The Story of Yeling Mah Pt. III

Always a Monster

"Elimination Op Code: EQUINOX, commencing."

I stood at the top of a building, the wind causing my Contingency Initiative robes to dance. From my mask, I was able to make out the two elimination targets.

Brandon and Stacey.

"Eliminate them, Tidalflame. Bring back a proof of kill from both corpses for me." Matt spoke to me through the coms.

I gritted my teeth manically.

"Yes, sir."

I blasted into the air, landing on the ground, waiting for them, lurking, stalking my prey. The two were holding hands, walking down the path.

I had managed to track their location, from a mental illness server Lewis had infiltrated.

It was easy to catch these two. After all, the girl, Stacey, always mentioned her boyfriend in the chats.

Lewis had scanned the messages, and every time he read them, he got more and more mad. Stacey was always mentioning Brandon, talking about how grateful she was for having him in her life. You know. All that sweet talk. But for Lewis, who was an incel, it was the most triggering thing ever.

I had asked Lewis why it was triggering for him, to the point where he wanted to take over the Elimination Op himself. His answer was this.

"There are many people in this server who struggle to find their match. They struggle. And for reasons no NORMAL person would ever understand. This bitch has the audacity to post these things in our faces. It is beyond triggering, Yeling."

"But that isn't her intention though."

"That's what all the normies think. How would they understand? Huh? To be so unattractive, that no amount of personality can ever offset it. We've all tried. We've given it our all. NO ONE wants us. So the next time you try to preach your nonsense, think twice. Especially when one of us has an evo."

Lewis had analyzed me that day, giving me a once over.

"Surely you. Yeling. No offence, but your facial deformities. I expected you would understand."

I clenched my fists, as I stepped out of the shadows, causing Brandon to put distance between me and his girlfriend.

Lewis' voice rung in my head.

What it's like to be unloved. If you aren't at all bothered at that, something is terribly wrong with you.

Brandon and Stacey tried to turn a corner, but I followed them. I had to minimize the damage to the surroundings. This was one of the constraints of this contract.

Only the targets could be destroyed.

In theory, a single Devil's Comet would have eliminated them both. The proof of kill would be their ashes. But...

After hearing what Lewis had said to me.

My sadist side wanted to enjoy this.

"What do you want, you creep?!" Stacey shouted at me.

I tilted my head, through my mask. I guess I did look like a creep. What with the robes, and the mask covering my face.

Brandon powered up.

"Come and try, you weirdo. You try anything to my girl, and I'll send half of your body across the country."

Brandon had an evo that was capable of creating portals, a lot like Flint. I didn't know his or Stacey's deal. I didn't care.

But ever since Lewis had told me those things that day, it had, in truth bothered me.

You're going to be alone forever. While everybody else will have someone who loves them. And you'll be scorned. No matter what you do, try to love, try to reject that need, you'll be seen in a negative light. So tell me, Yeling. What's there to NOT be bothered by? What is there?

I slowly raised my hand.

If I couldn't have someone to love me.

Then neither can you.

Brandon shouted at Stacey to run, as I unleashed a sinister overwhelming blast of my Inverse Tsunami Release, as Brandon tried to redirect the flame. But my flames were too much for a measly portal, and soon, his arms began to crack, burn, and blacken. Causing him a great deal of pain.

"BRANDON!" Stacey screamed, but Brandon stumbled back, urging her to run.

I continued the stream of hellfire, walking calmly forward.

"YOU CREEP! YOU INCEL! YOU LOSER!" Stacey screamed at me, as she brought her hands up, throwing several bone spiked projectiles at me.

I turned to her direction.

Level 2 Intangibility

My body turned into a ghostly blue wisp of flame, the projectiles passing right through me, as the charred corpse of Brandon hit the ground. Stacey could only stare at him in horror and disbelief.

I took one step, in my Intangible form. And another.

My footsteps, leading to blue ripples of flames across the ground, melting it, as no matter what Stacey did, all her attacks were passing through me.

"STAY AWAY!" Stacey screamed, dialling her phone. But I waved my hand, as blue flame left my arm and whipped the device out of her hands, along with leaving behind several burns on her arms.

Stacey fell to the ground, her hands now charcoal as I approached her, kneeling down.

"Why... how can you do this to someone and not feel anything?" She sobbed.

I slowly took off my mask, revealing my ruined face.

"And how can people like you exist... when people like me are destined to be forever unloved? How can you flaunt your... riches. Your... blessings. In front of those who are denied it?"

Stacey stared at my right side and screamed in terror, as she tried to get away, but I glared at her, a woosh of Hinokami flame surrounding her and keeping the target from escaping.

"My name is Yeling Mah. I am the Tidalflame, the Devil's Flames. I will make this world a better place. By destroying people like you."

I reached out my hand and grabbed her face as she tried to struggle, but I was already burning, her whole body turning black and set ablaze in a blue flame.

Stacey was dying, but she gave me one last hateful look.

"Your problems are your own. It isn't my fault you look so ugly. It's my win. I can join my boyfriend in the afterlife."

I glared at her, my flames becoming even more violent, and my voice, now demonic.

There is no afterlife, I've looked hell in the eye. There is no heaven. Only hell. And that is where you will be joining him. Burning for all eternity.

Stacey let loose a final screech as she was reduced to ash. I stood up, staring at the night sky, picking up the remains of both corpses and heading back to rendezvous for Flint to pick me up.

"I am forever alone. But as long as I'm not the only one... and those who are blessed have been thoroughly killed off for the new utopia. For when The Great Akuma rises. Everything will be okay."

The Celestial Dragon

"Yeling! Look at all the lights! It's so pretty!" Shia pointed at the numerous lights all around us. We were in the festive district of China.

I had just awoken from my dream, remembering my Equinox Elimination Contract, my head still groggy.

Shen frowned at me.

"You seem rather down, Mah Ye Ling. For someone who is returning back to his home country."

"Ah nah. I'm fine." I lied.

Shen didn't look convinced. Inoko was peering out too.

"Wow... it's really amazing. We don't have this in Arii."

"Really? Me neither here in Yon." Shia said, as she took out her phone and began taking pictures.

"Join in! Gather around everyone!"

Shen reacted right away.

"A photo graph! What's more honourable than honouring the Rain God Shenlong through a double immortalization!"

Shen grabbed me and Inoko and bunched us all up in front of Shia.

I managed a smile, when suddenly, my mind flashed, to that day. What I said.

How can you flaunt your... riches. Your... blessings. In front of those who are denied it?

My smile wavered. Thankfully, no one noticed, as I sat back down in the carriage.

The red and lights of the district brought back hazy memories from my childhood, before my family moved to New Ulysses.

We stopped, as several passengers on the carriage got off.

"We take forty minute break! Forty minute!" The old man said to us in broken English.

We got off, as before any of us could react, Shia grabbed Inoko by the arm.

"Look! Those dresses! They'll look so cute on you, Inoko!"

Inoko stared at Shia.

"Me... cute?"

"Of course!"

Inoko was promptly dragged by Shia, separating her from Shen and I as we made our way around the town.

We continued walking, as an old lady started calling out to us in Mandarin.

I couldn't understand what she was talking about.

"I don't... speak the language, sorry." I said, as the lady bowed, but suddenly, Shen stepped forward, saying something in Mandarin and responding promptly.

The lady's ears perked up, turning red.

"Shen... you didn't just flirt with that old lady did you."

Shen raised an eyebrow.

"Now why would I do that? I just gained another follower is all."

Shen crossed his arms.

"The better question is, why, Mah Ye Ling, a man who is familiar with Chinese culture, unfamiliar with Mandarin, the capital language of China?"

"I don't speak Mandarin. I speak Canan. It was the language I grew up in, since my family were Cananites."

"What is Canan?"

I rolled my eyes.

"It was a language of an old native tribe. Before it was taken over by China. I'm a rare breed of Chinese who speaks Canan, and just Canan. But over the years, due to the massive proportion of China and the Cananites, we became so part of the larger country that our significance was practically non existent. Which is why whenever ask me for my ethnicity, I just respond with I'm Chinese."

"You mortals are quite an interesting species."

It sure felt shitty that me, despite looking Chinese, had to have a translator, but I got to experience a number of things in this town that I had forgotten.

The lights. The lanterns. The dragon dances.

I raised my eyebrows, to witness several young children run around, holding a paper mache of a dragon...

Shen gasped, putting his hands to his mouth.

"That is... me!"

Eventually, we regrouped with Shia and Inoko, and I took them around to some places and restaurants. I introduced them to a numerous of Sichuan dishes.

I watched in horror as Shia devoured an entire bowl of Sichuan noodle soup without breaking a single sweat.

"How the..." I was at a loss for words.

Shia smiled innocently.

"I love spicy food! Back in Yon, we used to add many sorts of hot pepper in our ramen."

Inoko was still eyeing her bowl.

"What's the matter, too spicy for you?" I teased, as her face flushed red.

"No. Such a thing does not intimidate me."

"Then why are you waiting?"

Inoko gave me a death glare, as I zipped it right away.

Eventually, Inoko gave in and tried a bite. She passed out instantly, and Shia had to finish it for her.

I laughed along with Shen. But I stopped myself.

It was like every happy moment I was having was being ruined. By that one thought in the back on my mind.

I knew full well what it was.

It was Tidalflame.

Eventually, we got back on the coach, as I stared at the beautiful lights of the district.

"China is really pretty." Shia said, perching her arms on the side.

"Yeah."

"Hey... Yeling. Maybe some time, when the curse is broken, we can go again sometime. The four of us. What do you think?"

"I don't mind."

"And then... maybe after that. We can explore other places. More and more. We can keep exploring. Together."

I looked at her, and her eyes were shining.

"I guess you're pretty happy huh. Considering you've never gone out before."

Shia nodded.

"I spent most of my life indoors. Always studying and always worrying. My sensei used to show me pictures and postcards of him on vacation, and I always thought to myself, what if I could do that too, with him. But instead, I got something better. I get to do it with you guys!"

I smiled.

"I'm glad you're finding joy on this adventure."

Shia grabbed my arm and pointed at the sky.

"Oh my god! Look, Yeling! Fireworks! Inoko! Shen! Look!"

We all gathered at the end, as did the passengers, as we looked at the brilliants lights in the sky.

The image of Yuyan appeared in my mind.

Go and live your life Yeling. It's okay. I will cleanse this world for you. And as you heal, my reasons to destroy you will eventually disappear. And you can enjoy utopia with Shia and Shen and Inoko and countless people who love you. You've suffered enough.

"Yuyan..." I muttered, as I continued gazing at the night sky, the incredible fireworks, then at my friends. Their happy faces. My heart felt warm.

I felt like I didn't deserve this.

And I knew for a fact, that if someone else was in my shoes, and I was still Tidalflame, I would have ever incentive to burn that person alive.

There were people out there suffering.

People suffering because of me. People suffering for other reasons.

Yet I was being so happy.

Did I deserve this happiness?

"Yeling! Yeling! Hold the camera for me!"

I took Shia's phone, and positioned it, as Shia made a peace sign. Shen bellowed a laugh, as he grabbed the two girls and smiled a large dragon smile at the camera.

I was happy.

I was so very happy.

Tidalflame would never have been in this situation. I never imagined I would be in this situation, not once in my life.

If I had gone back and time and knew that things would turn around...

Would my reasons to bring back The Great Akuma still exist?

Eventually, we reached our hostel, and Inoko volunteered to grab our bags and belongings with her Berserker strength, obviously shocking the elderly man.

I was about to leave, but suddenly, Shia grabbed my arm.

"Oh no you don't. We don't need another repeat of what happened last time. Where are you going now?"

"Uh. I'm gonna go see some more stuff before I head to bed."

"Then let me come."

Against my wishes, Shia followed me around. It felt like I was babysitting a little kid, what with her constantly clinging onto me like that, those big round eyes and baby face. But it wasn't a bad thing.

"Hey... Yeling... do you think if I find my ideal man, I could take him here?"

"What?"

She was definitely asking the wrong guy for relationship advice.

Shia blushed.

"I don't know. I guess since you're Chinese yourself. I kind of figured I could ask you."

"You said man. You're not still thinking about your sensei, are you."

"No."

I raised an eyebrow.

"You know, when you lie, you have a habit of fiddling with your sleeves."

Shia gave me a nervous smile.

"Ahhh.... maybe a little."

I was going to tell her to move on, but I felt like that advice was applicable to me too. I'd just be a hypocrite.

Tidalflame was my past.

But every time a memory resurfaced of something I did, it would impact me so hard. This trip was an example of that. I should have been enjoying my time with friends, but all I could think of was that one Elimination Op, when Lewis had thrown that curveball in my face that changed my entire perspective on love.

There were just some people in the world who just could never be loved.

Was it their fault that their mindset would wander to that?

And for a time, because of my face, Lewis, being the self proclaimed "realist" he was, pointed that out with brutal honesty.

No woman would love me because of my burnt right side. My horrific trauma from killing my own family. All that baggage.

No person wanted that.

And because of that, my mindset was so violently skewed, that the very thought of someone mentioning relationships made me mad. Very mad.

Not just mad...

But jealous.

Since I was jealous, that only fuelled into my hatred, and with that hatred, I wielded it like a weapon. A burning ball of negativity that I would use to kill thousands of people as the Tidalflame. As Yeling Mah, the Chinese Terrorist.

"Uhhh, Yeling? Hello?"

Shia was waving at me, as I realized I had gone silent. Walking forward and lost in my thoughts.

"Did Alciel hit you in the head too hard or something?"

"Well, he did hit me in the head multiple times in our fight."

"Really? I was just joking. We need to get that checked out!" Shia ran in front of me and put her hands on my chest, her big round eyes were full of worry.

But I only looked at her with no emotion, shrugging it off.

"I'm fine. What were you trying to say?"

Shia pointed at an old man, who was sitting on the ground.

"Uhh... usually those guys are bad news."

"No. Not this one. Do you see that thing around his neck?"

"What is that?"

"It's an artifact. The second one, to be precise."

My heart skipped a beat.

"Wait what? That easy? We just need to heckle an old man for his necklace and we can move on? That was fast."

Before I could reign her in, Shia ran off and went up to the old man, crouching before him.

"That stupid kid!" I growled, as I ran after her.

The old man looked really really old. His beard was greying and his face was covered in wrinkles.

The artifact was old. But it looked like a gem, with a ton of crusty shit all over it. I was guessing it was old rock and stuff. And...

Not other things.

The old man smiled at Shia.

"Shia Megumi of Yon, and her colleague, Yeling Mah of New Ulysses."

I blinked.

Okay.

How the hell did this old geezer know where we were from.

"How did you know where we were from?" Shia asked.

The old man smiled.

"You are here for this, yes?"

The man put his hand on the artifact.

"Yeah... how much do we need to pay for it?" Shia asked.

The old man removed his hand.

"There is no charge. At least, of human currency."

I summoned Shen's power on standby as a backup.

"Do we need to fight you?" I asked, cautiously.

"Yeling!" Shia gasped at me.

The old man laughed.

"My dear Yeling, there is no reason to fight. You would surely lose."

I hesitated.

I didn't like the way this guy was talking. Was that a threat? A bluff? I didn't want to take any chances, but suddenly the man gave me a warm smile.

"After all, my little brother Shenlong always had a very big head."

My jaw dropped, as did Shia.

"Shen has a big brother?!"

I shoved Shia out of the way and approached The Great Celestial dragon.

"Is that you... Lord Tianlong?!"

Tian nodded.

"My child. You seek this artifact, but do you truly have what it takes to earn it?"

"I need it. We need it. Shia is cursed. This artifact is one of the things that will lead us to the cure."

Tian shuffled on his little carpet.

"Need. Want. Truly, one must know, why such artifacts exist, yes? What a mortal wants."

I grimaced, but Shia put a hand on my elbow, attempting to calm me down.

"Tianlong, what do we need to do to earn the artifact?"

"Little girl. The answer to that is simple. After all, I am the God of Divinity. You must show to me that you deserve my approval."

"By being divine? Like... drinking holy water?" I asked. Shia rolled her eyes.

Tian let loose a chuckle. When he laughed, it sort of reminded me of Shen.

"No... spiritual peace. Your first artifact was obtained from the Demon Lord Alciel in Arii, correct?"

"Yes."

At this point, I wasn't gonna question how the hell he knew these things.

He was Tianlong. The Great Celestial Dragon. The God of Divinity. The elder brother of The Great Storm Dragon Shenlong.

I might as well have just assumed he knew it.

Tian's eyes flashed, as suddenly, I found myself in a different realm.

A divine realm.

I instinctively leapt back, holding out my arms.

Rain God Shenlong

Level 1 Hinokami Stage Two: Cobalt Assimilation

I transformed, my body ablaze, my hair sticking up and glowing blue as two rainwater swords manifested, roaring with the fierce flames of Hinokami. But Tian only gave me a look of amusement, as suddenly, he raised his hand.

"Put away your blades, Ah Ling".

I hesitated, exiting my form, as Tian turned off the divine realm, returning us in China.

"Your battle with Demon Lord Alciel's army, evolved you all in a number of ways. Shia, you unlocked the path of a summoner. Can you believe a little schoolgirl like you, who spent her entire life studying. Would become a sorcerer?"

Shia stared at Tian.

"N- No..."

Tian turned to me.

"Inoko, fought hard, toe to toe, with Taurus. And my little brother, despite losing almost all of his power, fought head to head with Azoth. And you, Yeling Mah. Discovered a new way to channel Shenlong's power. Your first artifact, was a test of one's strength. One's strength to evolve physically, by pushing past your natural limitations and becoming more."

Tian then raised his shrivelled hand, little white light particles shimmering.

"But I... an old celestial dragon... am beyond the times. I have lived eons. I see growth, not just in strength, but in the soul. That is correct. Each artifact will challenge a part of you. This is why your old Squad Member, Lewis Greer, placed that curse on Shia. He knew about the true nature of these artifacts. The journey to get them. And they are not easy. Neither is my test. Because it isn't physical strength that I was to see improve in you. But something more."

Tian put a finger against my chest.

"Your soul. You. There is more to strength than power, Yeling. Shia. Divinity and ascension can only be achieved through epiphany."

I gritted my teeth.

"What do we need to do, then?"

Tian smiled at the both of us.

"That will be up to you to decide. For when you feel ready, come for me. At my shrine. And summon the ritual. My little brother will know this ritual. I wish you all the best of luck."

I blinked, and before I knew it, the old man was gone.

A test of the soul.

Oh boy.

I didn't like where this was going.

I turned to Shia, who looked pale.

"Hey, you good?"

Shia nodded.

"I... Yeah. Yes, I am. Let's head back and tell the others."

We went back to the hostel to receive another curveball.

"Wha- What happened here..." Shia muttered, as we went in. The place was covered in scratch marks and slashes.

I heard panting in the living room, as the two of us rushed in, and to our horror, we found Inoko and Shen in the corner.

Inoko turned to us, her face in a panicked and shocked expression.

"Yeling... Shia... Shen... Shen's..."

Shen coughed out blood, as he regarded us. His hair was white, and his skin was completely wrinkled.

"S... Something is wrong... I'm... sorry..."

Berserker

"So it's just a cold?!" I growled, grabbing an old man version of Shen and shaking him back and forth. Inoko and Shia stared at the two of us in sheer disbelief at how stupid this situation was.

"Ah yes. I may have contracted it while we were in that battle with Demon Lord Alciel. When I battled Azoth. It might be because I was no longer at full power, did his chill catch me."

"And a cold makes you vomit blood?!"

"What? This is not blood."

"It's red, you idiot!"

Shen wiped his nose.

"It is my snot. Dragon blood is golden in colour."

I thought back to how I fought Kanghui, recalling the golden blood that erupted from his body when I used that two sword Rain Style technique.

"Okay. Well. Let's get you better then. What do we need to do."

"The Great Shenlong does not need a cure. I can battle this illness myself."

"We need you when we do get the second artifact. And if you're sick, there's no telling what kind of repercussions that will have."

Shen sat up.

"You have the second artifact? You know where it is?"

"Yes. It's under the possession of your big brother, Tian."

"TIANLONG?!" Shen choked on his tea.

"Elder brother is here?!"

Shia nodded.

"Yes Shen. And I'm sure he would disapprove seeing his mighty brother stricken ill with a cold!"

Shen looked at us, his eyes wide.

"Get me a cure this instant! By my name, the God of Rain! I demand it!"

"Well, what is the cure?" I asked.

Shen fumbled with his things.

"You need to slay a certain monster. Monsters... Their scales will make the foundation of the tea that can cure my cold. But be wary, it takes much to influence the health of a Storm Dragon such as I."

"Whatever. Just give me the map, and mark it down. We'll head out and get you your cure."

Shen marked it down and handed me the map.

"Alright. Inoko, Shia, let's go-"

"No!" Shen yelped.

I turned to the dragon.

"What?!"

"One of you must stay and watch me."

"Heh...." I muttered, but Shia stepped forward and took his hand.

"I'll watch over Shen. You and Inoko go and find the scales to make the cure."

"Oh, Lady Shia. You truly are a remarkable mortal. Now please attend to me with a new batch of tea. A new set of blankets of different temperatures and moistures. And also a new dressing gown."

Shia's eye twitched with annoyance, as I grabbed Inoko and bolted for the door before Shia could lob any more responsibilities on us.

We continued walking down the trail, into the forests, when suddenly, Inoko stopped.

"Hey. Yeling. I have to take care of something. Wait for me."

"Huh? Take care of something? What are you gonna-"

Inoko was already gone, as I ran after her.

By the time I caught up to her, I found our resident berserker talking to some random dude in the back of a street. I was going to shout her name, but I hid.

What was going on?

The man was talking to her in English, meaning he was definitely not from China.

"You will never reach your sister, you know that, Berserker?"

Inoko pursed her lips.

"Yes. I know."

The man took out a small box.

"But with this, it will close the gap. Perhaps only momentarily. The cost is high, but the power in return, shall also be great. Do you understand this?"

"I know. But..."

"But what?"

"It won't be my strength. It won't be from me."

"Inoko dear..." The man put his hands on her shoulders as she took the box.

"This will awaken your dormant strength. It will awaken all of it. Whatever strength you have, will be yours. Yours to have. It will just be available for you to use without the training. You don't want to be a burden on your party, yes? You don't want a repeat of what happened to your boyfriend, right?"

Inoko clutched the box, sweat running down the side of her face.

"I don't..."

"Then you know what needs to be done."

The man stepped through a portal, leaving Inoko alone with the box, as I quickly made my way back to the meeting spot.

"Hey." I said.

"Hey. Which way?" Inoko responded. She didn't have the box in her hands, she probably put it in her pockets.

I ignored whatever I had just saw and pointed deeper in the woods.

"There. In that cave."

We approached it, slowly.

"Nagumo... I mean... Yeling." Inoko whispered at me.

"Yeah?"

"Do I hold you back?"

I stared at her.

Did Inoko hold me back?

In brutal honesty, it was true. To some degree.

And the things I needed to do, the enemies I would eventually have to fight. There was a limit to doing things with Shia and Inoko. They were great to be around. Inoko was definitely tough, having withstood all that punishment in our fight against Atlas, and withstanding the extremely powerful blows of Taurus in that war with Alciel.

But this was Yuyan the Transplant we were talking about.

But looking at Inoko, as much as she was trying to hide it, I could tell, that she knew.

She was not strong enough.

And that bothered her a lot.

"I... uh..."

Inoko sighed.

"It's okay. You don't have to answer. I was just wondering."'

We turned back to the monster, who was feasting on local wildlife.

Those scales. We needed to slay it, but this thing was enormous. Just how much tea did Shen need?!

"Okay. Let's see if we can do a tag team combo. One of us distracts it, and the other will go in for the kill." I said.

Inoko nodded.

"I will distract it. I can take its attacks."

"Sounds good."

Inoko leapt from our hiding spot.

"RAARRR!" She roared, as she took out her giant sword and engaged the beast, who roared back, swiping its tail at her direction. Inoko dodged and slashed as hard as she could, cutting a gash against its side, when suddenly, a silk thread wrapped around her leg, dragging her across the ground and slamming her against the side of the cave, cracking it.

"Aggh!" She cried out, as she hit the ground, struggling to her feet, only to take a massive tail swipe to the face, sending her flying into the rocks, blasting it to pieces with her body.

I ran up the steps, summoning Shen's winds to passively levitate me and stick me to the surface of the walls.

I summoned my katana, taking aim.

Rain Style Hinokami Kenjutsu Form 1...

My arm burst into flame, the blade of the katana wreathed in an ethereal blue fire.

DEVIL SURFACE SLASH

I launched a slash, which flew to the direction of the monster, but suddenly, the monster grabbed Inoko by the face, slamming her into the ground as she coughed. The wind knocked out of her. The monster then turned to the slash and deflected it with its tail, slicing it clean off, but regenerating just as fast.

"Oh shit!" I gasped, narrowly dodging the tail with Shen's electricity amplifying my agility.

I landed on the ground, facing the monster.

"Come on then!" I yelled in defiance, powering up as green electricity surged through me, augmenting my speed and reflexes. I zipped and darted across the floor of the cave, dodging the monster's attacks.

Level 1 Hinokami

I lifted my hand, which burst into blue flame.

Wait! No. I couldn't unleash an ITR. The flames would decimate Inoko.

"Inoko! Make a break for it!" I shouted, as Inoko got to her feet, still disoriented, as she gasped, staring at me.

The creature roared again, taking advantage of my moment of distraction, and sent a tail swipe my direction. I narrowly dodged, dissipating my flame and running the katana across the tail, slashing along the path, then landing on the ground.

Rain Style Kenjutsu: Form 8 - Four Seasons

I leapt into the air, delivering four consecutive slashes with cut deep into the monster's chest, causing it to growl in pain.

I landed on the ground next to Inoko.

"Inoko! Make a break for it to the exit. I'll end the fight with a Hinokami blast. I don't want the temperatures to incinerate you- eh, Inoko?"

I turned to her, as she stared at the ground, her fists were clenched, and her teeth was gritted.

"I... I'm holding you back."

"No. Don't say that. Come on, just go and let me do the Hinokami thing. Then we can get Shen better so we can do the arti-"

"I'm too weak, is what this is. I... I'm too weak..."

Inoko glared at me, her eyes were starting to tear up, as I was startled.

"It was always like this. When I fought with Sawano. I held him back. Every day I was with Elder Sister, I was an embarrassment to her. Let me... let me do this. I want to change that."

"Inoko...?"

Inoko reached into her pocket and took out the little box, opening it and revealing several red stripes of paper with strange markings on it.

"I'll end this fight. I'll show you I can still be of some use."

I watched as Inoko put the paper against her arm, as it began to glow magenta, arcing up her body as Inoko growled in pain.

"YO! Inoko!" I ran up to her, but Inoko shoved me out of the way.

"GRRRRR...... RAAARRR" She snarled, as she stomped forward, throwing her sword away and facing the monster. Her eyes were pure red with power.

"What the-"

Inoko blasted forward with immense speed. The monster roared, and swiped its tail at Inoko, which slammed against her face, but Inoko leaned forward, barging through the attack and grabbing the tail, pulling the entire monster to her direction.

I watched as Inoko grabbed the monster by the throat and hurled it into the ground, causing a massive shockwave which blew me back.

"What the hEEELLLLLLlllll?!!?!?" I yelled, nearly being impaled by a rock on the roof, but I managed to regain my footing, watching Inoko overpower the monster with sheer physical strength and speed.

Her movements reminded me of Inko, but... at the same time...

"RARR!! RAAARR!! RAAAAAARRRR!" Inoko snarled, slamming her fists against the monster, which swiped its tail and smashed her through more rocks, but Inoko blasted the rocks away, shooting forward like a ball of fury.

Her movements were full of ferocity. Like a vicious animal.

Inoko roared, grabbing the monster and slamming it to the ground, then getting on top of it as she continued pummelling it with an intense rage.

"Whoa! Inoko, it's down! It's down!" I said, as I ran up to the lifeless corpse, but Inoko kept punching, her face was feral.

The skull was beginning to cave in, as the scales were being crushed by the sheer force Inoko was causing by her punches.

"Inoko! Stop! We won't have any more scales if you keep destroying them like that!"

Inoko wasn't listening, her usually fiery orange pupils were bloodred.

She was completely bloodlusted, continuing her onslaught on the monster's dead body, until I ripped her away from it. The paper detaching from her arm, as she reverted back to normal.

Inoko gasped for air, as she panted and heaved.

"Ye...ling..." She muttered, as she tried to stand, but fell back on the ground.

"What... what the hell was that?" I asked, but Inoko didn't answer me, forcing herself to her feet, and picking up her sword, which she used as a crutch.

"I'll do what I need to do to get stronger. Don't worry about me, Yeling."

I could only watch as she bent down and picked up the scales, putting it into her satchel.

"That talisman... you can't-"

Inoko glared at me.

"Yeling."

I stumbled back.

"S- Sorry."

Inoko's look of anger faded.

"Look... I... this is what I need, okay? You have your Rain Style and Hinokami. And I have this. It's better than being useless all the time."

I really didn't wanna push her too hard, but this... this talisman that shady guy gave her...

It was definitely bad news.

But I didn't know what to say. I couldn't just tell her to stop using it. She was clearly not in a good place. And even if I did tell her to stop, what would I say? That she stay weak the rest of her life? I knew that she was a veteran adventurer, and if that was the case, there was a good chance she had already been maxed out, brought to her physical limits. There was no more space for improvement for her.

And ultimately, she was too weak for me to bring along in my final confrontation against Transplant.

So, reluctantly, I said nothing.

We continued hunting the scaled beasts. Well... that's partly true.

Inoko did almost all of the heavy lifting. She had applied another talisman, her speed and strength augmented so much that she became faster than even me with Shen's power.

Inoko roared, darting around the battle field like a pinball and smashing into beast after beast in the forest, leaving behind a trail of destruction. One monster tried to use a tree for cover, but Inoko growled, picking up the tree and using it to smash the monster over and over again until the tree was decimated. But even then, she still went in and continued her onslaught of punches. She would only stop when another creature would distract her, pulling her into another fight.

I could only watch, as I extracted as many scales as I could. By the sun went down, the entire forest was covered in decaying monster bodies, and Inoko had exhausted twelve talismans. Her whole body was smoking, as at that point, I was practically carrying her back along with the bag of scales.

We got back, and on the way to the hostel, Inoko let go of me.

"I can walk myself fine."

"Okay. Good work today."

Inoko beamed at me with her adorable smile.

"Thanks, Yeling."

It kind of sucked that something like that made her happy. I was lying to my limits when I told her that what she did was a good job.

Destroying your body and turning into this... ferocious monster. There was no way I would approve of that. But this was what Inoko wanted, I guess.

"Hey guys. We have the scales.... oh my god. What the hell happened here?!"

Shia gave me a defeated expression. She was covered in dragon snot.

"Please... take me along with your next adventure. I can't take this any longer. Take over. I'm going to take a shower before I lose my mind!"

Shen took the scales and put them into a pot.

"Ah yes. Very good, Mah Ye Ling. Shia."

Inoko raised an eyebrow.

"It was me and Yeling who got those scales, Shen."

"Oh! Then who was that little angel tending to me?"

"That was Shia, Shen."

Shen stared at Inoko, dumbfounded.

So I guess when he was sick, his already low intelligence only got lower.

"Very good. Very good. Now we just need one more ingredient. Found from the peaks of Mount Xinxiao, from the Borean who resides there, their soul essence shards."

"WHAT?!" I grabbed Shen.

"There were MORE ingredients?! I thought you said we just needed the scales!"

"Hey! You only need to slay one. It isn't so bad, now is it?"

"Not so bad?! Are you kidding me? Are there any more ingredients we need."

Shen put his hand on his chin.

"No, I believe that is all."

I let go, and took my gear.

"Fine. Let's go Inoko."

"WAIT!" Shia shouted, running to us, in a brand new set of clothes.

"I'm coming too!"

"What about me?!" Shen asked.

"Take care of yourself! You're a self proclaimed god, aren't you?"

"I AM a god! There is no need to self proclaim it!"

"Then you wouldn't fall victim to a mere illness, would you?"

"You are correct! HAHAHA!"

This guy was so easy.

"Okay. What else do we need to know?"

Shen sat back in his bed.

"Nothing in particular. But I do recommend you exercise caution. The Borean is a very powerful creature. Not many can defeat it. You will need to be smart to defeat this one."

Great.

By the time we reached the top, we were freezing, even with the coats Shia had summoned for us. But Shia had already pinpointed the location of the Borean. A humanoid figure who was standing on a rock.

"Ah... more challengers, for me to feast on." The Borean turned around, his mouth was covered in red. Blood. Did this guy not know to brush between meals?

"Come, then, humans. Join my collection of skulls." The monster spread his arm, showing the numerous skeletons of who I guessed were the people who tried to challenge him.

Shen's requirements sure were unrealistic. But I guess that made sense considering he was the Storm Dragon.

I glanced at Inoko, who took out another talisman, placing it against her arm as her eyes widened momentarily, her body shivered from the power. Then her face returned to normal, with a new snarl.

"Grrrr...." She muttered.

Shia, Inoko, and I were still out of view, but the monster had already sensed us.

"Come on out! This need not take long. I am rather peckish."

Shia turned to us.

"He's a Borean right? So fire should be his weakness. Shen warned us he isn't an easy fight, so we shouldn't just rush in-"

"GRRAAAAAAHHH!" Inoko roared, ripping her winter jacket off, exposing her crop top and jean shorts as she rushed out of cover and charged the Borean.

"Inoko?!" Shia gasped.

"What the hell?!" I exclaimed, as the Borean smiled at the charging Berserker.

"Come, girl. Show me your resolve!"

Inoko roared, as she ran forward, but before she could do anything, the winds around her swirled, and a surprised Inoko was thrown right into his grip.

The Borean smiled evilly at Inoko, who squeezed. Inoko struggled, gasping for air, her skin turning pale, then slightly blue.

"Join my collection, my tanned beauty."

"RARR!" Inoko launched a punch at the Borean's face, as the monster stumbled back and dropped her. But before Inoko could do anything by closing the distance, the Borean's arm transformed into a blunt club, as he swung, smashing Inoko in the stomach. Inoko's eyes went wide, coughing out blood.

Shia and I watched as Inoko flew into the roof of a nearby cave, destroying it, and falling several feet onto the ground as she grunted.

"We need to help Inoko!" I said, but Shia grabbed my arm.

"If we rush out there, I don't know what we can do. You might have what it takes to stop him, but collateral might shake this mountain too much. If we release too much power, we might risk having an avalanche."

I hesitated.

No wonder this fight was so challenging.

It wasn't a matter of simply overpowering the monster.

I watched as Inoko got to her feet and yelled in rage, charging again, but the Borean laughed crazily, suspending her in midair and slamming her on the ground and practically any surface, then throwing her to the ground as the monster ran up to her.

Inoko got up, but the Borean punched her in the face, as she was sent flying into the walls of nearby rocks.

"Inoko! Fall back!" I yelled, but Inoko was too consumed in her rage, viciously charging the Borean and getting smacked around in the process.

"Inoko!" Shia joined in my urging, the two of us shouting at her to stand down.

"What do we do, Shia?" I asked.

Shia was at a loss for words, as the Borean launched an uppercut at her chin. We watched Inoko soar into the air, and smash into the ground before us.

"Inoko!" Shia ran up to her, but Inoko held out her hand, snarling at the Borean.

"Such primal rage. It's very unattractive for a woman, you know."

"Inoko, you need to stop this, you're not strong enough-"

"I won't lose!" Inoko shouted, stomping on the ground, ripping off the talisman and applying a fresh one on her arm.

"AAAAUGH!" She roared, power surging through her, as she charged the Borean again.

She wasn't going to listen.

"Yeling, I have an idea." Shia said.

I turned to her.

"Let's hear it."

"The Borean, his powers are cold right? What if we... made it so it was no longer cold? Would that in theory weaken the monster?"

I thought about it.

"You're right. As it is, any attack I make will cause too much impact, leading to an avalanche. The clash between Inoko and the monster is barely enough to keep it from happening. So..."

Shia nodded.

"Melt the snow, Yeling. I don't have anything in my bag that can do that. A flamethrower would just turn the snow into ice. Grenades or firearms will just cause an avalanche. It has to be you!"

I hesitated.

"Hinokami is celestial fire. I don't want you guys to be caught in the flame, or the temperatures. We just need it to be hot enough to melt it, right? But even at 3% Hinokami, it's still powerful enough to melt things in its vicinity. This battlefield is too small, and we don't have a means to move the fight."

Shia gritted her teeth.

"Damn!"

BOOM.

"Get down!" I shouted to Shia, who dodged an airborne Inoko.

The Borean made chase, but I stepped in between the two, summoning a rainwater pole arm.

Rain Style Polearm Technique: CHINESE BLADE DANCE

I unleashed a volley of jabs at the monster, who grinned, taking the damage head on, and slamming its fist into my face. Everything went blurry as I flipped backwards, hitting my head on the icy ground.

"God... dammit." I muttered.

"Rain don't work on ice!"

Shia suddenly lit up.

"No Yeling. It does."

"Huh? What? Since when?"

"Did it ever snow in New Ulysses? When does the snow ever melt?"

"I don't... follow..."

Shia pointed at the sky.

"Whenever it rains. The snow melts. It does it naturally. Rather than forced. If you can melt the snow without using Hinokami, it HAS to be with Shen's power!"

I gritted my teeth, concentrating, and summoning a rainwater katana.

If it was someone with knowledge, it had to be Shia.

"I trust you, Shia. Let's do it."

I brought my foot back, circling around, reenacting the movements of an ancient warrior who faced Shen long ago. His memories, engraved into mine, as my right tattoos began glowing green.

Come to think of it, I had never used this one before. I never saw a use for it.

But thanks to Shia, now I could bring something like this to a battle.

Rain Style Kenjutsu: Form 9 - Clear Sunny Skies

I moved, gracefully, swinging and spinning, weaving, as green energy swirled all around me, then flying to the sky.

One last strike.

Rain Style Kenjutsu: Form 10 - Peace after the Flood

KABOOM.

A giant green explosion appeared in the sky, parting the clouds, as heavenly green holy water rained from above, cleansing the ground, and melting the snow. The Borean turned to me.

"WHAT?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

The rain continued to melt the entire mountain, and green grass started growing. The sun had broken through the clouds, radiating light across the mountain and bringing a beautiful shine.

The Borean screeched, grabbing its head, as Inoko roared, charging him head on, slamming the monster to the ground.

"Berserker girl!" The Borean gasped, as Inoko began delivering a deadly onslaught of punches, knocking him unconscious.

"He's down!" I said, but Inoko continued swinging.

"Inoko! Stop!" I growled, running forward, but Inoko's rage was completely overwhelming her, as her strikes were no longer causing an avalanche risk...

But something much worse.

The ground started cracking and breaking apart, large rocks raining down.

"INOKO! LET IT GO! TAKE OFF THE TALISMAN!" I roared, but Inoko continued striking the dead body of the Borean.

"Inoko!" Shia ran forward, but the ground before her cracked, as she screamed.

"HELP!" Shia screamed, as she fell off the side.

"SHIA!" I roared, as Inoko stopped punching, her eyes wide in horror as she watched Shia fall off the side of the mountain.

Rain God Shenlong: HOLY SURGE

My body sparked with green electricity, as I jolted forward, but my legs burst. I fell flat on my face.

"Are you fuckin kidding me?!" I screamed.

Form 9 and Form 10... was it too demanding for my body?!

"Shia!" Inoko yelled, as she jumped off the side, catching Shia, but her hand slipped, unable to grasp onto the ledge in time.

"ARGGHHH!" I growled, as I forced Shen's power to course through my body one more time. Summoning a green rainwater chain which I threw as hard as I could. Inoko caught it as I hoisted the two of them from above, throwing them back onto the ledge.

We were panting hard, from exhaustion.

I glared at Inoko, who's eyes were still wide from shock.

"Do you get it now, Inoko? What you've done? Your actions nearly killed Shia!"

"Yeling..." Shia muttered, as Inoko clutched the hems of her shorts.

"I... I'm... I'm so sorry." She sobbed, as Shia put her head into her embrace.

Shia's Test

Well, after that disaster, we finally got back to the hostel, and Shen made his stupid tea.

"Ah! How great it feels, to be back on my feet!"

We didn't mention about Inoko's use of her talismans. We just never brought it up again. It was a sensitive subject, and even after having confronted her about it, I still didn't know what to think.

And soon, we packed our things, and went to the shrine of Tianlong.

"We need to perform the ritual." I told Shen, who raised an eyebrow.

"A ritual?"

"Yeah. Your big brother said you should know what it is."

"I do. But... it's hardly a ritual. I don't know if Elder Brother was perhaps over-exaggerating it by calling it that."

"Whatever. Just do it, and summon him here so we can begin the thingy and get the artifact."

"Very well. Everyone, stand in a circle."

We did as Shen instructed, standing in a circle. Shen clasped his hands together, his green eyes glowing, and powerful flowing through him.

"Oh great brother. It is time. Please show up. Please and thank you with extra cherries on top."

We stood in awkward silence.

What.

The fuck.

Was that.

The wackiness didn't stop there, because immediately, after Shen said that, silver energy circled the shrine, as the figure of an old man appeared before us. He gave us a warm smile.

"Ah. Little Shenlong. How have you been."

"Elder brother! We seek the artifact. We are ready to-"

"No.... not we. Just them. You are a Great Storm Dragon. It is beneath you to do this test."

"Hey! What about us? The hell are you trying to say?" I protested.

"Now now. It is simply a test for the mortal soul. As Shenlong is immortal, it is not him who can participate, but you three."

Shen gave us an uneasy look, but Shia smiled at him.

"Don't worry, Shen! We'll be fine."

Tian nodded.

"Indeed. It shall be fine, as long as you all stay true to my words. This test is a battle from within. Not of your enemy. Shia Megumi."

Tian took Shia's hands.

"A battle from within, which shall challenge your desire. But you will find a way. I believe in you."

Tian then took Inoko's hands.

"A battle from within, which shall challenge your courage. But you will find a way. I believe in you as well."

Tian then held out his hand, creating a portal.

"Step in, when you feel you are ready."

Shia, Inoko, and I nodded at each other, as we made our way through the portal. But something was bothering me.

Tian didn't say anything about my battle.

But before I could think about it more, we found ourselves in a different world.

"What... is this?"

Inoko asked, looking around. I was dumbfounded too, but then we heard a gasp from Shia.

"This is... my high school." Shia said.

"So this is your test." I deduced.

"Well now what." Inoko asked, when suddenly, Shia jolted into the school building.

"Shia?!" I called after her, as we made chase, catching up to her. She was running after something. But I couldn't make out who it was, because this person kept rounding about the corner out of my view. We followed Shia, until we found ourselves in a classroom. The lights were all off, and Shia was standing in the middle of the room. Across from her, from the front desk, was an older good looking man. He had his elbows on the desk.

"Shia!" Inoko called out to her, but Shia wasn't responding to anything we were saying. I ran forward, but an invisible force locked me out.

"Shia!" I joined Inoko, but Shia wasn't listening to us.

She couldn't hear us.

But we could hear everything from that side.

"Sensei... Sensei Ukko. Is that really... No. This can't be you, can it."

"Shia..." Ukko said, smiling at her.

"Did those mean girls say hurtful things to you again?"

Shia pursed her lips.

"It's okay. They don't get anywhere in life. They don't bother me. School is for learning, not for delinquents."

"Now Shia, as valid as that is, being blunt is also not a good thing either. But thank you, for always helping me out!"

Ukko reached out and patted her head. Shia blushed.

"Who is that?" Inoko asked.

"That's Sensei Ukko. Her schoolteacher." I explained.

Ukko was the man Shia had fallen for. But I never really took the time to understand why. All I knew, was that she wanted to do everything she could to be with him, because he was the only person who was kind to her. Despite all the bullying and ostracization she suffered in school, it was always her sensei who was there for her.

"Sensei... I..."

"Hm?" Ukko tilted his head, resting his chin on his hands.

"Why are you so kind to me? Even after everything. They're all so mean to me, and no one ever does anything about it. So why is it wrong for me to be mean to them? Why do I get in trouble every time I try to defend myself?!"

Ukko gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Shia... sometimes. The best thing to do in life is to just walk away. Even if you feel it is wrong. That is how the better person should act. You are a very good girl. You are studious, intelligent, and sweet. Don't let them take that away from you. I believe you are one of the best students I ever had."

Shia smiled back, her eyes watery.

"But even so... you... you would never understand..."

"Understand what?"

Shia rubbed her eyes with her sleeve, fighting back tears.

"I'm not the best student you ever had. I'm a liar. I'm a terrible girl. And... not even my friends know that. Me being kind. Me being nice. It's all a fluke."

Shia pointed at Ukko.

"Because I know about that. I know about the debt you owe."

Ukko's face turned pale.

"Sh- Shia?"

Shia held back sobs.

"I tried my best to deny it. I couldn't ever picture you as a bad person. Because I felt like you were the only person in my life who ever understood me. Who valued me. So I brought it on myself to protect you. When I found out about your frauds, and your scams, the scams you did, taking advantage of the club funds, and all of the funding from the fundraisers YOU helped organize, you spent it all for your own desires! I... For the longest time, I refused to believe it."

Shia fell to her knees before Ukko's desk, the darkness casting shadows over her eyes.

"So I lied. I took the blame on myself. Haven't you always wondered why you, Sensei, managed to keep your job? Why you were still able to be our teacher, despite all the horrible things you did? It was because I brought it upon myself to pretend that I had stolen those funds! That is why no one ever talks to me. No one ever liked me. I was hated, and bullied. But... despite all that, you... you comforted me... not knowing I was doing all these things, to preserve that side of you that only I could accept."

I stared at Shia, speechless. Inoko was also speechless, as the two of us stood in the hallway, looking through the glass of the classroom door.

"Shia... oh god..." Inoko muttered.

"Mom and Dad. They... they were caught up in criminal acts. That was because of me. They needed to bail me out, but if the police ever found out, I would be arrested. So they turned to the gangs to help clear my name, but we might as well have been playing with fire." Shia closed her eyes, her tears peppering the floor.

"But even so... it's not fair. It's not fair for me to be treated this way. I hate it. Every time I'm spit on by the girls in class. And hated by all the boys. When my parents were killed, it was all because I tried to protect you. But in the end, when I tried to confess to you, I realized... I realized you didn't need my protection, did you Sensei?"

Ukko regarded Shia from his desk.

"No... I did not."

Shia's eyes widened as she stared at the ground, her face stark white.

"I had a girlfriend. I didn't need you, Shia. I didn't need you at all. The truth was, I didn't need you to protect me that day. I could have cleared my name. By explaining my case. There are adults in the world who handle these things. As one of the tenured teachers, I could have hired a good lawyer to defend my case. The brutal truth is... there was no need for you to take all the blame on yourself. There was no need for that."

Ukko stood up and walked up to Shia, towering over her.

"There was no need for Shia Megumi to throw her life away. So in a way, all the hatred that you put on yourself, and the deaths of your parents. It was all your fault. And it helped no one."

Shia clutched the ground. She looked defeated.

I banged on the glass.

"SHIA! SHIA! DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! THIS IS JUST A TEST! SHIA!" I yelled.

But Shia couldn't hear me.

"Raise your head, little Shia." Ukko said gently, as Shia raised her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was fighting the urge to cry, but small sobs were starting to break through.

"Your sacrifice, was a waste of time."

Ukko then reached behind his desk, pulling out a firearm. A shotgun, and aimed the barrel to her forehead.

"SHIA!" Inoko and I shouted, but it was hopeless. We couldn't break the door down, no matter how hard we tried. I couldn't summon my powers. And despite Inoko's Berserker strength, it was not enough.

Inoko glanced at her box of talismans, gritting her teeth.

"I... I can't... I can't use them."

I ran back to the window.

Ukko had cocked the weapon, the hammer drawn back.

"Will you fight for your life, Shia?"

Shia closed her eyes, tears streaming.

"I don't deserve to live. A liar like me. I lied to everyone. I'm not sweet or kind. I'm not... I'm just... a deceiver."

Ukko regarded Shia, as she her arms went limp.

I had never seen Shia like this before. So defeated. So gone.

"So Shia... are you saying you do not deserve any of your friends?"

"I don't deserve any of them. Here. They now know me for what I am. What kind of scum I am. They are going through such lengths to make me better from my curse. And this entire time, I've kept this a secret from them. Of the type of person that I am. Yeling... all those times I asked him to be there for me... I knew he suffered from loneliness. I knew. But I didn't care about him. All I cared about was my feelings for you. I've been using him this entire time."

I clutched my chest, as Shia continued.

"And Inoko... I saw her as someone who needed support. But I reached out to her, not because I felt compelled to do so. Not because it would make her feel better. It was because it made me feel good. It made me feel strong. Like I was in control of another person's mental state. This curse. This test... it isn't a test, is it. It's to make me realize how unworthy I am for the cure."

Shia looked at Ukko, her eyes glinting.

"I wish I could... turn back the clock. When I found Yeling in the forest that day, after he saved me from those bandits. He needed a place to live. I should have just called the police and had him taken to someone who could have dealt with that kind of stuff. He would never have been caught in my mess. He wouldn't have ended up being so weak, to the point where Focal would come and curse me like this."

That wasn't true, Shia.

That wasn't true.

I closed my eyes.

This test...

Tian...

The battle for the first artifact was hard enough. But now I could see.

Each artifact was next to impossible to complete. Against the God of Divinity, sheer strength and power wasn't enough to win this one.

"Shia Megumi. Are you saying you wish to forfeit this test? By choosing to forfeit, you will never return. You will be here forever."

Shia clenched her teeth.

"Forever..."

"You have confronted yourself. You have truly seen what you are. From the deepest darkest parts of yourself. That in itself, is something very few people have accomplished."

"If I stay here... that means our quest is over. The quest to remove my curse."

"Yes."

Shia put her hand against the mark on her chest.

"If I choose to forfeit... that means everything they did would be wasted. All because of me."

Shia. Don't give up. Please don't.

"Shia... remember what Tian told you." Inoko said, putting her hand gently on the window. Her voice was gentle and kind. As it slowly resonated through, causing Shia's ears to perk up. Suddenly, the two of us were transported next to her.

Ukko regarded us, as Shia spun around.

"Inoko! Yeling! You... you were..."

"We heard everything, Shia." Inoko put Shia in an embrace as I sliced the shotgun barrel in half with a rainwater katana.

"Don't... I... you heard everything... you should be hating me. You should hate me. Just like everybody else. Especially you, Yeling."

I turned around.

"Shia. Everybody has demons. But... what matters is you face them head on. We're here for you. I won't judge you, because I have demons of my own. We all do. But what isn't okay, is choosing to die because of it. If you choose to die, the damage done would be even worse than if you continued deceiving us."

"He's right. Shia. Ultimately, what you did, was to protect your Sensei, is that right?"

Shia rubbed her eyes.

"Y- Yes..."

"You didn't protect him that time, but what you can do, is protect us. You're the only person who can break this test. Let go of your guilt, and face it head on."

Shia got to her feet, as she approached Ukko, who smiled, taking out another shotgun from behind his desk and taking aim, but Shia reached into her bag, pulling out a riot shield, deflecting the shotgun shells.

"Sensei... I love you. But... now I know, that in reality, the version of you that I love the most was never real."

Shia threw the shield, as it knocked Ukko over. The teacher fell on the ground before Shia, who pulled a shotgun of her own from her bag, holding the barrel against her teacher.

"Will you kill me, Shia? Now that you've accepted that the man you loved, was actually the worst vile scum in your life?"

Shia said nothing, the barrel was aimed directly at his head. I tried to move, but I couldn't.

Neither could Inoko.

"Make the choice. Either you choose to shoot me, end me for good, but lose yourself. Or you spare me. And continue to let the memory of me haunt you for the rest of your life. Choose. Shia Megumi. Choose."

Shia's gun hand was shaking, as her face crinkled, holding back her emotions.

Ukko laughed at Shia.

"Little deceiver! Little liar. Parentkiller! Parentkiller! Parentkiller!"

"STOP!" Shia screamed, as she pulled the trigger. My heart stopped.

I slowly opened my eyes, to see that Shia had fired next to Ukko's head, as she threw the shotgun to the ground.

"I won't kill you. I won't let my sins define me. You can torment me all you want. But I have good friends in my life. Good friends. Shen. Inoko. Yeling. They have my back. And I will have theirs. My life in Yon... it's over. And it will be in the past. So just try. You will fail every time."

Ukko smiled at Shia, as he began dissipating. The entire school building also started disintegrating, the ceiling being removed as Shia stepped back. Inoko and I were able to move again as we rushed Shia, wrapping her in a bear group hug.

"Very good, Shia. You have faced your sins head on, and moved forward. You have passed."

"SHIA!" We cried out, as Shia closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry." Shia sobbed, burying her face in our arms.

"It's okay. It's okay." Inoko patted her head.

"We forgive you."

We stayed huddled for a few minutes, until Shia finally recovered.

I smiled at her.

"Doing better, kid?"

Shia wiped her nose.

"I'm not a kid. I'm sixteen." She grumbled.

"Same thing." I joked.

"You're an asshole." Shia smirked.

"I know."

Inoko put her hands on her hips.

"Come on you two. As much as I want to have this moment longer, we need to keep moving."

Shia nodded.

"Right. We need to keep moving and get Tian's approval for his artifact!"

We got up, put ourselves together, and moved forward to the next test.

Inoko's Test

The next place was all too familiar.

"Hey! We're back in Arii!" Shia said.

Inoko paused, her hands on her sword.

"This is mine..."

I summoned my twin blades, as we were back to back.

"Be prepared for anything." Inoko said.

Shia readied her bag, when suddenly, a big black shadow appeared above us.

"From the top!" Inoko shouted, as we split up, narrowly missing a giant dude, who towered over the three of us.

"Who the hell-"

"Udomel! The Destroyer!" Inoko said, as she rushed forward, clashing with the giant dude, but she was pushed back. I rushed in and sliced inward, causing Udomel to stumble back, and Shia unleashing a powerful cannon blast from her summoned weapon, pushing Udomel back.

"Why is Udomel here? What is this test?" Inoko exclaimed, dodging another one of Udomel's heavy attacks from his crazy battle axe. For a dude who was 12 feet tall, he sure was hella fast. And before I knew it, Udomel had closed the distance on me, grabbing my foot and flinging me. I crashed into Inoko before she could call me stupid, and we tumbled.

"Um... guys?! GUYS!" Shia yelped, diving out of the way before Udomel could slice her in half. The cannon exploded in a starburst of purple magical energy, knocking Shia away.

Shia fell to the ground.

"Hey! If you want to fight, come for me!" Inoko shouted, as she brandished her sword, charging, when suddenly, a man in a trench coat appeared in front of her.

"No." The man said, and before anyone could react, Inoko coughed up blood, hundreds of dents appeared on her stomach as she was blown back by the ridiculous speed of Charles Ainsworth.

Charles regarded me, as he tried the same thing, but I summoned Shen's speed, and just barely dodged another slash from this dude's sword.

I summoned my own katana, as we began a blade exchange. But Charles was just way too fast, and I found myself with dozens of cuts on my body.

I fell to one knee.

"Yeling! Get away from him! Take it up against another Ariian!"

Charles turned to Inoko, who leapt into the air, when suddenly, a blue streak intercepted her, a fist crashing into her face as Inoko was sent flying into dozens of buildings, buried in debris.

Inoko got up.

"WHAT GIVES?!" She snarled, when suddenly, her face froze in terror.

The girl regarded her, without saying anything. But I knew her right away.

A blue dress.

That same white snowy medium length curly hair.

The fiery orange eyes.

But a much more intimidating expression.

And she wielding two golden knuckles which glowed, shining across the ground.

"E- Elder Sister..." Inoko stumbled back, as Inko closed the distance, slamming her fist into her face. Inoko spat out blood, as Inko grabbed her by her shirt and flung her into another building.

Inoko managed to emerge from the ruins, but her whole body was bloody.

When I fought Inko, she didn't injure me that badly. I had seen plenty of fights where Inoko would get the shit rocked out of her, but she would come up maybe a little scathed.

Being blown into a building should not cause that many cuts across her arms and thighs like that.

"E- Elder Sister... please no! NO!" Inoko screamed, as she leapt out of the way, retreating in pure terror from her older sister.

But before I could do anything, Charles appeared in front of me, my eyes wide, as another blow landed on my midsection, causing me to fly backwards into a food stand. I skidded backwards until I regrouped with Shia.

"Hey, Yeling." Shia muttered.

"We're kind of fucked you know." I said, as we stared at Udomel and Charles, who were approaching us menacingly.

"Thanks for reminding me. And Inoko has to fight her big sis all on her own?! She's terrified of her!"

It was then did it hit me.

Why Inoko's usual insane tenacity and durability wasn't working against Inko, but against everybody else, she would always charge headfirst in battle.

Inoko was terrified of Inko.

"Well what are we waiting for! We need to help her!"

"Are you stupid? Look at who's on our tail! It's the Destroyer and the Fastest Adventurer in all of Arii. They're not just going to let us gang up on Inko like that!"

Shia gritted her teeth.

"We don't have a choice. We each need to pick a dance partner."

"I'll take Charles. You might have a chance against Udomel. He isn't as fast. But he still is fast. So please, be careful."

Shia nodded, giving me a thumbs up.

"I'll do my best!"

"Your best isn't gonna cut it! Stay alive!" I snapped, but before either one of us could make a witty reply, Charles had instantly closed the distance. My eyes slowly widening, staring at the member of the Big Three who had just breached my defences, closing in with that sword of his.

Rain Style Empty Handed Technique: Flowing River Dance

I bobbed and weaved out of the way, dodging Charles' slashes, as Udomel roared, charging Shia, who summoned several plates, confusing the Destroyer, who barged through one, causing the other plates to wrap around him.

Shia started throwing more and more runes and binding spells, desperately trying to hold Udomel in place.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the luxury to watch either Shia or Inoko's fight, because Charles was pressuring me bad.

I dodged another strike and tried to retaliate with a few punches, but Charles was not just fast.

He was skilled.

Charles caught my strike and sent me to the ground, about to slash down, but I yelled, unleashing a blast of Hinokami, throwing him back.

I got to my feet, summoning my twin swords and rushed forward, slashing and exchanging blows, but Charles was far too skilled.

Charles instantly disarmed me and went for the kill, but I forced him back with another torrent of flame from my left tattoos.

"Heh. Not so good with heat, are ya, good ol' Ainsworth." I joked, as I summoned a katana.

Rain Style Hinokami Kenjutsu: Form 7 - Talon Winds

I thrusted forward, as Charles brought his sword down and zipped out of the way. I spun, releasing a powerful arc.

Rain Style Hinokami Kenjutsu: Form 6 - Devil Vortex Slash

Charles dodged again, but was sucked in.

"You're finished- aw come on."

Charles spun like a corkscrew midair, and slashed my katana to pieces, before proceeding to slice me in the thigh. I growled in pain, as more slashes and kicks bombarded my body.

"The hell kind of... test is this, Tian?!" I gasped, as I noticed Inoko.

Inko had landed another punch, causing her little sister to slide backwards. Her entire body was bloody, as she scurried backwards.

Her face was of pure terror. She couldn't fight. Or move. Or even think.

"So pathetic. So pathetic. Little Ino-chan. Forever in my shadow. Forever too weak. But because you were my sister, you always attract trouble."

Inko blasted forward and landed a kick on Inoko side, causing her to cry in pain.

"You are an embarrassment. Not just to me. But to every party you are in. You are nothing but a weak."

Another kick.

"Scared."

A strike to the stomach.

"Little."

A strike to the face.

"Girl."

Inko picked up Inoko by the hair, as Inoko stared at her older sister, breathing and sputtering blood. Blood was pouring down the side of her face, as Inko threw her little sister into another building, chasing after her.