Disciple of War

Yori hesitated to believe what he saw just happen. He didn’t even know what he saw. ‘Was the fairy right when it said she had powers like the others?! But what…’

Yumi slowly turned in confusion trying to understand what happened as well. A vibrating feeling lingered in her back as phantom memories where she had thought the blade cut into her. ‘What happened? Was it something I did?’ She stared at her hands and body seeking answers from herself and finding nothing.

Nothing visible remained of what happened and with her back turned away she saw nothing. Her only clue came from the awe struck look in her brother’s eyes. Unfortunately, his eyes did little to comfort her panicked feeling growing in her chest. She had done something, but didn’t know how to do it again.

Philon stared at his sword hand seeing the red scrape marks from where his sword ripped forcibly from his grasp. ‘I thought they were supposed to just be children! What is she…’ He leaned back to see where his sword landed, calculating his risk in going for it against the unknown powers of the girl. Images of what happened played through his mind trying to piece what he knew together. In the end only one conclusion seemed the most reasonable. One conclusion he hated. “You’re a MP user too… What’s the chances of two rogue MPs together. Is this a revolt?”

Chapter 106 – Disciple of War

The young soldier that Seiji picked out to fight laid in the dirt after one punch. Seiji appeared very disappointed with the results. He looked back at Yuki, who hadn’t even managed to get into his fight with the Captain yet. “That was a big damn let down! And what’s with my fight being completely off-screen! That’s not fair at all!”

Yuki sighed a little, lowering his eyelids. “It’s not exactly a fair fight considering your strength.”

Seiji lifted up the unconscious soldier by his uniform, staring at him. “I know, but I held back most of my strength! He should have been able to take at least two damn hits!”

“You jumped the guy as he came out of the house! He didn’t even see you coming!” Yuki looked away from his man.

Still not satisfied and continuing to get upset, Seiji marched over to Yuki. His anger over an empty fight fed into his words. “If he's a soldier then he sure as shit should always be prepared! He should have expected me!”

Yuki raised his hand to his face, not sure why he had this argument with Seiji. “Are you listening to yourself? These guys aren’t expecting someone to fight back! They’re looking for frightened and confused scientists that stumbled in! You really think they’re expecting them to fight back!”

“But what soldier doesn’t take pride in being trained and always ready!”

“Didn’t you hear Ayumi talking on the walk?! They haven’t fought for real in millennia!”

Seiji chucked the soldier casually up against the house, getting in Yuki’s face. “That’s no excuse! You can’t let yourself weaken in a time of peace!”

“What are you a General now?”

“It’s common sense!”

“Only to you!”

Amidst the bickering between Yuki and Seiji, Simonides held back for a while being cautious about the breakdown. ‘At least one of them isn’t a normal researcher. Something is definitely a foul.’ Keeping his sword ready, the Captain stalked forward to get the jump on Seiji. However, when he came into range to act everything rang loudly around him.

A fist held straight out from Seiji remained as the response. He looked down at the Captain he knocked to the street. “Don’t interrupt me while I’m talking!”

“Hey, what do you do that for?” Yuki darted over to the older man, managing to somehow remain conscious after receiving a powerful hit from Seiji. A quick investigation of his condition made Yuki turn his head back up at Seiji. “He was mine! How could you take my opponent like that?! How am I supposed to fight him fairly after this?!”

“If he went down in a single punch then he ain’t the hell worth either of our time!”

“You’re just upset that your fight didn’t last long and you’re taking it out on mine!”

“Why you…”

Simonides pushed himself away from them seeing them getting distracted with arguments again. He wished a little that he knew what they were arguing about. However, none of it mattered, he knew. He had his pride as a soldier of the Atlantean army, but his duty to protect came first.

‘Eusebios is the only one that’ll be able to deal with him…’ From his pouch at his side, he retrieved a small item hidden well in his hand. His arm shook still from the damage making it difficult for him to get it placed. Lightheadedness began to take him over as he knew time ran out. As his last act, his finger pushed a button on the device shooting a bright light out of the top shooting into the sky. Simonides passed out a moment later, dropping a small cylinder from his hand.

Once the light reached high enough into the air, it exploded and created a ball of light seen across the field and in neighboring villages. Both of the arguing teens stopped their yelling long enough to look up at the light in the sky. A moment later they stared at each other.

“How’d the hell they get a flare if they’re ancient Greeks?!”

Yuki pushed Seiji off of him with the pause giving him back control of his emotions. He knelt down looking at the Captain. The cylinder he held rested in the dirt. Upon examination, Yuki found it to be far above the technological level that he had seen in the village. ‘Seiji’s right…this doesn’t make any sense…’

A remark from Chiharu echoed in his mind as he started a new line of thought. ‘I wouldn’t underestimate them. It’s exactly because they appear this way that we should remain cautious. Unlike Ancient Greece they are surrounded by the modern age. The citizens might not have much knowledge of the world, but I doubt the leaders keep a blind eye to the outside.’ Her words came back to him feeling like foreshadowing.

‘She might be right about that.’ The more he considered the thought the more questions came to him. Unfortunately, time did not grant him what he needed. Seiji wanted answers and began staring at him very closely. “Hey! Step back a little!”

“You’ve been quiet for too damn long!”

“It’s been ten seconds!”

“More like a minute!”

“What you timing me now?” Yuki rolled the spent flare casing in his hand trying to figure some of it out. The strange thing he noted was that it lacked anything familiar to him in what he had seen in movies that used modern technology. It may have been a poor comparison, but he didn’t believe they stole the flare. ‘If anything it looks to be more advanced…did they make it themselves?’

Not having an answer for Seiji didn’t seem an option. All Yuki managed for him was a shrug. “I don’t have any more of an idea than you. They do have all of the powered users here. So maybe they made it through their powers or something.”

“But isn’t it all fake?”

“That’s not—“ A spear thrown between the two of them cut him off before he finished. In the next second the spear disappeared leaving Seiji confused. However, a familiar feeling settled in Yuki. ‘Demosthenes! He’s here!’ Anticipating his enemy, a ring of light burst out from Yuki’s feet. Replacing his clothes, his battle clothes appeared in response as grass filled the surface of the ground, but left the homes untouched.

Seiji hesitated for a moment, not sure what happened to Yuki. “Nice threads! Got some for me?” He reached out for Yuki holding a joking smile. A deadly serious flash came from Yuki’s eyes when he looked at him that made Seiji step back. It brought back chills for Seiji. “Hey, what the hell’s wrong, man?”

Nothing stopped Yuki as he strode forward focused on the darkness out of the village where he spear came from. “This one’s mine. Don’t get in my way.” Yuki didn’t even bother meeting Seiji with a gaze disappearing down the street to the end of the village.

‘I haven’t seen him like that since middle school… What’s that all about?’ Following him became impossible as four soldiers came out of alleyways already drawn with swords. Seiji smirked a little to himself, looking pleased with the situation. “Four on one, now we’re talkin’! But you’re gonna need a helluva a lot more than that for me!” He charged towards them disregarding their weapons with his fist raised in the air to strike.

Across the village the uneasy stalemate between Yumi and Philon dragged out. Neither of them tried to make any overt moves to attract attention. The doubt in Yumi made her hesitate.

Yori grabbed onto his sister’s shoulder to get her attention. “We need to leave while we have the chance.”

‘Escape?’ Her focus diverted for only a moment away from the soldier and to her brother.

The mistake gave Philon the time to reach his sword and charged for the two of them. ‘If I’m faster than their reaction I can get around their powers! A rogue MP user is too dangerous to have alive!’ All of his fears bleed out of him as he sprinted for the siblings. Duty to protect drove his sword’s blade no longer with the intention to capture. Rebellion meant death for one such as her.

Yumi caught the movements of the man out of the corner of her eye. Time slowed down for her as she thought of her brother. A dark expression that she had never witnessed before appeared on the soldier. She pushed Yori back, knocking him out of the way as she turned. ‘I will protect you this time, brother!’ Doubt crumbled and poured molded into resolve and confidence. Yumi knew what she had to do.

A half star suddenly glowed brightly burning out from under her shirt. It enveloped her even as the young soldier charged blindly on with a sure thrust in his sword. They disappeared from Yori’s sight only hearing a frightening clash like ripped flesh. “Yumi!?” He struggled to get back to his feet. However, as he rose a shockwave from the light sent him back as well as another figure out of the light. Coughing and biting through the pain he fought with himself to stand. He had to know who he just saw.

Another flash of light blew out before it faded away. Yori managed to make a few steps before he looked over to find her hovering off the ground. Her eyes remained closed and a strange wind whipped around her playing violently with her clothes and hair. Faint echoes of light shimmered around her as remnants. Checking on the fallen figure, he saw Philon lying on the ground with his hand bloodied and sword missing.

Yumi slowly opened her eyes carrying with unusually serious narrowed features on her face. She lifted up her right palm showing a small chunk of metal that suddenly shrank as though under pressure from external forces. The metal compressed until it became a small ball no more the size of an average child’s marble. “Your sword shall no longer hurt my brother,” she declared. Her iron marble floated up higher from her palm as her arm stretched out towards Philon. The ball disappeared from her possession flashing through the air spraying blood up from the impact.

Philon screamed with his shoulder nearly shattered by his own sword. He ground his teeth together as he pressed his hand against his wound. ‘She’s too strong for me…but if I don’t do something…’ His still good arm reached behind him pulling out a small dagger. Determination burned in his eyes knowing what he had to do.

A glance from Yumi at his dagger ripped it from his hand floating away from him. Like his other weapon she crushed it into a ball and returned it back through his other shoulder. She glared at him looking for him to back down. “…stubborn…” Yumi remarked before waving her arm at him. Philon flew across the alley crashing into one of the houses. A nearby rock ripped itself free from the earth and came to rest hovering in her hand. The rock filled out her palm completely. “Flee. This is your last chance,” commanded Yumi with all of the lethal presence she had to break through the language barrier.

It didn’t take much for Philon to understand the chance that Yumi gave him. A bitter taste built in his mouth with the thought of retreat. Both of his arms had no use and the bleeding made him feel lightheaded. He ran out of options. “You’ll regret sparing me!” Philon turned and sprinted away into the field to the planned rendezvous point.

Yumi exhaled with relief and dropped to the ground. All of the wind around her disappeared at the same time. She closed her eyes to catch herself and when she opened them the serious girl disappeared. “Yori! How hurt are you?” She rushed over to his side trying to look at his wounds.

No words came from his lips stuck in shock. ‘What happened to Yumi? Was that really her?’

“Come out Demosthenes! I know you’re here!” shouted Yuki, still marching out of the village. When he reached the gate of Skoupa he scanned the area searching for a field. The further he went the less that he saw. However, the moonlight still gave him enough sight. Meters away from him a dirt cracked arid land cut away into his grass Field. His eyes narrowed as he prepared, recognizing it as a Field. “Not using a grass Field this time?”

A shadowed figure stepped out of the night haze closing in to Yuki. The man wore a simple black shirt and loose pants with leather boots. However, he had a different air about him from the man that Yuki knew. “It would seem that you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Eusebios assigned to the South Gate Border Patrol for dealing with intruders such as yourself. However, for an enemy we seem to have something in common that we share.”

Yuki glared at the man not pleased by the casual tone that he took with him. “What’s that?”

“Demosthenes Alexander. I don’t know how you know him, but he was my teacher!” Eusebios materialized a spear to his hand dropping into an attack stance. “I won’t let you tarnish his noble name with your tongue!”