**CITY DISTRICT, 12:00PM**

**AUGUST 12, 2010**

"EVERYONE PLEASE, EVACUATE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY! IT'S DANGEROUS HERE!"

There was chaos out in the city; some dragons from the Big-Three are wreaking havoc,

tormenting civilians and being douches in general. These guys were from the Inferno Gang,

a band of Flame users, and their leader Kallavan was with them. A few Hunters were

deployed to subdue the troublemakers, but with the presence of the gang leader, they could

only defend themselves until reinforcements arrived, and some took the responsibility of

keeping the civilians secure. They are indeed "Night Hunters", mostly carrying out nightly

missions/patrols, but the Dragons stir up problems whenever.

As they raised hell, Kallavan mocked everyone and asserted the Dragons' dominance:

"Didn't I warn you all, dumbasses?"

"Anyone who isn't one of us, is a waste of sperm. You all serve zero purpose!"

Hell Blaze! · 地獄の火だ (Ji-go-ku no Hi-da)

Kallavan's eyes glowed red, and from the palm of his hand he blasted a large beam of fire at

the group of Hunters.

"Shit-!"

Soul Barrier! · 魂結界 (Ta-ma-shii Kek-kai)

One of the Hunters acted swiftly, encasing his nearby comrades within a Soul Barrier. His

name was Kodaki Yamaguchi, a Senior Hunter and captain of the unit being led that day.

"It's really annoying dealing with these Inferno snakes...and that guy's actually the gang's

Leader, isn't he?"

"Can our reinforcements go any slower?!"

"He should be arriving any minute now, Kodaki!"

"'He'? Singular??"

Kodaki was initially baffled at this information, but then recalled exactly what kind of

people his superiors were. He went on to ask,

"I take it that means it's Emir-sama?"

"No, I believe they said it was-"

Suddenly, the temperature of the area changed…it got slightly colder. This did not go

unnoticed by Kallavan, who had furthermore sensed the energy of a person drawing near.

"What's this? It's cold...who?..."

Then there was a small rushing blizzard of snow next to the Hunters, with ice forming on

the road. There emerged an individual having light-blue coloured hair, snow-white skin,

wearing blue and white clothing. Glancing over at the Hunters, they were all happy to see

him.

"R- RAKULLI-SENPAI!!"

"Good Morniiing my lovely subordinates!"

"it's noon now, sir."

"Um, we're glad to see you sir, but, what took you so long?"

For a few seconds he remained silent, until he gave them an annoyed, cold look, and

responded very seriously:

"...I Was Taking a Nap."

They stared at him blankly.

"So, it's the Inferno Gang, huh? No wonder they sent me, lazy fuckers."

"Eh?"

"Nothing."

Gazing over on the Dragons, he looked steadfastly at Kallavan, disgusted.

"Is that their leader?"

"Yes sir. He's way too strong."

"what a fugly mug."

Kallavan however, had been wary of the young man from the moment he arrived. The

Hunters had shouted his name, but he wasn’t near enough to hear.

"Ever since he got here, it's gotten a little colder..."

"You. Who are you?"

Stretching his arms and legs, he playfully responded to the Dragon saying,

"Hmph...you'll find out very soon ;)"

"...What's this guy's deal-"

?!

The young man majestically leapt high into the air! Turning upside-down, he spread out his

hands and there came forth shards of ice shooting from his palms toward the Dragons, who

intercepted by accurately scorching each one, as well as launching fireballs at him. His feet,

as they moved about in the air, created small platforms of ice which he used as footholds,

dodging the attacks while advancing toward his opponents.

"Hehe...I hope you brought a winter coat!"

As he said this, he stretched forth his arm toward the ground, and glaciers of ice formed,

rushing toward the Dragons. As they neared, Kallavan touched the ground and heated up

the surface under the ice glaciers, not melting them much, but stopping their progress.

"This ice...!"

"It's you! Steffan Rakulli!!

The young man, Steffan, touched down on the ground and applauded his opponent.

"Bingo! 10 Points for you! Took you long enough, though. Minus 5."

"You act much different from what I've heard about you."

"So, you're Steffan...the genius descendant of the ancient Ice users, the Rakulli Clan.

"Yup! 10 more points!"

Kallavan glared at him, annoyed by his nonchalant behaviour.

"But, I surely hope you don't take me for some lackey who stands no chance against you."

"...are you underestimating me? Minus 15 points."

"SCREW OFF WITH YOUR POINTS ALREADY!"

Furious, Kallavan started firing a barrage of fireballs from his mouth at Steffan, who dodged

each one by forming ice at his feet and skating across the area, advancing toward Kallavan.

As he progressed closer, a few Dragons tried to stop him, but Steffan after just making

contact with each one, froze them within icicles. The Rakulli Clan's Ice is known for being

very difficult to melt, composed in such a way that hasn't even been seen anywhere on the

planet. The Dragons however, particularly those possessing Flame Dragon's powers, are

able to melt the ice to an extent.

As Steffan froze his opponents, he yelled out to Kallavan saying,

"I hope you understand what happens if I get close to you!"

Just as Kallavan seemed to be releasing one more fireball, Steffan got right in front of him,

about to thrust his hand upon Kallavan's face. But suddenly, Kallavan...smiled-!

"JUST KIDDING!"

He was faking the act of releasing a fireball! In that moment, he was about to place his

hand, engulfed in fire, on Steffan's side. With quick thinking, Steffan cancelled his attack,

and just barely created a small covering of ice where he was about to be attacked, tanking

the blow. He then quickly retreated back to his comrades.

"Woah, hot!"

"Are you ok, Rakulli-san?"

"I expected him to be a one-trick pony. He pulled that off nicely. 10 Points, you ugly

bastard."

"What happened just then?"

As he used his Ice to heal the small bruise he received, he explained to his subordinates:

"I can't attack and defend with my Ice at the same time. Plus, in that moment, it felt like he

used Partial Transformation in his arm. I rather not have taken that blow."

Assuming a battle stance, snow began to flow around his body, and he declared with a

sinister demeanour:

"But, not to worry. I won't let him live."

"please don't forget we shouldn't kill these guys."

As Kallavan prepared for the next move, one of his underlings made a suggestion.

"Boss...I feel like we should retreat for now. If they've sent Rakulli, we can't imagine how

much worse things could get if more are on the way."

Kallavan took heed to the wise words:

"He's right, staying here is unwise...I doubt he can actually beat me, but more reinforcements

are definitely an issue. The last thing I want to do is confront Emir Yamaguchi."

"Right now, the best course of action..."

"New plan."

"Time to go."

With that, Kallavan created a giant wall of fire, and the Dragons escaped using a

Transportation Technique.

"Oi! Oi!! Why are you running? WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?!"

"that sounds like a meme, doesn't it?"

"shh, it's 2010."

And so, the Inferno Gang fled.

But, Steffan was quite annoyed.

"What a waste of my fucking time."

*sigh*

As he looked around at the scene, the demolished vehicles and buildings, and the few

injured civilians, he decided:

"Anyway, I'll leave this scene to you. Bye!"

"H-HEY! RAKULLI-SENPAI! THERE'S STILL MUCH TO BE RESOL-"

Steffan was gone.

"Goddamn it."

"Well...thank goodness the civilians are still safe."

Kodaki was troubled, however, as he recalled the happenings of the day.

"...To think that even the Gang Leaders are stirring up problems now...things are getting

way out of control..."

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

**FAMILY GROUNDS**

**FIELD A, 2:30PM**

"I'm gonna die."

"I'm gonna die."

"I'm gonna die."

Back on the Family Grounds, the trainees were...well, in training. They had just completed

their daily run from Field B to Field A, in a similar time-frame as always: 3 minutes. After a

month of this running, Tarik had become accustomed to the distance, even running on his

own for a good while, but he still relied on Jamal near the end. After resting for a bit, they

all engaged in their own training routines as instructed by Chojo and Miwa. At one part of

the field sat Jamal, Tarik, Kento, and Zeke. They were still resting for a bit longer.

"I'm amazed you're still holding on, Tarik. But, Jamal..."

Jamal laid on the ground, sky gazing, unmotivated.

"it's been a while since i've seen him like that."

"i guess Big-Sis Hayami's motivation wasn't permanent."

Tarik was lamenting on his constant pitiful performance.

"Seriously, at this rate I won't even make it through half the year..."

However, Zeke and Kento praised Tarik for the drive that he had.

"To be honest, you're amazing Tarik. To think you don't even have the slightest bit of

Physical Energy, and you've been able to keep up with us even a little."

"Yeah, I envy your motivation!" Zeke added.

He was happy for the praise he received, but he knew improvement was necessary.

"Still, I need that energy now more than ever...I need some tips..."

"Hey, look. Isn't that-?"

Looking over by the road next to the field, they spotted Steffan Rakulli, who'd just returned

from his mission.

"It's Rakulli-san! He's your cousin, right Kento?" Zeke pointed out.

"Yeah. Tarik, I think you should ask him for some advice."

Kento went on and added to what he knew about Steffan:

"We don't talk very much...but I've heard that when he was younger, he had terrible control

of his physical energy...but now, he's mastered it in a completely different way than

normal."

"Hear that, Tarik? Sounds a lot like you. That's a High Ranker for you!"

"Well, go find out his secret. Quick, before he goes away!"

Steffan was still annoyed about the happenings of the day, and was heading to get some

more sleep.

"As usual, that was exhausting...don't deploy me unless it's something actually serious, for

fuck's sake."

"...Hm?"

Suddenly, he was approached by the young trainee. He hadn't even noticed them at first.

"Excuse me, Steffan-san..."

"Oh, you're Tenchi's kid, aren't you?"

He looked at Tarik from head to toe, examining him (Tarik was shirtless at the moment):

"For someone with no physical energy, he has a decent build..." Steffan thought.

Tarik was still thinking about what exactly he should ask the elite Hunter:

"Wait, I haven't really thought about what I should ask him...I can't ask him about his secret out

of nowhere. How about..."

"Is there...a way for me to use my Spirit Energy as Physical?"

...Steffan's heart almost skipped a beat when Tarik asked him that. He immediately

developed an interest for the young trainee.

"...you're sharp, kid."

"You've got a good head on your body. Tell me your name, kid."

"Tarik!"

Clapping his hands together, he gladly put off his sleep schedule and decided to train Tarik!

"Alright Tarik, I'll be teaching you the art of Mana Replacement!"

"Well, first off, do you understand Mana Manipulation?"

"Um, no I don't...Uncle Emir said he wouldn't tell me since I'd learn it in training camp."

"wow, what a mean bastard."

"Well, I'll give you the most basic explanation. Let's go."

They then headed on to the field, and all the other trainees watched Tarik receive training

from the High Ranker. Jamal even stopped lazing around and watched his friend. Steffan

then proceeded to teach Tarik:

"So, Mana Manipulation involves manipulating your inner energies. That's as basic as it

gets."

"It's possible to manipulate the two energies we possess individually, as well as

simultaneously. That's more difficult, like walking to the left and to the right at the same

time. But since you only have Spirit Energy, let's not worry about that."

"First off, clear your mind. Try to picture...an empty plane. With a single dot out in the

distance. Focus on that dot."

"A form of hand-gesture helps too, any one of your preference."

Following these instructions, Tarik sat on the grass and interlocked his hands, extending

his ring and pinky fingers, and closing his eyes as he went in a deep focus, drawing on

his inner energy. After a few seconds, Tarik noticed something; it felt as if his nerves were

vibrating ever so slightly, and his awareness increased tremendously. Upon opening his

eyes, Tarik beheld a bright blue aura all around his body.

"I'm-!"

"Look at that...he’s a natural," Steffan thought to himself.

"Nice work, 10 Points for you!"

"However, this next and final task will be the most difficult. For you, that is."

As his classmates saw this, a few were envious:

"Oi, is he seriously learning that before us?" Amira asked bitterly.

"What are you talking about? You know Tarik's situation-"

"So what? He's been keeping up all this time, hasn't he?"

As Zeke was defending Tarik, Kinshi cut him off, also annoyed by the extra lessons being

given to him.

"And I guess Jamal's gonna be next, huh? Talk about privileged."

"Oi."

At that moment, Satoru who had still been training in silence, stopped to address his fellow

Clan member:

"Don't be that kind of person."

With that, the two put away their envy, and went back to training. A few continued

watching Tarik such as Jamal, Zeke, and Kento. Steffan continued teaching:

"So you've got Mana Manipulation under control, but now, you'll have to perform Mana

Replacement."

"I'll just show you firsthand..."

Steffan then held out his hand, and snow began to flow around it, with small pieces of ice

forming as well.

"Now, Tarik, tell me what kind of energy I'm manipulating right now."

"If you get this wrong, I'm done teaching you."

"huh???"

Looking at Steffan's hand, Tarik thought hard about the answer he would give.

"Well...it looks a lot like he's drawing Spiritual Energy..."

"No...he isn't giving me a reason to think otherwise, so it's definitely-"

"Physical."

Steffan looked at Tarik in silence...and the snow stopped flowing around his hand.

"Tarik Yamaguchi..."

Tarik's heart sank in his chest...

"...you're officially my new student! 20 Points for you!"

"i almost had a heart attack."

Outstretching his fingers, Steffan formed a blade out of ice in his hand.

"As I've shown you, Mana Replacement is the art of using one energy for a purpose not

normally intended. Just now, I took my Physical Energy which makes up my stamina, which

would normally serve to strengthen my body or heighten my attributes, and I used it to

perform my Ice Magic. Normally you'd perform Magic Arts with Spirit Energy, but doing

the opposite generates greater results. That's the secret behind Mana Replacement."

"Being from the Rakulli Clan, it's as natural as breathing for me. But, this is really difficult.

In this case, you have to take Spirit Energy, and manipulate it as if you're handling

Physical Energy. So basically, you need to know the feel of Physical Energy."

"Right."

They stood looking at each other for a few seconds.

"..."

"Tarik?"

"Yes?"

"You heard me, right?"

"Yeah, you said I need to know the feel of-"

Reality hit him.

"AHH! I DON'T HAVE ANY!!!"

"took you long enough."

"Anyway, no need to worry. I can help you with the impossible aspect, but the rest is up to

you. Step forward."

"Ok," Tarik responded as he went closer to Steffan.

Placing his palm on Tarik's chest, Steffan focused, and suddenly, Tarik felt energy rushing

into his body, quite intensely but rather painlessly.

"Ah-!"

"Relax, just try to control it."

Tarik calmed himself down, and watched as his aura got a little brighter and his body

slightly tensing up.

"This is...I've never felt this..."

"I just poured Physical Energy into your body. It's like the Inverse Flow Technique, except

I'm not trying to paralyse you. You're gonna spend time manipulating that energy so you'll

come to know the feel. Understand?"

Tarik's eyes lit up; for the first time ever, he felt Physical Energy in his body!

"Ahh! I get it! Thanks so much sensei!!" he thanked him as he bowed happily.

"Don't mention it, just practice your Manipulation of that energy, and after getting the feel

of it, perform Mana Replacement. I won't teach you anything else until you do."

"Also, this goes without saying, but that energy won't last forever, so get to work. I'm not

giving you a refill either, so it's pretty much do or die."

Infatuated with the power flowing through his body, Tarik almost didn't notice Steffan

leaving. One more time, he waved his new teacher goodbye, and thanked him.

"I'll be seeing you, son of Tenchi."

With that, Steffan vanished in a small blizzard.

Jamal, Zeke, and Kento then went over to Tarik, curious to see what things he learned. With

his aura glowing, tears running and a smile on his face, Tarik clenched his fist and declared:

"Now this is getting good...let's do this!!"

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

**FAMILY GROUNDS, 9:30PM**

At night, after Steffan had gotten some rest, he went out to find his friends. Arriving at a

small bar, he found Fudo, Katashi, Hayami, Chojo, and Emir.

"Yo!"

"Where the hell have you been all day?"

"Sleeping."

"you lazy shit."

"We had an important meeting last night. I messaged you the details, but essentially, we

need to get stronger."

*yawn*

"Dragons are up to something, huh? No worries. It'll be business as usual," Steffan

nonchalantly replied as he took a seat between Fudo and Hayami.

"I wish I could be as carefree as you."

"No one's stopping you, Fudo-kun," Steffan said as he waved back to some passers-by.

"Hey...we really need to do something about this No-Killing rule," Katashi pointed out.

"for fuck's sake can you stop bringing that up?"

"None of us like it, but we can't do shit about it. As far as the public knows, only the Big

Three are problem causers, not the Dragon-Tails on a whole. Killing them would only raise

hell. Furthermore, our ancestors promised-"

"Alright alright, I get it. I won't talk about it again," Katashi responded, avoiding a full-blown

lecture from Fudo.

"Thank you."

After finishing a glass of wine, Emir stood up from his seat:

"I'm gonna get some early sleep for once. Be ready for our mission, you all."

"Alright. See you sensei," Katashi ignorantly responded.

On the other hand, Hayami and Steffan were bothered by Emir's odd behaviour. Fudo then

beckoned to them, gesturing toward Chojo, who was more or less silent the entire time.

...I see.

"We'll talk tomorrow. Later," he said to them as he also got up from his seat.

Steffan picked up on the issue, and left them to go catch up with Emir.

"You're not fooling me, y'know."

Steffan walked with his friend and teacher for a while.

"...You and Chojo still on bad terms?"

"Well, you know, Steffan."

"For now, I'm just giving him some space. Things will be normal again soon."

Looking at Emir, Steffan attempted to reassure him saying,

"Dariyo's death wasn't your fault, sensei. Nobody knew-"

"No, it's my fault, Stef-kun. I take full responsibility."

Steffan stopped walking a little when Emir said that.

However, he went on after that to say with a smile,

"But, I already took the first step:"

"I've forgiven myself."

Hearing this, Steffan was reassured, and started walking again.

"So, have you met the trainees yet?"

"I made a pupil today!"

"Oh? Who's that?"

"Your nephew!"

Emir was slightly shocked to hear this, but was glad.

"Hehe, I guess I'll leave him completely in your hands now."

"Well, that's if he can accomplish the first step."

"Hm...whatever it is, I think he will."

"No…I know he will."

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

**FIELD B, 9:50PM**

*pant, pant*

On Field B stood an individual, drowning in sweat and his clothes filled with dirt. It was

Tarik. Ever since Steffan gave him energy, he had been using it to perfect Physical-Mana

Manipulation. It was much more difficult to do than with his Spirit Energy, since he's

operating with energy that he doesn't naturally have. After hours of practice...he finally got

the feel of it. With a small amount of Steffan's energy left, he had used it to do the evening

run from Field A to Field B, and surprisingly completed most of the run on his own. Since

the evening however, Tarik had been attempting Mana Replacement, to no avail.

But, Tarik wouldn't stop.

"I'm gonna master this tonight...no matter what..."

As he trained, Jamal and some others watched from the Dorms. Two other trainees, Maki

and Saki, watched as well, but they hid their interest from the others.

"Isn't he tired?..."

"He's the youngest of us all too..."

Jamal however, was unfazed. He was confident in his friend.

"He'll definitely do it."

At that moment, Satoru began walking toward the field.

"Are you really gonna stop him, Sato?", Ilmar, who was watching as well, questioned him.

"I know what I'm doing."

Arriving on the field, Satoru looked at Tarik, who was facing away and standing still for a

while.

"Tarik?..."

Remaining silent, Tarik slumped his body a little...and uttered these words...

"..."

MANA REPLACEMENT. · 真名変更 (Ma-na Hen-kō)

A bright and large light of energy burst forth from Tarik's body, engulfing his surroundings:

he had done it! He performed Mana Replacement! His classmates all watched in shock and

awe at the flow of his energy.

But Tarik wasn't finished; crouching down, he prepared himself:

"Now!"

Body Reinforcement! · 身體強化 (Shin-tai Kyō-ka)

In a flash, Tarik bolted from his position and started circling the field, running much faster

than Ilmar or Satoru had ever ran before! But after just one lap, he collapsed to the ground!

"Tarik!!"

Satoru ran to his brother, and picked him up. He was still breathing, but it seemed the

power had overwhelmed him. More practice was needed. But still, this showing by Tarik

had left all his classmates speechless.

"He actually..."

Lifting his brother onto his back, Satoru carried him back to the Dorms, and had an upset

look on his face.

"...Damn show off."

**TO BE CONTINUED**