**FAMILY GROUNDS**

**SANJURO MANSION, 3:00PM**

Inside his room, Jamal stood in front of a full body mirror, trying on some new uniform

his mother had gotten for himself and the twin siblings. It started off with crimson red

exercise leggings, worn underneath knee-height black shorts. On top, he wore a black

sleeveless hooded shirt with a small pouch on the front, the hood having crimson

Magatama markings all over, and its back decorated with the Sanjuro Clan Symbol; the

Kanji representing Warrior (武) in the same color scheme. On his feet were black Crepe

shoes. He was also given a crimson bandana having black Magatamas, which he wore in

his hair, and black wristbands, striped red at the ends.

“Well, someone's excited.” – he heard a voice along with the opening of his door; it was

his eldest brother, Fūdo.

“Big brother?! You're home?” he asked in surprise.

“I need a little break now and then. Cool uniform,” he complimented him.

“Yeah, Mother got them made for us. They all match…well, Gina’s is more of a girl type,”

he informed him.

“I see. Well, you guys just do what you've always been doing. Those practicals’ll be a

piece of cake,” Fūdo encouraged.

“That's easier for you to say, brother…” Jamal responded while looking at him.

“Perhaps you're right…” he agreed. “But, someone like me having faith in someone like

you, says a lot, doesn't it?”

Jamal paused. He thought on the question, knowing full well how powerful an individual

his elder brother was; being within the Top 5 Strongest among the Two Clans outside of

Gadō and Tenchi…yet, he had faith in his ridiculously inferior younger brother.

“Well, I'm gonna watch a movie or something,” he said as he was leaving the room.

“…Thank you, big brother.”

Jamal was looking down when he said this, and he spoke rather silently. But Fūdo heard

him quite clearly.

“Don't mention it, kid,” he responded in his heart with a smile as he left.

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

**NEARBY YAMAGUCHI MANSION**

Outside Tenchi’s Mansion, Emir had been lingering outside, more or less pacing back

and forth. He seemed somewhat focused, but also absent minded. He was shortly

interrupted by the call of a familiar voice:

“Find whatever you’re looking for?” – it was his brother, Lord Tenchi.

“Well, yes, but no,” he responded.

“I don’t know…something feels a little off-“

“I know,” Tenchi cut him off in response. “I’m not sure what exactly it is, neither do I

want it to be what I suspect…but just keep your eyes open. Take any approach you like,

your call.”

“Got it. So, how are those two?” Emir asked.

“Like mouse and cat, as usual. But, they’re running some drills right now,” Tenchi

informed him as he led him to the backyard area, where they stood by a corner, and saw

Satoru and Tarik meditating together on the grass; Satoru was actually immersed, while

Tarik fumbled now and then. They were preparing themselves for the test.

“That’s probably the most relaxed I’ve seen them while together,” Emir remarked.

“I hear you,” Tenchi responded. “Reminds you a little of Fūdo back then, doesn’t he?”

“Tarik? Absolutely. Fūdo’s written all over that kid - stubborn and reckless as hell, but he

doesn’t come short of promise. He’ll grow up just fine, Tenchi.”

“Hmph, I’m holding both you and Gadō to that,” he responded.

The two of them had returned to the front of the yard by this point. They took in the

view of the not-so-busy Grounds for a while, as well as the dark clouds that loomed in

the distance. It seemed like it would rain that night. After a moment of peace and quiet,

they both decided to return to their activities.

“It’s calm, but remember to keep a watch. I don’t think we’re going paranoid. Take Fūdo

or one of those guys with you,” Tenchi instructed.

“Got it. I’ll let you know what’s up,” Emir responded as he left.

He walked for a bit toward the south of the Grounds, and ended up visiting a Restaurant

Bar where he and his fellow High Rankers normally spend time hanging around.

Arriving, he was greeted by Katashi and Hayami who were having food.

“Yo! Captain Emir!”

“Emir-sensei! What’s up?”

“Not much, I’m doing a little sightseeing,” he responded as he went up to the counter

where they sat. “Something not too extreme, please,” he signaled to the waiter for a

drink.

“So, you ready to cheer on your knights in shining armor, Hayami?” he teased her as he

took a seat. But, she had a slightly distressed look on her face. She responded,

“Sensei…I’m accompanying the Trainees tonight. On that test.”

“Oh? Couldn’t stand the thought of not being there?” he joked once again.

“I have to be there…I just know it,” she reiterated, trying to express to him how serious

she was.

“…Well, I don’t think Chōjo or Miwa will stop you. Just let them know beforehand, so

they won’t be confused or distracted,” he instructed.

“Yes, I talked to them already. So now…here I am, just killing some time.”

There was a moment of silence among the 3 of them. Hayami hadn’t spoken to anyone

else regarding her dream, besides Fūdo. As far as Emir and Katashi could tell, it seemed

more like she just wanted to be around the trainees for some reason. However, they

didn’t ask her about it. But they could tell something was slightly off.

“Katashi, have you seen bigshot around?”

“Fūdo?” he started to respond. “I’m not sure. He’d normally be here, if he’s not with you.

Maybe he’s with Gadō-sama. Did something come up?”

“Nah, it’s nothing. I’ll see him when I see him, I guess,” he responded, finishing his glass

and leaving some money, as he started to leave.

“I’ll be off to my sightseeing again, you guys take care.”

“See you.”

“Alright, sensei.”

Hayami let out a sigh, and drank down the rest of her drink.

“I'm going. I'll see you soon, Katashi-kun,” she said to him as she got up and started

walking out.

“Hayami…something’s wrong, isn't there?” Katashi asked from his seat. “What's going

on?”

“…”

“It's nothing really, but I'll talk to you later. Something was bothering me, but I'm over it

now.”

She didn't want to have to lie, but she didn't want to talk about it. After all, it could've

just been her own paranoia, right?...at least, that's what she hoped.

“Who am I kidding...I didn't want to acknowledge it, but I can't deny it any longer,” she

thought as she walked along, looking up into the dark clouds that loomed across the

sky…

“...Someone is going to die tonight.”

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

**5:45PM**

**NEARBY FIELD A**

The time had finally come; walking to the south of the Grounds, toward Field A. were

Ilmar, Akiro, Jamal, Zeke, Gina, Amira, Satoru, Kinshi, and Tarik. They were all fitted out

in their best gear - Gadō’s children wearing matching uniforms; Satoru and Tarik

wearing long sleeved white tops unbuttoned, with dark long pants and a black sash tied

around their waists. On the backs of their shirts were the Yamaguchi Clan Symbol, the

Kanji representing Wisdom (知). The others wore the standard Hunter uniform: for the

Sanjuros, a black long-sleeved turtleneck undershirt with a crimson sleeveless vest

worn over, bearing the Clan Symbol, along with black ankle joggers and red Crepe boots.

For the Yamaguchis, a dark grey or dark purple long-sleeved shirt with a matching

hooded cloak worn over, having their Clan Symbol on it, army-style ankle joggers of

matching color, and white or dark sandals.

“The three of you look pretty good in those matching clothes,” Akiro complimented the

siblings.

“Thanks, I guess,” Ilmar responded. “They’re cool, but I think the fact that they match is

kinda embarrassing,” he lamented.

“Huh? Shouldn’t twins wear matching clothes?” Gina asked with an offended look.

“That doesn’t have to be a thing.”

“Of course it does!” they argued.

“Alright, alright! Don’t get at each other’s throats before the test. We’ll have to stick

together,” Akiro broke up the argument he indirectly started.

“How are you feeling, Tarik?” Jamal asked his friend.

“I’m pretty good…I’ve been meditating up until about an hour ago,” he responded.

“Steffan-sensei sent me a message, saying he'll be busy by the time we leave. He wished me

good luck.”

“Well…Ilmar and I haven’t sparred for a few days. Fūdo told us to try and give our

bodies a rest, since he knew we’d need it for today, and this whole week,” he informed him.

“I see…I feel like I’m ready for this…I’m not scared at all, y’know,” Tarik shared with

him.

“Right? This feels…less worrying than it should be.”

“Is that the rest of them?” Kinshi asked, squinting his eyes as he looked ahead toward

Field A at a few individuals standing around.

“It’s probably them. Alright, let’s move it a little,” Satoru instructed.

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

Toward the southern end of the field, nearest to the South Gate of the Grounds, the 16

trainees gathered with their instructors. Some were confident, and some had jitters, but

they were all ready to engage this test. Chōjo then spoke to them:

“Well, I'm glad to see that you're all here, especially after all that big talk yesterday. I

honestly admire you lot,” he complimented them. He couldn't help but notice however,

the nervousness displayed on some faces, such as Zeke, Saki, and Genki.

*ahem*

“Please bear in mind that all we'll be doing for these few days are some test runs, not

actual missions; we won't be anywhere near any Dragons.” – he reminded, trying to

reassure them.

“Um, excuse me,” Genki raised a hand. “Where will we be practicing? Is there some

special place?”

“I'm glad you asked, Genki. Now, let's get into some outlining,” he started off:

“As I explained yesterday, you guys will be learning how to operate within squads;

learning how to navigate and maintaining formations. Of course, the public area isn't the

most ideal of places to be in training, which is why we have our very own private

neighborhood district reserved for this kind of thing.”

“A WHAT??” Zeke blurted out in surprise. “You guys own a part of the city for

yourselves? Don't people like, have shops there, or have to drive there??”

“Our descendants had a few negotiations with the government back in the day, and

ultimately, we acquired our own town district reserved for private, personal use,” Chōjo

responded. It's located about a mile and a half east of here. We'll be heading there on

foot.”

“So, is it like…blocked off or something? Do people know that it's not somewhere they

should hang out around?” Ilmar raised the question.

“Well, you guys will just have to see for yourselves, don't you?” Chōjo answered as he

turned around to face the gate.

“Well then, it's about time…Trainees, are you all ready?”

A few of them looked one on another, as if agreeing with each other before answering,

until they all answered in unison:

“Yes Sir!!”

“Great. Now, let's move. You'll be accompanied by myself, Miwa-san here, and the high-

ranked Hunter back there who agreed to tag along with us.”

They all looked around when he said this, unaware that someone was actually behind

them; it was a female Hunter, dressed in long camouflage pants and boots, a dark

sporting top, and fingerless woolen gloves. Her hair was caught up in a messy bun, and

she wore a grey mask with the face of a cat. It was Hayami, but the trainees couldn't

tell; Jamal and Tarik included. She wanted to conceal her identity, as to not distract

the two she cared about so much, knowing they would be distracted by her.

Underneath the mask, she was worrying. She felt small chills all around her body. Was

she really just paranoid about the whole situation? Or…was it reality?

“Please...let me be wrong tonight...please...” she wrestled within

herself. Just for that moment, she felt as if she was losing her mind when suddenly, she

remembered…Fūdo’s words:

“I know everything will work out fine. I trust you, Hayami.”

Finally…she calmed herself down.

“...Right. I'll protect these kids, with my life.”

“I'm a Hunter.”

“Alright?...Let's go!”

By that point, they departed out of the South Gate, and made their way to the location.

Over by the Restaurant Bar in the meanwhile, Emir had been sitting on the outside seats

by himself, drinking a can of soda. By that time, Fūdo came there to him.

“How's it going? Did they leave already?” he asked, popping up next to him quietly.

“Who are you trying to sneak up on? Too obvious. And yeah, they just just left.”

“I see,” he responded, taking a seat next to him. “Hayami too, right?”

“Yep. I wanted to ask you what's up with her, but-“

At that moment, an individual in a dark hooded cloak got up from his seat nearby, and

started walking away toward the north of the grounds. Emir, still leaning back in his

seat with his legs crossed, seemingly paid him no attention, while Fūdo glanced at him,

but ignored him.

“What's his deal?” Fūdo muttered after the man had walked a little distance.

“Fūdo, let's take a walk.”

Emir who was just in a relaxed position, now stood up. He had his hands in his pockets

as he waited for Fūdo to stand as well.

“…” – he looked back at him in silence, and got up. They started walking to the north.

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

**CITY DISTRICT EAST**

After a short travel, the training group arrived at the “location”. They were in a vacant

area having many old, rotting buildings and damaged roads, and a few blinking

streetlights. It looked like the home for a bunch of criminals. The fact that it was night

didn’t make the atmosphere any better either.

“Is…this the place?” Galib asked, troubled.

“Well, almost. But don't worry, this area is scouted regularly to make sure no one’s

hiding around out here. The real location is right here.”

Chōjo pointed the group to a short road leading to a dead end area, with a building’s

face and what appeared to be a forest behind it.

“…”

“…what?”

They were utterly confounded.

“B-But, didn't you say it was a whole district? And if it isn't where we are now, then…?”

Zeke trailed off, confused. However, rather than responding to him,

“Miwa-san, go ahead.”

At Chōjo’s signal, Miwa walked toward the big building that faced them at the end of the

road, and as she stood in front of it, she lifted her hand, crossing her middle and index

fingers while uttering the phrase:

“That which is hidden from sight…reveal thyself unto light.”

At once, the entire building and the forest-looking area behind it began to distort; there

was now a glowing transparent wall, and behind it…a new area seemingly appeared! It

had the same setting as the area they were currently in, but it was as if it had spawned

out of nowhere.

“Wh…What is this?!” Akiro asked in utter shock, while the faces of his companions did

the same.

“This is Tenchi-sama’s Soul Barrier Technique. It’s a high-level technique, and can be

applied for many different purposes, such as the one that surrounds the Family Grounds

at all times. In this case, the barrier conceals the entire area that it surrounds,

completely cutting it off from view,” Chōjo elaborated.

“This is unreal…” Gina commented in awe.

“Tenchi-sama is…amazing…” Zeke added.

“Alright, no time for dawdling. Let’s go,” Chōjo instructed.

“Everything good?” – he signaled to Hayami who was on a nearby roof, after scouting

the area. She responded with a nod, and following that, they all went through the wall of

Mana. By the time they went in, the view from the outside reverted, and it was back to

looking like a dead end with a large forest behind.

The scenery wasn’t much different; the buildings still looked old, but not weathered like

the ones a moment ago. The storm clouds were also gathering above them with a few

thunders; the rain would definitely pour that night.

“Well, I don’t plan for us to stay all night here, so let’s get down to business -”

“For this week, you’ll be getting used to the lay of the land here, every nook and cranny

of this place. For that, we’ll be dividing you all into teams.”

“Satoru, Kinshi, Maki, Jamal,”

“Akiro, Galib, Gina, Tarik.”

“All of you will be in one group led by Miwa-san. The rest of you will be with me. All

we’ll be doing for now are simple scouting routines. Got it?”

After assembling according to Chōjo’s instructions, they prepped up themselves. All

worry and uneasiness had now departed from them completely, and they were ready.

“Let’s get this started then, shall we?” Chōjo asserted.

“See you all on the other side,” Miwa said to Chōjo and his group of students.

“Hunters, scatter!”

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

**FAMILY GROUNDS**

**NEARBY FIELD B**

“So, that’s what happened, huh.”

“Yeah. It’s been having her really concerned, ever since yesterday.”

Back on the Family Grounds, Emir and Fūdo were still walking toward the north, trailing

the suspicious individual from earlier. While they walked, Fūdo was explaining what

had actually happened concerning Hayami.

“Still…could it really be that bad?” Fūdo asked.

“The Ōriki Clan…from what I’ve heard, they were known back in the day for being

premonitory dreamers…they could see future events in their dreams. This is the first

time I’ve ever heard of Hayami having one, but what’s confusing is the fact that she had

a dream of the past,” Emir elaborated.

“That’s exactly what I don’t get,” Fūdo responded. “But it’s also equally confusing that

it’s the first time in years since she had that dream…”

“Whatever it is, I just hope everything will be alright.”

“…And as for this guy…”

They finally arrived on the outskirts of Field B, where they saw the man standing in the

middle of the field. They stopped for a moment, looking at him while he looked back,

then started walking once again. He had a small grin on his face.

“Heh…”

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

**ABANDONED WAREHOUSE**

**UNDERGROUND LOUNGE, 3 MINUTES AGO**

Somewhere within the old warehouse, inside a lounge, Gyuwhan stood putting on a

robe. He was getting ready to leave. At that moment, Daisuke entered the room:

“You called, Gyuwhan-sama?”

“Yeah, Mujin just talked to me. It’s time.”

“Oh, it’s that time, isn’t it? He gave you a location?” he asked.

“To the east of their home base. I’ll be back in 10 minutes…with them.”

Daisuke was a little troubled about all this.

“Gyuwhan-sama…to be perfectly honest, this is still a pretty reckless move. As it stands,

your existence is at best, only a hunch to the Hunters. After tonight, you will definitely

be exposed, even if you go about this as subtly as possible” he expressed. “Especially if

that place is surrounded by a Soul-Barrier…which it probably is.”

“…”

“Yeah, you’re right. I will be exposed after tonight. But, either way…” he trailed off as

he glanced behind him at Daisuke,

“Not one of them stands a chance against me.”

Immediately, a black void opened in the floor of the lounge, and Gyuwhan descended

into it. It was a form of Transportation Technique which he learned. Daisuke let out a

sigh, as the opening in the floor closed up.

“Watch over him, Ivan-sama...”

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

**FAMILY GROUNDS**

Back on the field, Emir and Fūdo were now standing face to face with the man, trying to

comprehend his ghostly appearance; they could sense no form of energy coming from

him, neither did it really feel as if there was anyone standing in front of them, but there

absolutely was.

They stared each other down as the wind blew their garments. Emir was dead silent and

serious, his glare piercing through his dark glasses. Fūdo had his hands in his pocket,

and he felt his eye twitching from all the questions that ran through his mind at the

moment: How did this person enter the complex undetected? What was his purpose?

Fūdo relaxed himself, and settled on:

“Who are you?”

The man chuckled with his hoodie hiding most of his face, and his hair hanging out

down his torso.

“Fūdo Sanjuro…Emir Yamguchi…it’s a pleasure to meet you. Both of you.”

“I asked you a question. Who the fuck are you?”

“…My name is Mujin,” he responded as he lifted his head, causing the hoodie to drop

back and reveal his face. That was when they saw the small “Water” kanji below his eye;

a trait adopted by Dragons wherein a tattoo of an element or species is located

somewhere on their bodies.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting it to be anyone else…anyway, let’s skip the chit chat.”

Emir then raised both of his hands and placed them together; the thumb, index, and

pinky fingers extended while the remaining fingers bent downward, and pressed

against each other. No sooner after doing this, he uttered one phrase:

Soul-Barrier Technique •魂結界 (Ta-ma-shii Kek-kai)

Immediately, they were encased within a bright red cube of Mana; Emir’s Soul Barrier.

He planned on keeping their opponent confined within that space, until he was

sufficiently dealt with. But not only that,

Concealment.

Emir then erased the Soul Barrier from outside view, as to not alert anyone about what

was going on at the moment. Nobody except probably Tenchi, who is able to tell all that

happens within his barriers.

“At least now, we know you’re not running away. Especially with that ghostly

appearance of yours-“

While Emir was still speaking, Fūdo took a few steps forward,

“Sensei, I’m handling this.”

“…Sure. No problem,” he responded.

As his hair flowed, and his eye gave off a glint of purple, he asked Emir one question:

“Standard operating procedures?”

“I quote, in the words of Tenchi-sama…whatever approach you like.”

“Perfect.”

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

**CITY DISTRICT EAST**

A black void opened up in the ground, and Gyuwhan emerged. He arrived at the

abandoned area, almost no time after speaking with Daisuke.

“I think I’ll like this technique. Thanks for your hard work, Old Man.” – he referred to

Hellam.

“Now, where is this…oh.”

Gyuwhan stood on the same dead-end road, and looked straight ahead at the face of the

old building. He could clearly feel the energy of the Soul-Barrier that was there. It was

like one big road sign to him.

“Might as well put some guards there as well…invisible Soul-Barrier or not, I can see it

as clear as day.”

“Well, how about infiltration measures?” he asked himself as he placed his hand on the

wall.

After a few seconds…the hidden area was revealed. Gyuwhan completely bypassed the

secured Soul-Barrier.

“Now this is just hilarious,” he remarked with a scoff.

“Well…let’s see how fast we can do this.”

Without waiting another moment, he stepped right inside.

Right then, the hearts of everyone inside the area suddenly froze up; they clearly felt the

monstrous presence that rose up. They stopped moving altogether, looking all around

them.

“What in the world…” Chōjo uttered over in his group.

Before he knew it, he heard a loud voice speaking in his head; it was Tenchi,

communicating through his Barrier. Miwa heard it as well.

“CHŌJO, MIWA, ESCORT EVERYONE OUT OF TRAINING AREA IMMEDIATELY!!”

“Tenchi-sama-!”

Before Chōjo could even finish a thought, he saw him in front of him…Gyuwhan Ryūjin.

“Found you.”

**TO BE CONTINUED**