“Oops I get stepped on.”

***

Thursday May 14th 2042 3:47AM

My breath was ragged, my muscles screaming, and exhaustion loomed over me, but I had never felt more alive. Neither the damp sand that threatened to swallow my feet with every step, nor the unforgiving wind that chilled the water droplets on my skin could stop me.

Nothing could.

I was burning with determination.

I would make it.

I felt the water at my knees, then my ankles, until finally it was gone.

I was on the shore.

My gaze returned to the sea. It was peaceful, the moon reflected perfectly on the water.

I closed my eyes, allowing myself to rest and to listen.

There was the gentle sound of the waves against the shore, the sharp sound of a fly’s wings as they sliced through the air, and several miles to the east was the rumble of a lone car’s engine as it traveled down a nearby road. Beyond that came the muffled voices of many people. Hundreds, maybe even thousands.

A city.

Filled with happy people, carefree people, ignorant people.

I dared to look at the water once more.

Somewhere out there was a hell on earth. A cruel world that knew of only condemnation, and suffering. A place no holy being would tread.

A place deemed inescapable.

But here I was.

Alive enough to remember, free enough to reminisce.

I had done it.

There was something so surreal, so unbelievable in the notion that I couldn’t comprehend it.

Four years.

I’d lived there four years, through the experimentation and pain. Both the Organization and nature had tested me, abusing my body and my will, but I survived.  I had earned my right to life.

No one owned me anymore. I was a person again. Not a number, not an object, but a person. From now on my feelings mattered, my hopes, and dreams mattered.

I mattered.

I didn’t know I was falling until my knees met the ground. I didn’t feel Jinri’s weight until she was no longer on my back.

“That’s right…”

I wasn’t alone. I had someone else. Someone who I loved, someone who I promised to live with, someone who I promised to show the world to.

And I would, because now I could.

The overwhelming emotions choked me, and brought tears to my eyes. Joy, pain, hope, and sadness. I could cry freely, express myself freely. I still didn’t want to accept it. A part of me believed I truly had died, and that this happiness was merely me passing on.

How could this be real? How could I have been deserving of freedom when there were so many others who needed it more? I had tasted life outside those walls once. I had lived for myself. I had been happy before. People like Jinri who were raised in containment, and even my sister who rarely lived for herself deserved freedom.

I didn’t understand why I lived, why I escaped when Jackie didn’t get to. Years of my life were gone, but that was nothing compared to not living. I wanted to know what I had done, or what my sister didn’t do that made it so that she had to die.

However maybe I wasn’t supposed to understand. The thought caused a renewed feeling of grief to gnaw at my insides, but it also brought with it a strange clarity.

Jackie never questioned her fate, never complained. She held onto her dignity, onto her courage, and onto herself, because she was looking forward. Beyond The Organization, beyond death. She said that she would always be with me, and that one day I would be free.

I hadn’t believed her then, but now it was as though I could smell her scent on the wind, hear her laughter, and feel her protective arms encircling me. Holding me as I viewed the Organization as an outsider.

As a free woman.

Even if I couldn’t see her, I knew.

She was here.

And she wouldn’t want me to live my life with a foot in the past. I needed not to forget, but to move on. Those questions would darken the rest of my days if I let them.

So I wouldn’t.

I would live for those that would never get this chance, for Jackie, for Jinri, and for myself, because I was free.

Suddenly the ground rushed to greet me. My face slapped the sand, and my limbs felt as though they weren’t mine. The return of the pain in my skull, and the dark spots told me this wasn’t sleep.

I needed rest, but not like this. I couldn’t pass out, I needed to protect Jinri. We weren’t far enough away yet.

As my vision blurred I grit my teeth in defiance. I wanted to stand, to move, but my body wasn’t obeying me.

Something was stealing my strength, forcing me to lose my battle with unconsciousness.

“Jackie if you’re still here, please keep Jinri safe…”

Everything went black.

***

Yaweh 3 347567 1:08AM

I saw them.

The group of six gods.

Four males and two females.

The men touched and teased the women who were more than willing to accept their advances.

I knew each individual well.

The leader was a tall, dark-skinned storm god with bulging muscles and white hair tied in a single braid. His ears were pointed and he wore a silver chain around his neck. His name was Madoka and he too came from a powerful, military family.

His closest friend was a tan-skinned, tree god with short, spiked, pale green hair, and gray eyes named Temukin. He was lanky and not physically imposing. As the first of his line to join the military he was doing well for himself.

Though I suppose it wasn’t hard to do well when one’s family name did all their fighting.

The other two males were named Damien – a god with the head of a coyote and body of a man – and Belsin – a tiny blond-haired, blue-eyed humanoid creature.

I watched a female with long, black, hair, small, brown eyes, and the tail of a tiger stick a hand in Madoka’s pants. Her name was Alsana and her green-eyed friend was named Teji.

I knew them all.

I hated them all.

All for the same reason.

They looked down on me, they taunted me, they hurt me.

I remember it clearly.

Alsana and a gang of girls – Teji included – had surrounded me on my way home from school. They scratched me, pulled my hair, and called me names. I begged them to stop, but they didn’t. They called other kids over and told them to throw rocks at me.

The only thing that hurt worse than their stones was their laughter.

Their horribly cruel laughter that echoed hauntingly in my ears to this day.

I remember crying, wanting to escape their jeers and judgments. I couldn’t take it.

I was so small, so alone.

I remember trying to get away. I pushed Alsana and then she called her boyfriend.

Madoka.

I pushed her, not to hurt her, but to flee.

He didn’t see it that way.

No one saw it that way.

I was punched, kicked, and thrown against stone so hard that I lost two teeth. My clothes were torn and he hadn’t stopped until I was half and in a tiny pool of my own blood.

I didn’t go home that night.

I hid from my father.

I didn’t want him to see. I didn’t want him to know. I didn’t want him to give me that look.

That look.

The one of pity, sorrow, and regret.

I didn’t want his speech of love and apology. I didn’t want him to hug me or listen to him tell me I must be strong and not retaliate.

I didn’t want that.

Being a demigod all wounds healed and all teeth regrew with time, but the damage they had done was more than physical.

It was the first time I felt angry.

Gods didn’t care about love, mercy or innocence. They were only concerned with appearances and lineage. If you weren’t their ideal it didn’t matter if you were a child or an adult. You were punished.

You suffered.

That small ember of rage had become a caged inferno. Out of respect to my father I had never attacked their kind, but he wasn’t here anymore.

I was tired of being stepped on.

Tired of being harassed.

Tired of it.

Tired of everything.

Tired of them.

Now here they were. They were disrupting my sanctuary and totally ignorant of my presence.

I let a dark grin play at my lips.

They would know pain, they would know misery.

I was hungry again. It felt so good to defeat those at the tryouts, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted more, needed more.

I wanted to see their tears, feel their insides break and squelch beneath my powerful hands, and taste their blood as it splattered along my lips.

For I was strong.

Stronger than them.

A familiar tingling graced my fingertips and I chuckled.

Fearsome bolts of lightning struck the ground.

Screams.

They were the sweetest melody.

“Damien!? Belsin!?”

Madoka’s voice.

I grinned wider.

He was frantic, afraid.

As he should be.

From the sound of his voice, my lightning had hit.

I could’ve easily annihilated them all, but that would benefit no one. They would not suffer, therefore they would not learn, and if they did not learn I would not have respect.

“Are they dead!?” Alsana shrieked.

“No, just unconscious.” The dark-skinned god replied. “Did you do that?” Temukin asked. “Of course not!”

I listened to them as I slunk through the bushes.

Changes in weather did not occur naturally here. It was all influenced by some god or another.

“Let’s go. We can tell our parents about this. Whoever they have controlling the weather today should be fired.” Teji said determinedly.

“The one who controls the weather in this area is my grandfather.” Madoka frowned. The look on Teji’s face almost made me laugh. “Dumb .”

“Besides he said he wasn’t working tonight.”

“You mean…?” Alesana asked worriedly.

“Yes, I see your brain trying to work.” I thought in amusement. It felt so good to be the one in control. It was surprisingly easy to manipulate others with power. Just a measly lighting strike and they’re ready to bolt.

“Someone did this on purpose.”

I slowly emerged from the trees.

“Congratulations, storm god, you figured it out.”

The moment they saw me their expressions changed to scowls. “Half-breed!?” They exclaimed in unison.

“You did this!?” Madoka snapped.

“What do you think?” There was an edge in my voice. The loss of fear from their faces disgusted me. I was strong. They should be afraid! They should show respect!

“I should’ve known!” Alsana sneered. “It’s just what we expected from your filthy race!” Her words bounced right off me and disappeared into oblivion.

I snorted and examined my nails.

There was no point in getting riled up over the words of a few gnats.

“I don’t like your smug attitude!” Madoka roared.

“I don’t like your face.” I smirked, seeing anger cloud his eyes. “You, a pitiful halfling dare to hurt my friends and talk down to me? You seem to have forgotten your place. I think someone needs to remind you exactly where you belong.”

I looked up and locked eyes with him.

“I was waiting for those words.”

They were uncomfortable. Whether it was an aversion of a gaze, a step back, or a shocked expression.

It was starting.

They were beginning to see.

“It’s crazy.” Teji remarked.

“That’s why we have to put it out of its misery.” Madoka muttered.

“What!? You can’t be serious!” Temukin gasped.

“Don’t be a coward! We’re soldiers, killing is what we do! This thing hurt our friends! Friends who are in the same army she’s in! It’s treason! Are you just going to let it walk!? No one will miss it anyway. Just toss the body in the river!”

“These gnats…” I was trying to maintain my composure. They had no compassion for anything or anyone at all, but what the horrible thing was, is that they were right.

No one would miss me.

The mortals on Earth hadn’t missed me and the gods in Epica wouldn’t either. No one would look for me, no one would mourn.

They might even celebrate.

I clenched my teeth, being taken back to that time when I was a child. Back to another encounter with the vicious Madoka.

“Surround her! If you don’t fight, you’re no better than it is!”

The wind began to blow and clouds started to move in. The air around me was charged with a determined energy as the wind ripped leaves from their branches. They had formed a circle around me and were moving closer.

Pain.

I touched my cheek, surprised to find it wet and held out my hand.

Blood.

More pain.

Laughter.

“Look at it cry!”

Horrible laughter.

“It bleeds so easily!”

Rage.

My body was shaking with rage. Gods had tormented me nearly everyday since I was brought here. They never let me have a break. They never stopped their assault.

Even now they continued with their wicked ways.

I would never let another god hurt me again.

More pain.

Their powers. Madoka was summoning a storm and Temukin had turned the leaves into little daggers. The girls weren’t as skilled. Their stances unsure, and their eyes darted around nervously, but they held their ground.

They had accepted the challenge.

We were waiting, daring each other with our eyes. The air thickened as each second brought us closer to the limit. I felt the tension weighing heavy on my back. Someone had to strike first.

Instinct held me in the center. I would not move yet.

Not before them.

They attacked at once. Punching, shocking, and tearing, but I felt nothing except for a strange calm. My body knew what to do. I didn’t need thought, didn’t need emotion. All that mattered was combat.

I dodged, and weaved between my opponents, testing them, learning their strengths and their weaknesses.

Alsana struck quickly with her claws, favoring her right hand. Teji was brave, always attacking from the side, or the front, never afraid to look me in the eyes. Yet her body was like paper. Flimsy, uncoordinated, and weak. Temukin was an opportunistic coward, always leaping from the back, but he left himself open. If he went low he didn’t think to protect his head or spine. If he went high he exposed his throat, and abdomen to the world.

Finally, there was Madoka. He had power, but he lacked modesty and technique. He was controlled by arrogance, preferring to bark out commands to his mindless dogs than attack.

As long as I kept my wits, these four would lose.

“Put her in a headlock! Yes, Temukin that’s the way! Alesana go for the eyes! Teji don’t loosen your grip!” They obeyed him religiously feeding off his praise like starved leeches, and it raised their morale gifting them with extra strength. “Don’t let up, beat it to death!”

He needed to be dealt with first.

If I was going to make them respect me, I would need to crush their spirits, then break their bodies. I couldn’t have Madoka empowering them.

I channeled my energy, letting it flow from my arms into my hands. I felt the sparks begin to fly, and I allowed them. They were gaining strength, until, finally they were released.

An enraged bolt of lightning sent the storm god soaring high above the trees, and vanishing into the distance.

The others were given no time to comprehend what had happened.

In one swift motion I ripped Temukin off me and tossed him into a tree. I sent Teji reeling with a well-aimed kick to the gut. I grabbed Alsana’s arm that was coming at me with its talons bared and snapped it. She barely uttered a scream before I knocked her down with a powerful headbut.

An uneasy hush descended over the forest, and I took a brief moment to study my remaining rivals. They groaned, and huffed as they recovered from the force of my attacks.

“Urgh…” Teji grumbled, being the first to right herself. She looked between her friends and I, stopping when her eyes landed on Alesana who was gripping her arm. “Ally!?” She exclaimed, and ran over to the woman’s side. “M-My arm I-I can’t move it.”

“Madoka, Ally’s hurt, what do we-” The green-eyed woman looked around for the storm god.

“He’s not here.” I said, and she winced.

“W-What?”

“I got rid of him.”

“But he’ll be back.” Alesana countered. “And when he does, you’ll be the one in pain.” No longer in battle I allowed myself to feel, and the moment I did I was consumed by an inferno of vengeance. I glared coldly at her, not only, because of her ghastly defiance, but, because she was correct.

Lightning would not kill a storm god, and a fall like that would only do minor damage. He’d be back, and that meant I needed to educate these fools on the proper way to respect their betters!

I charged, preparing to hit her with a fist of flame, but I was suddenly face to face with Teji.  She took the hit, and fell to the ground flailing.

“Ill-mannered wench!” I was absolutely furious. How dare she defend Alsana!? It was against my very wishes. “Fine.” I thought darkly. “If that’s what she wants.”

I went after Teji, scratching and beating her body. I slammed her against the round, stomped on her chest, and punched whatever part of her I could. “Teji!?” I heard Alsana shriek before a peculiar burning sensation ran along my spine. When my back began to grow wet I understood.

She attacked me.

The knowledge of it being her who assaulted me caused the edges of my vision to blur in vexation. She wanted to bring me back to that place. To put me down, to abuse me, to make me cry. She wanted me to apologize, to beg, but I wouldn’t.

Not again.

Never again.

“ALESANA I’M NOT YOUR ANYMORE!”

I threw her friend into her broken arm, loving the way their bones cracked as they collided into each other. They were talking, but I didn’t hear it, agonizing, but I didn’t feel satisfied. All I remembered were the irksome jeers.

It wasn’t enough. They weren’t in enough pain!

Something flew by my face, and landed in the ground before me. It was a branch. A thick branch with a sharp end staked into the ground.

It had just barely missed my skull.

The damn tree god had tried to kill me.

There was a buzzing in my ears. It became louder and louder, morphing into laughter. They were laughing at me.

Even now.

All I wanted was for them to stop, all I wanted was for them to leave me alone, yet their toxic cackling never ceased.

My breathing quickened.

How was I supposed to make it stop!?

My hand gripped the branch.

How!?

I pulled it from the ground, causing the symphony of sniggering to crescendo. They needed to be stopped.

I threw the branch.

Silence.

The moment it met flesh the laughter stopped.

Temukin sat slumped against a tree with the branch in his throat.

“Y-You…” All it took was a voice for the giggling to begin again. Teji was a bigoted, disgusting, mindless, ! I was tired of seeing her face, hearing her voice. She had no right to look down on me!

My hand wrapped around , and I forced her head to meet a boulder.

Why did creatures like this exist!?

What was their purpose!?

They made other’s lives miserable, and then got to prance around like they’d done nothing wrong! They received love, respect, and admiration.

For what!?

the joy from someone’s life!? Abusing them!? Violating them!?

What was the point of that!?

Her skull repeatedly slammed against stone until she moved no more.

The laughter quieted, but hadn’t gone.

I looked around until I saw Alsana.

She was the one.

The one who made just getting an education a nightmare.

I released Teji, and began walking towards her.

She tried to run, but I tripped her, and forced her to the ground. “I’m sorry!” The cry erupted from .

An apology?

Those words caused my feet to still, and I gazed down at her.

She panted, and made an attempt to sit up, but I pushed her back down with my foot. “Don’t move!” I roared. An apology from her meant nothing. She had years for shame and “sorrys” but she only did it now.

Why?

Because she was in danger.

Because I was a threat.

“I-I-I m-mean i-it. I’m r-really s-sorry t-that I p-picked o-on y-you. I-I w-was y-y-young, a-and s-stupid. I-I d-didn’t know a-any b-b-better. P-Please d-don’t h-hurt m-me…I’m sorry!” She wriggled beneath my foot, feeble, and weak, like the lowly maggot she was.

“Kill it, Madoka.” I said slowly. “It touched me.” I continued. “It’s half-human, it bleeds so easily.”

Her words.

I was repeating her merciless words.

She gasped in horror, because she understood.

“It’s too late for your half-hearted apologies.” Flames began to lap at my wrists. “Let’s see how easily you bleed.”

I swung my fist and a large fireball hit her face. I loved the way she writhed in pain. “PLEASE STOP IT! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY!” I heard her agonized shriek, and watched as her flesh slowly melted off of her burning visage.

This wasn’t enough.

She needed to experience the same suffering I had.

A suffering I was forced to endure for hundreds of years.

I ran at her, and kicked her in the ribs as hard as I could. Feeling her bones break sent a wave of excitement coursing through my body. She was alone with me, and I was the one in control.

Such a wonderful twist of fate.

Her everything rested entirely with me. I controlled her pain, pleasure, and even her life.

A life that belonged to an eternal enemy.

I grinned wickedly.

This would be my revenge.

I tore into her, ripping scorching, and shocking. Each time my hands connected with her I felt a spike in enjoyment. Each time blood erupted from her I was surrounded by bliss. She needed to be beaten, to be broken. No part of her would be left untouched. She needed to be as ugly on the outside as she was on the inside.

I allowed the quiet, the euphoria to strangle me, and to carry me away from it all.

I gave a strong tug, and heard a most pleasing sound.

A wet snap.

Blood pooled from her limbless shoulder.

It had been so easy to dismember her. Akin to breaking a twig.

Gods were truly pathetic. They ridiculed me for being fragile, but they were no better.

They bled easier than I.

I strolled alongside her inferior body. She was unrecognizable. She no longer had a face. Her nose was crushed, her bottom lip missing, her tongue shredded, and one of her eyes had been popped out of the socket.

Her pale skin was turned darker than night, and blood oozed in thin streams from all over.

She was no longer moving.

Disturbingly still, almost lifeless.

Had she become a corpse?

That hadn’t been my intention, because no matter how many times one may slash it, a slab of meat feels nothing. Death would’ve been an easy way out. An escape. I felt a twinge of annoyance realizing she may have gotten away with her crimes.

It wasn’t fair! Even in death gods ruined everything!

It shouldn’t have been over so quickly!

In frustration I kicked the body trying to relieve the tension. The lack of response only infuriated me even more. “ YOU ALESANA! IF YOU THINK DEATH WILL-”

A rustle in the bushes silenced me.

This wasn’t over yet.

There was still one.

***

Thursday May 14th 2042 5:00AM

The cold caress of the wind gently pulled me from my slumber into an unfocused world. I expected to have my eyes stung by the familiar, white walls of my cell, but instead darkness greeted me.

I blinked in confusion trying to eliminate the blur, trying to understand.

“What happened?”

The strong odor of salt reached my nose.

“Why do things smell like seafood?” Absentmindedly I my lips, realizing that hunger was eating away at me. “I could really go for some shrimp…”

Then something else.

Another scent overpowering the salt. It wreathed around me, and for some reason I felt comforted. I’d smelled this before, but where?

Gradually things became clearer. I could see tiny, white dots dappled within the blackness. One was larger and shaped differently than all the rest.

The moon.

I’d been staring at the sky.

It took a few more seconds for me to realize I was lying on my back with my head propped up at an awkward angle. What was I resting on?

I pulled my gaze from the sky, and my eyes were met with a shimmering curtain. I stared at it perplexed as it moved of its own accord to tickle my nose.

Immediately I went to scratch at the irritation.

“Amber!?” A voice.

Her voice.

It was as though my soul had been reawakened. All the memories came rushing back, threatening to choke me with their intensity. I was taken from my home, brought to the SKHDO, attempted to escape, and ended up here.

I’d made it.

We’d made it.

I tried to sit up, but pain wracked through my body and I ended up staring at the sky once more.

“Amber!?” Jinri’s concerned face blocked the stars. I sniffed, checking for any sign of blood. There was none, and aside from her quickly racing heart she was fine.

I grinned widely feeling all my worries fade away. Nothing had happened to her.

She exhaled and gave me an even bigger smile in return. “I’m so happy you’re alright!” She grabbed my head and smashed it against her stomach.

Despite it being hard to breathe I had no intention of pulling away.

We hadn’t fallen like this.

She awoke, laid my head on her lap, and hadn’t moved until I came to. Even though she wasn’t physically powerful she’d tried to protect me.

It made me feel good to know that she was willing to take care of me in the way I took care of her. I allowed myself to bask in her warmth and affection.

When she finally released me I cautiously got to my knees, wincing at the soreness in my muscles. “Are you okay!?” Jinri cried and scrambled even closer to me.

Her hands gripped my arms as she helped me steady myself. The fear in her eyes only encouraged me to be stronger. I was supposed to protect her and keep her happy. If she was afraid, because she thought I was hurt, then I needed to prove I was okay. I was supposed to be strong for the both of us.

“Don’t worry about me.” I returned her gesture with a forced smile. “Are you alright?”

“My body hurts.”

“That’s normal. In a few days you won’t even remember the pain.” I sat up straighter, gritting my teeth at my screaming tendons. “If you need me to carry you until then I will.” It didn’t matter how difficult it would be for me. I would bear any pain to keep her safe.

“A few days?” She echoed quietly.

“Yeah.”

“A few days…” She repeated even more softly than before. I studied her carefully. Her eyes had taken on a far away quality, and she continued to mumble the phrase to herself over and over. I was beginning to feel a twinge of worry, but was distracted when her hold on me tightened.

“Amber?” She breathed, and I blinked at her. “Are we…” She hesitated for a moment “free?”

I was struck by the question.

She searched my face with caution in her gaze. She was seeking comfort and hope.

Which was why I was afraid to answer.

This still seemed like a dream to me. I didn’t know how to respond, because I didn’t want to lie.

I lowered my head and scanned the shore. Things were still surprisingly peaceful. Crickets chirping, frothing waves, and shining stars. Just like when we first arrived. The only change was the faint scent of death that came wafting from the south.

An animal had died.

It was a natural part of life, but, because of my time trapped in the Organization it caused the hair on my body to rise with uneasiness.

I stiffened expecting something, anything to happen.

Nothing did.

Perhaps now I could answer her.

My eyes returned to hers and I smiled. “Yes, Jinri.” I said. “We’re free.”

A hush fell over the world and time seemed to stop.

The emotions in Jinri’s eyes stirred up my own. She was experiencing everything that I had. The uncertainty, the fear, everything. Our time in hell connected us. We didn’t need words to express ourselves, we just knew. As we choked back our tears the warmth of serenity surrounded us.

All of the past uncertainties no longer existed.

We could begin our life.

Disbelief turned to jubilation, fear to excitement.

I felt my heart begin to quicken, and my feet tingle as joy raced through every part of me. Each second that passed made it harder for me to stay still. I was overflowing with energy. In Jinri’s eyes I could see the same.

Merely knowing I wasn’t the only one made everything that much more electrifying.

I was ready.

I needed to let it out or I would explode.

“You’re it!” I shouted, giving Jinri a light shove before darting down the shore. “Hey!?” She exclaimed and soon I heard the gentle thud of her feet as they hit the ground. Instead of moving faster I turned around and ran towards her. Her eyes narrowed and she smirked, forcing herself to run harder. I readied my muscles as she neared with outstretched hands.

I easily dodged, laughing each time she tried - and failed - to touch me. Her little frowns and determined eyes were adorable. She’d keep going forever if I let her, but I wouldn’t. I liked being untouchable, but what I liked even more was seeing her happy.  That smile of triumph she’d soon have was priceless.

I pretended to stumble, and I instantly felt her poke me in the side. “Yay!” She cheered before whirling around and running off.

Seeing her beaming face caused satisfaction to pierce my heart.

“Come on, slowpoke! You’re supposed to chase me!” She called from several feet away.

I laughed and charged after her.

This was what I wanted more than anything else. To see her safe, happy, and free. These weren’t the warm, sun-kissed beaches of L.A, but tonight they might as well have been. Any pain we had vanished, numbed by our exhilaration, and any doubts were left far away as our feet carries us down the coast.

Right now nothing else existed. Only us and our joy.

We were where we’d always wanted to be.

Jinri shrieked as I tackled her to the ground. I grinned and gave her some room to get up.

“That’s not fair!” She pouted.

“Yes it is!”

“You cheated!” She protested as she righted herself.

“How?”

“Like you always do!”

I gently pushed her back down, earning a huff and a cute frown.

“Still not fair.”

In response I picked up a handful of sand and let it rain down onto her belly. Immediately she screamed and shuffled away.

I was taken aback by her sudden look of shock and horror.

“What’s wrong!?” I asked, maked sure to close the distance.

“T-The g-ground is…”

“The ground?”

“It melts when I step on it, and it’s made of dust, and-”

“It’s not dust, it’s sand.”

“This is sand?” Her eyes widened and hung open. “Yes.”

I watched her run her hands along the ground. She scooped some up, examined it carefully, and let it fall in the same manner I had. As she repeated this several times I remembered that she knew little of the world outside of the KHDO. I could tell her about a lot of things, but it would never compare to actually experiencing them for herself.

All I knew was that I wanted to be there. Each time she figured something out. I wanted to see her fear turn into curiosity, and her curiosity turn into admiration.

“Amber?”

“Hm?” I looked up only to be hit in the chest with a barrage of sand. “What the…?” When it happened again, I understood. Jinri was laughing maniacally.

I raised a brow, and she laughed louder. She went to do it a third time, but I gripped her wrist. “Why?” She asked pretending to be innocent. “You know-”

More sand.

“You wanna fight?” I warned.

“Yep!”

“Fine.”

Then we were at it again, this time wrestling and flinging sand at each other.

I still couldn’t believe it.

We could be as loud as we wanted, play as long as we wanted.

We were free.

After the sand battle the two of us collapsed onto the beach side by side.

I didn’t realize how tired I was until I could finally rest. Passing out didn’t make a person any less exhausted. For a moment I closed my eyes, and let the sound of the waves lull me into the beginnings of sleep.

"What is this?" Jinri’s voice and the sound of shuffling sand roused me.

“What’s what, Jinjin?” I asked with a yawn.

When she didn’t respond I opened an eye, surprised to see her standing.

"What is this?" She repeated. I watched her closely. She was focused on something in the distance. I had never seen her this way before. So calm, so humbled, so serious.

I sniffed trying to understand. There was a scent of death in the air, but she wouldn't be able to detect that.

"This intense focus..."

Focus?

Without warning she took off. "Jinri!?" I shouted. "Where are you going!?"

She didn't answer.

She didn't even look back.

I felt a surprise sensation of dread creep along my spine. The hair on my body rose.

This wasn't good. The storm had calmed and The Organization was probably well aware of our escape. The repulsive stench of death that wafted in the air only became that more powerful.

Something wasn't right here. My senses were going wild, telling me to either run or prepare myself for battle.

Yet I couldn't run. Especially not when Jinri had just taken off.

I needed to follow her, but not like this.

I rose on weary legs and prepared myself to do something I hadn't done in a very long time.

The Organization had stifled me, punished me, and provoked me. They wanted me to use my gifts only when they commanded it, but today I was free.

I could do what I was born to.

My body began to tremble uncontrollably. Immense pain surged through me. My bones cracked loudly as they broke, set, and broke again. My vision blurred and color seemed to fade into nothingness.

I felt like I was one with the world, as though everything was connected as the pain disappeared, replaced by something different, something better. It felt incredibly good, my body was buzzing, attuned to the power, and the pleasure. Even the wind’s caress was too much.

If this continued much longer I wouldn’t be able to take it.

Then it was over.

All in mere seconds.

The sensations drained from my body as I loped along the beach with soft paws and streamlined steps. Muscular limbs and a large nose propelled my tawny form forward. My tail with its thick tuft at the tip lashed in excitement as I caught her scent on the wind.

A walk became a trot and a trot became a jog. My feline strides easily ate up the ground, silently kicking up sand along the moon-kissed shore.

I halted when I came to a clump of trees packed densely together. I gazed through them, letting my brain process that this was more than just a few plants.

It was a forest.

The pungent odor of death wafted from the from the woods causing the fur along my spine to stand up. I flattened my ears in discomfort.

Something in my heart was unsettled. My instincts were roaring at me to stay away from the forest and its secrets.

I knew this wasn't just death. It was more.

But that was the reason why I had to keep moving. My concern for Jinri was stronger than my fears.

Bracing myself for what may lie within the trees I dared to take a step forward.

The first thing I noticed about the woods was the silence. Not even an insect dared to utter a sound.

The next thing, was how still it was. No wind, no leaves, no animals.

It was as though this place were detached from the rest of the world. I felt that I was alone, but at the same time I felt that I wasn't.

It was as though someone was walking on either side of me, watching, whispering.

I strained my ears trying to understand, but the more I heard the less I heard.

This was no ordinary forest. It was charged with a strange, dizzying energy.

The scents of the creatures that should've lived here had gone stale.

Animals wanted nothing to do with this place.

I began to pant.

There was no reason to, but I couldn't help it. It was this place. It was weighing me down, compressing me, stifling me.

My body felt like lead. It was harder and harder to move. Each step was like a climb. It was hard to breathe and I was no longer sure where I was going.

There was something new in the air.

Blood.

Fresh blood.

It was Jinri's!

She was close.

And she was hurt.

I needed to get to her quickly.

With her scent giving me renewed strength I found myself breaking free of the forest’s malevolent hold.

I followed the blood trail to a clearing.

And in the center of that clearing was an incredible surprise.

There was a woman.

A beautiful woman.

She was bathed in the moonlight, so much so that she appeared to be glowing a heavenly white.

I had called her beautiful, but that was far too mundane a word for someone like this.

I was being pulled to her.

Everything she did, every move she made was hypnotizing. All I could do was stare at her mystifying body. She was teasing me with her angelic white skin, bouncing s, and long legs.

The morning may have been cold, but I was starting to feel hot.

In that moment I wanted nothing more than for her to acknowledge my existence, and to know how breathtaking I thought she was.

I wanted to know what she felt like, what she tasted like…

Dazed by her beauty I dared to take to take a step forward.

Then I saw the blood.

Dappled onto her hands, running down her arms, and smeared onto her face.

The source of the dark colored liquid rested with a gleaming dagger that hung from a rope on her neck and her wrists.

Six cuts on each. Perfectly symmetrical.

I breathed and gave a violent dry heave from the overpowering stench that filled my lungs.

Rotting meat and death.

This woman.

She was the cause of my discomfort. She was the cause of evil.

I grit my teeth as I took in more of the dark scene.

The woman was in the middle of a symbol. A star with a circle around it. It was carved in dirt and traced with blood. There was something familiar about this, but thinking about it made my skull throb.

Surrounding her were several candles, carefully placed at each corner of the star.

Her only friend was a cat's corpse. The stomach had a large gash allowing its intestines to greet the night and its limbs were bent in unnatural directions. The look on its face...it seemed shocked, horrified.

Had she done this? For what purpose? Some satanic ritual in the woods!?

Disgusting!

I had been trapped on the island so long that I had forgotten that cruelty existed elsewhere.

What had that cat done to deserve to be tormented like that, and then be used for some sick game!?

My blood boiled. I was so sick of seeing innocents be tortured for no reason. She was just like The Organization.

However unlike them, I could do something about her.

I tensed my muscles and lowered my body.

She didn't even know I was here. My heart began to thunder in anticipation and I my lips. She was so close... All I needed was for her to turn her back once more...

"What are you doing?" My ears pricked at the sound of a voice. A voice I knew well.

Jinri had appeared and was standing just outside of the circle with her head tilted to the side.

In that moment time seemed to stop. Neither I nor the woman moved. We were frozen, just staring at the inquisitive telepath who didn't have a clue about the true nature of what she had just walked into.

"Who dares to interrupt my master's ceremony!?"

I looked up to see someone materialize next to the evil woman. It was another woman, this time with short hair. She seemed tall, but then I realized it was, because she was hovering several feet off the ground.

I sniffed.

She had no scent.

None at all.

It turned my blood to ice.

"Speak!" The newcomer roared. Jinri took a step back in fear.

She scared Jinri? My claws tore into the soggy ground angrily.

"Who are you!?" Snapped the one on the ground.

No one scared Jinri. No one. I would protect her from people like these until I had no more breath in my lungs.

I launched my attack with a frightening roar.

"LUNAAAAAAAAAAAA!?"

Pain.

Something hit my stomach. I landed on my side with a grunt. My gaze locked with the bloodied one.

Her eyes...

I could only see the whites of her eyes.

“Wha-What are you?”

“An evil witch. One you cannot defeat.”

She was a witch.

Just like the one who gave herself to The Organization.

My claws went for but I was once again assaulted by pain. It struck me right in my head.

I hissed and collapsed at Jinri's feet. That ing witch!

Then I looked up.

The witch hadn't done this to me. In fact, she hadn't moved an inch.

It was the other one. The floating one.

"Master, do not worry. I will finish this!"

She opened and screamed.

It was a shrill sound that aggravated my headache. The pain was too much...

I shut my eyes as I tried to deal with the pressure being inflicted on me.

This sound was terrible. It didn't just make my ears want to bleed, it rattled my entire body. I felt like her cry was reaching inside my chest, affecting my soul.

I couldn't take it.

I just wanted it to stop.

"Amber!?"

I opened my eyes hearing her voice. Jinri was behind me standing tensely with her hands balled into fists and her eyes squeezed shut.

The world around us was chaos. I watched as boulders cracked and trees were ripped from the ground.

That should've been us.

But it wasn't.

We were protected by a pink orb.

Jinri was using her powers.

"Luna, stop!" For several seconds everything was absolutely silent. I watched as Jinri slowly opened her eyes and the pink sphere faded away. She blinked several times before falling to her knees and hugging me. "Llama, are you okay!?"

I hadn't realized I had shifted back until my arms found their way around her body. "You know I'm not that easy to kill." I joked. "What about you?"

"I'm fine." She beamed at me.

"Look at them..."

I had forgotten we weren't alone. My body tensed and I leaped to my feet and eyed them with mistrust.

Now that I was no longer a lion I could see them much more clearly. The witch’s light hair was actually blond and that strange thing on her head was gold, just like the hilt of the dagger she wore around her neck. Her pupils had returned and were a warm shade of brown. The scentless woman had short, blue locks and dark brown eyes.

I noticed that the smell of death was weakening and that my senses had calmed themselves. Right now they didn’t seem like much of a threat. Especially with their wide eyes and curious expressions, but I knew better.

They were sizing us up, and if they thought we were dangerous we’d be at the mercy of that strange creatures scream.

After a few more moments I felt Jinri poke her head over my shoulder.

"Hi!" She greeted cheerily.

***

Yaweh 3rd 347567 1:59AM

It seemed even nature was against me. The two moons highlighted the familiar, muscular form of my rival. The world was taunting me, belittling me, showing the power and pedigree of my opposition. The wind blew against me, trying to push me back, to show me as weak.

The land wanted me to bleed, to suffer, and to know my lowly place.

“You half-breed …” Madoka’s voice was a whisper. “How could you do this?” He was staring at his girlfriend’s mangled body. “H-How…?”

He had seen.

He knew.

My power was superior to hers, to his, and to every other god’s on this arrogant planet, however knowing was not enough.

He hurt me.

I couldn’t allow that crime to go unpunished.

Soon he would join his .

I lifted my arm and tossed the detached appendage in his direction. It slapped him in the chest, and he stumbled in fright.

“You’re next.” The ground began to shake as Madoka stood frozen gazing down at the arm. The perfect opportunity.

With a loud crack a sharp spike erupted from the ground and impaled his leg. I smiled widely at the sound of his scream. “ing !” He roared and I frowned. He was not showing me any respect.

The impudent insect! How dare he swear at me!? I was to be feared!

I threw a blue fireball at him and he easily countered it with an orb of electricity. My jaw set in annoyance. “I’m not like the others.” He said. “Don’t be so proud of yourself when you’ve only defeated two women who’ve never had an ounce of training, and a boy who had no business in the military.”

My eyes narrowed. “I’ve been a soldier for nearly a hundred years, the men in my family have served for ten generations, and have always held positions of power. I am a true warrior!”

I scoffed at his unnecessary boasting. One hundred years was nothing to scream about. All decent soldiers did it.

“Tell me demigod what accomplishments do you have to speak of? What breeding? What culture? You can’t, can you?” I opened my mouth to protest, but he continued. “And do you know why?” He took a step forward, easily ignoring his injury. “It’s, because you are the product of a mindless, peasant brute, and an idiotic human who killed herself, because she was pregnant with a kid she didn’t want.” He finished his tirade with a laugh.

A cruel sound that caused my body to tremble involuntarily.

“It’s a disgrace to call you a goddess. Your powers are diluted, your body weak, and quick to age. You aren’t like us, and you’ll never be like us. No number of fallen opponents or pride will change that. You are nothing, but a cheap copy.”

His words were weapons. Powerful weapons that cut deeper than the sharpest sword. His words ripped me of my strength and yanked me back to the past.

Back to a time when I felt exposed and small.

Lightning struck me in the stomach so hard that I was thrown through a tree. My head hit the ground first and I was forced into a stupor.

His cruel words had shattered my confidence. They replayed over and over again in my mind.

I knew of my mother’s situation, regardless of how much my dad and the palace staff tried to shelter me from the truth. When it came to my father, I realized, I knew near nothing.

He never said anything about his past, and I’d never met my grandparents. I heard rumors and hushed whispers amongst the other gods, but I never put much faith in them, but now when faced with Madoka’s words, I believed them.

Was my father really a beggar? If he was, then was he also to blame for my harsh treatment? Is that why he sought out a mortal? Because no high ranking goddess would dare breed with anyone lower than themselves?

“Look at you.” His legs came into view. “You’re truly pathetic.” His fist connected with my skull. “You need to feel important.” He kicked me in the chest. “To feel like you matter.” I saw sparks of electricity dance between his fingers. “But the reality is…”

I dared to lock eyes with him. “You’re nothing!”

I was sent flying again.

Child of a mortal…

Impure…

Not a goddess…

Nothing…

I’d heard those words my entire life, I’d taken the beatings, and hid the pain for so long. All, because of my father, because it was “wrong” to fight back.

But why was it? Was he saying it was okay for them to treat me like this?

The crunch of grass under foot told me Madoka was coming in for another attack. “Now die.”

My world became a blur as pain wracked through every part of me. My head was in a fog, my ears rung, and I screamed.

It sickened me to show such weakness, but there was nothing I could do.

The little shocks he had given me earlier were nothing compared to this. His attacks literally had me paralyzed. He did it again, and again, until I could no longer feel.

Even when he lifted me up by the leg and slammed me against the ground, I felt nothing.

I assumed my body was failing me, already pushed to its limit.

Yet I wasn't tired, I felt even less disoriented, and I still had my senses. I wasn't going to die, but I could no longer feel pain.

Why?

Why wasn't I in agony?

But then I realized.

I was a war god.

When we were pushed we did not feel pain, we did not feel fear, we did not feel hopelessness.

Our only purpose, our only way to survive was to fight.

Victory was mine by birthright.

Madoka could not take this from me.

He would pay for what he had done.

My heart thundered, my body tensed, and energy surged through me.

I felt alive.

In one swift motion I ripped away from his grasp, quelled the flames on my arms and struck as hard as I could. I grinned when I felt his skull crack. He had no time to scream as I quickly pounded away at his stomach.

I felt the increasingly familiar sensation of excitement as his insides fractured beneath my fists.

"I'm sick of your bull!" I shouted, sending him careening into the ground. "I'm tired of you gods, and your sense of entitlement! You've done nothing to merit your arrogance! You harassed me for years, and I’ll never forgive you for that!”

I watched him struggle to rise to his feet, stumbling on his bleeding leg. He gazed at me with what could only be described as a blend of disgust and fascination. It filled me with a sense of pride. He should know that I was beyond what he had originally expected.

“Quit ing, human.”

Human?

Another word that once filled me with so much doubt, so much fear, now served to empower me. I rushed at Madoka, grabbed him, lifted him up, and slammed him against the ground as hard as I could.

I heard his bones scream at the impact.

The moment I heard the snap I felt something sever from me. I felt lighter, freer than I ever had before.

The gods were wrong about me.

They always had been.

I was worth something.

Madoka was moving, running towards me with white, hot electricity glowing between his hands. I could sense it in the air. He was going to try to finish me.

But he would be unable.

It was time for me to get my revenge.

Feeling a resurgence of power I grabbed his fist mid-punch, stared defiantly into his surprised eyes, and swung with my other arm, hitting him hard enough to crack his skull.

Blood and teeth erupted from his now malformed face.

I struck him repeatedly in the head, leaving a bloody crater in the center.

His body began to twitch, and spasm. He couldn’t control it, couldn’t move. His brain was damaged. He would never be the same.

I smiled, growing ever more amused by his persistent convulsions.

“Look at how weak you are.” I taunted mentally. “How mortal.”

His limbs buckled beneath him, and he was suddenly on the ground. I laughed, as he tried to form what sounded like words.

“Now you know what it feels like to be me. To have suffered for centuries.”

There was a sudden peace, a euphoria as I watched him suffer, and recalled the pleasure of his body’s destruction. He had beat me, and insulted me for being human, but today I had proved who the most fragile of us was.

The satisfaction I felt began to ebb as his spasms lost their intensity. Was it over already?

Why?

I glared spitefully at his unmoving body. I had won, but for some reason I felt hollow. My victory didn’t matter.

I could have made him suffer so much more.

***

Thursday May 14th 2042 5:59AM

"Can you really change your name just like that!?"

"Yep!"

"Wow...hey Amber, I want to change my name!"

"Why? There's nothing wrong with it."

"But it's just so boring and I've had it my whole life. I want to be called something more exciting!"

"Our names really aren't that..." I tuned out the voices of our temporary traveling companions.

The newcomers were peculiar.

There was Jinri. A long-limbed, telepath, with hair that fell past her , full lips, and a mole on her left cheek. She easily towered over rest of us, standing at what had to be around six feet tall.

Her companion was a deep-voiced, tough-looking shapeshifter with short, dark brown - almost black - hair. She was only a little taller than me and spoke with a thick accent.

Luna seemed content to talk to them but, I...I couldn't help, but feel that there was something off about the pair. They had come from the forest exhausted, covered in sand, and completely .

The moment we were no longer trying to fight each other, the shifter asked about the location of the nearest town. She had made it out as though they were just frolicking along the beach, but there was something more in her eyes.

Urgency? Fear? It was in her posture, her gaze, and in the way she kept looking behind her. Like she was expecting something to happen. I don't know what the reason was, but I knew she wasn't being honest.

Ulchin wasn't that far away. If her and her "friend" were really just playing in the surf that meant they would've taken a cab here.

They should've had some idea of where they were, but they didn't. They were lost.

Completely and utterly lost.

My suspicions heightened each time the shifter spoke. Poor grammar, and mispronounced words. Her accent was cringeworthy at best, and her name.

Amber Liu.

She was not native.

Then her body...I had never seen a thing like it. Her eyes were weary and her form thin. I could count each of her too-prominent ribs. However the most unsettling thing about her were the scars.

Horrible scars, marring her otherwise perfect skin.

They were everywhere.

Most seemed like tiny cuts or scrapes, but there were some that made my breath catch. There was one on her thigh, one on her stomach, and one that began on her cheek, and ended at her collarbone.

Had she been a ghost this wouldn't have been a surprise, but this girl was alive. Living beings shouldn't look like this.

I may not have trusted her, but I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Who could've done that to her and why?

Surely no crime deserved this kind of retribution.

I felt a twinge of pity, but that was soon replaced with dread. Her appearance meant that she had a history, a story to tell, and not one I wanted to be a part of.

My heart ached for the poor girl, but I didn't want to be around her any longer than necessary. I just had a feeling that we may be in danger if she stayed with us for too long.

I had agreed to let them take the cab with us, but after that we would separate immediately. Until then I would hold my breath and lead our little quartet down the small, country road and through the crisp, dark morning.

"Jinri do you like pizza?" The corners of my mouth twitched in amusement. Of course Luna would want to talk about food.

"I've never tried it." I wasn't focused on the dejection in her voice, but by the peculiarity of her answer. She looked like she was around my age. How had she not at least tasted pizza?

"Really!?" Came Luna's shocked reply.

"Yes, but Amber tells me about it all the time!"

"You must try it! It is positively delicious!"

I stole a careful glance behind me. I hadn't expected the shapeshifter to be the closest.

The thought of having my back to her was making me even more uneasy. However I quickly decided that if she tried anything I could probably get away.

That half-starved creature didn't have the strength to keep up a prolonged chase. Besides I had Luna. She could handle her easily.

Then the shifter looked up.

I watched as her eyes narrowed when she realized I was staring at her.

Instantly my confidence crumbled, and my feet tingled with the urge to run as I returned my gaze to the front. Emaciated as she seemed, she was probably still stronger than I knew.

I'd have to be more careful where I chose to place my eyes.

"Are you alright?" I stiffened hearing the shapeshifter's deep voice cut through my thoughts.

Was she talking to me? My mind scrambled to find a way to respond without reflecting my emotions.

"I'm cold." Jinri announced abruptly.

"I know, and I'm sorry."

I felt a brief moment of confusion, but then I understood. The shifter's question hadn't been directed at me. Relaxation filled every inch of my body. I didn't have anything to worry about.

"My body's starting to hurt again too." Jinri mumbled.

"I'll carry you. Hop on my back."

"But you're hurting. It's not fair."

"I don't care about that. I'll be in more pain if I know you're suffering. Jinri please, I can handle it."

Their conversation struck something in me. Perhaps it was their soft voices or the concern that poured from each word, but in that moment I was able to push aside my suspicions.

Here were two people with the most mysterious of origins and who were clearly not in the best situation.

Yet they took care of each other. I didn't know the details of their relationship, though I could rightfully assume, but it made me feel happy to see genuine love between anyone.

"See, you're shivering too, come on." It sounded like an order, but the shapeshifter's tone was incredibly gentle.

These people needed help. I didn't trust them, but I couldn't just pretend that they weren't suffering. I might not have been able to do much, but I would do what I could.

Experiencing a renewed feeling of pity I gripped at my jacket's zipper.

It wasn't particularly heavy, but it'd be better than being in thirty degree weather.

Gathering enough courage to turn around I extended an arm in Jinri's direction.

"Here." I offered her the tiny, black jacket.

The telepath's eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"

I nodded, growing a little self-conscious with the knowledge that everyone’s attention was on me.

Jinri hesitated a few seconds before eagerly taking it from my hand.

"Thanks Krystal!" She beamed.

"You're welcome." I was about to turn around when I noticed she was toying with the zipper in a strange manner. She moved it up and down and tried pushing the sides of the jacket together as though she were hoping they'd connect. Her eyes narrowed and her bottom lip poked out before she released the sides of the jacket with a huff and stomping feet.

What was up with this girl? She was behaving like a child. Had she never seen a zipper before?

Or maybe she had some type of handicap.

Suddenly the shapeshifter appeared at her side. She was moving quickly, perhaps too quickly to help out her...friend.

I watched curiously as she taught Jinri the mechanics of how to use a zipper. Surprisingly the telepath got it quickly.

Could people with disabilities learn something so easily?

I looked at Luna in confusion who returned a similar expression.

"I hate to sound rude, but can we keep going? We need to get to Ulko quickly."

I felt a twinge of irritation at the shapeshifter's words. "Alright." I said. "We can continue to Ulchin." I corrected with a look in the shifter’s direction, before turning around and walking ahead.

I expected to lead alone, so it was a surprise to find Jinri prancing alongside me. I guess she was happy to be a little warmer. I hadn't really wanted the company, but I could deal with it for a litter longer.

I was beginning to recognize the area and knew we were nearing the place where I'd left the taxi.

"Ah! I feel so much better!" The telepath exclaimed. "I know I said it already, but thank you soooooo much!"

"You don't have to thank me." I said politely.

"Your hair is pretty." Well that was unexpected.

"Uh, well...thank you."

"I've never seen anyone with hair like yours. I wish mine was that color. Amber said that people can do this thing where they change their hair color.  Did you do that? Can you help me do it!?"

"I didn't dye it." I replied.

"That's the word!" She gave a little hop. "I wanna do that, but Amber doesn't want me to. She said it could damage my hair, but it sounds like so much fun!" She really liked to talk... "Wait, if you didn't dye it then what'd you do?"

"I cast a spell and it went wrong."

"What's a spell?" With the way she'd reacted one would think I'd told her the meaning of life.

"It's a witch thing."

"Ooooooooooooh. Is that what you were doing in the forest!?" She asked giving a joyous, little bounce.

"Yes."

"Next time I wanna watch!" Next time? There wouldn't be a next time. At least not while these two were around.

"Jinri, are you bothering her?" The shapeshifter called from somewhere behind.

"No!" She replied cheerily before turning her attention back to me. "Am I?"

Was she? Maybe a little bit, but it wasn’t that much of a problem. I could have been mean and said yes to get her to leave me alone, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

"No."

"See, Amber, I told you!"

I shook my head as Jinri ran over to Amber to brag.

At least now I could focus on the task at hand. Though I knew we were getting closer.

Seeing a very familiar boulder I began to veer to the left. I remember commanding the driver to hide off road behind a large rock.

This had to be it!

I bounded behind the stone block awaiting the moment I could rest my legs.

Then I froze.

“Oh no.” I thought in alarm seeing what could only be described as tire marks in the dirt.

I knew this was where I commanded the driver to wait. The only problem was that he wasn't here. Why wasn't he here!?

Then I remembered. When that shifter jumped from the bushes I cancelled the ritual out of sheer terror. I must've released my control over the driver as well. Now I even vaguely recalled feeling the severing of our bond.

I'd made another mistake...

But was it really mine?

If that shapeshifter hadn't appeared I'd still-

I tensed.

The shapeshifter and the telepath were only with us for this reason. “Oh god what am I going to do?” I was beginning to panic. “What am I going to tell them!? They'll be so angry and-”

"What's wrong?"

I jumped in fright, not expecting to be standing nearly shoulder to shoulder with the shapeshifter. I watched as she looked me up and down with narrowed eyes before letting her gaze settle on my own.

"Um..." I looked down at the marks in the earth and she did the same.

"What are those?" Her voice was far too calm. "Well I may have..."

"Yeah?"

"...kind of..."

"Yeah?"

"...accidentally..."

"Yeah!?"

"...released my possession over the driver." I grinned sheepishly at her.

"Are you serious!?" I watched her clench her jaw and ball her hands into fists before taking a cautious step back.

Almost immediately Luna was at my side with glowing eyes.

"You said you’d help us!" She snapped. "I knew I shouldn’t have relied on you! My nose doesn’t lie!"

"Don’t get angry with me, this is your fault!" I countered.

"MY FAULT!?" She roared.

"Yes!" I hissed, allowing my anger to flow free. "If you hadn’t shown up I’d still have a ride back to the motel!"

“ME!?” Her voice boomed. "WHAT DID I DO TO YOU!?" She stormed over to me and glared. Less than an inch separated us.

"YOU SCARED ME!" I made my tone match hers.

"HOW!?"

"MOST PEOPLE DON'T INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AS ANGRY LIONS!"

"MOST PEOPLE DON’T WORSHIP SATAN IN THE FOREST!"

Luna took a step forward as if daring her to try anything.

"I DO NOT WORSHIP SATAN!"

"YEAH RIGHT, YOU-" She stopped mid-sentence when Jinri put a hand on her shoulder. "Amber, please stop yelling. All they've done is tried to help. Krystal didn't mean for this to happen."

The shifter held my gaze with a prolonged glare before speaking. "I AM SO TIRED OF THESE STUPID WITCHES!"

I scowled and opened my mouth to deliver a biting retort, but a loud pop caused the words to vanish from my tongue.

Suddenly the ground trembled.

“An earthquake?”

No.

A tree had fallen from the forest and rolled onto the road.

A tree that looked like it'd been ripped from the ground.

We looked amongst ourselves, trying to figure out what had just happened. No one dared to speak as an eerie feeling washed over us.

The shapeshifter was the first to move, taking cautious steps toward the fallen foliage.

We watched frozen as she circled it. Her nose twitched and in the moonlight I could see her breath coming in rapid puffs. She was sniffing, searching for answers.

Unfortunately we would not get to wait for her to tell us what she found.

Luna pressed her shoulder against mine with an audible gasp. I went to ask her what was wrong, but the words faded from my lips.

It stood before us.

Nearly thirteen feet tall with the crescent moon's light at its back. Its pristine, white body was humanoid in appearance with a head, arms, and legs. However it's visage was incomplete. It had no face. It was a mannequin.

Artificial.

Failing to imitate the life it longed to have.

This faux beast supported itself on pronged feet and remained hauntingly motionless.

Yet even still it exuded a mesmerizing power. It was strength, obedience, and perfection. Its sleek, well-proportioned body was designed to mock the flaws of men.

Then it moved.

We stood awestruck as two tiny, black beads materialized on its face. It lifted its head.

The creature was made of steel and iron, but somehow folds appeared on its body as it moved. It was almost as if this beast bore flesh.

The little beads turned red and moved into what I assumed was their proper position.

Eyes.

Those were its eyes.

Eyes that were looking at us.

It slowly, meticulously lifted and arm. It was unhurried as though it were putting on a show, and just like an audience we watched its display entranced. The limb began to quiver until it morphed.

A gun.

It had turned its forearm into a gun.

"Peacekeeper!" A loud shriek tore us from our trance.

"Run!" I recognized Jinri's voice just before everything became a blur. My breath caught as a loud sound assaulted my ears and rattled my brain.

Suddenly nothing made sense. I heard screams and saw a bright light. I hadn't realized I was flying until my body met the ground. I flopped and skidded along the asphalt, too stunned to feel pain.

"Master!?"

I tried to sit up, but couldn't find the ground. It was hard to see, hard to hear, my hands gripped nothing.

"Master!?" Something touched my arm. "Master it's me! Please stand up!"

"Luna?" I murmured, beginning to recover from the shock.

Then another sound. Just like the first.

I could finally understand.

The road had been destroyed, replaced by a giant crater. All around lay chunks of rock, and the acrid tang of tar.

The peacekeeper's gun did this. It sounded like an explosion and had the strength of a bomb.

This is what the government created to destroy us?

It was no wonder so few of us remained in the country. Our petty powers meant nothing to these machines.

"Amber!?"

Several feet ahead were the shapeshifter and the telepath. The former lie on her belly while her friend tried to help her up by the arm.

The Peacekeeper took two sloth-like steps in their direction and readied its weapon. Jinri froze and stared at it wide-eyed. Amber followed her gaze and reacted the same way. That thing was going to kill them and there would be nothing I could do.

Once again I was helpless.

Once again I would see someone die.

"Do not touch them!" The peacekeeper didn't react. "I said do not touch them!" A bright blue beam shot through the air. I watched in admiration as it pierced through the animatronic's body.

The robot labored as sparks leaped from its newly-wounded abdomen. It twitched and staggered as it turned back in my direction. In fear I looked around for Luna.

She was floating several feet in the air with her arms crossed. Her body was enveloped by a bright blue glow and her short hair whipped around as though the wind was blowing. She was glaring spitefully at it.

"You will not hurt them!" Her voice had taken on a strange, echoing quality.

Even though she had spoken the machine continued looking at me.

Why?

Why was I the focus!?

"Master, please run." Luna said.

"But-" I didn't want to leave her.

"Run!"

With a lingering stare I turned and bolted, trying to stifle my worries for Luna.

I didn't make it very far as I saw something in the corner of my eye that caused my feet to still.

Jinri and the shapeshifter.

The telepath had her friend's arm around her neck as she struggled valiantly to bring the other girl to her feet. The shifter had a gash in her leg, a fresh scrape on her forehead, and moved as though she were dazed.

I winced at the sound of gunshots.

Despite my best efforts I couldn't just ignore what was happening. I had to make sure Luna was okay.

The peacekeeper shot, flailed, and grabbed at the air, trying to seize the flying ghost. It was surprisingly quick for its size. Luna, while fast enough to remain unharmed was given no time to attack.

"Ungh!" A grunt drew my attention away from Luna and her fight.

Jinri was still struggling. She needed help. Despite the small voice in my head continuing to warn me about these two I knew that I couldn't just flee, and leave them at the mercy of the beast.

I turned back, already aware of the telepath's eyes on me, and put the shapeshifter's arm around my neck, allowing my body to support her weight.

She was thin, but heavier than she looked. We could move her so long as we combined our strength.

Then I noticed Jinri.

She was staring at me with wide eyes and agape. "What's wrong?" I asked feeling a little disconcerted at the sudden scrutiny. She shook her head before grinning widely at me. "Thank you." The warmth in her smile spoke more of her appreciation than words ever could. I didn't know why, but I felt a resonance in my soul.

"Horrible creature!" Luna's ferocious shout us back into reality. My heart quickened at the sound of screeching metal.

We needed to move.

The moment I lifted the shapeshifter Jinri understood.

I took a step and the telepath followed. In seconds we found a pattern, a rhythm with which to carry the weakened girl. Ignoring the noise in the background and the weight that was becoming ever more noticeable, we pressed on.

However with the shrill sounds at our backs we seemed to be no closer to escaping than when we started. The dark forest loomed on either side, seemingly much closer than before, the branches reached downward in an attempt to grab us. Everything looked the same, and there was no compensation for our efforts. It was like being in a never-ending tunnel.

That is until we began to move much quicker than before.

I stole a glance in Jinri's direction to catch sight of what could only be described as a miracle.

The shapeshifter was helping us!

She moved with a limp, but it was better than not moving at all. I felt a resurgence of hope as we walked. We could do this. We just had to keep going.

Then the shapeshifter slammed her foot against the ground and moved no more. Jinri and I tried to press on, to drag her to safety, but we were unable.

This wasn't like before. She wasn't just not helping. It was almost as though she was resisting.

In confusion I looked to Jinri hoping she could give me some indication of what was happening, but she looked at me as if she expected me to know.

My misgivings about the scarred girl returned in force.

What was she doing!? Her hesitation would kill us!

"Come on, Amber! We have to run!" There was urgency in her eyes as she tried to pull her friend along by force. However it was futile.

"No."

My blood turned to ice.

"W-What?"

I stared at the shifter hoping that I had misheard.

"If we don't move that thing will kill us!" Jinri continued, almost pleading.

I wanted so desperately to say something. To yell, to swear, to tell that stubborn girl to run, because she was risking all our lives by doing this.

Others may have fled in self-preservation, but I couldn't bring myself to be that selfish.

"I can't run."

Was she in that much pain?

"That's not a problem. We can carry you." The telepath said.

"No it's not that."

"Then-"

"Behind you."

Almost instantly I felt fear consume me. The peacekeeper had Luna in one of its mighty hands and was trying to crush her.

"No..." I breathed.

"Jinri, this is our fault."

"No it's not, The Organization-"

"Is after us, because we escaped."

The onslaught of emotions caused me to tear away from them.

Fear, anger, betrayal, and frustration.

Suddenly it all made sense.

The lies, the caution, the ambiguity. All of it made perfect sense. They were being hunted by the KHDO.

Now they were with us, and that meant Luna, and I were in as much danger as them.

I knew they couldn't be trusted, but I was too nice to send them away.

"Two innocent people were put in harm's way, because of us, and one of them is actually fighting our battle. Risking her life for us. I’m not running away from this. It'd be wrong. At least one of us has to fight."

"B-But..."

"And I've decided it's going to be me."

I was shocked.

Of all the things I expected from her this wasn't it. She was supposed to be untrustoworthy, dangerous, someone to avoid, yet here she was proving her morality.

I watched as she gently shrugged Jinri off and turned around. She winced once, but set her jaw, and stood as tall as she possibly could.

I watched in stunned silence as she lowered her body before giving an enormous jump. She was covering the ground far too quickly for a person.

But that was, because she was no longer human.

Instead she was a large, striped cat.

It all happened so quickly I didn’t have time to process what had happened.

I watched her leap at the peacekeeper with a ferocious roar.

The force of the collision caused the mechanical beast to release its grip on Luna, and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. The specter seemed as though she was falling, but she quickly righted herself, and hovered just above the ground. “Thank you. I should have just phased through it, but I was a bit scared.”

The tigress flicked an ear before letting out a thunderous roar.

The peacekeeper was moving, its arm once again turned into a weapon. However this time it was pointed down at the shapeshifter.

Jinri huddled up against me. Even though I knew the truth I was silently hoping for the shifter to run. There was a thin line between bravery and insanity.

A lie wasn't worth a life.

With a snarl the shapeshifter once again launched herself at the machine.

A tiger was a fearsome predator. Able to shatter bone and take life with a single swipe from its mighty paws. Yet against a peacekeeper it was as powerful as a kitten. It's sharp claws merely tore paint, and its teeth only dented metal.

Compared to that monstrosity the shapeshifter was nothing.

"Amber you're not hurting it!" Jinri shrieked. "Move before it kills you!" But Amber either didn't hear or didn't care. Her attacks became ever more frenzied as she began to strike at the hole in the robot's abdomen.

The mechanical warrior spasmed and sparks leaped from its wound. She was destroying wires, bending gears, and snapping tubes. I tried to calm my racing heart as a glimmer of hope returned.

It didn't take long for the machine to respond.

The peacekeeper lifted its right arm and a shrill sound echoed in my ears. It was morphing once again. I stared mystified as its forearm fell apart to reveal a large, simmering object.

A blade.

A large, pristine blade. It gleamed hungrily in the moonlight, eager to become tainted, excited to taste flesh and drink blood.

I looked between the weapon and the shapeshifter seeing, but not comprehending what was about to happen.

To witness someone's murder for the second time...there was no way...

I opened my mouth in a silent scream as the peacekeeper brought its arm down, tearing through flesh as it impaled Amber's stomach three times before kicking her away.

She rolled along the ground, stopping several inches in front of us.

Only now she wasn’t a tigress. She was in her true form.

Somewhere someone was screaming, but they seemed very far away. All I could do was stare at the ever-growing puddle of blood.

Blood everywhere.

Too much.

Too much blood…

It stained the ground a malevolent red and fed the wicked machine.

The precious life force.

Oozing from a body. A living thing.

I stared at the peacekeeper in a daze as it moved forward. With each step it seemed to quicken its pace until it was running.

Luna flew towards it and began to scream, but it was too late.

It shot her with its other arm, and she was sent careening into the asphalt.

In that moment a chill came over me. I felt numb.

Memories of losing my sister played over and over in my head.

It was happening again.

Just like with Jessica.

I was going to be alone again.

"Amber!? What’s wrong!? Amber!?"

And so was Jinri.

"Say something, Amber! Don't close your eyes!"

It would be here soon.

That which destroyed dreams and families.

Death.

It would fill a person's soul with loneliness and grief. It would stifle thought and suffocate happiness.

“Please talk to me! Please say something!”

Jinri was crying now.

Tears.

Intertwining themselves with blood.

Pain and suffering everywhere.

Everywhere.

Loneliness and grief squeezing my soul.

Trapping happiness, suffocating thought.

Loss is inescapable.

Why did people have to die?

Why did my sister die?

Why!?

It hurt too much.

I couldn't breathe.

No one else should go through that.

No one.

"Stop it!" My agonized shriek assaulted the morning.

"Stop hurting us!" A vision of Jessica being hit by a car flashed in my mind. Her body broken and bloody as it plummeted into the cold, compressing abyss.

"Leave us alone!" My vision blurred as tears threatened to fall. "We don't deserve this!"

The earth began to tremble and the wind began its siren song.

"We never hurt anyone!"

"We only want to live!" I felt something warm drip onto my cheeks.

I was crying.

Crying for Jessica.

My sister who was taken from this world.

Who was murdered.

Now The Organization was trying to murder Amber. To steal her life and take her from Jinri forever. I wouldn't allow it.

I would never let anyone die.

"Everything that's born is entitled to a happy life!" The ground quivered, shook and moved, but I stood firm. The wind pleaded and screamed, yet I had no remorse. All that mattered was the peacekeeper and I.

The instrument of death that I vowed would never harm another.

"When you attack us you take away our rights!" The world gave one final heave and a loud snapping sound could be heard.

The peacekeeper halted its hungry approach to look beneath its feet.

A crack in the earth.

I was tired of death. Tired of pain.

Those things left only emptiness.

So long as I breathed The Organization would never ruin another family!

I knew what I must do.

I raised my arms, summoning urging, willing it to happen.

From the crack a bright, yellow light emerged.

Exacerbation gave me strength. I felt it surging through every part of me.

I was in control.

I had power.

I would win!

The earth rattled more intensely as the crack became a chasm.

It was suddenly very hot. Fire leapt from the canyon and danced in an angry, prismatic light. A harsh smell reached my nose.  A strange blend of tar, meat, and an unidentifiable odor.

The peacekeeper appeared as though it were laboring. Stumbling this way and that, emitting its inhuman sounds as its artificial body began to boil.

It was melting.

Failing.

Losing the guise of perfection.

With the wailing wind at my back, the heat scorching my face, and the pain in my heart I knew it was time to end this.

"You will never harm another creature!" I allowed my rage to flow free.

It was time!

Thick, black tentacles found their way to the surface, emerging from the chasm. They d and caressed the air in lustful ambition. I lifted my hands higher, bringing them together, then tearing them apart.

The tentacles rose even higher and wrapped themselves around each of the peacekeeper's limbs. They dismembered it swiftly, sending gears and sparks flying.

I brought my hands down, slamming them against the ground and the tentacles dragged the peacekeeper into the flames.

It was done.

Today the Organization had lost and four lives had been saved.

I panted heavily only now becoming aware of how fast my heart was beating. It was hot. Too hot for a mortal. Sweat rolled down my face in torrential amounts and my brain felt as though it were swimming.

My hands hurt.

I stared at them in a stupor. Bits of metal were embedded in my flesh and they were coated in a thin film of something dark.

What happened?

How was I hurt?

"Master?"

My muscles tensed. I was tiring, but I still had some strength. "It is fine, master. Do not worry. I am here." Luna was here. She wouldn't let anything happen to me. Gentle hands gripped my weary shoulders and my body seemed to disappear.

I was in the air and watched in amazement as the fiery canyon in the earth faded into oblivion.

I hadn't realized I was flying until I was carefully placed next to the telepath and shapeshifter. The former regarded us with wide eyes and an open mouth, the latter actually seemed a bit frightened.

"Master, if you do not mind me asking, when did you learn to do that?"

"I don't know how I did it." I muttered, trying to wipe the sweat from my face.

“You don’t know!?”

I shook my head.

“Well that would explain your hands.”

I examined my palms. Blood dripped lazily from the many metallic objects that forced their way into my body. The black substance that stained them caused my cuts to sting. I didn’t know how this happened. It was as though I myself were fighting the peacekeeper.

“That level of summoning is usually reserved for highly seasoned casters. I’m impressed that you were able to do it. However, your inexperience shows well in your wounds.”

I glanced at Luna curiously. “You were able to bring the demon here, but not fully control it and it sensed that. So it took advantage. It transferred any damage it suffered onto you, because you left yourself open.”

“Jinri…?”

“Y-Yes?”

My attention was drawn to the shapeshifter. She was on her back with her head resting on the telepath’s lap. I noticed how her eyes had a distant look to them and her breathing had become heavy. It seemed as though she were putting all her effort into a single intake of breath.

“I’m dizzy…”

The peacekeeper may have been gone, but her injuries were not.

My heart ached for her.

She may have been a liar and a runaway, but she was suffering and I couldn’t stand to see anyone hurt. She needed help and I would do anything to end her pain.

“Luna, can you do me a favor?”

“I would do anything you ask of me.”

“Help me carry Amber back into the forest? I would like to heal her in private.”

“Heal her?” Jinri asked, eyes filled with hope. “Yes.” I nodded and watched as the banshee offered a polite “Excuse me.” to the shapeshifter before beginning to lift the wounded girl.

Jinri and I went to help. The telepath supporting her back, while I lifted her up by her legs.

The moment I touched her I noticed something. A thin, orange light had enveloped her body. I glanced at Luna who gave me a tiny nod.

She saw it too.

But Jinri and Amber could not.

It was spiritual in nature.

Someone or something from beyond was protecting her, and this was probably the only reason she was still alive.

However her protector was not very strong, we probably only had thirteen minutes to prepare and complete the ceremony.

Once again time was the enemy.

  ***

Thursday May 14th 2042 7:30AM

The sun had begun to rise turning the sky into a pale yellow. The birds sang their joyous song and the insects moved unhurriedly.

Peace.

With the fall of the peacekeeper the world came alive, showing its gratitude, but perhaps it was just our mortal perception. Everything seemed that much more hopeful, that much brighter. We had known the horrors of the bionic warlords, but had never felt the cold caress of their weaponry until today.

They were truly merciless.

They were truly built to kill.

They truly had no regard for life.

Yet they had no semblance of a brain, a heart, a conscience, or even a soul. They were not alive. They were artificial. They could not think or feel, only obey orders.

It was a sad plight even for those creatures, but that is why I felt no remorse for swiping one of their kind from existence.

The reason why we could appreciate the dawn was, because of the blood in our veins, the beats in our hearts, and the auras of our own, unique souls.

We were alive.

Relief, joy, cautious optimism.

If I were able to celebrate every tree, every animal, and even the tiniest blade of grass I could only imagine what the two escapees were feeling.

Their world had been nothing, but experimentation and death for years, but now they could go, be, or do whatever they wanted. It seemed that today it was exhilarating to just be alive and no one knew that better than them.

Seeing the shifter kiss the ground and the telepath shriek or hide at every new sight and sound gave me an even more familiar feeling of warmth.

What I was witness to was a thing of beauty.

They were free.

“Thank you, witch.” The newly healed Amber approached me with a lopsided grin.

It hadn’t been easy, but I was satisfied with my work. I’d managed to close all her latest wounds, even the concussion I was unaware of.

The rest of her scars were too old for someone with my level experience to heal, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“You’re welcome, shifter.” I teased and she laughed.

“But I mean it. Thank you. For everything.”

“You don’t need to thank me.”  We stood smiling at each other for a few moments before the shifter finally spoke up.

“Is that it?”

“Yep.”

Beneath the hill we were standing on was a tiny town nestled comfortably in the mountains. The many trees and sprawling fields gave it an inviting, picturesque aura.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, allowing the clean, crisp air to fill my lungs.

I had been here once before.

It was as tranquil as the last time. I could hardly believe that just a few miles north was a busy city.

However there was more to my return than merely basking in the morning sun.

“Hey, Amber?”

“Yeah?”

“After you’re done here, leave. As beautiful as these small towns are, everyone knows everyone else. They’re fine with travelers for a day or two, but after that they can become unfriendly. Get to the city as soon as possible and disappear. Do you understand?” I took care to speak slowly, remembering that she was a foreigner.

She nodded.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the remainder of my money.

Three million.

I prayed that she’d make good use of it. “Here.” I held out a hand, and her eyes seemed to pop out of her skull. I watched as she looked between the money and I with ajar. “I…you…money…”

“Just take it.”

“Need money me you more than!” I stifled my laughter. She was very lucky she had Jinri.

“I don’t know what you said, but this money is nothing to me. I’d much rather help you both.”

The shapeshifter hesitantly took the bills from my hand. She flipped through them – counting I assumed – before shooting me a look that appeared to question my sanity. “Thanks again, but what are you going to do? I mean we took all your money.”

“I already told you, don’t worry about the money.” I gave her a small smile. “As far as where I’ll go after this I’ll probably head to Ch’eorweon. I haven’t been that far north yet.” Seemingly satisfied with my reply the shifter turned her head in the direction of the banshee and the telepath.

“Come on Jinjin, we’ve got to put as many miles between us and the Organization as possible!” Amber called moving to her younger friend who was currently studying a ladybug with Luna. “Okay!” Jinri jumped to her feet from her spot in the grass.

“Krystal do you want-” She touched the sleeve of my jacket. “No, you can keep it.”

As Luna floated over to me Jinri pranced around Amber with a huge grin.

I smiled again in admiration of their friendship. Together they’d done the unthinkable. Even though the KHDO would launch a bloodthirsty hunt for them I believed that they would not only survive, but live. It gave me hope. I saw the power that just two people had. Perhaps Luna and I were the same.

Watching the telepath and shapeshifter joke and laugh reminded me of how my sister and I used to be. I wanted to feel that again. To smile, to play, to love with such abandon and have it touch every part of me.

Though I couldn’t be like that anymore.

Jessica was gone.

Killed.

I had no right to indulge myself in such ways until she was back in the world.

I still had Luna and each day I spent with her the closer we became and the more I feared what Jessica would think. The banshee did everything she did. Offering support, comfort, laughter, and even pestered me in that sisterly way that Jessica had done.

Their personalities were different – Jessica blunt and sarcastic, Luna gentle and chipper- but they both filled the same void in me.

That was scary. I didn’t know what Jessica would think if I were so close to this ghost. I hoped that she wasn’t upset and that eventually she would grow to like Luna as much as I did.

Something touched my shoulder and I looked to my side. Luna had placed a hand on me and was smiling so hard her eyes had squeezed shut.

“It’s been fun.” Amber’s voice caught my attention. “But we’ve gotta go.”

“Okay.” I nodded. “Be safe.” Luna said.

“We’ll be fine, but a word of advice; Lay low for a while. The Organization now knows your faces and they’ll be after you more aggressively than before all, because of us.”

“The Organization has been aware of me for years. If they’re going to come, they will. I won’t put my life on hold, because of that.”

“Those are fightin’ words, witch. I like that.” The shifter smirked and I looked down shyly.

“Maybe we’ll see you around.” Amber continued.

“I hope so.”

Then she turned around and began walking down the hill. Jinri seemed a little more hesitant, looking between us and her shifter companion. “Bye!” She said abruptly, realizing Amber was getting too far away for her liking.

I held up a hand and Luna giggled.

“Do you think they’ll be alright?” The specter asked me worriedly.

“I do.” I nodded. “I really do.”

A brief moment of silence followed before either of us spoke again.  “Well master, shall we go?”

“Yeah.” I smiled and began to walk towards the city.

I stretched letting the sun warm my skin. I felt good today.

Happy.

A feeling that was slowly becoming more familiar to me.

I hoped this was an indication of the future.

Not more than a few feet away a noise ripped me from my thoughts.

“Wait!”

A voice.

A voice from behind me.

I paused and looked over my shoulder to see a joyous telepath bounding towards us. I turned around to get a better look. She was panting heavily from her sprint, but her eyes were alight with exuberance.

A lanky, brown dog with flopped eyes, a curly tail, and a scarred face was running after her.

Amber.

I was puzzled at their sudden return.

“I h-have a-an idea!” Jinri exclaimed.

Luna and I looked at each other as she beamed at us.

“Why don’t we stay together!?”

“What!?” Amber – who had shifted back – and I gasped in unison.

“Come on, Llama, it’d be fun!” Jinri pleaded.

“I never said it wouldn’t, but the Organization will be looking for us together. Separation is-”

“If they come we can just fight. I mean didn’t you see them!?” Jinri gestured to us and gave a little hop. “You can become anything! Luna can fly and shoot that blue stuff-”

“Ectoplasm.” The banshee corrected proudly.

“That’s what this is!?” I thought in surprise. I respected her powers, but understood very little. I’d have to remind myself to ask more about them in the future.

Luna opened to speak, but Jinri interrupted her.  “She can shoot ectoplasm that creates holes in the peacekeepers! Holes! Don’t you see how cool that is!? Then there’s Krystal! You felt it right!? When she got angry!? She’s so powerful and so focused, and if she can do that thing she did, no peacekeeper will stand a chance! And if we get hurt she can heal us!”

I was amused and embarrassed. I was willing to accept the praise, but it was undeserved. I didn’t really know what I was doing or how I did it.

“Then me! I can protect you guys with my shield! Once I learn how to of course…Krystal’s mind is amazing! I think she could teach me how to focus it enough to where I could control my powers!”

Krystal could do what?

She didn’t know me and was placing far too much faith in my abilities. I had to learn a lot through trial and error and that was on my own. The only formal teaching I received was from Luna and we just had three or four sessions. I was in no position to educate anyone.

“Jinri…” Amber shook her head. “Please Ber!?”

“No.”

“It’s not just for me.” Jinri quieted her voice. “Neither of us know a thing about Korea other than the language, but they do.”

The shifter sighed.

“Jinjin…”

“Just think about it, please!?”

I could see it.

Amber was actually considering this.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about them joining us. They weren’t that bad, but I had my own agenda and they probably had theirs. The way the telepath made it sound I would spend a lot of time playing tour guide for these complete strangers who would ultimately end up leaving once they had what they needed. It would be a major adjustment and dealing with unfamiliar faces was not something I wanted to do on a daily basis.

I was still getting used to Luna, but I knew about her background and her intentions. She planned to stay with me. To help me. She wasn’t costly as she didn’t need to eat – even though she could - sleep, or relieve her bowels. She actually helped.

With them that meant more food, grander hotels, and a lot more time teaching that should’ve been spent trying to revive my sister.

“Why do you want to join them so badly?” The shifter scowled.

“They’re nice and I like them.”

“Jinri, we don’t know them.”

“Yeah, but we could get to! We really can’t do worse than the Organization, and we can help each other.”

The shapeshifter was back to thinking.

These two could debate this all day, but I wasn’t sold on the idea.

“Luna?” I whispered and the ghost gently landed on her feet. “What do you think?”

“They do not seem like bad people. In fact I share some of Jinri’s sentiments, but I would be pleased with whatever my master decides.” Of course she would say that.

“Alright.” Amber groaned. “If you’re serious about following them, I’ll go with you.”

“Yay!”

“No!”

“However, they also have a say in this. You can’t force them to let us tag along.”

Jinri’s face fell ever so slightly, as she turned to look at us.

“I would be glad if you accompanied us, but my master has the final say.”

Now all the attention was on me. I fought the urge to glare at my companion, but stopped seeing Jinri’s eyes. They were so hopeful, so expectant, and so eager that it was making it hard for me to consider rejecting the idea.

And could I really leave these two poor souls to wander alone in an unfamiliar country? That was basically handing them back to the Organization.

However they would leave anyway, so what was the point?

Amber couldn’t even pronounce the word “cat” properly, how was she supposed to take care of herself, let alone Jinri?

It was best we just split up now.

The telepath hadn’t even seen a grasshopper before how would she react when she got to the city?

I had to revive my sister.

Jinri was still smiling…placing all her hopes on my answer. I just couldn’t turn them away…

“You can come with us.”

***

End Notes:

Three Million Won = Roughly three thousand dollars

Sorry this took so long. I know what I said in chapter three, but I ended up axing most of the chapter and redoing in, because it seemed dumb. Then I had writers block for a while, and then I got lazy, and yeah…Just like with my other story, I’m not gonna promise you guys dates anymore. I also might be going back to the previous chapters and editing them, nothing major, just revising some stupid/repetitive diction.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, though.

-AnthroOutlaw