The Rescue: Umbra Crown
[SPLASH! DRIP! SIZZLE!]
Crimson met the damp earth of the ruined temple sect. Fifteen shackled civilians looked up from the dirt floor, their eyes wide with disbelief, as their guards—cultists who had been laughing seconds prior—collapsed into the muck, their heads separated cleanly from their bodies.
Standing over them, amidst the smoking incense and the gore, were their saviors: Kaelin and Ashelin.
Ashelin's Whipsword coiled around her arm like a sleeping serpent, humming faintly. Her face was set in a mask of controlled fury, the sheer kinetic force she held ready to unleash palpable in the stagnant air.
Kaelin, on the other hand, was an apparition of surgical efficiency. She held her twin Tessens—short, tonfa-like blades—outward. Her Spatial Law did not require a full swing; the Dōwa-ryoku focused, creating an invisible, instantaneous cut on command. The cultists' heads hadn't been sliced; they had been severed from their reality, leaving no blood trail on Kaelin herself.
"Didn't sister Renaria explicitly say that we should just save the people?" Ashelin asked, glancing at the pile of dead bodies on the floor.
"Ummm, yes, I believe she did," Kaelin confirmed, equally unconcerned. "Well, we can't change the past."
They kicked down the rotting wooden door to the main chamber, their eyes scanning the hostages. Ashelin dropped into a dramatic, high-energy stance.
"Be not afraid! We have come to save you!"
Kaelin crossed her blades, slightly more reserved. "Yes, we have."
A terrified child hostage pointed a trembling finger at the mess by the entrance. "W-what happened to the guards?"
Ashelin quickly leaned into Kaelin, whispering urgently. "Are we truly that evil to show the child all the dead bodies we just created? Maybe not the best Umbra Circle PR."
"Ahem. New plan," Kaelin declared loudly. "We will save you all by kindly knocking you unconscious. It will be easier for the trip."
The hostages cried out in unison. "What!?"
But it was too late. Ashelin was a blur of calculated impact. [SNAP! POP! CRACK!] Her Whipsword lashed out, its fine tip hitting pressure points with the precise force of a surgeon, one after another. The hostages dropped to the ground, unconscious but unharmed.
The two Umbra Crown members looked at each other, their mission accomplished in under a minute. They lifted five hostages each—Ashelin carrying them like sacks of grain, Kaelin maneuvering them with an effortless grace that hinted at her spatial mastery.
Hours later, after placing the last hostage into the care of their relieved families, Ashelin wiped her hands with satisfaction. "Hah! Finally done. Time for mochi."
"Now then," Kaelin said, her mind already spinning a web of strategy. "What now?"
Ashelin and Kaelin exchanged a synchronized, wicked smirk.
[FLASHBACK END]
Lumina: The Traitor's Grip
Back at Lumina Academy, Kai and the others left the dojo, exhausted from Ma'am Neko's Dōwa-kyō test.
"Kurone, Reina, darlings, may you stay," Ma'am Neko called out.
Kurone stopped instantly. "Of course."
Reina pouted dramatically, turning back. "What!? But me and Kai were going to get mochi!"
"Reina?" Ma'am Neko asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Okay," Reina sighed, reluctantly letting Kai walk on.
Once they were alone, Ma'am Neko's tone became low and conspiratorial. "Dears, you are my two female elites."
"Elites?" Kurone echoed, intrigued.
"What does that mean?" Reina asked, instantly forgetting her mochi.
"In my class, I choose two females as my elites. You carry out my orders when I'm not present, and more importantly, you track the progress of others."
"So Kai and Itsuki are your male elites?" Reina guessed.
"No. Kai is not at the level I need him to be yet, and frankly, even if he were, he needs a bloodstained, iron fist to be my elite," Ma'am Neko explained, utterly dismissing the possibility.
Kurone's grin returned. "Damn. Okay, okay. We have been crowned. So what's our orders?"
"Glad you asked. Reina, since you already have plans with Kai, you track his progress. Kurone, well, you already have a variant of omnipresence by lacing your blood on someone, so you can watch the others."
They nodded, accepting the new mantle of responsibility, and left immediately.
Reina quickly found Kai sitting on the sports ground, sketching in a notepad—one of his few true escapes. [FWOOSH!] A wooden training sword zipped through the air. Kai, without looking, caught it with a simple, fluid motion.
"Damn, I shouldn't have caught that," Kai muttered, rubbing his hand on his uniform to appear injured.
"Come on. Let's train," Reina commanded, ignoring his protest.
Kai didn't disagree, he just groaned and slowly rose. They stood face to face. In a flash, Reina swiped the sword and knocked Kai off the ground. [THWACK!] Kai rubbed his back. "Ow."
Reina offered a hand, a smirk playing on her lips. "Hmph. I thought you had good instincts."
Kai took her hand, but she instantly used his momentum to [SLAM!] him to the ground again. A small trickle of blood ran from Kai's lip.
"How is this training!?" Kai exclaimed.
"Again."
Kai, annoyed, tried to attack, but Reina kicked him away. He tried again and again over the course of three hours, exhausting himself, but Reina blocked or evaded every strike.
"At least you're cute," Reina teased, sweat dripping down her face.
In a final moment of desperation, Kai attempted to punch her, but Reina prepared to evade. At the last second, Kai expertly redirected the momentum and slammed his fist into the ground, creating a small dust cloud.
"Finally!" Kai yelled, triumphant. He tried to kick her, but Reina simply shifted her weight.
"Uh?"
Reina smirked and tapped his forehead with her wooden sword, knocking him off balance. [THUMP!] "Mmmm, you tried. That has to be improvement." As Kai lay unconscious from exhaustion, she walked away. "Well then, see you later."
As Kai lay bleeding on the field, Luna (his panther) and Kira (his wolf) appeared from the surrounding brush and started licking his cheek. Kai chuckled and slowly sat up.
"Okay, okay, I get it, girls. You missed me."
Kira tilted her head, a silent question in her eyes.
"I let her win, don't worry," Kai whispered.
Luna simply placed her head in his lap, the white moonlight on her fur shimmering.
"At least you don't mention it," Kai smiled, stroking her. He sat watching the sunset. "It's been a while since I talked to Keito. In fact, he comes to his dorm room late. I hope he's okay."
In a dimly lit dojo, illuminated only by the light of the setting sun, Keito was slammed backward, bleeding and holding his Shikomizue (cane sword) and quiver. He was trembling, preparing to fight again.
Kikyo—a lean, severe figure whose features were obscured by the dim light—kicked a dust cloud at the boy. "Well, Keito. Let's try your training again, shall we?"
END OF CHAPTER 5