Chapter 1 - The Mark

The sun glared down onto the vast city, a metropolis coated in pristine white and bisected by a tower so tall it seemed to pierce the heavens. The clean streets and polished atmosphere made the city feel all the more typical. Loud trains whizzed by, their sound swallowed by the steady chatter of the masses. Everything was as it was supposed to be. Perfect. But in a cramped, hidden corner, a girl hummed a small tune. The dreary atmosphere of the wooden district was instantly contrasted by the girl's vibrant pink hair, which ended in an orange gradient like rising sunlight.

She swung her arms merrily, pushing open a door and dashing over to a corner of the small, dimly lit store. The middle-aged shopkeeper kept an eye on her as she adjusted her lengthy skirt before kneeling down and grabbing a toy doll. The shop entrance swings open once more, as multiple men carrying a crate burst in.

“Ah, is that my order? Finally, it’s been weeks since I put in that request with Zenith,” the owner grumbled. One of the men stepped forward with a clipboard, sighing loudly. “Whatever the case, please sign here.” The keeper reaches forward—

And in the blink of an eye, the clipboard holder dropped. His body made a loud thud as the smell of scorched cloth and flesh permeated the air. The men around him dropped the crate, stepping back with shaky voices as a man in a sharp dark coat with brown hair took center stage. His grey eyes locked onto the shop owner, who immediately raised his hands. The villain's scarred mouth opened, but he was interrupted before he could speak.

“Interception successful, should I call our colleagues to collect?” The voice behind him asked. “That’d be ideal. For now, let’s clean up here and-”

“Duck, to your left.” A kick narrowly hits him dead on, the girl from earlier sliding back.

“Hey, you creep! I’m TRYING to shop here! A girl tries to buy a gift and this is the thanks she gets?! You’re going all the way down! Or my name isn’t Akari Hoshizawa!” She shouts at the top of her lungs.

The assumed villain scoffs, cracking a smile before crossing his arms. “A little chatty for a Lucent… Kanzaki—” The woman with a high collar and black bun lifts her arm up, scanning the girl up and down. “She could be a problem. Mister Ranmaru, proceed with caution.” Akari puts her arms to her side to strike a heroic pose, smiling brightly. “I’m going to be a Lucent someday! You can count on that! After I defeat you!” The owner leans over.

“Can you at least take this outside? Please.” He whispers. 

“I’m a little short on funds, so…” Akari whispered back, with a devilish grin.

The man sighs dramatically. “You can have whatever you want, okay?! Just get him out!” Her bright smile widens even more, lunging Ranmaru out of the shop.

A man rushes at her with a pipe from behind, swinging with all his might. Akari ducks under the blow, kicks his ankle out from under him, and the pipe clatters away. She catches it with the edge of her boot and tosses it like a toy. “Sending your minions to do your dirty work is pretty shameful…”

“Cute tricks,” the man in the dark coat says, and he steps forward, the room seeming to swallow the temperature around him. Ranmaru’s smile is courteous and wrong, unnervingly so. He reaches his hand out and heat draws to him like a breath pressed to the inside of a glass.

Akari’s skin pulsed, the electric pressure under her skin resonating with her mind. She burst forward, getting into the face of Ranmaru in the blink of an eye. She balled her fist, throwing a punch as hard as she could. Their fists collide with the force of a cannon, a spiderweb of cracks running through the street.

He’s crazy strong…! But…!

Movement in her peripheral vision cut the thought short. Shadows closed in— multiple grunts, swarming the area like roaches.

Akari’s muscle fibers flared with blinding light. Using the force of the collision, she launched herself backward, twisting her body in mid-air. Her heel crashed into the nearest grunt, sending him skidding across the pavement. Before she even touched the ground, a stray fist flew at her from the blind spot. She caught the wrist, pivoted on one foot, and used the attacker's own weight against him. With a grunt of exertion, she hurled him over her shoulder. He hit the concrete with a harsh thud.

Momentum, her mind raced,  Gotta keep going! Push it further! C’mon!

With the swiftness of lightning, her fists drilled into the next grunt up sending him barreling into the crowd like a bowling ball. The girl’s breathing kicks up, her blood burning through her body. The man named Ranmaru strode forward, clapping slowly.

“Impressive! You’re extremely strong. I think I can go all out here.” Behind him, Kanzaki touched his shoulder. “The contents of the package have been analyzed. The lead was bait. It’s time for retreat.” Ranmaru turned to her, crossing his arms with a glare.

“I was just beginning to enjoy myself. But then again, you’re never wrong. Retreat it is.”

…Are these two crazy? What the heck is wrong with them?

“You, child. If you ever need assistance, find the mark of the fox. We can teach you,” he said, as all of the assailants disappeared in a flash of light.

What a freak. But what did they want? What was all that about…? Ugh, I’m not smart enough for this.

The shop owner rushes over quickly. “Did you do it? Are they…?”

“Yup! Nothing too tough for me! Now about that reward..”

The owner patted her shoulder, squeezing it tightly as the air around them grew toxic. “I would be more inclined to reward you, but you destroyed… my shop. Now what are we going to do about that?” Akari could feel the devil himself crawling up her spine.

She dropped to the floor, bowing on her knees. “I’m really sorry sir! Please forgive me! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m—!”

“Alright, I get it! Jeez. You’re lucky I feel bad for you. Just… take what you want. And tell Mei I said hello.” The man walks back to his shop without another word.

Score! Gotta save up for her birthday….

Akari hopped into the store, picking up the left-behind doll. Next to the doll was a black shard of glass that had no reflection. She stared at the glass intensely, slowly reaching out and grabbing it. Holding it up to her eye, she saw a bright light, so intense it almost blinded her. She pulled back in a panic, before pocketing it.

That’s so cool! This is gonna fetch me some real money! Heck yeah!

Akari rushes out of the store, waving back to the owner. “See you later, Gramps!”

She swung open the door. “I’m hooome!”

Small footsteps pattered up as a little girl with short hair, the same color as Akari’s, leapt to hug her. “Welcome home, sis!”

“You've been alright, Mei? Gramps from around the corner says hello!” Mei nodded, letting go as Akari slipped off her boots.

“Mhm! I was just making dinner since I know how bottomless you are…” Akari gasped in extremely real, non-fake shock. “How dare you assume such a thing! But I am starving. But before that, BAM! Look at this!” Akari lifts the doll up, holding it out for Mei. Mei slowly grabbed the doll, holding it tight. “It’s not even my birthday yet, what’s this for?”

Her elder sister knelt down, shaking her head. “No reason, just... gonna make things better for us. I promise.”

Mei chuckles, turning around. “I know… Now stop being weird and tell me about your day over dinner.”

“Oooh, dinner? Can I cut in on this?” An unfamiliar voice exclaimed. The sisters whipped their heads around to find a man with a gruff exterior, wearing a long duster with his hair tied back. Upon further examination, the stubble-faced man with a massive eye-scar was basically breathing down their necks.

“There’s a homeless shelter down the street, we live here! Get out, you bum!” Akari shouted, swinging at him. Her punch whiffed in the blink of an eye, as she felt a tap on her shoulder. “Feisty girl, aren’t you? If I was an Imperator, you’d be dead where you stood, you know,” he taunted.

“Mei, get outta here! I’ll-!”

The man loudly clears his throat. “That’s enough, Akari.” She stares at him blankly, utterly dumbfounded.

“How do you know my name?!”

The man pulled open a notebook, and traced the page with his fingers. “Hoshizawa Akari, aged sixteen, vigilante, living with your sister Mei in a rundown house.” He shut the book. “We know a lot.”

We…? What the…

“Let me cut this short. You’re coming with me, and you’re gonna be an official Lucent. Otherwise, I’ll have to take you out right here. You have potential, kid.”

This has to be a trick, but this is everything I could have wanted…

“But my sister—” The man’s loose hair stood up straight.

“Got your attention now, hm? She’ll be taken well care of. You have exams to prepare for.”

…I don’t have a choice. I’ll die if I don’t! But… I’m really excited somehow! A chance is all I needed!

“And when are those exams?! I gotta go to my usual training spot, and then call up a few people and then—” The man grabbed her hand.

“Now.”

“Wha-?!”

A bright flash of light blinded Mei for a second, as both the man and her sister disappeared from sight. She clutched the doll tightly, looking down at the floor.

“Please… come back safe. You can do it, sis!”

Chapter 1 - The End.