Zane's calm expression shattered like glass. "What was that about Ariel?" he growled, lunging forward and grabbing the Black American by his jacket, shaking him hard enough to make his axe clatter against the pier. His voice was a blade, raw with fury.
"The hell you shaking me for, motherfucker?" the Black American snapped, shoving Zane's hands off, his dark eyes flashing with irritation.
"I said they're all headed to Ravenloch! This is Ashenport, east coast. Takes about eight hours to get there by bus—if you could find one. Ain't no motherfucker crazy enough to make that trip with Geminis crawling everywhere." He stepped back, rubbing his chest, his bloodied arm trembling from the effort.
'Blake, you bastard,' he cursed. 'You threw me away, fine, that was my doing anyway. But sending Ariel to that death trap? If one hair on her head's touched, I'll rip your heart out.' His face darkened, his eyes glinting like shards of ice as he turned to the woman, his voice low and dangerous. "You got anything else on Ravenloch? Where they're fighting? How many Geminis?"
The woman swallowed. "I don't know much," she admitted, her voice cracking. "I heard the fight's at Ravenloch's old school—some kinda Gemini nest. The Elite-ranked Geminis are seven in number, they say. It's bad, real bad. Those Awakeners—Valmer, Kenshi, the others—they're the best we got, but we're not sure if they are enough to take them down. If they fail, we all die."
Zane's jaw tightened, his thoughts racing. Ariel, his sister, was in Ravenloch, facing the Whisperkin's terror, and he hadn't even known she'd Awakened.
"If you go down that alley, you'll see a woman and a kid, both hurt bad," Zane said, his voice low and clipped, pointing a finger toward a shadowed path where the woman and her unconscious child lay slumped against a street lamp.
"Help them if you want. I'm done here," he added, his tone sharp, brooking no argument. With that, he bolted, a blur of motion like a cannon shot, his boots splashing through puddles as he tore toward Ravenloch.
'Hang on Ariel.'
****
Meanwhile, an hour earlier, before Zane's encounter with the woman and child, inside a ruined building in Ravenloch's outskirts, the relentless rain had finally stopped, leaving a damp chill that seeped into the bones.
Two figures stepped through the splintered entrance, their footsteps crunching over debris, drawing every eye in the room.
Kenshi and Ariel spun toward the newcomers, ready to strike, their faces taut with suspicion. The man leading the pair had raven-black hair that cascaded over his shoulders like molten silk. His half-buttoned coat revealed a dragon tattoo coiling across his chest. In his right hand, he gripped two swords, their blades bound together by worn leather straps. Beside him strode a woman in tight jeans and a snug black crop top that hugged her lean frame, her chestnut hair—a rich brown with golden streaks—flowing in a loose cascade down her back, catching slivers of light. Her skin was flawless and smooth. She had no weapons visible but her stance radiated coiled energy.
"Kàn lái nà gè shénfù hái méi dào,"
("I don't see the priest anywhere,") the man said as he scanned the room, his dark eyes assessing each figure with a warrior's precision. "Jiùshì tā tíyì zhège jìhuà de, tā bù gāi shì dì-yī gè dào de ma?"
("Since he was the one who proposed this plan, isn't it right for him to be the first person to have arrived?")
"Yeogi hakgyo sonyeodeul-i mwohaneun geoya?"
("What are these schoolgirls doing in a place like this?") the woman asked, her tone sharp and skeptical, her gaze pinning Celine and Ariel like a predator sizing up prey, her hands resting on her hips with casual confidence.
[System Notice]
Translating Foreign Language to Native Language.
The system's hum wove their words into a seamless thread, erasing the language barrier. The man with the dragon tattoo stepped forward, his swords clinking softly as he planted himself near the entrance wall.
"I'm Kai Linwei, China's Primordial," he said, his voice curt. "Let's wrap this hunt up quick."
Kenshi Aokawa leaned against the cracked wall, his eyes closed, his face a mask of calm, his right hand resting on his katana's hilt, as though he was ready to strike at any moment.
The woman beside Kai flashed a quick smile, her chestnut hair swaying as she shifted her weight. "I'm Yuna Lee from Korea," she said. "Nice to meet you all, I guess."
"I've been meaning to ask, why isn't the priest here yet?" Kai asked, his eyes scanning the room before settling on Kenshi.
Kenshi didn't open his eyes. "He was the second to arrive after Ariel, but we'll have to proceed without him. He left to attend to something important."
"I fail to see what could be more important than getting rid of the monsters that reduced humanity's population by millions in less than two weeks," Yuna said with a frown.
"We all have countries to protect," Kai said in a cold tone as he turned toward the entrance, disgust evident in his voice. "Gathering the strongest Awakeners from the entire planet just for him to be missing in action - just what does he take us for? Tch. China's Primordial will continue to protect China. I trusted the priest to be responsible since he had a relation to the late Pope. Now I see my trust was misplaced. It was a waste of time to come here when I could be defending our zones."
He moved to leave when Kenshi appeared before him in a blur, blocking his path with his katana. "The priest will rendezvous with us at Ravenloch. Sit and hear what we have to say at least."
"You should all be aware by now that the Geminis aren't to be underestimated, yet you take this threat so lightly," Yuna strode toward them. "I don't even know what I was expecting. Out of my way, both of you, if you don't want to turn to ash."
Kai pushed one sword halfway from its sheath, his eyes calculating as he sized up both Yuna and Kenshi.
Time was running out. Ariel's patience had evaporated long ago. While these so-called leaders measured their strength against each other, she'd been running simulations in her head - countless ways to rescue her brother from the Whisperkin. They were wasting precious seconds on ego.
"What gives you the right to decide that on your own?"
Every head turned toward Ariel at her bold question.
"What was that?" Yuna's attention snapped to the girl.
"You both assumed we weren't strong enough. That's why you decided to leave, isn't that right?" Ariel's gaze moved from Kai to Yuna.
'The man wants to establish a hierarchy with himself at the top by defeating Kenshi who seemed to be the strongest, while the woman had dismissed us all, especially Celine and me, as incompetent at first glance.' Ariel thought as she studied the pair.
"Exactly my point," Kai answered as he fully sheathed his sword. 'She is sharp - she'd seen right through me in a matter of seconds.'
"Who gave you the right to gauge our strength by your standard? You refused to hear the reason for Valmer's absence because you never really cared about any of that. You didn't come here to save anyone, you just wanted to see how you measured against the Primordials of other countries. After all, when this tutorial ends, the strongest will rule the ashes," Ariel stood from the crate she'd been sitting on.
"To think there could be someone so perceptive at your age. I'm deeply impressed. It's just as you've said, girl. So then, what are you going to do about it?" Kai watched her take deliberate steps toward them.
"If a fight is what you want," Kenshi drew his katana from its sheath, "Then I'd be happy to take you on right now, right here."
"There's no need. We can't waste any more time. I'll grant him his wish. Seven seconds should be enough," Ariel told the group.
Kai laughed hard - the sound was less amusement and more a challenge.
"Ariel, please don't fight him! You don't even know what abilities he has!" Celine urged.
"And neither does he. If he did, he wouldn't be smiling." Ariel now stood face to face with Kai.
"I love your spirit, kid, but if you fight me, you would most certainly die," Kai's voice turned dangerous.
"No need for you to get hurt, Ariel. Let me handle his oversized ego," Kenshi interjected.
"Like I said, I don't have time. My brother is waiting. Please do not interfere. The winner leads this operation," Ariel turned and took a few steps to create room.
"I would love to drag you outside and teach you all the manners your parents didn't, but anywhere is fine. We could fight until one of us surrenders or isn't ready to continue." He smiled as he continued. "But that would be too boring, besides, where are the stakes in that. How about a battle to the death?" Kai faced Ariel, both swords now drawn. No matter how tough she acted, betting your life was a whole different game.
Ariel walked past Kenshi and stood outside, the remnant breeze from the earlier rain blowing her hair back. She turned toward the doorway where Kai stood. 'Suggesting a death match with someone who has a life to spare, how idiotic.' She thought.
"Let's get this over with quickly," Ariel said as Kai stepped into the open space.