach you will range from

basic Mana Manipulation all the way to offensive methods. This first year will sufficiently

prepare you all for the next."

"Finally...well, I guess I can save that for later. Keep in mind however, that it will be the

most important."

"As you can see, the dorms are located to the east of this field. You might be wondering

about the purpose of dorms since this place is your home, but training drills exist, and I

want you all in one place. You're not required to, but on weekends you can visit your homes

for obvious reasons."

"Anyway, that's all. If there's no further questions, please head to your homes and pack

your stuff. Welcome to the Hunters' Training Camp."

As they all headed to their homes, they talked with each other. They weren’t really

strangers after all; they all graduated from the same class.

"This first day was shorter than I thought," Akiro remarked.

"I know, right? So many people failed..." Gina responded.

"It's only gonna get harder from here on."

"Yeah, we have to run that distance every day, and Sensei says it's the easiest! Just imagine

what else we'll be doing..." Zeke lamented.

"Well, see you all at the dorms later," Kento waved as he went off.

"Yeah, see you later," a few responded.

As Jamal, Tarik, and their siblings walked home, Jamal talked with his friend:

"Are you ok, Tarik?"

"Yeah, I had enough time to rest earlier, I'm all good."

Jamal was feeling uneasy; after hearing what Satoru said to him, he was convinced that

Tarik would have failed because of him.

"..."

Seeing Jamal look on at Satoru, Tarik reassured his friend:

"Don't mind Sato. I wanted to run on my own."

"It bothers me just a little that I needed help...but, I wouldn't have passed this test on my

own."

Tarik looked at Jamal and grinned at him, holding out his fist:

"Thank you for being there for me, my best friend!"

Jamal was reassured, and they fist-bumped each other.

"Well, let's see each other later. Let’s do our extra-best in training, no matter how hard it

gets! We’ll charge straight ahead!"

"Yeah, I won’t let anything stop me either! See ya!"

----------------------------------------------------

**PRIVATE MEETING ROOM, 9:30PM**

"Those two...they're late."

"I-I'm sure they'll be here soon, Tenchi-sama!"

In the meeting room sat the two Clan Heads, Chojo, and Miwa. They were awaiting Emir

and Fudo to start an important meeting regarding the affairs of the Dragon-Tails. Soon

after, the two had arrived, though Fudo seemed irritated:

"Sorry we're late!"

"sensei, you damn cheater."

"hehe, you're too slow, Fudo."

"you trapped me in a fucking Soul Barrier."

Chojo saw that only the two of them came in, and asked:

“What about him?”

“Probably out drinking and hitting on girls. You know how that guy is.”

“fucking disrespectful.”

"Anyway, let's begin. Miwa-san?"

"Yes. After conducting numerous investigations throughout the city, in addition to what

we've gathered from those we've imprisoned...we've been able to conclude that the

Dragon-Tails are indeed up to something even shadier than just being a cult."

"The Dragons who preach, advocating for the practice of Forbidden Arts, openly deny any

and all association with the Orochi, Inferno, and Apocalypse Gangs. However, based on intel

from the inmates, there's a motive behind all this."

"So, they actually have something planned, huh? Any details?" Gado enquired.

"That's the issue. Ever since the earlier times, when one becomes a Dragon, a spell is placed

on them wherein they can't reveal crucial information."

"...Well, isn't that suspicious..."

"Hm? Tenchi-sama?"

Tenchi then brought his knowledge to the table:

"I took the opportunity to examine the records of the Two Warriors, from even before the

days of the Founders of the Two Clans."

"As we should know, those Warriors single-handedly turned the tide of that Great Dragon

War, even slaying the 9 Dragons themselves. They also handled interrogations after the

war."

"What I'm getting at is, the two warriors have no records of Dragons having had any spell

cast on them to conceal information."

"So, that means this procedure began after the end of the War."

"Precisely, Gado...something occurred after the death of the 9 Dragons, that they don't want

us to know."

Upon hearing this, Fudo raised an important question:

"Excuse me."

"Were the founders absolutely certain that the Dragons were killed?"

"Excellent question, Fudo."

"Well, it's written that 7 were killed on the battlefield, and the last 2 committed suicide.

Their bodies were confirmed as well, so they all undoubtedly died."

"So, that leaves..."

"Yes."

"...Resurrection."

"B-But, is that even possible? Is there really a spell in existence that can revive the dead?

They’ve been dead for centuries, haven’t they?" Fudo asked nervously.

"To be quite honest, I wouldn't be surprised...that old fart, Hellam Ryūjin, to this day he's

still the King of Sorcery. No one, not even the likes of our ancestors, Emir, or myself could

ever compare to him."

"So, question...did Ryūjin have children?" Chojo asked.

"He had a daughter, one of the 9, who was killed. One of them was also his adopted

daughter, killed as well."

"No sons?"

"No record of sons."

Chojo then brought up an option which triggered a headache in all persons present:

"...I don't mean to be unrealistic...but honestly, the best course of action is to wipe out the

whole lot of them."

"you don't say."

"i know, i know."

"Yeah, I agree. But, permanently destroying a whole religion isn't as easy as it sounds."

Tenchi pointed out.

"Furthermore, we have our ancestors to thank for these shackles that have been placed on

us; 'Don't Kill the Dragons', my ass. We're the only ones who can, for God's sake." Gado

lamented.

"We'll just have to start cracking down on them even harder. Sorry, but your guys' work

will only get harder from here on out."

"It's fine...what I do look forward to, though, are the new recruits in a few years. Sixteen

sounds like a lot, Chojo," Emir enthused.

But, Chojo gave Emir an unpleasant look.

"...What is it?" he asked him.

"I'm not exactly looking forward to another Dariyo situation, Emir."

Upon saying this, the room was left silent.

"...And? You think I'll let that happen?"

"That's what you said last time, wasn't it? You bastard?"

"Both of you, shut it."

Gado quickly shut down the conversation before it progressed any further.

"...What has happened, happened. We can't do anything about the past."

The atmosphere was restored, and they were ready to adjure the night’s meeting.

"Well, if that's all, I guess that's it for this meeting," Tenchi concluded.

"But, let me tell all of you...a storm is coming."

"We don't know when, and we can't stop it."

"...We'll just have to brace for impact."

"And, without a doubt, we'll overcome this disaster."

**TO BE CONTINUED**