[IC] The Rising Tide

[jennifer lost the war]

“My name is Ken Ikeda. I am thirty years old and American born. I’ve been fighting in international mixed martial arts tournaments for a decade as a middleweight. I am considered one of the best middleweight fighters in the world and I…,” Ken was interrupted by a roar of laughter. Taken aback, he stuttered a bit and then immediately turned red, genuinely confused and embarrassed. Having recently seen an advertisement challenging people to approach the laughing man before him to see if they are worthy of being taught how to fight, Ken decided to see what it was all about, not entirely taking it seriously. The ad was filled with so much arrogance and disparaging words that it was almost comical. Upon approaching the premises, he didn’t know what to expect. The man stood at least six feet tall and had plenty of muscle. His body was built like a fighter-- certainly in tremendous shape for his age (looking in his early forties), so Ken had no reason to believe that he didn’t know what he was doing. However, he still partially felt the over the top approach the ad took was just a ploy to attract people instead of something to be taken seriously.

“U-uhh…” Ken began, seeing that the man was not going to stop laughing anytime soon.

“Haha, sorry,” he apologized half-heartedly. “One of the best huh? Well, at least you’re not some heavy weight. I wouldn’t bother with a fucking sumo wrestler.”

In the awkward silence that followed, Ken examined him more closely. Although they both shared short, silky black hair, and wore a kimono the man wasn’t Japanese. He didn’t recognize him from anywhere, so he concluded that he couldn’t possibly be a well-known fighter. Yet there he stood, arms crossed and completely taking himself seriously. This guy is either really good or completely insane, Ken thought. He took a good look at his eyes and noticed something subtly peculiar. They were clearly gray, but it seemed as though they were very slowly changing color—into different shades of gray. He couldn’t tell if this was really happening or an illusion in the light.

“So, you’ve been training for ten years you said?” the man finally broke the silence.

Ken didn’t understand the question. “Um…well, not exactly. I meant I’ve been fighting in MMA tournaments for ten years, but I’ve…”

“When did you start learning to use spirit energy?”

“When I was around eighteen.”

“Did somebody introduce it to you?”

“No. I just heard of it and figured it out on my own.”

“Interesting,” the man replied, his eyes wandering in thought. Ken smiled a little, having gotten the first semi-compliment from this incredibly picky person. “I guess you’re not a complete retard.” Ken’s smile immediately disappeared. “You’ll return in two days and you’ll take a test I devised to determine your ability. If you pass, you may train under me. You’ll be given three tries to pass. If you fail, you’re worthless and I don’t want to see your face again,” he said firmly and paused. “I won’t give you specifics, but the test will be an exercise in channeling your spiritual energy.”

Ken grimaced. Channeling spiritual was the most basic thing he could have possibly thought of. If he couldn’t successfully channel his energy into his arm to enhance the power of his punch, he wouldn’t have been fighting professionally for so long. He simply couldn’t have. The fact that he would be given three tries as if he needed them was the most insulting thing that had ever been said in the conversation.

“I am currently a middleweight champion. I have held the title for three years straight and…”

“Are you insinuating that my test will be easy?” the man snapped.

Ken hesitated. “I wouldn’t be a professional fighter if I didn’t know how to channel my energy. That’s ridiculous. I’m not going to need three tries.”

“Hundreds of people have attempted my test,” the man began. “Only one succeeded.” Okay, I think he’s completely insane, Ken concluded. “So, you’re right. You won’t need three tries. You’ll probably need three thousand. Now get your egotistical ass out of here and train.”

“Who the hell are you, man?” Ken finally asked.

“I’m no celebrity. You wouldn’t recognize my name.”

“Then how do I know if you walk the way you talk?”

The man was genuinely confused. “You can’t detect other people’s spirit energy?”

Ken was starting to turn red again. He had never heard of such a thing. He wanted to respond, but didn’t know what to say. “Of course you don’t. You wouldn’t have asked that if you could. I could break you like a twig, champion,” the man said menacingly, adding heavy sarcasm in the last word. Ken didn’t know if he was bluffing and made that entire thing up, so he looked him right in the eyes fearlessly. The man entertained him and stared back for a few moments before laughing. “Two days. Train hard and come back,” he said before turning around and leaving him.

Ken watched him go all the way into his little home at the top of the hill before he left. As soon as he saw the man enter he let out a huge sigh and thought about what he had just gotten himself into. He had only been in Japan for three days, planning to move here permanently. A week ago he received a letter asking for him to move here from Japanese politicians. Ever since the incident that eradicated Japan’s population, Japanese people from across the world returned in order to repopulate it and reconstruct the lost world. It was a beautiful country. Nobody wanted to see it fade away completely. Twenty years had passed since the incident, so he had gotten the letter many times before, he just didn’t feel like he would belong, having been born and raised and America. His mother returned as soon as he began living on his own, so she always urged him to come.

His third day in the country and he is about to prepare to be tested by some ego-maniac so he can train.

[Vox Angelis]

“Eternally fleeing from the gallows,
Little children hiding in the shadows.”

Men in police uniforms were running through dark alleyways, flashlights in one hand and baton in the other. From the shouts this small squad of four men were yelling, these law-enforcers were chasing people. Not far from there, two young individuals were sitting behind a garbage can, a young boy and a fair young woman. Ragged and dirty, the girl was holding the boy tightly in her arms, pressing him firmly against her body, as if she thought she could bury the small boy within her to protect him from harm’s way. Their breathing was erratic, but as the shouting police officers closed in near their position, they stopped making any sound, as if their body suddenly turned lifeless, giving out from exhaustion. Shutting themselves from the outside world, the children closed their eyes, their ears stopped hearing, their minds wandering away to what could’ve been a more happy place.

After a few minutes that seemed to last an eternity, nothing could be heard. The yells from the policemen, their heavy footsteps, their baton hitting walls and bins, they were all gone. Waking up first from her panicked trance, the fair woman opened her eyes slowly, scanning the dark alleys with a quick glance. The lights of the flashlights were gone with the sounds. Sighing in relief, her head lowered to the boy she was still holding tightly in her arms, his head now buried in her chest. The girl allowed herself to smile, gently petting the boy’s golden hair. They were safe, for now, she thought to herself. Safe they may be, but the courageous little lady knew better than to stay in the same place too long. She lifted her young brother from the ground, carrying him into her pale, delicate arms and began walking, sticking to the shadows of this alley.

Eventually, the boy woke up in his sister’s arms, feeling a certain familiar comfort, the only way he felt truly safe. Watching all around him, the boy saw nothing but a desolate underground, hidden from the day’s warming sun. Not only it was cold and dark, but the stench of rot and waste was overwhelming. It didn’t take long for the boy to realize they were currently in the slums, located in a tunnel just by the sewers. As horrible of a place it was to live, it was probably the only place Jonathan felt a small amount of safety, outside from her sister’s loving embrace. The slums were a place were poor people strived to survive, and where people who didn’t want to be found came.

It was a desolate sight to see those two children, dirty and messy, ragged and bruised, in such a pitiful place. Although sad to see, those two siblings never showed weakness, their eyes burning with a passion to leave this place and find somewhere they could call home and live without the constant fear of being chased for who they are, or at least what they chose to be.

It was nighttime, the air grew colder than usual. Clad in brown, dirty blankets, brother and sister joined other people hiding in the slums, heating themselves by the fire of a rusted bin. Most of these poor souls had a pitiful look in their eyes, just as if they almost had no hope in life anymore. As if it reflected their inner thoughts, the flames burning in the metal bin was still and quickly dying, its light dim and depressing.

“In the darkest night
Warming the hearts of lost souls
A wild fire is burning.”

As the young lady recited these poetic lyrics, the dying flame burst forth, bigger, brighter and warmer than before. The sad look on the face of the poor men and women standing by the fire changed to one of surprise, their eyes now fixated on the young woman with the voice of an angel. Shyly avoiding the attention she attracted, Stella turned her head towards the bin fire, now burning brightly. Proud of her sister’s display of magical poetry, little Jonathan had a wide smile drawn on his face. While many were terrified of what Poets could do, this small community knew not all of them were walking disasters. Among them was a fine Poet, using her talents for the greater good of the misers gathered in these slums.

“I wish I could do the same!” the boy said cheerfully.

Jonathan turned to his sister, hoping to see a smile on Stella as he praised her skills. Instead, he was struck by an expression of grief on his sister’s face, of which tears began running down her cheeks. Met with such emotions, the boy’s cheerful expression was replaced by worry, as he wondered what he said to put her in such a state.

“Please, do not say such things.” Stella finally answered, a hint of guilt in her voice.

[Rina]

Twenty years ago...

"Now child, state you name and relation to the deceased in the presence of the council." A man that appeared to be in late fifties said as he sat in the chair at the center of the long semicircular table with four members of the council on either side of the man, each one of them representing one of the eight factions that made up the whole population of the small planet called Ryton.

"My name is Elysia Bennett, those people that were killed-- the ones he murdered," The young girl said with a bitter, but very hurt tone in her voice as she glared at the man standing to her left about ten feet away. "were my--"

"Child, hold your tongue. It is not your duty to be the judge of the events that occurred." The woman representing faction six that sat two seats to the right of the Grand Councilman's seat interrupted with a displeased look on her face.

"Yes, even as a child. You should know your place." A younger man from faction one stated. "Grand Councilman, is the child even old enough to testify in front of--"

"Yes, I am old enough. I am twenty years old." Elysia interrupted, obviously upset and letting her emotions taking the best of her. Glaring at the man from faction one, she continued. "Or maybe in layman's term that the general of space exploration would understand, I am about ten years old in earth years."

"Enough!" The Grand Councilman said with an air of authority. "Elysia, due to your actions we could easily dismiss your from your parent's hearing or even condemn you for your actions that you presented today. But I will give you one more opportunity. If you act up one more time, I will dismiss you without any hesitation. Do you understand?

"Yes, I understand Grand Councilman."

At the young age of twenty for Ryton standards, Elysia held the appearance of a petite ten year old girl. Her chestnut brown hair was kept in a braided ponytail that extended down to the middle of her back, as it was customary for girls to keep long hair until they became an adult. Her bright grey, almost silver eyes seemed to holding on to the last bits of innocence that was prematurely shattered.

“Now Miss. Bennett, would you state to the council for the records the events that unfolded.”

Taking in a deep breath, Elysia gave a slight nod before speaking as she held her composure the best that she could. “This man, or better yet this Poet, killed my parents. You see, it happened about dinner time. W-we heard a knock at the door and my dad went to see who was there. A-all that my mom and I heard after t-that was him yelling for u-us to run.” Tears slowly started to form in the young girl’s eyes as voice started to become unsteady as she spoke. “He, he sh-shouldn’t have died, neither of them should have. It didn’t take long before I could hear the poet’s footsteps as-” Elysia was quickly cut off as the double doors behind her crashed open and a man started to walk through the large room towards the council.

“Sir, a hearing is currently taking place. I have to ask you to leave.” The Grand Councilman stated as he stood up from his chair. In response, the man mutter in a quiet voice as he continued to walk as if he didn’t even hear the Grand Councilman speak. “Sir, stop now or I wi-” Before the man could finish speaking, silence filled the room. Turing her attention from the newcomer towards the Grand Councilman, Elysia noticed something quite odd. She couldn’t move to her body. Trying to open her mouth to say something but neither would her mouth open nor she couldn’t utter a sound. She was frozen in place.

“Took ya’ long enough. I was half worried ya’ left me here to rot in prison or somethin’.” The man in handcuffs said as three other newcomers entered the room and headed towards the members of the council as each started to recite words of poetry.

“Poets cannot be rushed Phil, you should know this. Well actually if you did, we probably wouldn’t have been in this situation because of a kid.” The newcomer said as he gave a glance towards Elysia with a sneer. “Seriously, how could you mess up such a simple mission? How did a kid outsmart you Phil?”

Elysia looked around at the scene in front of her with confusion. She was a bit worried about what outcome would come of this situation for her. None of the Poets more towards Elysia and after reciting poetry in front of each council member, the trio walked out of the room.

“Should we wipe the kid as well Phil?”

“Nah, I’d say we leave her. It’ll be fun watchin’ her as the council starts again.”

With a nod, the unnamed man walked towards Elysia and crouched down so that he was eye level to the girl. “You heard the man, we won’t wipe your memories. However, please give a message to your grandfather for me. Tell him that the Resistance has returned. We won’t be still nor quiet for long.” With a slight wave, the man walked out of the room and as the door slammed shut, the council seemed to suddenly come back to life.

“Now that the council has come to a verdict, we shall resume.” The Grand Councilman said as if he didn’t see any disturbance in the hearing. Looking at the council with a confused expression, Elysia wondered how the hearing could suddenly be at it’s conclusion. “We find this man not guilty of-”

“What do you mean not guilty!” Elysia yelled looking at the council, surprised at their decision before turning her attention to the man standing beside her. “You, you and those men are the cause of this, isn’t it?”

“I have no idea whatcha’ talkin’ about. I’ve been standing here quietly during the whole trial on my best behavior, unlike your sudden outbursts that has been interrupting the council today.”

“Elysia, I did warn you about watching your tongue.” The Grand Councilman said, interrupting the conversation between Elysia and Phil. “You are dismissed.”

“But, you don’t underst-“

“Go now, or do you need to be escorted out?”

“No sir.” Elysia said frustrated.

---

“Grandpa, who are the Resistance?” Elysia said as she looked up from her dinner.

“Why do you ask child? It isn’t the most pleasant conversation to talk about, especially over the dinner your grandmother has made for us.”

“Do you remember during the hearing today when the stranger suddenly came in?”

“No one came in during the hearing Elysia. Are you sure that you remember the event correctly?”

“Yes, I remember. A man came in and you were telling him that he couldn’t be there and then everyone suddenly froze as he started to speak poetry.”

With a sigh, the older man looked at Elysia with concern. “Listen child, today was a hard day for you but you should not create stories about today’s events. I was there as the Grand Councilman today and I know of the events that took place. There was no stranger that visited us during the hearing. Don’t worry about the Resistance force, we are able to handle the rebel forces that make up the Resistance. Now, why don’t you go to bed? Today was a long day for you.”

With a nod Elysia obeyed and went upstairs to the room that became her own ever since her parents passed away. She would have to talk to her grandfather tomorrow about what happened. Maybe he would listen then.

[jennifer lost the war]

Ken approached his soon-to-be master's house two days later, ready to attempt the test. Although he hadn't practiced much, he felt confident. Judging by how the man had described the test last time he saw him, he figured it couldn't be too difficult. Then again, he did say that only one person had passed it before, Ken thought. He wore gray shorts, a white wife beater and sneakers. He carried his own gear in a gym bag slung over his shoulder, just in case the man wasn't going to provide equipment, which wouldn't have surprised him. He stood several paces away from the entrance for no more than a moment before he heard the man's voice telling him to come in.

Ken walked in as commanded and was impressed to see a massive dojo. From the outside, it looked like an ordinary house, but the inside made it seem larger than it actually was. A long hallway with many rooms on either side led to a wide open space for training. Everything was made out of wood. The man smiled and led the way into the training space. "Good to see you didn't chicken out," he said, stopping to look at Ken when they reached the training space. "What's in the bag?"

"Just my training equipment. Guards, gloves, stuff like that," Ken replied.

"You won't be needing that stuff here, son. But at least you're taking this seriously," the man said, chuckling at first.

"You seem to be in a good mood," Ken commented, noticing the man's eyes had a hint of gold in them this time. The man only chuckled once more. Ken put down his gym bag on a bench near the hallway and removed his shoes before turning to the center of the area. He stood face to face with the man, no more than two paces away.

"You said last time you know how to channel your energy properly. Show me. Put out your right hand and channel your energy into it," the man said. When Ken did it, he nodded and said "good."

"How do you even know I'm actually doing it?" Ken asked.

"I told you I can detect spirit energy. At more advanced stages, you can detect how it moves in another person's body, determine how powerful they are and even determine their identity. You will learn these things if you pass my test. Now, throw a punch while channelling your energy."

Ken jabbed the air, but deliberately kept his energy at bay to see how he would react. The man immediately began laughing. "A skeptic huh? I like that. Let me see you shadow box now, no screwing around." After a minute of demonstrating, Ken was asked to stop. "Now throw a punch, but channel your energy into the opposite arm."

"What?" Ken asked, freezing in the process of throwing the punch. "Why?"

"You said you knew how." Ken blinked and did what he was told awkwardly. "There's still a little energy in the wrong arm. You're sloppy."

"This is impractical. Why would I put my energy in the arm that isn't attacking?"

"Because a real opponent can detect your energy like I can. A real opponent will know what's coming by the flow of your energy. Having complete control over the flow of your energy is fundamental to fighting well. You'll need to be unpredictable to your opponent. Now shadow box with your energy going in the opposite direction."

Although convinced that it was a ridiculous exercise at first, Ken's inability to do it well motivated him to try harder. The task was more mentally taxing than it was physically. He was so used to doing it the way he had been all his life, that doing the opposite took a lot of time to get accustomed to. Even though it was clear he had not gotten the hang of it yet, the man asked him stop. "Now I want you to do the opposite in a different way. Throw a punch with your right, but your energy rushes into your left leg. Understand? The test will begin in two hours. You will defend my blows, but your energy will go opposite the arm or leg you're using. When I tell you to switch, you're energy will go into the opposite limb entirely. Failure to channel ur energy correctly three times means you fail the test. You have three tries to pass the test. Good luck," the man said before walking into the hallway and into one of the rooms.

Holy shit, Ken thought as he practiced, realizing how simple the task was, but also how difficult. However, he was convinced now that this man was the real deal and that he could learn an enormous amount from him. He knew if he passed this test he could become the ultimate fighter with his teachings. But then he couldn't help but wonder who this man was and how come he had never participated in an MMA tournament? With what he was capable of, he could easily be the best in the world. He would be unstoppable. Yet Ken had not recognized him from anywhere.

After two hours, he expectedly failed the test and was dismissed, having been told to come back the next day at the same time to try again. "Before I go, I have to know your name," Ken said.

"You'll know once you pass," the man replied.

"I will pass, but I need to know who you are. It's incredible that I don't know."

"I guess that's one way of putting it."

"Your name," Ken demanded, meeting his gaze directly. The same gold hue was in the man's eyes.

"Iraltiphos."

[Rina]

The condition of Ryton changed ever since that day in court when I was a child. I was expecting a sudden revival of the group with a massive riot taking over the capital or some other crazed and arbitrary fashion. However, it was not so. The Resistance was careful, plotting and planning every move that they made. Not wanting to be seen as the enemy by the general populace, the Resistance planted seeds of doubt within the minds of many and slowly cultivated it until it sprouted and took root. Slowly, incidences started to rise up and the world was divided as each placed their trust in either the Council or the Resistance and tossed the blame on the opposing side. It took fifteen years before a full on war started to take place between the two sides as groups of people and even a few factions turned towards the Resistance. Most believe I took on the side of the Council due to my grandfather’s position as the Grand Councilman. But they are wrong, this war is personal. I will catch those who wronged my parents, I will stop those corrupted Poets no matter what.

---

“So, what is this woman like? Is she really as harsh as they say?” A boy that comparatively looked like he was in his early teens using Earth standards. Similar to the other young boys and girls in the room, he had silver eyes and wore a simple green t-shirt, pants and boots. “Seriously, is the Grand Councilman’s granddaughter supposed to train us or something? Shouldn’t she—I don’t know—be off being some type of scholar or something?”

“Knock it off Kyle.” Another boy similar in age but taller in stature said. “We don’t want any trouble on our first day here. We aren’t kids in the academy anymore, this is our future now so don’t screw off.”

“You know what Chris? I’m tired of your high and mighty attitude.” Kyle said in a scoffing tone as he slowly made is way towards Kyle. “Unlike your family heritage, mine was bred for the military.” Stopping a few feet in front of Chris, Kyle continued, missing the sound of a door opening and quietly close behind him. “Six generations of military men and women in my family. But what about you? You’re just the son of a botanist, not a fighter so don’t act like you’re some body high and mighty. We are a people of tradition and set ways so why don’t you leave while you have the chance before the real fighters start to get rough.”

“Hey, at least I’m not the son of the man who got faction four blown up.” Chris said with a slight uncaring shrug as he turned around and started to make his way to the front of the classroom.

“Turn around and say that again one more time. I dare you.” Kyle said with a balled up fist as he quickly made his way towards Chris. However, after a few paces a firm grip on his shoulder stopped him in his track and forcibly turned around.

“This ends now Anderson or both you and Mr. Cullingham will be seeing me after class today. This is my one and only warning, for all of you.” A woman with the appearance of being in her young twenties said gazing first at Kyle and then towards the rest of the class. “You guys are not in the academy anymore. You guys are here training for your real lives, your future in the military so you better get your act straighten up immediately or don’t think about showing up for class tomorrow. Do you understand Anderson?”

“Yes Ms. Bennett.” Kyle said and then made his way to his desk and gave a menacing glare towards Chris before sitting down.

With a nod, Elysia started to make her way towards the front of the classroom as the trainees made their way towards their desks. Her eyes were sill bright and silver in appearance as they were in her youth. Her brown hair now was infused with reddish highlights that blended into her brown hair as it rested with a slight wave a bit below her shoulders. Her body structure was still on the small side compared to most women but she held herself up with unwavering confidence that made up for her petite size. She could already tell that this group of trainees would be a stubborn group to train and the rivalry between Chris and Kyle would make it even difficult. However, she was optimistic about both of them, as she was for all of her trainees past and present, but she knew that optimism and hopeful thinking wouldn’t solve anything between the two, or any problem for a matter of fact. Only action would solve a problem.

---

“And you wouldn’t believe. After they were dismissed for the day, guess what the two of them were doing?” Elysia said with a small laugh as she sat among a small group of friends at a bar. “The two idiots were at each other again. I would have given Anderson and Cullingham a few days, maybe even a week but seriously within the hour after class was dismissed the two were causing ruckus right outside of their sleeping quarters.”

“Seriously, you would have thought the two would have been wise enough to at least take it off site or something like we did while we were young. It’s harder for the instructors to find out that way.” A man a few years older than Elysia said with a slight chuckle.

“Hey, first off there was never evidence that proved that event ever occurred nor were we ever caught. Secondly, you better not be giving my students your lovely words of wisdom.” Elysia said with a sarcastic undertone as she stood up and readied herself to leave. “I’m going to have enough trouble keeping those two in line without you mucking things up Carter.”

“Alright Alright, I’ll keep my wonderful influence away from the new trainees.” Carter said in a joking manner as he and the rest of the people at the table followed Elysia out the bar. “Anyways I’ve been busy perfecting the new training program for those who enter the advanced training course.”

“That great, did you get a chance—“ Before Elysia could finish her statement, multiple pings could be heard throughout the group as Elysia and a few other members of her group pulled out a touchscreen cell phone type of device. A holographic woman with short blonde hair and grey eyes spoke on each device in a monotone voice.

“We have just received a distress call from the Capital and your presence is required at Headquarters immediately. Debriefing will commence in fifteen minutes, do not be late.” After a short beep, the hologram disappeared and Elysia was alone with her friends once again.

“Seriously, can’t we ever get some time off?” Emma said looking between Carter and Elysia. “We’ll see the rest of you guys later.”

After quickly saying goodbye, the trio quickly made their way to Headquarters. Although each faction had their own military headquarters, the one at faction eight was the biggest and most structured among the rest holding both the world’s top military school as well as the military leaders of the world. As they entered the main building, Elysia could tell that something serious was happening as she watched the buzzing energy within the building. “The kids might be lucky enough tomorrow and have a substitute teacher tomorrow.” Elysia said as she entered a conference room with Carter and Emma along with a few familiar and unfamiliar faces. Elysia’s only hope was that the Council wasn’t the target. It would be risky for the Resistance to go after but it would cause a hindrance for the factions if they did so. Not only that, it could become problematic for her grandfather.

[Jester Acharis]

A dark figured moved among naked trees, his steps silent and form hunched so as to better conceal himself from the predators that lay in wait. His breathing, uneven and shaky, left behind small puffs of smoke that, luckily enough, dissipated quickly enough not to blow his cover. It was cold, yet that did nothing to stop cold sweat from drenching the man's brow and face alike as he sought to make his way back home undetected.

The row of trees he'd hidden behind had to come to an end eventually and as it did, the man was forced to press himself against one of them and, staying his breathing, peek from behind it to assess the situation. Deep, dark brown eyes scanned the area with care and experience, but truthfully, his pursuers were not difficult ones to spot even for more inexperienced eyes.

As such, although the central park that laid out in front of him might have seemed calm and peaceful under its white, snowy coat, the man wasn't fooled; even among the chattering couples and pigeons scraping for food from underneath the snow, he could see them with ease; predators, waiting for him to make that one fatal mistake that would lead to his capture. Most of them were gathered around the fountain, most likely unaware of each others' presence. Made sense, as they tended to hunt alone. Each and every one of them was beautiful, attractive and, above all else, deadly as hell.

But he would not be caught. Not today. He was too young, too handsome to meet his end here like this.

John drew in a shaky breath and glanced around his hiding place a few more times, before he decided it was now or never. He pulled down the visor of the old, worn cap he'd grabbed from somewhere earlier on during the day to try and hide his crazy, distinctive hairdo, and pushed a pair of huge sunglasses up his nose to hide his eyes - another feature, he'd been told, that was rather distinctive. How in the hell a pair of brown eyes with no remarkable markings of symbols o what have you was distinctive, he didn't know, but he knew better than to the question them.

With one last nod of reassurance to himself, the man moved one leg into a brave forward step. His boot sunk into snow with a slight crunching sound, but he paid it no mind. He moved his other leg and then the first one again, taking step after careful step towards the exit of the park, as far away from every woman in the area as he could get. No doubt he looked suspicious in his long, black coat, particularly with his hood pulled all the way down, but he couldn't help it. He'd rather take the glares of a few grandpas and kids than be subjected to whatever horrors the women he was fleeing from could come up with once they found out about his misdeeds. This was the only way to keep himself hidden. Women had sharp eyes, especially on this particular day - he'd learned that the hard way years ago.

"G'damnit man, I swear they get a sixth sense just for the occasion," the Italian mumbled under his breath, his thoughts starting to involuntarily drift back towards the horrors of last year's February.

A bad mistake, if there ever was one; the temporary lapse in concentration was all it took for the guy to accidentally step on the hem of his coat and, with a surprised groan, fall flat on his face onto the snowy asphalt below. He grumbled and cursed out of instinct, rubbing his jaw as he pushed himself back onto all fours. His sunglasses had fallen, and he had to find them quick. So, turning his head left and right and pushing away snow with his gloved hands, the man began a frantic search - that was soon interrupted by a rather strange discovery among the snow; a pair of perfect, pink boots with heels.

John stared at the footwear in silence, each blink he took bringing him closer and closer to the horrible revelation that was to follow. Either the pigeons had acquired a far more expensive and elegant taste this year, or he was just staring into what could very well be the last thing he ever saw in this world.

With a silent gulp, the man slowly raised his gaze, eyes stopping to stare at the woman's slim legs for just a few seconds longer than was necessary, before he snapped his gaze up at the face of death. The woman in front of him stood with her arms crossed, both brows cocked, and John returned her icy stare with an awkward smile. His hand flew to the back of his head as he attempted a sheepish chuckle.

"H-Hilda, honey, w-what an absolute coincidence..." He attempted, trying to backtrack back into the trees, still on all fours. "Fancy seein' you here, I... you can keep a secret, can't you? Please? Just for m-"

The smile on Hilda's face widened as she closed her eyes, and for a split second John mistook it for the face of mercy. Then she opened her eyes again, and he realized his mistake. In his shock, he could do nothing but attempt a silent prayer as she turned her head to face the fountain and, cupping her mouth with one hand, shouted out a loud: "Fooound him, girls!"

Shit.

"Ah, there you are!" He heard a brunette girl gasp in surprise as she popped out of nowhere a second after John had managed to scramble back to his feet and prepare to run for it. "I've been looking for you! It's Valentine's, so I wanted to give you a pres- ouch!"

The woman turned to glare to her side, at another woman who pushed her way to John as well, brushing golden locks from her face as she held up a small package. "Sorry, sister, but it's my present he wants." She turned to face the Italian man who, at this point, was whiter than the snow he was standing in. "Right, Al, honey?"

Another woman, this one with black hair, tilted her head in confusion as she arrived to the scene. "Al? But... he's called Paul, isn't he?"

"No!" Another woman chimed in. "I do believe he referred to himself as Christopher."

John had just started to spell out his will and pick out his funeral tune in his mind, when more people pushed their way towards him, all smiling for now, all knowing him by a different name and all about have a synchronized epiphany that would lead to his execution in about three seconds now.

3....

"He's called Brian, I'm telling you! And we're dating, so back off, girls!"

2....

"Dating? He promise dot marry me just last week! And his name is Jack! Are you drunk?"

2....

"..."

The women started to quiet down one by one, each redirecting their icy glare from each other to John who, upon realizing this, snapped out from the prayer he'd just begun. He stared at the crowd, suffering from a bizarre case of paralysis that prevented him from moving any muscle below his, all of a sudden sore, throat.

"Yeah. Heh. Um..." He began, gaze bouncing about in a futile attempt to find an escape. "So. The... weather. Cold, huh? Freezing. Scary, too. Scary, scary weather today. I should... probably head inside... here... right now?"

Multiple pairs of eyes stared simultaneously at the man, each possessing different colors and emotion, but all sharing in common the demand for answers. John felt like a hare caught in the middle of a pack of foxes - a pack that he had, admittedly, infuriated on his own, but still. And the pack was moving in closer.

Okay, so, explanation time!

"I, you see it's like I'm just not even... if I wouldn't totally not hide it's like, there's no and you are and then I just-," the women got closer, and the man's panic grew ever greater, his hands waving haplessly in the air as he tried to continue with a little more coherent: "I DO have an explanation for this!"

Silence.

John stared, careful, as he noticed the advancing the beauties had done had stopped. They were waiting for something now. But... what?

"Uh...?" He began, before realization hit him, and he illustrated it by hitting his palm with his fist. "Oh! Oh. Yeah, you... want to hear the explanation, yeah? Yuuup, I, of course, ha. So... it goes like..." As he spoke, he checked his planned escape route over one more time. It'd be fine, this shouldn't be any more difficult than running after cops after a job, or escaping from members of rival families. Yeah, he was supposed to be good at this, yeah? That's why he'd lived so long. Right, so, timing was everything. Timing and diversion. Now all he'd need was the diversion.

John hadn't yet gotten all the gears in his mind engaged when the women had realized he wasn't going to spit out any explanation, and had began to move again. They were mere inches away, and in his panic, the man pulled out the first diversion he could think of, the one he'd used against his father as a teen to get away from unwanted housework: "Look! A hot chick in lingerie!"

Something smashed against his head, and that told him that these people were not as easily fooled as his father had been.

So!

"Sorry for what I'm about to do!" John gasped, grabbing the shoulder of one of the women closest to him and shoving her aside with just enough force to make a path and not make her fall. Desperate as he was, he wasn't quite desperate enough to hurt a woman. Particularly so because this kiiinda was his own fault for arranging multiple dates in the same place and forgetting all about it. And not staying consistent with names. And not planning an escape route in advance in case his plans blew up.

Either way, two seconds passed and the man was already hightailing down the streets, followed closely by the women from earlier. He couldn't make out what each individual was shouting, but he did catch enough to bring a protective hand over his crotch and pray to god most of them were all bark and no bite.

Some of his chasers threw snowballs, few of them flying inches past the man's face and startling him as they entered his peripheral vision. Some hit his back, his head, and ass, and generally whatever else they humanly could.

"I'm sorry, okay!" John shouted behind, glancing carefully over his shoulder. "I can.... take you out on a date individually and do you and all, just please calm down! And uh, please don't make me choose who's the prettiest and all 'cause that's kind of unf-ouh! ... Okay, who the heck threw a rock?! That's not part of- ah, tch, o-okay, ouch, a lot of people threw rocks now... I guess it's okay then. Hey, look, I love you all, I'm-!"

His sentence never got to finish.

He wasn't sure if it was a rock or an inconveniently placed brick, a branch or one of those stray animals wandering around the city, but something made him stumble.

The last thing he remembers was that he swore somewhere deep in his mind that he would never get multiple dates on Valentine's again.

Just like he'd sworn the year before.

And consequentially, the year after.

[jennifer lost the war]

"Switch!" Iraltiphos commanded, as he blocked Ken's blows. Ken made the shift perfectly, channeling his spirit energy into opposite portions of his body according to the blows he decided to throw. He was sweating as though he were out running in 100 degree weather for hours. The test was as bizzarre and as difficult as it was first described to him and he had already failed twice. This was his third and final shot at passing. He had lost track of how much time had passed since he started his last attempt. Every moment felt three times as long as normal. Every muscle in his body burned intensely and his spirit energy was quickly depleting.

"Stop!" Iraltiphos commanded. However, Ken kept delivering blows, still adhering to the rules of the test. Iraltiphos repeated himself, but it didn’t seem like Ken was listening. He lost in concentration. If the word wasn’t ‘switch,’ he didn’t hear it. This time Iraltiphos grabbed Ken’s fist as it hurled toward him and brought him close. “The test is over. You can stop now,” he said, looking him dead in the eyes. Ken snapped out of it and his entire body relaxed. When his arm was released, he fell straight to the dojo floor like cinderblocks, having only enough strength left to support himself on all fours. He breathed heavily and couldn’t speak.

“You will return in two days,” Iraltiphos said, which sounded more like a prophecy than a suggestion.

“Wh-what do you mean?” Ken asked in between breaths.

“You did well. We will begin training in two days.”

Ken was too exhausted to show his excitement. He had been staring at the floor the entire time, watching the sweat slowly drip and accumulate. “Jesus,” he managed to croak.

“Indeed,” Iraltiphos said apathetically. “Keep in mind that you haven’t seen the last of what we’ve been doing. It’s only a test now because you’re a weakling. In time it’ll serve as a warm-up. Your energy isn’t much different than your muscles. If you want to strengthen it, you need to put it to work, bring it as close to depletion as possible without killing yourself and then allowing it to replenish. This is just one of the exercises we will be doing.”

“Wait, I thought you said this was meant to keep your opponent guessing. Like they won’t know where to expect a blow.”

“No, that’s retarded,” Iraltiphos said, finally showing some emotion and laughing, even if it was at the expense of Ken’s gullibility. “It’s just funny to see what some people believe when it’s said with enough conviction.”

Ken grinned and began to laugh hard, exhausting the rest of his strength and collapsing.

Two years went by in the blink of an eye and everyday was just as difficult as the last. He had learned more in those years than he had learned in his entire life. In fact, he was confident that he had learned more than most fighters’ entire lives. At the same time, he truly began to realize how weak he was, especially in comparison to his master. Now that he had learned to detect other spiritual presences and energy, he caught a glimpse of his master’s power. Only a glimpse because his full power is always suppressed, something Ken also learned to do.

“In situations where you don’t want to draw attention to yourself, you’ll need to be able to hide from people who can also detect spirit energy,” Iraltiphos said when he first taught it to him.

“Well, I’m hoping I won’t need to run from your teachings,” Ken retorted.

“It’s not just for running. The more powerful you become, the more energy you use. Suppressing your energy conserves it when you’re not using it,” Iraltiphos said, pausing for a moment. “It’s also handy when you want to make yourself appear weaker than you really are.” Ken thought about it and grinned, already thinking of ways he could screw around with people. “But you’re already weak, so you may not have much use for it.”

“Fuck off.”

Ken never felt stronger in his life, but the fact that he was training with someone so much more powerful than he made him want to never stop. He could see himself training with him for many more years. He thought about all his past fights in MMA tournaments, all the mistakes he made and realized how distant they were. After all he had learned it was inconceivable that he would go back. He would beat his opponents so easily it would look like the fights were rigged. His opponent’s wouldn’t even understand how they lost. It would almost be unfair. The thought of where he would be several years down the line excited him immensely.

In the two years, although he learned a lot about his master, he still felt like he didn’t know much about him at all. He felt that they certainly got closer emotionally, but Iraltiphos seldom talked about himself and his past experiences. It always seemed like he was keeping something from him that he wanted to tell him. At times, his master would approach him and look as though something were clearly on his mind, his eyes slowly turning into darker colors. Instead of saying what was on his mind, he’d poke fun at him. Ken learned to play along with it.

“So, what kind of name is Iraltiphos? You from medieval times, or something?” Ken once asked while taking a short break from training.

“It is an ancient name from a language that no longer exists. It once meant something that deeply resonated with an entire civilization.”

“What does it mean?”

“It’s supposed to be the philosophy of the people that spoke the language. The first part, Iral, means I think. The second part, tiphos, means you’re incredibly nosey. C’mon, break is over,” Iraltiphos said, walking toward the center of the dojo.

Ken shook his head and laughed, still unsure if anything he had said was true.

“With your spirit energy, couldn’t you do any kind of magic you want? Why are you just a fighter?” Ken once asked.

“I hate magic,” Iraltiphos replied, which was the most information Ken obtained from him in a while. “Magic is too disconnected from the spirit. It’s artificial to me. Manipulating your own spirit energy establishes a connection with yourself that magic never can. Its simplicity makes our potential infinite.”

“Infinite? What about poetry? You’re basically only limited by your imagination.”

When Ken said this, Iraltiphos looked much grimmer than he had ever seen him. “How can a poet ever hope to bring their writing to life without having a connection to themselves?” Iraltiphos asked, clearly not expecting him to answer. “Less is more,” he said. “Power—true power comes from the self. Nothing else.”

[MisterMonkeyFace]

"Hi, my name is Jacob Royce, and I'm from West Virginia in America. I like stuff with computers, reading books on magic and I'm... Kinda quiet I guess." Jacob stood in front of a highschool class, finishing with the usual forced introduction in front of a silent and mostly disinterested class of students. The short young man stood just a little nervously in the front, running a single hand through his short black hair as the teacher tapped a pen on his desk.

"Alright class, does anyone have questions for mister Royce?" He spoke in a clear tone, scanning the teenagers beyond him slowly before continuing. "If there aren't any questions, take your seat in the back mister Royce, we're all very excited to have you with us today."

Jacob nodded and said, "Thank you Mr. Sato." Before he walked to his seat and sat down with a little sigh. He opened the book he was instructed to get out, a small writing pad beside it for jotting down thoughts and the occasional line of poetry. The class passed uneventfully and Jacob got up when the bell rang, walking to his locker where his 'neighbors' were already waiting. The small crowd stood, accessing their own lockers or talking with friends. He crouched and got into his locker, quickly finished his business within and stood. However, when he turned to go he bumped into someone and was immediately shoved into the nearby locker as someone laughed.

"Watch where you're going small fry." A tall young man stood in front of him, arms crossed and a smirk painted across his face.

"Uh, sorry..." Jacob muttered, glaring at the boy before he turned to leave. The other's hand flashed out, striking the locker in front of Jacob to bar his exit.

"I don't think I like your tone..." He mocked, leaning in close to Jacob's face. "Apologize again."

"Come on, leave the new kid alone!" Someone spoke up, but nobody stepped forward to actually help Jacob, so of course it had no effect.

Jacob however just glared at the other kid, his gaze even and annoyed. "I already apologized. You can go fuck yourself."

The bully laughed for a second before he backed up off of his victim. "Alright... I'll remember that..."

Jacob watched him go and sighed, shaking his head as he left the school.

[Izkripp]

It was hard to tell how long she had been traveling. Going from planet to planet gathering different plants had left her with a lose of time and a feeling of home sickness. She spent her time on her ship growing her different finds, gathering new seed, and crossbreeding to keep herself from thinking about it, but it was hopeless. She wasn't the only one of her kind out searching for new plant life that would be able to live on her planet. Several others like her had been sent out with the same mission. Her planet, though it wasn't dying, was losing many of its plant life. Their mission was to find plants that could survive on her home planet without assistance.

So far all of her efforts had been in vain. Every plant that she had gather could only sustain life as long as she supported it. She was beginning to think that their mission was impossible and most of them would die before they would be allowed to return back home..

Home.. She missed it.

The walls of her ship were nothing compared to the towering forests of her planet. Though her kind possessed the knowledge to travel the universe they rarely used it. It was more regarded to have knowledge of the forest and plant life. Only on such occasions as this was their technology used everything else was achieved by their connect with the planet.

She remembered how she use to run through the forests of her home planet scarcely dressed except for thin materials with leaves or flowers to decorate it. In her hair she would always wear fresh picked flowers that she would wrap around the branch like areas that grew and entangled in her hair. All those on her planet had them, they showed a oneness with the planet. A connect to the life all around them.

Her last day on her home planet was truly heart wrenching as she had to say goodbye to all those that were dear to her. She still remembered the words exchanged and feeling of decay in her heart.

Gel'linnea had been busy that star light gathering herbs and fungus that grew when one of the males came across her. He was respectable and rarely would speak to her, so there was something important to discuss. Nevertheless she smiled to him as she hung from a branch of a century old tree her feet literally rooted into it.

"O namali!" She greeted him warmly holding her basket against her stomach.

He didn't greet her back just nodded slightly and started to speak. "We are gathering to discuss the decay that has been spreading." his words were straight to the point and held no inkling of the warmth her kind normally shared with each other.

She quickly walked up the branch so she was standing upright, her feet becoming uprooted. "Has the decay gotten worse?" She questioned already knowing the answer. The wildlife had already started to move on and even the fungi was having a hard time growing.

"Yes." He replied.

"What are we going to do?" She questioned back. Her kind was talented with helping growth, but they couldn't sustain it forever. If the planet was to decay completely they couldn't keep it alive. He looked solemnly to her then away. Realization hit her. "No... No! They aren't thinking of sending us away?" He didn't even motion to look at her as guess was accurate. "For how long?"

"As long as it takes." He turned from her. "We can discuss this later with everyone else." He didn't wait for her to say anything else as he left.

She stood there on the branch fighting back the fear of having to leave. She was an adult and healthy. Born with an exceptional gift for growing and supporting life of course she would be one of the ones chosen to leave.

After letting the news sink in Gel'linnea made her way into the thicket that her people called home. Many others had already gathered. They all wore the same outfits she had with flowers, leaves, moss, vines and other such decorations entangled in their hair and on their clothes. All were the same except for a few. There was a small group that didn't engage with the planet and plant life. They had removed the branch like areas in their hair and refused to decorate themselves with plant life.

"O Namali!" An elder spoke to quiet everyone down. Gradually everyone was silenced to listen to what he had to say. "As we have known for some star phases there is a decay on our forest." Everyone stood in silence awaiting any good news that might sprout from his mouth. "We have tried to slow the decay, but..." He trailed off looking himself to crumble under the words he had to say next.

"But our ties with the planet have proven to be worthless." One of the Removed said.

"That's not true." Someone said in the crowd.

"It can't be." Another stated.

"It is.." The elder said silencing the growing talk in the crowd. "Our planet is decaying slowly. Plant life is vanishing one after another even with our help."

"What are we to do then?" Gel'linnea asked fearing the response that she knew would come.

The elder looked around at all that had gathering trying his best to think of the right words to say. Before he could tell them though another of the Removed spoke. "We plan on sending out pods to gather new plants. We want to see if there is any other planet that has plants that will survive here or is decaying like ours."

"Elder..." She barely whispered like a plea. Begging him to say this was not true.

His eyes meet all his kind that stood before him. They were all different in appearance from the light tints of green on their olive skin to the pink and yellow tints of flowers, to brown tints like the trees. In there differences though there was the same look of fear.

Star phases pasted before several of the adults including herself were gathered together and put into their pods. As soon as her feet left the ground and were confined to the walls of her ship she felt like she was decaying and would die at any moment.

Snapping back to reality she hadn't noticed that her feet had sprouted what looked like roots. Letting out a sigh they receded so that her feet looked normal again. She wondered how long it would take her to get to the next planet and if it would be any different this time.

[Ryver et Rhine]

“Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.”

Do not go gentle into that good night By Dylan Thomas

The flame flickered momentarily then it stopped. The dying candle continued to provide just enough light to illuminate the only occupant in the room. The man crouching in the center of crudely drawn pentagram stared expectantly at the dwindling remains of the candle. The incantation had to work. He had made all the necessary preparations. The blood, the black book, the doll and a strand of hair from his enemy.

The rivulets of hardening wax kissed the concrete floor forming an ever expanding puddle. With a soft pop the candle extinguished leaving only the scent of burned wick and melted wax. Nothing can be seen in the stifling darkness, but gradually his eyes adjusted, and he could make out the outlines he drew earlier. Cold sweat poured down the pudgy face. The man dropped the voodoo doll he held in his hands. It landed limply on the white chalk drawn edge. There it was again! That spine chilling laughter. Children’s laughter. There was one, no two, no one, two… them!

“Ring around the Rosie,” said a little girl.

“A pocket full of posies,” crooned a small boy.

“Ashes,” the little girl continued.

“Ashes.” Both said in union.

Demonic eyes looked straight into his and Isamu screamed as he scrambled backwards. His brain barely registering that the eyes were mismatched. The shadowy being giggled. The corporate executive watched with horror as the eyes pulled themselves further and further apart. Then each eye elongated before splitting into two. Now there were four pairs of eyes staring at him. They circled round him predatorily.

“And they all fall down…”

The middle aged man began gagging. Cold, bony fingers have wrapped round his throat. Desperately Isamu reached up to pull the hands away. His fingers groped blindly unable to find what was choking him. It didn’t take long before they brushed against the skin of his throat. Static passed through his fingers, and he drew his hands away. Or at least he tried to. He clawed futilely at his own skin. No matter what he did, his hands won’t let go. They were choking him! The poor wretch threshed about in agony fighting for every breath he could get and then he lay still. The useless hands fell to the ground.

“Dead.”

The dark outlines of a little girl and a little boy hovered over their latest victim. They seemed to be of the same height and the same age. Their eyes sparkled with ghoulish delight. The boy turned to the girl and she nodded. It was daybreak. He opened his mouth wide. Her hands pushed his the sides of his mouth further apart distorting it to grotesque proportions. Then she stuck her head in. With a tiny jump on her part and huge swallow on his, the little girl was no more. The little boy then leaped through the closed window and vanished. The windowpane remained intact.

[Ryver et Rhine]

Asleep, awake, by night or day,

The friends I seek are seeking me;

No wind can drive my bark astray,

Nor change the tide of destiny.

Waiting By John Burroughs

The glow of the moon shone intermittently through the blanket of clouds hovering in the night sky. A little girl skipped along the deserted streets of the sleeping neighborhood. Her dark hair bounced up and down as she bobbed along. None of the typical occupants where interesting. All of them too caught up in their own petty problems.

“Artemis, I know you sensed it too.” A little boy’s voice came from the girl’s lips.

“A good morning to you dear brother,” a more feminine voice replied.

“Maybe I shall go back to sleep,” the other grumbled.

“Then I shan’t answer your question.”

“I am behind you,” said a voice from behind the small miss.

Artemis turned around. Blue eyes blinked back at her. It looked as though her shadow was alive. The eyes began floating up as a head materialized. The glow of his hair seemed to form a halo-like aura round his head. Pale hands and arms rose shot out from the shadowed covered ground. A torso emerged shortly after followed closely by the lower half of his body. Apollo smirked from where he lay.

“I don’t want you to have all the fun.”

“And you let me drag you around like this since dusk,” his sister retorted as she stuck out her tongue.

“You slept all morning.”

“Hush.”

Both children stared at each other willing the other to blink. Their eyelids flickered briefly then both of them burst into peals of laughter. Artemis reached down and helped her lazier half up. They embraced so tightly that the boy merged with the girl causing them to appear like a bizarre two faced beast. He bent forward and detached himself slowly from the head down.

“It’s coming,” said a little girl’s voice coming from Apollo’s lips.

“More fun more despair,” Apollo added from his sister’s body.

“People shall go bye-bye,” they both added in unison. “A new master awaits.”

The pale skinned child reached out and grabbed the lass’ hand. They skipped together down the road and straight towards an oncoming truck. They paused and looked directly into the glare of the headlights. The driver swerved quickly because he was unable to break in time. He skidded and crashed into a nearby lamp post. Visibly shaken the man got out and looked around. There was no trace of the two children he saw earlier.

[jennifer lost the war]

“Where are you taking him?” Ken asked as he watched two officers drag a man along the street. The man was screaming that he didn’t know magic. Although all the talk of how dangerous the poets are was inescapable, since Ken never saw one for himself, he never found himself taking a position on the issue. This was the first time he had seen somebody being dragged against their will because of their writing and he naturally felt bad. The officers ignored his question.

“Hey!” Ken exclaimed this time. “What did he do wrong?”

One of the officers let go of the man and immediately drew his gun, pointing it at Ken’s face. He froze and observed the gun, noticing that it was something completely out of the ordinary. It looked like a cross between a pistol and a shotgun. The barrel was short, but wide and had a steel rod within it, no longer than the barrel. Bullets don’t come out of that, Ken thought, puzzled. He then suddenly remembered some things he’s heard about the police force, especially since they started taking poets more seriously. They had much more powerful weapons than they did in the past, ones that could cause instant, but temporary paralysis. The gun must be one of them, Ken thought, seeing the other officer drop the man. He didn’t move.

“You know defenders of poets can be arrested to, right?” the officer asked, glaring at him.

“I just wanted to know what he did wrong?”

“Are you defending him?”

Ken was taken aback by the bluntness of his question. He looked at the so-called poet and noted that his spirit energy level was very low. He didn’t know how the magic of poetry worked, but he knew that most users of magic had high spirit levels, depending on the type of magic. However, the man accused was no stronger than the average person. He was innocent. “He’s too weak to be a poet,” Ken replied. “His energy is too low.”

“His what?” the officer asked angrily. “You trying to be a smartass? I should punch you in the gut!”

Ken grimaced and clenched his fist. “You’d be making a huge mistake.”

The officer’s eyes widened his surprise as he lowered his gun. Rage quickly overtook him and it was clear that he was just seconds away from lunging at Ken when the other officer put his hand on his shoulder. “Hey, I knew it recognized you from somewhere,” he said. “You’re Ken Ikeda. The MMA champion.” The angry officer was looking at his partner, annoyed. Ken hadn’t been recognized since he started training with Iraltiphos. He had almost forgotten that a significant amount of people knew who he was.

“I don’t care who he is,” the angry officer replied.

“Relax,” his partner said. He then turned to Ken. “I know it looks crappy, but we can’t have people writing poetry. We can’t know if they’re dangerous or not.”

“You paralyzed him,” Ken replied.

“We can’t take chances. Especially in Japan, after what happened. We’re just taking him to be questioned. The innocent are always freed. I know you understand.”

Ken had a feeling that he was lying, but he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know if it was even his responsibility to do anything. The officers took his silence as a sign that they could continue without protest and proceeded to resume carrying the man away. Ken was left alone feeling like he had just done something terribly wrong.

He approached Iraltiphos’ home and training grounds. Usually he’d be able to detect his master’s presence, but there was nothing. He dismissed it as being too far away, but once he reached the front door and still didn’t detect him, he figured he wasn’t there at all. He opened the door and took a peek inside. Nobody was there. He walked behind the home and into the backyard, where Iraltiphos was sitting on the ground, cross-legged, eyes closed and shirtless. Focusing so much on trying to detect his spiritual presence, Ken had completely missed that he was right under his nose the entire time. Even as he looked right at him, he couldn’t detect any spiritual presence. It was like he was invisible. Must be some extreme energy suppression, Ken thought. He also had never seen him with his shirt off, noticing that writing was etched into his skin at various locations.

“I never took you for a tattoo kind of person,” Ken said with a grin. Iraltiphos’ eyes snapped open and he immediately stood up, grabbing his shirt and putting it back on quickly. He didn’t answer. Ken’s grin faded. “It was like you were invisible just now. How did you do that?”

“Practice,” he replied flatly. He put his hands in his pockets and looked at him after a long silence. “We won’t be training today.”

“Oh,” Ken replied, puzzled. He had never cancelled a training session before, so he didn’t know how to respond. He figured there may be a catch, so he just stood there, waiting for him to say something else. There was only an awkward silence. “Should I just… come back tomorrow then?”

“We won’t be training tomorrow either.” Ken’s heart quickened. “I know you’ve only been here for two years, but there isn’t any time left,” Iraltiphos added grimly. “If you remember me saying, I’ve only had one student before you. Every day I regret not snapping his god damn neck.”

A chill went down Ken’s spine, although he didn’t know how anything of his statements was related. He had never seen him show hatred for anybody before and it scared him.

“What did he do?”

“We had… fundamental disagreements,” he replied. “I don’t know why I brought it up,” he added, appearing to be emotionally unstable. “What’s important is that you know your power is your own. You probably won’t remember this in a couple of days, but you must try. Nobody can take your power away from you.”

“What are you talking about? What’s going on?” Ken asked, suddenly hearing waves crashing against the rocks. Iraltiphos lived right by the shore, but he had never heard the waves be this loud before.

“The end of everything.”

Ken Ikeda’s flashback has ended.

[Izkripp]

Was it all a dream...?
This world.. that world? Everything? I wonder..

Carefully tending to plants took most of her time when she traveled. It left her with little time to stop and think of everything that she left behind or everything that she had seen. In her travels she had only stepped foot on three planets that she could vividly remember.

One was a beautiful planet with jungles stretching across hundreds of miles. She loved that planet, if there was any place she would want to returned to outside of her home planet it was that one. All that lived on the planet were beastly creatures. There was no signs of civilization. Everything on that planet probably looked the same way it did when the jungles first grew. It was exciting to find all the different breeds of plants there, but at the same time it was dangerous.

Gel'Linnea's kind was not effected by plant based poisons, but animal based poisons and gases were different. The jungle had been filled with poisonous animals. In the short time she was there she saw several animals kill others with a single bite or a prick of their claws. Outside of the jungles the land was barren and filled with sand. Strange plants with thorns growing out of them everywhere spotted the land along with thickets of dried bushes. She had gathered seeds and samples from these plants before she had to make her way back into the jungle for water and nourishment.

After leaving that planet she made her way to another. This planet was vastly different with high mountains that towered over the land like giants. She found that most of the plant life lived at the base of the mountains and in the caves, along with the animal life. This planet was different still because there were creatures that formed villages and lived together. They acted like her kind in their gestures and the way they stood on two feet. After gathering plant life and her courage she approached the intelligent creatures. She greeted them like she would one of her own kind, with a smile and a warm greeting. The response she received was horrifying. They chased her out with their sharp rocks. To stop them she blocked their path making the ground split wide enough they couldn't follow. Gel'Linnea quickly gathered the water that she needed from the planet stopping to notice something was strange about it. there was no time to think about it as she ran back to her ship and left the planet.

The last planet she remember was small and cold. Ice was everywhere and plant life was no where to be found. Gel'Linnea's kind where not accustom to the cold environment so she could not land. She flew low along the planet long enough to look out at the sheets of ice and shattered specs that surrounded the land. When the planet's sun rose the ground was so beautiful that she could barely breath. Rainbows and streaks of light bounced off the icy surfaces. She wished there was something from the planet that she could take, but there wasn't or more so she couldn't leave her pod or she could face death.

Gel'linnea traveled again until her pod came across another planet some time later. As always she removed the seeds from the adult planets and let the full grown planets wither. She couldn't have her planets growing rampant while she was asleep. Placing the seeds into different compartments she made her way to the controls. When she sat down vines wrapped around her sticking into her skin making her body become one with the ship. The ship used her people's natural ability to merge with plant life to run the ship during landings and take offs. Now that she was tied in it was time to enter the planets atmosphere. It took most of her strength to keep the ship from being torn apart by the atmosphere. The ride was rocky and her ship threatened to catch fire. This planet sustained life well, she could tell by the density of the atmosphere. It took several minutes to break through. Her vision was already starting to blur from the entry. To any that had seen her ship it looked like nothing more than a meteor brushing against the planet and breaking through. Her ship hurled itself to the ground striking the earth. The mountain that she struck crumbled showering rocks down to cover her ship. That was the last of her energy, she had made another successful landing.

---

50 Years earlier from present

She had no idea how long she had been unconscious merged with her ship. Everything around her had changed. Some of the plants had fallen from their compartments and started to grow. Her ship had cracked open upon landing letting in the air of the planet and any wild life that was small enough to slip in. Over the years the walls of her ship were covered in moss and plant life. Small animals and bugs had made her ship there home making it look more like a cave then a ship. Her body had even started to grow moss and vines climbed to the ceiling making her look more like artwork on the wall then a living creature. This was another ability that came in handy with her people. To preserve their kind they could make themselves go into a hibernation of sorts that stopped them from aging. Though it was an effective way not to die of aging she had no defense until she woke back up.

---

18 years earlier from present

The strange plant life that lived on the mountain had intrigued some biologists. The introduction of new plant species had changed the animal life of the mountain. Some insects and other animals had died out from the take over while others adapted. The biologists climbed the mountain braving the new animal life and plant life. They were shocked by what they saw. The change was sudden from normal life to abnormal, like standing in the middle of a river looking at one bank of sand and dessert to the other with jungles and lush wild life. The normal rocky terrain with pines changed abruptly to thick vines and bushes.

The biologists had heard stories from the people that lived in the land that some of the plants were poisonous enough to kill a man just by brushing against them. They came prepared for that covering themselves with thick protective suits. Though the suits protected them from the plants it did little to protect them from the heat. They worked their way through fighting the under growth. Another thing they had been told was the wild life had changed making some animals that were once docile rabid. With them they brought skilled hunters that could trap the animals or kill them if needed.

The biologists and hunters set up camp on the mountain living up there for three months before they stumbled on a cave with was abnormally formed in the side of the mountain.

"Doctor Lee!" One of the assistants yelled from onto a boulder.

The rest of the crew looked up at him. He had his hood pulled back letting himself get some fresh air.

"What did you find, boy?" Dr. Lee called back.

"I found a cave! There is something strange about it." He replied. "It is just up here." With that said he hoped down from the boulder disappearing from their view.

Dr. Lee and the rest of the crew climbed up the side of the mountain to see what all the commotion was all about. When they reached the top they saw the cave that he was talking about and made their way to it. "Richard?" One of the men called.

The assistant poked his head out of the cave seeing that they had finally caught up. "Come in. Hurry! It is fascinated in here!" His excitement was almost contagious as some of the other people hurried their pace to see what was hidden inside.

They all gapped at the cluster of plants. Some of the plants they hadn't seen any where on the mountain and only seemed to grow inside the cave. "See isn't it amazing! Look at this plant over here it seems to be growing without soil, even though it's roots clearly show that it is a deep rooting plant. How can it be growing on these rocks?"

All the other men went to examine all the cave walls and plants that grew so curiously inside. The vines were as thick on the walls as the plants on the ground. The men did not seem to figure it out right away how unusual it was until Dr. Lee spoke. "There isn't any sunlight in here." He stated almost to himself as he touched one of the vines.

The other men stopped for a moment they realize exactly what was said. The plants inside the cave had been growing completely without sunlight. They had not been able to use photosynthesis what they were growing so much thicker than all the other plants in the area. This time another doctor spoke. "Get a map."

"Yes." one of the assistances said pulling out a map from his bag. He held it out for the doctor. "Here, Dr. Ruburgis"

Dr. Ruburgis took the map and stepped outside with one of the hunters. He set the map down on the ground pointing to a spot on the map. "Would you consider this to be where we are right now?"

The hunter shook his head and pointed to another spot on the map. "Here."

"Alright." Dr. Ruburgis took out a pen and connected the marks already on the map showing where the growth changed. The shape was strange, but with the terrain that wasn't unexpected. "Now if we are here and the limit growth areas are here-" He stopped talking for a moment making small marks here and there on the map. "We are in the center." Though the shape was strange they were in it's center. He looked to the hunter. "It looks like we found what we were looking for."

As the two men were outside Richard and Dr. Lee continued to search the cave with the others. They pulled back the vines to see the walls of the cave and were somewhat surprised to find that the cave was not that deep.

"It looks like you did good, Richard. You might get that recommendation yet." Dr. Lee said patting the man on the back. "Now help me move this area."

"Yes, Sir" Richard replied.

The two worked to pull the vines off the wall. They were only able to pull down a couple of vines before both of them stepped back to see something they had not been expecting. On the wall of the cave was a piece of artwork. The two looked to each other puzzled then came to accept that the people that use to live here had made it. "Looks like we got something more than we were asking for." Richard said approaching the artwork. Reaching up he touched it feeling the moss that had grown on it over the years. Quickly he pulled his hand back feeling somewhat strange.

"What is it?" Dr. Lee asked.

"I don't know.." He was just as puzzled. "Huh." He looked to his finger tips rubbing the moss between them.

---

10 years earlier from present

"Dr. Hussly, how is your research going?" Dr. Lee called from down the hall.

Dr. Hussly turned to looked at Dr. Lee as he approached him and smiled. "Richard. I keep telling you to call me Richard."

"Nonsense, you are not my assistant anymore." Dr. Lee patted Dr. Hussly on the back. "So how is our girl today?"

"The same." He replied back. The two men entered the lab where the artwork hung carefully. They had cleaned it off leaving only what needed to remain. "It is still creepy how real she looks."

"Don't get to caught up on her like I did." Dr. Lee approached the art piece that had plants growing all around it. He glanced down at the vines that seemed to be reaching for her from their pots. "As interesting as she is she is still only a research object. She will always been here even when you get old." He reached up to touch the piece then dropped his hand. "How about a drink?" He turned back to Dr. Hussly. "We need to get out of the lab every now and then or we will go crazy. How about it? I'll buy."

Dr. Hussly laughed and agreed. "Only if you call me Richard."

"Fine with me." Dr. Lee agreed. "You should call me Yamito."

---

Present

Crowds gathered around. It was somewhat amazing that some magicians were feared while others were held with much esteem. He had made himself famous by using plant 'magic'. He had first started by answering the calls of people that couldn't get anything to grow on their infertile land then move on to bring dead plants back. He amazed hundreds by making a forest grow in a matter of minutes. He was truly regarded as one of the best plant magicians of all time. Now he was able to be on TV and get paid millions of dollars just to see his skills. He was enjoying his life. He was free to do whatever he wanted and live where ever he wanted. All he had to do was keep on making the world think that he was a magician.

His phone rang. It had been ringing all day. He finally couldn't take it anymore and answered. "What?" He was clearly annoyed.

"Dr. Hussly? Is that you?" A familiar voice called out.

Dr. Hussly switched his phone to his other ear nervously. "I am sorry I don't-"

"Cut the crap Richard. I didn't call to hear any of your lies or bullshit." The man snapped. "I am calling to say Dr. Lee died this morning."

Richard leaned back against a wall hearing the news. "How?"

"He just didn't wake up. Anyway." There was a pause and voices could be heard in the background. "The funeral is in a couple of day and he would have wanted you there." There was a long silence before the man spoke again. "Are you coming?"

Richard gritted his teeth knowing he couldn't go around those people again. If he did surely some reporter would follow him somehow and find out who he was in his past. "No." He stated flatly and hung up.

He through the phone down on a chair and walked onto his room where the girl hung on the wall still the same as ever. He walked over to her reaching his hand up to touch her cheek. "Looks like it is just you and me now."

[Rina]

Taking a seat in the last of the three rows of seats that made a semicircle around a table positioned at the front of the room. Scanning the room, Elysia could tell that there would be about ten teams of four being sent out to the Capital. Most, if not all were higher ranking than both Elysia and her two friends. “It looks like we’re swimming with the big fish now.” She said with a slight whistle as she wondered if there would be a fourth person added to trio to complete their team since most teams that were formed during the advanced training course stuck together throughout the years with substitutes added when needed.

“I know what you mean.” Carter said with a slight smirk, his excitement over the sudden promotion obvious as he watched as a small team of people at the front of the room prepare the 3-D hologram for their presentation. “I wonder if our team is going to be sent out or are we here as substitutes?” Carter said, equally excited with either choice.

“With something this important that they’re bringing in all these high ranking teams, granted we’re a bit short due to war and with teams being deployed elsewhere, I’d say we’re going to be used as substitutes especially since we’re down one man.” Emma said with more self-control than Carter, if not a little down after speaking about having one less member on their team.

“That’s true.” Elysia said with a nod as she glanced towards her right hand. Although it had already been five months since the mission at faction four happened, the events that took place felt like they occurred much earlier. Many difficulties and troubles came due to that day and many lives were lost. However the hardest loss for the team was losing the fourth member of their team in battle.Oldest from the group, he was from the same graduation year from the academy as Emma, the two were close friends even before the formation of their team, which troubled her comrade even more over the loss than either Carter or Elysia.

Although it was a close call, Elysia was lucky only to come out with an injury. With her right hand and arm severely injured to the point that it was beyond being of use, she was glad of the medical and scientifically advancement those on her planet made which allowed her to have her arm and hand reconstructed, along with a few extra perks usually seen in the enhancements giving to children after graduating the academy. Along with the advancements she received as a child with her eyes, the two worked out quite well together on the field.

“It appears that we are all here so let us begin.” A voice said from the front of the room, breaking the silence between the trio after mentioning the fourth member of their team. “I thank you all for being able to arrive here hastily after the sudden summon.” A man nearing the age of retirement said as he looked around the room. “However due to the times we are in nowadays, we must be prepared for haste as we must be prepared for whatever the destruction the Resistance will try and bring to our society.” A small cheer followed from the crowd which was quickly silenced as the older man raised his one of hand, motioning for silence. “It is not the time for celebration. We are facing another grave situation as we did with the fall of the fourth faction. The Capital is under attack and from what we can see, they are quickly making their way to the Council. We have tried to make contact with the council but all communications have been shut down throughout the Capital and the guards stationed there won’t last forever under attack. That is why we are sending you guys out.” Pausing a second as he waited for the hologram to appear with a map of the building that housed the Council as well as surrounding streets, which was followed by a chart showing up beside the map with a list of ten team leaders with a color dot representing each team.

“Hey look, you made it as a team leader Carter.” Elysia said looking towards the other two, knowing that it meant that the three would stick together. In the column followed by the turquoise dot, another unfamiliar name appeared showing the fourth member of their team. “Do you guys have any idea of who he is?” She asked which both replied with the same confusion as she had.

Before they could figure out who the fourth member of their team would be, hologram changed to enlarge the map but this time with ten dots spread within the map. After about five minutes of the man briefing them on their mission and looking at the man that showed them visually what they would do, everyone was ready. Elysia and the rest of her team wouldn’t have a huge role in the mission with those with a higher rank going to the Council room. However it wouldn’t be without danger as their team would be working on the first floor escorting any civilians as well as fighting the Resistance that would be on that floor or any that would try to escape from the upper floors where the Council and other important officials would be.

As the trio waited as the rest of the teams started to file out of the room, a man that appeared to be a few years older than Emma approached the team. “Team turquoise I’m guessing?” The man said asking the three of them. “I’m Dex and I’m guessing you’re Carter.” The man said looking at the team leader.

“Yes.” Carter said with a nod, his goofy, jokester side of his personality gone now that a mission was a hand. “Let’s get acquainted with each other as we go. The sooner we get suited up, the sooner we can head out and finish this thing.”

~.~

It didn’t take long before her and her team was ready and headed towards the launch site, a place that in the past that connected all the factions and the Capitol together for quick travel. However travel for civilians had discontinued at the beginning of the war causing them to take other less favored options. It was a highly monitored way of travel due to the fact of it being an easy way of travel if the Resistance tried to use it. Less than a minute later, her and her team arrived at the Capital blocks away from the Council.

“Alright, let’s move to our position.” Carter said leading the way. Emma took the rear as usual and due to her enhancement, Elysia stayed to the right as Dex stood on the opposite side. A grim silence followed the group as they saw all the destruction of the once beautiful Capital now destroyed by the Resistance. “Hey, whatever happens makes sure that you keep yourself focused.” Carter said glancing towards Elysia, knowing that danger her grandfather was in could be problematic.

“I’m not one of your students Carter, I got this.” Elysia said with a slight snort of disapproval. She knew that he meant well but she knew quite well that her objectives came first before pointlessly getting her emotions wrapped up in the situation. There were bigger issues at hand, knowing quite well that the Council would be handled appropriately. If she was lucky, she might even have the chance to find Phil, the man that murdered her parents, or better yet she might even find the unnamed ringleader among the Poets that freed Phil twenty years ago.

Entering from one of the back entryways, the area was surprisingly clear. Off in the distance, they could hear a battle raging between the Resistance and the guards already there but seconds later the sound of the battle changed as teams started to infiltrate the building. With her gun her left hand set to stun, Elysia readied herself for any oncoming attack. As they turned the corner, they could see a small group of the Resistance, possibly guarding the hallway. Specialized in short ranged attacks and equipped with an electrical charged baton and enhancement to his skin protecting him from pulse guns, Carter rushed towards the small group as Elysia and Dex covered him at a distance as they slowly made their way towards the group.

“Guys, we got company.” Emma said as she readied herself for an oncoming attack.

“Go help her, I’ll cover Carter.” Elysia said in which the man responded with a nod before heading back to aid Emma. Continuing forwards, Elysia could see that Carter had made it to the group as she moved to taking care of any outlying members. While Carter was specialized in close combat and Emma as the tech genius, Elysia was specialized as a marksman and with her ocular enhancement allowing her to hone in on her targets, she was quite accurate.

It didn’t take long before the hallway cleared up and the team came in front of a locked door, impenetrable by any force for security measures. However, this time it turned out to be counterproductive.

“I can see if I can open that.” Emma said pulling out a tool and started to work on the keypad. As she did so, the others watched the hallway for any oncoming attack when suddenly a loud crash was heard that shook the building momentarily, causing Elysia to stumble forwards.

Yells could be heard coming from the other part of the building which was followed by a lot of traffic coming through her earpiece as Elysia listened to the urgent calls coming from other teams. The Resistance were gaining the upper hand. Reinforcements were being called but it would take time before help could come.

“Should we help them out?” Dex asked looking towards Carter.

“No, we have to follow our objective.” Carter said, obviously unhappy about the decision.

With a nod, Elysia kept her position as she waited for Emma to finish her work as she listened to her earpiece for any progress in the rest of the team. The chatter was suddenly cut short and Elysia looked towards the others with a raised eyebrow wondering if they had the same trouble as well.

“Everything seems to be working but it appears that no one is transmitting anything.” Emma said looking towards Carter. “Try and say something.” Although Carter was talking into his mic, nothing could he heard in anyone’s earpiece. “I think someone muted everything.” Emma said with confusion as she wondered who would stop all transmission.

“You are running out of options…” A male voice said, breaking the silence. “We have taken out many of your men. It’s pointless even if your numbers are greater than ours when source of power is greater…”

“That man, I think I know who that man is.” Elysia said with slight uncertainty as the man spoke. It has been many years since she heard the voice but the longer she heard it, the more positive it was the man whom she had been searching for. “No, I know that that is the man I think it is. I know who he is. We need to go there.” Elysia said looking towards the others.

“…You might think your military, this world’s system is stronger but our resolve is greater. Not only do a few from your Council was a just cause and has supported us in our endeavors…

“No, our orders are here Elysia.” Carter said taking a few steps towards Elysia.

“…even your everyday man has seen the troubles with the state of the world, something those who’ve fallen between the cracks have seen…”

“If we don’t do something soon, we won’t be a way to follow our orders. I’ve dealt with these people before. They’re dangerous.” Elysia said as she took a few steps down the hallway before turning towards the others. “The Poets are out again and this time I out to stop them.” Turning back around, Elysia started to run towards the closest stairs. From all the time she spent in the building due to her grandfather’s job, she knew the layout of the building very well.

“Elysia! Elysia get back here.” Carter yelled down the hallway. “Come on, we can’t let her go on her own.” Carter said before he and the other two ran after Elysia.

Running up the stairs two at a time, only slowing down as she reached each floor to listen if anyone was nearby before continuing upwards to the fifth floor, the council room where the Council met for meeting and where they juried major trials. Although the man didn’t give his location, she knew that would be where he would be. Below, she could hear her team start to climb the stairs as they tried to catch up to her but without waiting, Elysia made her way down the hallway as she switched her gun over from stun to kill.

“My my, you have grown since the last time I saw you.” A man said as Elysia opened the council room door. The room was empty besides the man, the same man that barged into this exact room twenty years ago during her parent’s trial.

“Where are they?” Elysia asked as she raised her gun towards the man.

“Who are you looking for, the Council members or your grandfather? Or perhaps it’s the other poets that are more of an interest to you or maybe it’s the one who started this all, Phil.” The man said with a chuckle.

“Elysia!” Carter yelled from down the hall as he and the others started to approach the room.

“Yelling yelling, what a shame
Close the door to play the game”

With a slight smirk, the man watched as is couplet came to life and locked the door behind Elysia. “There, that should give us a little time to wrap things up and end this chapter between us before back up arrives for my escape.”

“You poets are all the same, nothing but trouble. However, it won’t last forever.” Elysia said. She was hoping for her team to back her up when she went up against the man but now she was alone. She only hoped she could stop the man before he could stop her with his poetry.

“Yes, things are going to change between us, today to be exact.” The man said looking at Elysia, intrigued at what she said. “I’ve observed your work throughout the years and your hatred towards poets is quite noticeable. It’s been quite fun watching you grow after the loss of your parents and when everyone believed that the incident we caused was nothing more than an overactive imagination but do you know what is the most amusing thing? It’s your grandfather. We have quite a history, the two of us. Did he ever tell you of Skylar?”

“Skylar?” Elysia asked confused, a little surprised at the sudden turn of the conversation.

“After all these years you would have thought I would have at least been mentioned.” With a slight snort, Skylar shook his head. “However, I should have known especially with him holding the position as Grand Councilman. Information leaking out about him being connected to me could be quite dangerous, don’t you agree Elysia”

“What connection are you talking about?” Elysia asked although she already had a sinking feeling that she knew where he was leading off to. Was her grandfather involved with the Resistance? He didn’t seem like a man that would have traded sides but was there something more that she didn’t know about. “Has he been affiliated with the Resistance?”

“My my, is that all you got. I would have though you would have known your grandfather better than this.” Skylar said with a chuckle. “Since you don’t know should I tell you? Spoil the secret.”

“Listen I don’t know what you are inferring but this ends now. I’m not letting you get away this time. I’m not letting you cause any more trouble.” Elysia said with spite in her voice before pulling the trigger.

“M.I.S.S” Skylar said a chuckle as she spelt out the letters after the gun missed him. “You should really learn how poetry works if you are wanting to stop it Elysia.” He said inferring to his prior statement in how the beginning of each sentence started with a letter that created the word ‘miss’. “Your grandfather knew it quite well. So well in fact that he taught me how to use it.”

“A poet? That’s impossible.” Elysia said with anger as she listened to her grandfather being accused as being a poet. It couldn’t be true, it seemed impossible for the man that she knew for all of her life to be a poet. It couldn’t be true; Skylar had to be lying to her for one reason or another.

"Is it?" Skylar asked with a grin. "Too bad it's too late for you to find out the truth about your grandfather because our story ends here between the two of us. The time has come for me to take my leave and I can't have any loose thread this time around." Skylar said followed by a few lines of poetry.