Chapter 3 - Homefront Troubles
Kaze and Chikaku have now returned home. They disembark the plane and are both glad to be back. Kaze has a clear goal set in his mind, to find Genten.
“I’m so glad to be back.”
“Me too.”
Kaze and Chikaku begin to leave the airport unaware of the changes that have taken place in their city. As they leave the airport they are greeted by a thug wearing an Eternity Dragons jacket.
“Hey!”
“Um hello.”
“You can’t come into this city without paying a toll.”
Kaze is confused at how a thug could so brazenly extort someone in broad daylight. Kaze looks around to see if there are any police officers but is unable to see any nearby. Kaze isn’t about to be bossed around by a bully and questions the thug.
“Since when?”
“Today.”
Chikaku is getting nervous as he has no doubt that this conversation will escalate into a confrontation if the thug continues to pressure Kaze.
“And who exactly said that?”
“We did.”
“And who’s we?”
“The Eternity Dragons!”
Kaze brushes off the comment and begins presuming that the Eternity Dragons are a new street gang. Unaware of how serious their influence latches, Kaze quips with the thug.
“Sorry but I’m going to pass on that one.”
The thug is offended and angered by this comment. He grabs Kaze and lifts him off of the ground. Kaze puts his hand on the thug in what is believed to be an attempt to release himself from the thug’s grip. However, the thug finds this funny while Chikaku watches on in horror.
“Kaze!”
Unaware to both the thug and Chikaku, it is revealed that Kaze put his hand on the thugs’ chest to secretly make a line of ants going across the thug’s neck. The thug is impatient with Kaze.
“Bite me punk.”
This remark makes Kaze smile. Kaze is determined to defeat the thug and finds his overconfidence amusing.
“With pleasure.”
“Bite!”
Kaze commands the ants and they all begin to bite the thugs neck in a perfectly straight line. This immense amount of pain causes the thug to drop to his knees and begin holding his throat in pain. Kaze doesn’t get satisfaction in harming others and so he chooses to leave and hopes that the thug will learn a valuable lesson about messing with random people.
“Goodbye!”
Kaze begins to walk away from the scene. After noticing this, Chikaku begins to follow him as they head to the taxi station.
As Kaze and Chikaku journey home in the taxi, Kaze notices something odd.
“There’s another one.”
Kaze has noticed that during his taxi ride, members of the Eternity Dragons are everywhere in the city. Kaze is spotting a countless number of them on every major street. Kaze is curious to know more and asks the driver for information.
“Driver.”
“Huh?”
“Who are these Eternity Dragons?”
The driver is confused as to how Kaze is unaware who the Eternity Dragons are.
“They’re a gang bro. They took over the whole city.”
“Not even the cops will touch em.”
Kaze is surprised as to how a mere street gang could paralyze the police with fear. The police deal with gangs all of the time. Why are the Eternity Dragons any different? Kaze wonders if there’s anyone else who is equipped to deal with the situation.
“Hasn’t the mayor done anything about this?”
“See for yourself bro.”
Kaze looks out of the window as he passes the elegant city hall. Though it is usually booming with people in suits, the majority of those outside of the premises are Eternity Dragons. Kaze is now suspecting that the Eternity Dragons have the mayor on their payroll.
“They bribed the mayor?”
“More like they beat the guy up bro.”
In a dark office the mayor lays on the floor with bruises all over his body. The only light is creeping in through the door as three figures stand over the mayor. These three are Rai and the two thugs we saw earlier.
“Please I’ll do anything you want.”
“The city is under my control now.”
“Of course. Anything you want.”
Rai looks pleased with himself knowing that he has just achieved the first step in world domination. Back in the present day, Kaze and Chikaku have just entered a diner and plan to discuss their next move there. The diner seems to be decent except for the fact that there are Eternity Dragons hanging around.
Kaze and Chikaku sit down in the diner. They prepare to discuss their next move but an unexpected face throws the conversation off of its supposed course. A supposed Rai walks in the Diner. As Kaze notices this he is in shock. Unable to say a word, Kaze hopes that Rai doesn’t start a fight with him.
As soon as the Eternity Dragons see Rai they all begin to stand up and salute him.
“Yes boss!”
Rai begins walking towards the thugs. Rai walks past Kaze as if he wasn’t there. Kaze notices this and is in shock at the fact that Rai is the leader of the Eternity Dragons. Kaze is in even more shock that Rai had walked past him and not said anything. Kaze is thinking that perhaps Rai didn’t notice him. Kaze then recalls that Rai would have had a clear view of him from the entrance. Rai walks up to the Eternity Dragon thugs.
“I’m going to need your wallets.”
This statement confuses the Eternity Dragons who look at each other with surprise as it is out of character for the boss to make such a request. Kaze notices this and is also slightly confused. Rai continues to look on, now with a very pissed off expression.
“Is something wrong?”
“You're making me mad now.”
The Eternity Dragons are in fear at this statement and they hastily search for their wallets. The Eternity Dragons quickly get their wallets out and hand them to Rai. The Eternity Dragons then bow as a mark of respect and apologise.
“I’m so sorry boss.”
Without saying a word, Rai turns around and walks out of the diner. Kaze is still in shock at the whole situation. Kaze is yet to fully comprehend that while he was in Pariah Village, Rai has taken over the city. Chikaku is curious as to why Kaze is so shocked.
“Do you know him?”
Without answering Chikaku’s question, Kaze continues his thought process out loud in hopes that this will allow him to process everything better.
“He’s leading the Eternity Dragons. This is not good.”
“Why’s that?”
Kaze recounts his memories of Rai inside his mind. He knows that Rai is somebody who he wouldn’t be able to beat in a fight. Kaze knows the best course of action would be to ignore him at this point. Kaze answers Chikaku’s question shakily.
“He’s a dangerous man.”
“Whatever he’s planning. We should not get involved.”
Chikaku has seen Kaze’s power so is curious as to how powerful Rai must be. To even rival a power like Kaze’s would be tough. Chikaku knows that Rai must have serious strength. Judging by the tone of voice Kaze is giving, Chikaku trusts that Kaze’s judgement is what’s right. Kaze on the other hand is still perplexed as to why Rai didn’t confront him. Kaze explains this to Chikaku.
“Something’s not right. He saw me and walked away.”
“I’m certain he would have spoken to me.”
“I’m certain he would have said something.”
Meanwhile at the bar of the diner, a man wearing a shirt with the top button undone is stirring a drink. He looks like a businessman who has just finished his shift at work. The man lets out a smirk as if to announce that he is proud of himself.
Kaze and Chikaku enjoy an uninterrupted meal at the diner. They then decide to leave the diner and head home. Upon exiting the diner, Kaze looks down the alley attached to the side of the diner and his face turns to surprise.
Kaze notices Rai down the alley talking to the businessman-styled character. As Kaze watches on, Rai hands the wallets over to the professional looking character. Nothing could prepare Kaze for what he was about to see. As Kaze continued to watch, he saw Rai begin to flash and then disappear into nothingness. This shocked Kaze and he called out towards the other figure.
“Hey you!”
The mysterious character noticed this and turned to face Kaze before quickly beginning to run away. Kaze was unsure of what had just happened but strongly intended to get answers and began to give chase to the mysterious figure. The chase continued on and despite the mysterious figures many attempts to get away, Kaze was never far behind.
The mysterious figure has ended up in an alley where his only escape option would be to climb over the fence behind him. As Kaze catches up, the mysterious figure puts both his hands forward and 2 people flash into existence and assume a defensive position. As the mysterious figure continues to climb the fence, Kaze hits both of the defensive people who disappear and phase out of existence upon contact. Before the mysterious figure could climb over the fence, Kaze extends his reach by using insects to create another arm coming out of his palm which grabs the mysterious figure and pulls him down. The mysterious figure begins to beg.
“Don’t kill me! I can be of use to the dragons!”
Kaze comes to the realisation that the Rai he saw was not the real person. That would explain why Kaze was ignored. Kaze needs to know for certain.
“So that wasn’t really Rai in the diner?”
“No.”
“It was a copy I made.”
Kaze realises that this man’s power can create holograms of people. However, these holograms disappear if they are touched by other people. Before Kaze can think further he extends his arm to offer the mysterious figure a hand getting off the ground.
“I’m not a dragon.”
“I won’t hurt you.”
The mysterious figure takes Kaze’s hand and gets pulled up from the ground and then proceeds to brush the dirt off of his clothes.
“My names Fukusei.”
“I’m Kaze.”
Before any further pleasantries can be exchanged, Chikaku finally catches up to Kaze and Chikaku. Chikaku is incredibly out of breath.
“There you are!”
“I figured out your ability. I’m not about to let your Kaze clone fool me!”
Kaze finds this amusing as Chikaku is struggling to keep his breath.
“I’m not a clone, look!”
Kaze attempts to prove he isn’t a clone and begins to turn his hand into insects which he then reassembles into his hand.
“He’s right. My ability can’t mimic other people’s powers.”
Chikaku begins to walk down the alleyway towards Fukusei and Kaze. Fukusei still has some questions about what Kaze intends to do with him.
“So if you’re not a dragon… then what do you want with me.”
Kaze’s first thought is that Fukusei may have some form of connection to Genten. Perhaps Fukusei is the key that would enable him to meet Genten.
“This might be a long shot but have you heard of a man named Genten?”
Fukusei thinks for a moment but cannot seem to attach the name to anyone he’s met over his journeys.
“Can’t say that I have.”
“But now I’m interested. What business do you have with him?”
Kaze isn’t sure where to begin. He decides the best course of action would be to explain Genten’s ability to Fukusei. After all, this could jog Fukusei’s memory. Maybe Fukusei will recognise the power.
“He has the power to create anything.”
“He can grant wishes.”
“The only problem is that he doesn’t want to be found.”
Fukusei’s eyes light up at this prospect. Every person would no doubt be infatuated with a power that can grant any wish they desire.
“Any wish?”
“Anything you can imagine.”
Fukusei sees this as a golden opportunity and seems to have taken quite a liking to Kaze over the course of the conversation.
“Very well. I say we can be of use to each other.”
Kaze is confused as to what Fukusei is proposing. Meanwhile Fukusei is smiling throughout the entire conversation with an expression that could fool someone into thinking Fukusei has won the lottery.
“How so?”
Fukusei’s expression switches and he almost instantly changes his tone of voice. He now appears to conduct himself like a businessman at a serious board meeting.
“I can help you.”
“I’ll join you on your mission. On the condition that I get to ask Genten for a wish.”
Kaze begins to think about the proposition as Chikaku watches on in horror. Chikaku is untrusting of Fukusei and is surprised that Kaze is considering this proposition.
“Are you really considering this?”
“We just met the guy!”
Kaze is only thinking about the mission at hand. Kaze also likes the idea of gaining a new ally. He knows that if he runs into Rai, he would do much better with someone else fighting at his side. He also thinks that Fukusei’s power to create holograms of people could be useful in a wide variety of situations. Kaze excitedly claims his acceptance.
“Deal!”
Chikaku looks at them both and utters a sigh.
The three begin talking and get to know each other better. They agree to all go to Fukusei’s home and plan their next step from there. Fukusei lives in a nice retreated backroad. They enter Fukusei’s home. Kaze and Chikaku sit on the couch on one side of the room and Fukusei sits on the armchair opposite. A table rests between them. Kaze and Chikaku explain their powers to Fukusei who explains the extent of his own in return.
“So my clones can act autonomously if I choose.”
“They can replicate our day to day routines as long as the clones know them.”
“So this ‘Kemuri’ character and any other hitmen would surely be fooled.”
Both Kaze and Chikaku are relieved to hear this. Knowing that they can escape from other hitmen is a great weight off of their shoulders. Chikaku is still doubtful as the holograms disappear on contact and wouldn’t be useful in a fight. Kaze on the other hand, is not concerned by this.
“That could be invaluable to us.”
“Yeah but none of us can help in real combat.”
“Just let me handle that.”
As the three of them sit in Fukusei’s home, a figure approaches the road that Fukusei lives on. This individual bears a gloomy expression and has heavy bags under his eyes. The individual begins to monologue to himself.
“So Genten can make me happy again.”
“All I have to do is remove these three bullies.”
The gloomy figure takes a map out from his pocket and stares at it. The map is of the street. Fukusei’s house has a red mark on it and a home that’s three doors away is circled.
“I rented a home 3 doors down.”
“Luckily my power has a range of 50 metres.”
“If I can catch them unexpectedly then this should be a breeze.”
The gloomy figure walks up to the rented home and takes a key from his pocket. The mysterious figure opens the door and enters the home. He looks around for a second and then shuts the door behind him. The figure finally reveals his name as he boasts to himself.
“Kanashi you sure are a genius.”
Kanashi touches a nightstand which instantly turns blue. A circle of blue appears below the nightstand which begins expanding extremely slowly.
“With my power ‘Blue’ everything in a 50 metre radius becomes blue.”
“Anyone inside the blue zone feels my sorrow and gets driven to suicide.”
“The only downside is that it’s slow.”
“I just hope I catch them off guard.”
The blue zone is expanding ever so slowly as Kanashi waits for it to reach the home of Fukusei.
Five minutes pass and back at Fukusei’s home it appears that Fukusei has fallen asleep in his armchair. Kaze and Chikaku have remained seated on the couch. Chikaku has just noticed that Fukusei is asleep.
“This guy’s asleep already?”
The blue zone has begun expanding into Fukusei’s house. It is moving across the floor and beginning to reach the spot below Fukusei’s armchair. Kaze and Chikaku are unaware of this and continue planning what their next step should be.
“We need to keep planning our actions.”
“We’ll fill him in on the details when he’s up.”
Kaze begins to think hard about what steps can be taken. Kaze questions Chikaku on any suggestions.
“How do we find an unfindable man?”
“I’m not too sure.”
“We need to think.”
The blue zone is now under Fukuseis armchair. Fukusei begins tossing and turning as he sleeps. Fukusei is in a state of panic while he sleeps. His moaning grabs the attention of Chikaku and Kaze who stare. Kaze has a bad feeling and is unsure if these are normal night terrors.
“What the hell?”
“I guess he’s having a nightmare.”
“Should we wake him?”
Kaze and Chikaku look at each other and then give each other reaffirming nods. Kaze decides the best way to wake Fukusei would be to call him.
“Oi Fukusei!”
Fukusei awakens from his sleep. There is no longer an expression of fear on Fukusei’s face but instead there is one of hopelessness and defeat. Kaze and Chikaku notice this depressed expression that Fukusei is currently wearing. Fukusei stands up from the armchair and begins to speak gloomily.
“Oh.”
“It’s you guys.”
Kaze and Chikaku are confused and surprised at Fukusei’s bland and uninterested response. Kaze is confused as to what brought on Fukusei’s sudden change of mood.
“Who else would it be?”
“What’s the point?”
“Huh?”
“We’ll never find Genten.”
“Let’s just give up.”
Kaze is confused about Fukusei’s sudden change in attitude. Fukusei was extremely excited at the thought of finding Genten but is now suddenly uninterested in the prospect.
“We can’t give up on finding Genten.”
Fukusei snaps in to respond before Kaze or Chikaku can continue talking.
“No.”
“I meant give up on life.”
Kaze and Chikaku are shocked as to what’s come over Fukusei. Chikaku is extremely alert and frightened as he had a bad feeling about Fukusei from the beginning. However, Kaze knows that something else is occurring and decides to question Fukusei.
“What’s gotten into you?”
“Let’s end it all.”
“Right here.”
“Right now.”
Chikaku is extremely scared and frightened at this remark. Before they can talk more, Chikaku leaps behind the couch in an attempt to use it as cover. Chikaku begins to think of an escape route and shouts in Kaze’s direction.
“I told you he was crazy!”
“Let’s get out of here while we still can.”
“Wait Chikaku.”
Kaze notices that Fukusei hasn’t moved from his current place and begins looking around. Kaze then looks to the floor and notices the blue beneath Fukusei which is slowly expanding.
“What’s that on the floor?”
“Why’s it all blue?”
“Why is it expanding?”
Chikaku bears a frightened expression realising that this blue zone could have consumed them all unknowingly.
Kaze crouches down to get a better look at the blue zone.
“Could this be what’s making Fukusei act strange?”
Before Kaze can investigate further, Chikaku is consumed by the worry that Kaze could get infected by the Blue. Chikaku’s fight or flight mechanism kicks in.
“Don’t just stand there.”
“Get away from it.”
Kaze stands and turns to face Chikaku with a brave expression. Kaze would never leave a friend behind, even if they had only just met.
“Not without Fukusei.”
“I won’t leave him like this.”
Fukusei opens his arms as if he is waiting for Kaze to come into the blue zone and embrace him.
“Join me Kaze.”
“Step into the blue and save me.”
Kaze stands still and deliberates the best course of action for a moment. Kaze decides he needs to save Fukusei. Kaze stands at the edge of the blue zone and tries to reach Fukusei to pull him out. Chikaku is immensely worried that Kaze will fall into the blue zone.
“Are you crazy?”
Kaze turns to face Chikaku with a serious expression.
“Chikaku.”
“Whoever’s doing this must be nearby somewhere.”
“It’s up to you to find them.”
Kaze leans in and tries to grab Fukusei but he isn’t nearly close enough to grab Fukusei.
Back at the home that Kanashi has rented, Kanashi can sense something inside of his blue zone.
“I got them.”
“I can feel it.”
Kanashi bears an evil expression declaring victory as he knows he has won.
“There’s 3 targets inside my blue zone.”
“This was easier than I thought.”
“Now do it.”
Kanashi bears and expression of sadness as he remains touching the nightstand.
“I feel the presence fading.”
“They’ve done it.”
“I’ve killed them.”
“Or rather, they killed themselves.”
Kanashi takes his hand away from the nightstand and the blue zone disappears. Kanashi is pleased with himself, though his temporary pleasure is merely hiding his crippling sadness. Kanashi knows his job is done and begins to leave the home and report the situation. Kanashi walks a few steps away from the home. There are many ants outside the property.
“I should contact the agent.”
“I hope Genten keeps his part of the deal.”
Kanashi looks down and notices that all the ants below have begun to go crazy and are moving rapidly while more begin coming out from the cracks in the pavement.
“What’s going on here?”
The ants all gather together and within a few seconds they reassemble into Kaze right in front of Kanashi’s eyes.
“So you’re the one we’re looking for?”
“Impossible! I sensed three people in that house who were affected by the blue zone!”
“About that…”
Back when Kaze was about to grab Fukusei, it is revealed that Kaze transformed his arm into a string of insects that wrapped around Fukusei and pulled him outside of the blue zone.
“Quickly. Fukusei.”
Fukusei looked over at Kaze, confused about the situation, but Kaze made haste with his request.
“Can you make 3 clones? We need the user to think we’ve been affected by this power!”
“Coming right up!”
Back to the present moment in time, Kanashi is terrified that the man he tried to kill is standing directly in front of him. Out of fear, Kanashi begins walking backwards but after a few small steps he bumps into someone. Kanashi turns around and Fukusei is revealed to be standing there with a big smile on his face.
“What you did wasn’t very nice.”
Kanashi is very scared about what they could do to him. Kanashi isn’t sure how he can talk his way out of this one. Before he can think, Chikaku comes out from around the corner.
“We can’t let this slide.”
As Kanashi takes in the serious expressions of those around him, he believes he will surely be killed if he doesn’t say anything so he begins to beg.
“No.”
“Please.”
“I’ll do anything.”
Kaze and Fukusei look at each other as if they know exactly what the other person is thinking. They both realise that this may be a golden opportunity to find Genten or discover a method to find him.
“Anything?”
Kaze, Chikaku and Fukusei are now at Kaze’s home. They have realised that they can no longer stay at Fukusei’s home as his address is now compromised.
“Hopefully your house is more secure.”
“I hope so.”
Kaze looks outside his front window onto the street below as if to scan for any shady characters but doesn’t notice anything unusual. Kaze continues to talk as he looks outside the window.
“At least Kanashi pointed us in the right direction.”
“It’s a shame he knew nothing about Genten.”
“But at least we know who to look for now.”
Kaze holds up a photo of a beautiful girl around his age with long flowing hair.
“Yuma.”
“If she can really pull objects from her dreams…”
Before Chikaku can finish his sentence he is cut off by Kaze.
“Then she might be able to help us.”
“I don’t know if Kanashi gave us the right location but we need to check it out.”
Kaze remembers that they came to his place in Fukusei’s car and decides that now would be the perfect time to contact her. Kaze is never one to delay things as the spirit of adventure flows through him.
“Fukusei.”
“Can you drive us there?”
Fukusei looks uninterested in the idea but knows that he desires a wish from Genten more than anything.
“I guess so.”
The three of them head to Fukusei’s car. Fukusei owns a fancy sports car. They get in Fukusei’s car and begin driving to the address that Kanashi gave them. When they arrive, Fukusei stops his car outside the front of the address and notices something which makes him unsure if this is the right house.
“This is the place right?”
“I think…”
Before Kaze could finish his sentence, he notices something unusual about the property that would prove to make entering very dangerous.
“What the hell?”
Kaze notices that the outside of the property has many Eternity Dragons hanging around it. Kaze is unsure of what to do and thinks for a moment but decides that he has to question it. As Rai doesn’t appear to be with them, it’s highly unlikely they will know who Kaze is. Kaze begins rolling down the window on the passenger side. Chikaku is not sure that Kaze is making the right move.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
Before Kaze can begin to second guess himself, he faces the Eternity Dragons.
“What are you doing here?”
As expected, the thugs looked down on Kaze. They almost disregarded his comment but felt the need to make arrogant and dominant remarks.
“Shut up!”
“It’s none of your business.”
“Punk!”
Kaze sighs at this and opens the car door. Kaze gets outside of the car and turns to Fukusei and Chikaku.
“Just give me one second.”
The next thing they knew, Kaze had beaten the thugs up badly. As they were laying on the pavement, Kaze asked a simple question.
“Are you ready to talk?
The Eternity Dragons look intimidated and Kaze puts his foot on one of them whose terrified expression gets worse as they begin to talk almost instantly.
“Of course!”
“So where did the girl go?”
“To the headquarters. City hall.”
“Why?”
The Eternity Dragon thug is reluctant to talk and so Kaze moves his foot and presses it on another one of the Eternity Dragon thugs.
“The boss ordered her to be captured.”
The original Eternity Dragon thug that Kaze was interrogating is annoyed at the details his comrade will give and interrupts the conversation.
“Shut up! The boss will…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Kaze slams his foot on the original Eternity Dragon thug again which shuts him up. Kaze gives a menacing look to the second Eternity Dragon thug.
“Keep talking.”
The Eternity Dragon thug hesitates for a second but continues out of fear.
“He wants to use her power.”
Kaze knows that this is a very bad outcome. Kaze knows that he has no choice but to take on Rai before he can use Yuma’s power for evil. Genten will have to wait. If Rai is able to take get any object he wants from Yuma’s dreams, then the world will quickly fall to him. Kaze walks away from the thugs and back to the car. Kaze is contemplating many things as he gets back into Fukusei’s car.
“This is very bad.”
“Why?”
“I know I said to stay away from him.”
“Their leader is very dangerous.”
“But I’m certain he will use Yuma’s power for evil.”
On the journey home, Kaze explains his relationship with Rai to Fukusei and Chikaku. He knows that action needs to be taken and on their way home, Kaze asks Fukusei to change course and head for city hall. Kaze couldn’t beat Rai previously but maybe he can now. Kaze knows that now is the best time to act.
They arrive and Fukusei parks his car around the corner from city hall.
“Rai has made city hall into his office.”
Kaze bears a serious expression as he knows that this showdown could end his life. It’s a risk that Kaze knows he has to take.
“We have to fight him.”
Kaze turns to Fukusei. Fukusei is prepared for the question that Kaze is going to ask.
“Fukusei.”
“Can you help?”
Fukusei thinks for a brief moment and nods his head. Fukusei had prepared holograms from observations of the Eternity Dragons in case he ever had to get out of a situation involving them.
“I can create a hologram of a high ranking Eternity Dragon.”
“You should be able to waltz right in.”
Fukusei puts his arm outside of the car and a hologram replicating a high ranking member of the Eternity Dragons appears.
“Chikaku wait here.”
“No.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Kaze is not happy about this but Chikaku is determined to make sure that nothing happens to Kaze. Chikaku wants to do everything to avoid using his power but he knows that he would rather use his power then let Kaze die.
“I can use my power as a backup.”
Kaze is very unhappy that Chikaku would be put in a situation where he has to use his power. Kaze is also aware that if Rai wins then the world will fall to him and an age of evil will come. Kaze very reluctantly agrees with Chikaku.
“Fine.”
“But I’m not happy about it.”
Kaze, Chikaku and the hologram begin walking around the corner up to the entrance of city hall. The three of them walk past most security but two Eternity Dragon thugs who are standing by the entrance stop them all from entering.
“Oi.”
Before Kaze or Chikaku could act, the hologram gave a deathly stare to the two thugs.
“Are you speaking to me?”
“How about I put you in your place?”
The two thugs notice the identity of the hologram and immediately regret their decision.
“That’s Captain Rayes!”
“I’m so sorry sir.”
“Please forgive me.”
Even though both of the Eternity Dragons act in extreme sincerity, one of them is still curious as to the identity of the two men standing with Captain Rayes.
“Who are those outsiders?”
“New recruits.”
“They’re here to see the boss.”
The two Eternity Dragon thugs both look confused about this remark. One of them decides to speak up to Captain Rayes.
“New recruits don’t need to see the boss sir.”
Before they could question the hologram further, it bears an angry expression at both of the thugs. The thugs crack under the pressure and bow their heads.
“My apologies.”
“Please forgive us.”
They both open the door to city hall and allow Kaze, Chikaku and the hologram entry. As the three of them walk through city hall they notice that it’s completely trashed. Eternity dragons are hanging around all over the property. They walk through the very open main hall and head up the stairs. They begin investigating the rooms and finally come across Rai’s office.
As they check Rai’s office, they notice that it is completely empty.
“Nobody’s here.”
“This can’t be right.”
When Kaze said this, it triggered an observation from Chikaku. The upper floor was completely empty.
“The whole place is empty.”
Kaze and Chikaku decide they should investigate further and head back downstairs. They notice that everyone who was previously on the bottom floor has left.
“What’s happened?”
“Where did everyone go?”
They begin to leave the staircase and walk into the open and large main hall. As they all head into the now empty main hall, two Eternity Dragons jump out from behind. Before Kaze could have the time to think, one of the men punched the hologram which then disappeared. The thug was clearly confused by this.
“Huh?”
While this event was taking place, the other thug put a sack over Chikaku’s head and punched him in the side of his face, causing him to fall over.
As Kaze begun to turn around and help, he was instantly startled by a familiar voice.
“Oi.”
Kaze turned back around and is in deep shock. Rai is standing on the other side of the hall staring at Kaze. Rai begins walking to the centre of the open hall.
“I thought we spoke about your powers.”
“I told you never to use them again.”
“Now I’m going to have to kill you.”
“Then I will kill all of your friends.”
Kaze is originally paralysed with fear but swallows his fear and begins walking to the centre of the room.
“I can beat you.”
Rai smiles upon hearing this remark and prepares himself to fight.
“Then fight me.”
“Don’t worry.”
“My friends won’t get involved.”
“If you can beat me, I’ll release your friend and the dream girl.”
Both Kaze and Rai intensely prepare to fight. They both know that this will be a difficult fight. However, Rai is incredibly confident as he has beaten Kaze before. Kaze rushes at Rai who quickly dodges Kaze’s attack and hits Kaze in the stomach causing him to lose his breath. Rai suddenly jumps back and laughs.
Kaze runs at Rai again and they exchange blows countless times. Kaze is able to hit Rai this time but it matters not because Rai instantly heals every time he gets hit. Kaze’s attacks are useless. Kaze decides to get serious and begins throwing waves of insects at Rai. As the insects bite Rai, his flesh heals at a quicker rate then the rate at which Kaze’s insects inflict damage.
“It’s no use.”
“My insects can’t damage him quick enough.”
As Kaze is running out of energy, Rai begins to torment him.
“Face it Kaze.”
“You can’t win.”
Rai gets close and they begin exchanging punches again but as Kaze is now weakened from exhaustion, he misses most punches. Rai is still going strong and begins giving Kaze an intense beatdown. Kaze is extremely injured and eventually Rai swings the deciding punch which knocks Kaze to the floor.
“Go on boys.”
The two Eternity Dragons then pick Chikaku up off the ground and begin escorting him away. Kaze can barely keep his eyes open but watches as they take Chikaku away.
“Chikaku…”
Rai then crouches so that Kaze can look him in the eye.
“He’s mine now Kaze.”
Kaze can barely keep conscious but mutters a plead with Rai.
“Don’t kill him.”
Rai finds this amusing.
“I won’t kill him just yet.”
“I need all his information about your adventures.”
Rai bears an expression of pure evil.
“You see…”
“…my dragons aren’t very good at playing your little games Kaze.”
“But torture is their strong suit.”
Rai then gives Kaze an ultimatum whilst Kaze loses consciousness.
“If you want to see him alive then you’ll never leave your home.”
“My dragons will be watching you.”
Kaze has now gone through unbearable pain and despite his best efforts he cannot stay conscious. Kaze slowly shuts his eyes and blacks out.
