In the crowded streets of Nagoya, between the merchants' stalls and the curious glances of people passing by, a little black-haired boy rushed wildly, his heart pounding.
He breathed panting while clutching on a stolen loaf of bread in his small shaky hands and his stomach growled in hunger.
"Ha... Ha..." the boy panted, his scrawny legs carrying him on, even though exhaustion was already gnawing at him.
"Stop, you thief!" the shopkeeper yelled after him, even though his anger made him run faster, his older stature made it difficult for him to catch up with the boy.
The boy, barely older than eleven, ran through the narrow alleys, dodging cyclists and crowds, his heart beating like a drum rolls in his chest.
He ran down the shopping street until he suddenly saw the closed, black and yellow striped barriers of a railroad track in front of him.
But he didn't stop, despite the loud horn, his thoughts were clouded with fear and panic.
Without hesitation, he ducked under the barrier and kept running... blind to the disaster that was hurtling towards him in a few seconds.
A dazzling light blinded him, the loud honking of the train filled his ears and his body froze. In that millisecond, he couldn't move any faster, his legs gave out.
The next thing he felt was an overwhelming heat, a paralyzing feeling of weightlessness... and then only darkness.
A moment passed, or perhaps an eternity, until a shattering scream snapped him out of his trance.
"JULIUS! Gahh!!"
His body jerked. He wrenched his eyes open and saw a strange scene in front of him.
A sumptuous room, adorned with golden chandeliers and velvet red curtains, but their splendor was overshadowed by a gruesome scene.
Bloodied corpses were lying on the floor, their bodies grotesquely contorted, their eyes wide open.
A few steps in front of him was a blonde woman in a purple dress, her face increasingly pale and contorted with pain.
Deep in her chest was a sword, her trembling hand reaching out to him. "Julius... run..." she mumbled weakly, her body going limp as a pool of red blood spread beneath her.
"Huh?" Julius' breath hitched. He looked down briefly, his hands, they were drenched in blood.
His stomach twisted.
Where am I? What's happening here? he asked himself. It looked like a dream, but it felt so real, even though he was in Nagoya till a short moment ago.
In the aristocratic-looking room, a massacre was taking place. Masked people with a male stature, each holding a sword with a bloodstained blade in their right hands, ruthlessly killed everyone.
Then one of the masked men approached Julius, the little boy. Cold and emotionless, the stranger raised his blade, ready to kill him with a single strike.
Suddenly, there was a rippling sound as his opponent's body split in half and fell to the ground with a thud.
The blond boy jerked back, his eyes darting upwards.
In front of him, a huge, muscular guy with monotone features but a gloomy presence. His hands glowed with a strange, ghostly blue light.
There was no sword on his body, and yet he had sliced the masked man in two with unimaginable precision.
The remaining, white-masked men paused for a moment, their eyes widening behind their masks as they were unaware of his presence and yet he was standing in front of them and had killed one of their comrades.
But the mysterious man did not hesitate. He struck out with such tremendous speed that his movements were almost impossible to follow.
A punch followed by an uppercut, his bare fists slicing through the attackers like a sharp blade, shattering their bones like a great hammer.
Magical blue veils of light emanated from his fists, crushing each opponent into bloody shreds.
The boy called Julius couldn't believe what he was seeing. He still found it impossible, not only this massacre, but also this man's inexplicable power.
Unbelievable. He had killed her just like that, without batting an eyelid.
"Who... are you?"
Without a word coming out of his mouth, the stranger approached the little boy. He unceremoniously tucked him under his arm and hurried out of the bloodstained, once magnificent room.
"Eh? Hey, what are you doing? Let me down!" Julius shouted in panic. But the man didn't answer.
He left the massacre with incredible speed and ran through the corridors of the surprisingly large mansion, past whimpering survivors and burning rooms.
After a potentially endless escape, they found themselves in a dense forest. The sky above the treetops was black, no sign of a shining star, only the glimmer of the full moon above. The air was cold, and the rustling leaves were the only noise around them.
"Put me down, I said!"
Unexpectedly, the stranger stopped and dropped Julius roughly to the ground.
"Ouch! That hurt... Tsk... Who the hell are you?" Julius shouted angrily while struggling to stand up.
But his rescuer remained silent.
"I asked you who you are!"
But again, he received no answer.
Slowly, Julius began to take a closer look at the man.
He was tall, maybe one meter ninety, maybe two meters. His body was wrapped in dark fabric, but even through his dark brown jacket and black shirt, you could see his muscular outline. And his eyes were narrow and sharp, like those of a wild beast.
"So, you can't speak or what?" Julius eventually asked.
No reaction. No gesture, no movement, just silence. He just looked right through him, as if Julius hadn't said anything.
Instead, he turned away and began to walk through the forest.
"Hm? Where are you going? ...Hey! Wait for me!" Julius called out and hurried after him.
The two of them wandered through the forest and spent three days together. During this time, they ate berries and drank water from crystal clear streams.
The man did not speak a word, showed no facial expressions, nor made any gestures. He was like a silent shadow that for some reason took Julius with him and protected him without ever showing any sign of emotion.
He gathered wood for a campfire and watched over him at night like he was an unstoppable sentry.
And finally, on the third day, they reached a town called Minol.
High stone walls surrounded the settlement, people entered and left the town, and guards patrolled in simple armor and with spears in their hands.
Julius was amazed. "What kind of a place is this...?" he muttered.
The man said nothing. He simply walked forward and entered the town without looking back and without being stopped by the guards.
Julius waited a moment, then hesitantly followed him.
"Wooow! ...Where are we? I've never seen a city like this before!" exclaimed Julius, his eyes gleaming as he let his eyes gaze upon the large and broad street in front of him.
The town was bustling, full of colorful stalls, lively voices and exotic smells.
Cobblestones covered the ground, and tall buildings of cream-colored sandstone rose above the marketplace, which was on a slight elevation and partially visible from the western gate.
The roofs were built in a curved style, covered with dark blue tiles and decorated with flags that fluttered around in the wind in different colors.
There was a feeling of lively magic over everything.
Suddenly, Julius' nose was caught by a delicate, spicy scent that immediately captivated him.
His eyes searched for the source until they spotted a small stall selling golden-brown, steaming dumplings.
"Wow, that looks yummy," Julius muttered as his stomach growled loudly and drool began to flow from his mouth.
Without saying a word, the tall, silent man walked past Julius towards the stall, raising two fingers of his left hand to indicate wordlessly that he wanted to buy two dumplings.
The vendor, a rather chubby man with a thick beige apron and a friendly bald head, smiled. "Two dumplings, coming right up," he said as he packed the steaming delicacies into a simple but clean bag with his skillful hands. "That'll be 80 copper coins then."
The silent man paid with a silver coin, whereupon he received 20 copper coins as change.
"Enjoy it!" shouted the vendor after the man took the bag and handed it to Julius.
"Th-Thank you," said Julius surprised, his eyes shining happily. He took the bag like he was holding a treasure in his hands.
Three days have passed since I met this mysterious man. And yet I still know absolutely nothing about him.
Neither his name, nor the reason why he saved me. Nor do I know why I am still alive or how I even ended up in this world.
The last thing I remember is stealing food from a convenience store in my old world and being chased by an employee... and then... then this train appeared.
Right. I was dead. I'm pretty sure I was. And now... I'm here. Like in a goddamn manga.
He looked at the golden sun shining above him and felt a warm wind blowing through his blond hair.
Maybe I shouldn't worry so much. After all, unlike in my old life, I now have enough money to survive from now on.
When we walked through the forest, I found a leather pouch with silver ornaments in my pocket. The family of this 'Julius' seems to have been rich.
When I opened the pouch, I was literally shocked when I realized that it had its own dimension. That means not only money, but also other small or large objects, like an Item-Box.
But when I started to count the money due to my curiosity... I counted three million gold coins, whereupon I was not only shocked, but also almost fainted from air shortage...
Speaking of fainting. I can't think properly with a growling stomach. Time to munch! Bon appétit!
Julius immediately opened the bag, took one of the dumplings in his hand and moved it to his mouth with a wide grin.
But just as he was about to bite into it... it was gone.
"Ooouuch!" Hey, where's my food!?" he shouted agitatedly, having bitten into his own hand instead. He looked around and barely saw a little boy running around the corner with the dumpling and bag in his hand.
"Wait, you thief!" Julius yelled and ran after him, his legs driven by ravenous hunger.
This situation looks familiar, somehow...
Julius' stomach didn't stop growling as he kept running. "Jeez. Why now of all times!"
The little thief disappeared into a dark side alley where the sunlight barely reached.
Julius kept running, panting and spinning around. "Damn it. Where on earth did he go? Maybe that way."
Unexpectedly, he heard a loud voice from a distance.
"Let me go! Let me go, I said!"
Julius ran after the sound and found the boy, grabbed by the strong arms of his mysterious, silent companion.
"Right! Hold him like that! Don't let him go!" Julius kneaded his fingers as a warm-up. "Now comes your punishment!"
The boy, who appeared to be barely older than Julius, was trembling. His clothes were worn down and his face was dirty.
And just when he was about to close his eyes in fear, a gentle voice was heard.
"Brother?"
A little girl stepped out of the shadows. Her clothes were also nothing more than tatters, her skin pale and her body as thin as a twig in winter.
She looked wide-eyed at the trapped boy.
"Ilis. Don't look!" the boy shouted, startled.
"What are these people doing with you, brother?" the little girl asked innocently and worriedly. "N-nothing. We're... we're just playing. Hehe."
"Oh, is that so? I see." she giggled with a smile.
Who is this girl? Brother? They sure look alike... They really do seem to be siblings. Taking a closer look, I realize how emaciated both are.
Now I understand... He didn't steal because he's evil.
He did it for her.
He stole for the same reason as I did in my old world. I know that feeling all too well.
But unlike him, I had already failed...
Julius took a deep breath. "You can release him." he finally said calmly.
The tall man instantly dropped the black-haired boy. As he did, he stumbled back and looked confused at Julius.
"Huh?"
"What's your name, shorty?" asked Julius.
"Y-Yoh... My name is Yoh. And what do you mean by 'shorty'? I'm clearly bigger than you!"
Julius grinned. "So, Yoh. You can keep the dumplings. I'll give it to you. See it as a gift."
"Really?!" Yoh's eyes shone like stars.
"Sure. And one more thing." Julius took ten gold coins out of his pouch and handed them to him. "This is for you. Buy yourselves something to eat with it."
Yoh held the coins like they were made of light. "But why? I was..."
"I was too premature. I'm sorry." Julius apologized.
Yoh shook his head. "No... I should rather apologize. ...And thank you! Thank you very, very much!"
Julius and the tall man then left the two siblings.
"Bye bye!" Ilis waved to them.
"Thank you so much!" Yoh called out as the two disappeared into the alley.
On their way back to the main street, Julius noticed the black-clad man next to him staring at him. "What are you looking at?"
Suddenly, the man raised his hand and placed it on Julius' head. His large, warm hand gently stroked his hair.
"S-Stop that! Don't treat me like a baby!" Julius shouted and blushed deeply... Whereupon his stomach complained again and growled.
"Mmh... Let's go and grab something to eat first. I'm starving." Julius grumbled.
They went into a nearby tavern that looked rustic from the outside, with wooden beams, a thatched roof and a sign with a black cat hanging above the entrance.
Inside, it smelled like roasted meat and alcohol. A fireplace was blazing, and the light of the daytime sun, bathed everything in a light yellow.
They ate a lot. Bread, meat, soup, even a piece of cake. While Julius drank fruit juice since he is a minor, his companion kept his hand on the beer mug.
Julius talked the whole time about his fascination about this town, while the man just ate and occasionally glanced at him.
As the sun slowly set, they left the tavern and looked for an inn to stay overnight. It was simple but clean, with a friendly old owner and his daughter, who showed them their room.
One night for two people costs one silver coin, the room had two narrow beds with straw mattresses, a small window with wooden shutters and a single candle on a bedside table.
"Yaaay. Finally a bed, hahaha." Julius laughed and flopped onto the nearest bed.
"Haahhh... So soft and warm. ...What a day. I'm so tired. I should probably... Sleep." Shortly afterwards, he closed his eyelids.
The silenced man waited for a moment until he went to the burning candle on the bedside table and blew it out.
Darkness descended over the room, only the soft breathing of the little boy was heard.
A new morning dawned, and the chirping of the birds heralded the start of a new day.
The first sunrays made their way through the old wooden beams of the small inn where Julius and his companion had spent the night in.
But although nature was playing its peaceful melody, this sound was soon drowned out by loud voices and the agitated murmurings of a crowd.
Julius suddenly woke up from this noise and began to mumble something sleepily. "Mhm... what the..."
With half-closed eyes, he staggered to the window, rubbed the sleep from his face and opened the wooden shutters.
A fresh breeze swept through the room, bringing the scent of the dusty street with it. But what really caught Julius's attention was the crowd of people that had formed right in front of the inn.
Frowning, he looked down. "Who's shouting so early in the morning?" he muttered to himself. His eyes wandered through the crowd until he recognized the possible culprit.
"Huh? Isn't that... Yoh?"
Without hesitation, Julius slipped into his boots and hurried down the creaking stairs. Once at the bottom, he energetically made his way through the crowd.
"Let me pass now!" shouted Yoh desperately. Two inn employees in front of him crossed their arms and held him back.
"No chance!" snorted one of the men. "You filthy slums have no right to be here. You're nothing but vermin!"
"Let me pass! Before it's too late!" Yoh's voice trembled. His eyes were red, tears streaming down his dirty cheeks.
"Yoh! What's wrong?" Julius asked, putting his hands on his shoulders.
Yoh's lips quivered. He could barely speak until he finally sobbed, "Ilis..."
Julius froze when he realized that Ilis wasn't by his side. Without asking any more questions, he grabbed Yoh's hand and pulled him forcefully back into the inn.
They returned to the small room, where the Silent One was already awake, leaning against the wall next to the window with his arms crossed, looking out at the crowd.
"Now, please tell me everything. What happened to your sister? Where is she?" Julius asked gently.
Yoh wiped his tears and began to tell. "It happened yesterday. When you gave us the money, Ilis and I ran straight home to tell our father. He was... pleased. He really was. He said he wanted to get something to eat for us right away. Ilis and I were very happy to hear that..."
"And then?" asked Julius, already sensing the seriousness of the situation.
"He came back very late. And he... he smelled strongly like alcohol. I asked him where the food was and what had happened to the remaining money. But he just laughed and showed me an empty bag. He said... He gambled it all away." Yoh's voice became brittle.
"And then... he told me to get more money. But when I refused..." Yoh paused for a moment as his whole body shook. "...he threatened me. He said that if I don't bring him more money by sunset... He'll kill Ilis."
A cold shiver ran down Julius' spine. And the usually imperturbable man next to them narrowed his eyes slightly.
"We'll do something about it. You can count on us." Julius said.
Yoh sniffled. "You... You'll help me? Really?"
"I promise you. We will save Ilis. I swear to you upon my life."
Later, while the sun was at its highest point of the day, letting the clear blue sky shine, Julius presented his plan.
They sat on the creaky floorboards of the inn room and discussed it.
"We'll leave a bag of gold coins on the doorstep of your home. As soon as your father comes out to get it, we'll grab it and overpower him."
Yoh nodded hesitantly. "Do you really think this will work?"
"This plan is foolproof. Trust me." Julius said with a mischievous smile.
Meanwhile at Yoh's home, something completely different was going on that no one saw coming.
"Is anyone home?" a young man called out as he knocked on the front door.
In response, a chubby man opened the door. His face was weathered, marked by alcohol. "Huh? What are you doing here? Ha-...?!"
He didn't get to finish the sentence, because a flashing blade was suddenly close to his neck.
The young man looked at him coldly. "Sorry to disturb you, but do you have a moment for me?"
"...?"
With a bag of about 500 gold coins which Julius had pulled out of his seemingly bottomless pouch, he, Yoh and the tall man faced Yoh's house in an alley. "Here we are." said Yoh.
"Alright, Yoh put the money in front of the door and knock."
"O-Okay." Yoh moved forward, the bag in his hand. But just as he was about to put it down, he noticed that the door was ajar.
When he looked in for a moment, however, there was someone lying on the floor, while a metallic-sweet scent tickled his nose.
"Huh?"
"What's he doing there? He wasn't supposed to go in!"
"AAAAHHHHHH!!!" A marrow-pouring scream rang out. Julius and the big man rushed in, finding Yoh on his knees, about to vomit.
"Yoh, what's wrong?!"
"Father! Father!" cried Yoh, crying and rubbing his wet eyes.
In front of him was his father, cruelly cut to pieces. Blood soaked the old wooden floor.
Julius also had to vomit. "What the hell... happened here?" Julius slowly stepped closer, searching for answers. "Why? Why was Yoh's father killed?"
He thought and then noticed something lying on the table. It was a letter.
Julius picked it up. When he looked at the back, there was an ornate emblem and a name.
It says something. Hmm... As I suspected, this world has its own language. Unfortunately, I can't read this writing, Julius thought, but as he looked at the signs even more, they unexpectedly blurred and drew new lines... this time in Japanese.
"Huh? ...Lui von Amsteg...?" he read aloud slowly.
"Huh? Uncle Lui?" Yoh responded to the name as if he seemed to know it.
"You know him?"
"Yeah..." nodded Yoh. "He's my uncle... but... How do you know him?" asked Yoh surprised.
"You'd better take a look at it yourself." Julius handed Yoh the letter and he opened it.
"What does it say? I... I can't read." Yoh admitted.
"Then I'll read it to you, if you don't mind." offered Julius.
I apologize that you have to see something so terrible, but I had no other choice. Your father couldn't repay his debt at all. That's why I killed him. Such a useless fool.
As for your sister. I brought her to me. If you want her back, bring me five million gold coins by midnight. Otherwise, she'll suffer the same fate.
See you later.
-Lui von Amsteg>
There was silence for a moment until Yoh suddenly slumped, his hands on his face. "Five million... By midnight... That's impossible! What am I supposed to do? Ilis will... she's going to die!"
Julius stepped forward and put his hands on Yoh's shoulders. "Yoh. Listen to me. I promised you something. And I'm not gonna break my word. We will save Ilis with everything we have. It doesn't matter who kidnapped her. Besides... she's probably already waiting for her brother... her hero in shining armor to show up and rescue her! So don't give up your hopes so easily and don't let her down!"
Don't suffer the same fate I had to experience. Leaving someone behind.
"Let's save your sister. Together!"
Yoh looked up, with renewed courage. The despair gave way to a tender light of hope. He nodded, hesitantly at first, then more firmly. "Yes!"
The residence of Lui von Amsteg was an imposing estate, its white marble facades shimmering in the soft glow of the full moon.
The three of them, Julius and the others, crouched in the shade of a densely grown laurel bush across from the closed entrance gate.
"Wooow, so big." Julius whispered open-mouthed, his eyes gliding over the estate.
Yoh snapped him out of his admiration. "So what's the plan?"
"...Plan? I don't have one." Julius replied.
Yoh stared at him in disbelief for a moment. "And how do you imagine to rescue Ilis then?"
Julius scratched his head. "Hmmm... I thought I'd come up with something spontaneously." While Julius was still trying to mobilize his grey cells in vain, the Fistfighter stepped out of the bushes and walked towards the gate.
Julius and Yoh looked after him.
"What's he up to?"
Suddenly, his fists began to glow in flickering light. Colors changed, from pale blue to bright red, accompanied by whirring veils that flickered around them.
"Hey hey hey... he doesn't really want to..."
A rumbling crack echoed, followed by a dull thud. The two sentries in front of the gate slumped to the ground. Their bodies no longer moved.
"He just... Killed them." Yoh breathed.
Why didn't I think of that? Julius asked himself meanwhile. "We can go in now! C'mon!"
"Y-yes!"
They ran as quietly as they could through the open archway and on through the residence. The corridors had white walls with golden moldings, wine-red carpets and large murals of the noble owner of this estate.
Servants and other staff they encountered were only knocked out by the pugilist this time instead of being killed.
At the end of the corridor, they stood in front of a dark oak door with golden fittings.
"This room looks suspicious," Julius said.
Yoh took a step closer. "If I remember correctly, this is Uncle Lui's study. I could well imagine that Ilis is in there." But as Yoh approached, Julius noticed a bitter smell wafting through his nose.
What is that smell?
As his eyes wandered downwards, he saw little veils of smoke creeping out from under the door.
"No! Don't open-!" Julius tried to stop Yoh from opening the door, but it was too late.
When Yoh opened the door even a crack, a shockwave of hot air and flames hurled him backwards.
The tall man reacted with lightning speed and intercepted him.
The room was ablaze, blazing tongues of fire ate through the wooden shelves, books burst into ashes. In the middle of the fire, tied to a chair and surrounded by bloodstains, a physically small human was burning.
"Ilis... ILIS!!! AAHHHHH!!" screamed Yoh.
He tried to throw himself into the fire, but Julius yanked him back. The pain in his eyes was immeasurable.
"What the hell is going on here?!"
Why would anyone do such a terrible thing?
"A world like this shouldn't exist! Is there no God in this world either?"
"No... IILIS!"
"Haaahhaah..." Slow footsteps echoed through the hallway, followed by mocking laughter.
"It looks like you survived, my little nephew."
A middle-aged man emerged from the shadows; he was blond, well-dressed and his eyes were a brilliant blue. It was Lui von Amsteg, Yoh's uncle.
"Hey, what are you doing? Your letter said we had until midnight!" Julius shouted.
"Who's this squirt? Well, I shouldn't really care. The time is irrelevant anyway once the result has been decided."
"You monster!" shouted Julius angrily.
"Kid, you don't understand the rules of this world. Morality is a toy for fools." Lui then raised his arms. Flames circled his hands, balling up into a mighty fireball.
Julius flinched back.
But before the fireball reached its target, water hissed through the air. Julius' companion had reacted. The water magic exploded with a bang and neutralized the attack.
"How dare you go against me!" roared Lui.
The silent man's fists glowed again, this time a stormy turquoise color. A vortex of wind and water hurled towards the aristocrat.
Lui backed away, hurling five smaller fireballs that hurtled towards the Fistfighter like meteorites. But he was not impressed.
He extinguished every single fireball with precise hits. The shockwaves caused the surrounding walls to vibrate, shattering vases and tearing carpets to shreds.
The Fistfighter charged forward.
A leap, a kick, followed by a blast of air sent Lui hurtling through a massive door. Both found themselves in a huge hall, with high windows, sparkling chandeliers and wine-red carpeting.
While the big man, kept Yoh's uncle at bay, Julius seized the opportunity and grabbed Yoh's arm, looking silently at the flames from the study.
"This way!" The two ran off.
"Tsk, now the brat's escaping because of you!" cursed Lui.
Lui formed a snake-like whip from his fire magic, intending to coil around the pugilist like a living animal.
But with an uppercut, the man broke through the fire whip and the magic fizzled out in a haze.
Lui shouted angrily, his eyes burning with rage. "You don't understand anything about my power!"
He raised both arms. The ceiling shook, huge fire lances were formed above him and burst thunderously upon him.
The Fistfighter raised his hands, forming a shield of water, and caught the projectiles. He did not flinch. His fists burst through the flames after each spell.
Lui staggered back and groaned. "I'm an Amsteg! I won't lose to a guy like you!"
Their movements blurred as the light flickered and the windows shattered. The chandelier came crashing down, the floor was covered in cracks, the walls blackened with soot.
The two boys had managed to escape from the burning residence. The night breeze outside was cool, while thick black clouds rose from the high windows of the building.
Both Julius and Yoh were out of breath.
Sweat glistened on their foreheads and their bodies shook with exhaustion.
Yoh, however, looked particularly battered, he was as pale as a ghost, with teary eyes fixed on emptiness.
"Yoh, are you all right?" Julius asked, his voice rough.
Yoh just mumbled one word, over and over. "Ilis... Ilis..."
The memory of the small burning figure engulfed in flames was still alive and seared into his mind.
His shoulders were shaking uncontrollably, tears streaming down his pale cheeks.
Julius saw the trembling that was in every fiber of his body. A trembling that came not just from the cold or pain, but from deep despair.
Without warning, a loud clap sounded.
Julius had slapped Yoh, but not out of malice, but out of necessity.
"Pull yourself together!!!" he roared.
Yoh's head jerked to the side and a red swelling formed on his left cheek. With a trembling hand, he groped at the sore spot, his eyes wide open in shock.
"Listen to me carefully, Yoh. You must never forget what I'm about to tell you. If you cry now, Ilis will be even sadder than you are. Do you understand me?"
Yoh's eyes searched the ground as if he could find comfort there, but slowly he lifted his chin. "Ilis... Is crying?"
"Yes. But you don't want her to, right?"
Yoh nodded weakly.
"Good." He turned back to the residence, where the blazing flames only grew stronger, and the smoke colored the sky above them in dark shadows. "Yoh. I'm going back in there."
"Wha... What? You really want to go back in there?"
"Don't worry. I will come back. Along with the big guy." Julius grinned ambitiously and disappeared inside the house, whose corridors now resembled an inferno.
The battle between Lui von Amsteg and Julius' companion was still raging.
The golden walls of the hall were blackened with soot and the air was heavy with heat and ash.
Lui shouted wildly. "You're not bad, I must admit. But how do you like this?"
With an abrupt movement, he hurled a spell that turned his opponent's legs into gray, cracked stone.
The petrification slowly crept upwards. The big man gritted his teeth, trying to fight back against the petrification, but his strength seemed to be fading.
"That's your end!" shouted Lui, like he had already won.
He raised his hands and formed hundreds of fire arrows that floated in the air around him.
The temperature in the hall suddenly rose and the floor began to shake as some of the walls collapsed.
The Silent Man closed his eyes as he realized he wasn't strong enough to stop Lui while he shot the fire arrows at him. But then...
He noticed that he was still alive and jerked his eyes open.
When his eyes were open, he saw a glowing light blue barrier around him, though he couldn't explain where it came from.
But then he looked towards him, where a small blond boy with crystal blue eyes was standing in front of him, stopping all arrows with his shield of pure will.
Why... Why is it always the same? Whether in this world or that world... Why do people have to suffer so much? Neither here nor anywhere else exists a God...
"Then I will become a god!"
A bright blue aura suddenly erupted out of Julius' body, his eyes lit up, his chest pulsed with energy, blue flames surrounded him.
Lui stepped back in fear. "What the hell is that? You! Who are you? Tell me who the hell you are!" he screamed.
At first the boy was silent, but then he replied in a calm voice that echoed through the hall. "I am... a god."
The blue flames around Julius formed into a consuming inferno, engulfing Lui within a second. His screams echoed through the residence one last time.
"AAAAARRGHHHH!!!"
When the spell faded, all that remained of Lui were his ashes.
The petrification instantly dissolved and crumbled away from the tall man's legs.
"Are you all right?" Julius asked, panting.
His companion was still silent, but he placed his large hand on his head and stroked it gently. Julius blushed.
"H-hey, stop that. There's no time for that right now. We have to get out of here before everything collapses!"
They quickly sprinted out of the blazing building, where the black-haired boy, Yoh, was already waiting for their arrival.
"Heeeeey, Yoh!" Julius shouted from a distance.
When Yoh saw the two of them, tears started to flow, not out of sadness, but out of joy. He was happy that nothing had happened to these two, his helpers.
"Ah, why are you crying now?"
"Because... because... I thought you wouldn't survive."
"You had that much faith in us?" Julius joked, even though his body ached.
"Is he... Is my uncle dead?"
Julius nodded. "Yes... I'm sorry."
Yoh shook his head. "No need to apologize. My uncle was a monster."
Silence fell between the three of them. The residence behind them was finally collapsing.
"Yoh... What are you gonna do next? You're all... All alone..."
Yoh looked up at the stars. "Who knows? Fate has many paths. Sometimes they also lead to darkness."
Julius stepped up next to him. "If you want... you can join us."
Yoh's eyes widened. "Join you? Can I really join you?"
"Of course." Julius held out his hand. "Let's work well together."
Yoh shook his hand. "Excited to join you." Then he paused. "That reminds me... I haven't even asked you for your names yet."
"Really? I thought we'd already introduced ourselves. Then let's make it official now. My name is Julius and this is... Erm... Boss."
"Pfft, Boss?" Yoh grinned.
"Yes. And we're going to fix this world."
"Fix the world?"
"Sounds pretty cool, doesn't it?" grinned Julius.
"Yoh... Yoh! ...Hey Yoh!" a female voice called out. The voice belonged to a striking woman whose code name was Number Five, her two different colored eyes sparkling in the light reflected from the sky lights around them and the breeze brushing through her red hair mid-flight.
"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Number Two or Vice Commander! So, what do you want?" he asked as he turned to her and flew on calmly.
Number Five scratched her head playfully. "I wanted to ask which one of us is going to get whom."
"What are you talking about? We only have to grab the newbie."
She opened her mouth to say something back, but her eyes lingered on a figure Yoh was carrying under his arm with ease.
"Old man... I mean... Number Three?! But how?!"
Yoh replied curtly. "Enhance Teleport."
Enhance Teleport is a technique that only a few people can use, as this technique consumes a lot of mana and can limit the user's concentration ability, unless the user had undergone rigorous training, so his concentration ability is no longer affected by this limitation.
Number Two is one of these few.
"I... see. But he got seriously tortured. What on earth have the heroes done to him?"
"That was me." replied the Vice Commander.
Her eyes widened. "Eh? Why did you do that?"
"He would only disturb us and he pisses me off anyway."
Number Five was silent for a moment and finally sighed. "R-right..."
"Enough talk. Let's concentrate on our mission."
"Yes, Mr. Vice-Commander!" Number Five gave an exaggerated salute, a mischievous smile on his lips. "I can't wait to see how my project progresses."
Number Two's eyes sharpened. "Project? Don't tell me you're doing another one of your experiments."
Number Five ignored this statement and replied instead. "That's enough chatter! Let's concentrate on our mission instead. Yay!" Number Five shouted enthusiastically and abruptly accelerated her flight speed, followed by a purple light.
The Vice Commander glanced after her briefly. "Oh man... She never listens to me." Then he also accelerated his speed and dashed forward, towards Almone.