The day passed quickly, and after dinner Marco showed them into the lounge.

“You will all have to sleep in the lounge… I don’t have any spare rooms in this tiny house,” Marco said jovially, his red face plastered with a giant smile.

Teresa dumped her belongings on the couch, sitting down on top of them. Pulling out her small red book, she began to read silently.

Jake frowned at her, “So you get the couch?”

Teresa just ignored him, lost in the worn pages of her book.

“Hey Jake, I don’t even think you should be sleeping on the floor!” Paige laughed, trying to lighten the anxious mood in the room.

“I guess you could snuggle up with Teresa on the couch!” Rocko joked, slapping him on the back, causing him to stumble forward.

“Very funny,” Jake rolled his eyes, joining the others in laying out thin mattresses on the floor.

Marco turned to walk out of the room, “Is there anything else I can get anyone?”

Nathan shrugged, “No, I think we are good.”

“Do you know what?” Marco started, “This is the first time in over five hundred years, that all of the blades have been active at the same time.” He turned to Nathan, “And I don’t even know when they were last all active with the two you hold as well. I had the opportunity to become a Keeper once…” he said, causing surprise to even Teresa, “I decided that it wasn’t a path I wished to follow. No, I don’t envy any of you Keepers, the power is amazing, but the pressure of the battles…” his voice trailed off.

Minutes passed, Jake sat on his mat, staring straight forward quietly. Marco’s words haunting him while the others continued to set up their beds. A strange new fear rising up inside.

“You alright Jake?” Nathan asked, waving a hand in front of his face.

“I’m fine!” he glared angrily, pushing the hand away and storming outside.

The night air was warm. He paced across the unkempt yard to the dirt road, picking up a small stone and heaved it into the forest. He closed his eyes, taking a long deep breath in, trying to calm his nervous heart.

“Not fine,” Teresa walked up slowly behind him.

Jake rolled his eyes, “What?”

“You’re not fine,” she repeated.

“So what?”

“So tell me why you are not fine,” she spoke, patience filling her voice.

“What are we doing here?” Jake asked, avoiding eye contact.

Teresa looked a little confused, “To find the Scroll of the Se...”

“No,” Jake interrupted, “Why are we here?” He asked again, this time motioning at himself and the house, “Are we ready for this?”

Teresa nodded, “Hyung wouldn’t have sent you if he didn’t think you were ready.”

Jake sighed, placing his head in his hands, “This isn’t who I am Teresa. I’m not brave like the rest of them. Nathan and the others… They should all be here… But I am so afraid… I… I shouldn’t be here.”

Teresa pulled her small red notebook from her coat and flicked through the pages. It seemed she became completely distracted by the book for a moment before she began speaking again, “What do you think bravery is?”

“Bravery... It’s when someone does something special... or terrifying and they are not afraid. But I always feel scared,” Jake replied. “Like when we met Frosty and Myst in the park, I just froze. I couldn’t move. I thought I was going to die!”

She snapped shut the book and stood in front of him, “Bravery isn’t for the brave. Bravery is when you are scared to do something, but do it anyway. If you were not scared to do it, then it wouldn’t be a very brave thing to do, would it?”

Jake looked down, “I guess… But I just don’t want to let everyone down.”

“If you quit now, it is not just us you are letting down, but yourself too. You must strengthen your mind Jake. If you don’t believe in something, then you will fall for anything,” Teresa tapped the side of her head with a finger as she spoke.

“I don’t think I could take someone’s life though,” Jake shook his head slowly.

“And I hope you never have to. Jake, you have been incredibly brave up until now, you completed the test and received the blade, and you met with the soul. All of those things are terrifying.”

“I don’t feel that was brave Teresa, I froze with fear in the test, and then I cried and pleaded for my life like a baby in front of Kagami,” Jake kicked the ground angrily.

“But you got through both of those tests. You made it here, and you have been performing great in the training sessions. You are braver then you think. Now let’s go in and get some sleep. We have an early start tomorrow,” Teresa took him by the shoulder, steering him towards the tiny house.

The lights were soon out and everyone was asleep. Jake’s eyes wouldn’t shut however. Between Rocko and Teresa’s snoring and the intense humidity, he could not get to sleep at all.

I need to get some fresh air. Jake thought after a few hours had ticked slowly by. He quietly collected Kagami before sneaking out of the house. It was deathly quiet in the late hours, a million stars shone dimly above his head, a full moon cast an eerie light across the yard through a lone cloud. A strange weight in the air caused Jake to feel like he was being watched.

A twig snapped in the distance.

“Who’s there?” Jake demanded.

Out of the corner of his eye, a shadow moved, causing him to spin rapidly. He quickly drew Kagami and fell into a defensive stance. “Show yourself!”

“Are you sure you want to be here?” a voice whispered from the darkness.

Jake lowered his sword slightly, scanning the horizon, not answering the shadows question.

“You don’t look strong,” the voice continued, “I can make you strong...”

Jakes eyes narrowed, “Who says I’m not strong?”

The shadow laughed, “Your aura screams to me that you are terrified. You are not like the others.”

His words resonated through Jake’s mind.

“You have two options Jake. Join me, or die here. You don’t know how to kill someone. And the only way I am going to leave is if you kill me, or leave with me. I can make you so much stronger then you are.”

“Yet you hide in the shadows,” Jake said regaining some courage, “If you’re not scared then show yourself!”

The shadow stepped out of the tree line, a large dark hood cast a shadow over his face. He slowly pushed his hood back. He was around Nathan’s size, but had more muscle. His hair was styled back in a mullet on top of a scarred face. “I am Brad. The veil of shadows has been lifted as you requested. Now, do you wish to join me or die?”

“You’re a hunter!” Jake cried out.

“Very perceptive,” Brad replied. He unclipped a strange shaped sword from his belt. The blade split at the end, forming a ‘Y’ shape.

“I will not join you. Hunters are evil!” Jake said, readying for a fight.

“Evil?” Brad replied curiously, “I see you have been brainwashed by Hyung.”

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Jake stared at him, “I know what you are after. And I know what you are planning to do with it.”

Brad thought before answering, “We are taking those item because we don’t want Hyung to get his hands on them. It is him you should be worried about, not us. I do not want to hurt you Jake, I would prefer you join us.”

The chrome edge of Kagami glistened in the moonlight, making beams of light dance around the yard.

“Like I would join you,” Jake’s voice had an air of uncertainty about it.

Brad shook his head slowly, showing obvious disappointment in Jake’s decision, “I had higher hopes for you Jake. But if you do not wish to join us, then I have no option but to kill you and take that blade of yours. I truly am sorry.”

Sweat beaded on Jake’s head and his hands shook. He edged slowly away from the assailant, hoping that he could make it to the house and awaken some help. Brad lunged at him with speed, his blade just skimming along Jakes chest as he dodged out of the way. Blood trickled from the graze and a burning pain shot through Jakes body, “What the hell did you do?” he screamed at Brad.

Brad turned to him with a strange look in his eyes, “My blade is coated with a chemical that burns on contact with flesh. It will weaken you and slow down your reflexes.”

He now stood between Jake and the house. Jake climbed unsteadily to his feet, quickly making a circle with Kagami, creating a mirror between himself and Brad.

A strange smile crossed Brads face in return, “Kagami the Mirror Blade. I have read all about it. A blade of utter confusion. In a more experienced hand, I would indeed be worried, but you don’t have the guts to kill a man. I saw it in your eyes!”

Jake clasped a hand across his chest. The burning becoming more intense. I need to end this quickly, he thought, taking his mind off Brad for a moment.

“Boo!” he heard Brad call out from behind him. The blade grazed Jake’s bicep as he instinctively rolled out of the way.

“Ooo… Ouch! That’s got to sting!” Brad taunted.

Jake jumped back to his feet, the pain making him dizzy. Swinging his sword forwards, he created a long hallway of mirrors either side of his opponent. Brad’s eyes narrowed and he sprinted forward, Jake hesitated briefly before jumping through the nearest mirror. He landed, sliding to a stop at Kagami’s feet.

“He is weak and cocky. Why don’t you destroy him?” she asked through the large scarf covering her face.

“He has poisoned me…” Jake muttered grasping his chest. “And I am no killer.”

“I will do it if I must, but you must bring him to me,” Kagami looked down at him with little sympathy, “You can rest afterwards.”

Jake slowly got to his feet, “How do I do that? He is so much faster than me?”

Kagami moved close to his face. Jake could see deep into her eyes. There seem to be only emptiness behind the beauty. He stumbled back when he saw the images of skulls appear in the depths.

“Well if you can’t speed up, then slow him down.” As Kagami spun away, Jake noticed a crystal sword piece together at her side. It looked like pure glass, nearly invisible to the naked eye.

“Your sword…” Jake stammered.

“What about it?” Kagami replied.

“Did you just create that?”

She drew the transparent blade from its scabard, “Yes. We can make anything… Remember?”

Jake nodded and spun around to view the exits. He could see Brad smashing random mirrors, “Come out Fool! You can’t hide from me forever!”

Jake stepped out of a mirror directly behind Brad, plunging his blade into Brad’s leg before quickly stepping through another mirror. Brad let out a scream, clutching his calf muscle, blood dripping through his fingers. Jake stepped out of a third mirror, ten meters in front of Brad, standing shakily on his feet, the poison taking its toll.

“Come and get me Hunter. Is this burn all you have? I thought you Hunters were professionals?” Jake taunted weakly.

Brad growled and in a blurred moment, threw a small dagger that was concealed in his sleeve. The knife hit Jake square in the heart, his eyes went wide as he struggled to breathe. His hand hesitantly reached for the knife and his eyes raised to meet Brads.

Brad limped forward, “I am not a one trick pony punk.”

As Jake pulled out the knife, he exploded into a million tiny mirror particles, each shimmering in the light of the full moon.

“Neither am I,” came a weak voice behind Brad.

Brad spun and saw Jake making a mirror above both of them. He swung his poisoned blade at Jake. Jake dodged, but received a slice along his thigh. The mirror he created above fell quickly and they both disappeared into it.

They entered the other dimension in the air, Brad and Jake falling harshly to the ground, both their weapons scattering out of their reach. A vast grey nothingness surrounded them, no sign of an exit in sight. Brad grabbed Jake by the scruff, lifting him off the ground, “Where are we? What have you done?”

Before he could reply, Jake fell to the ground with Brad’s arm still holding his collar. Brad let out a scream of pain, dropping to his knees, clutching the bleeding wound just below his shoulder.

Jake grabbed at the severed arm and yanked it from his collar, tossing it aside.

“Hello Hunter,” Kagami spun Brad around before lifting him in the same manor he had done to Jake, the transparent sword clasped in her other hand.

“W...W...Who are you?” Brad forced out between gritted teeth.

“I am death,” Kagami whispered.

Jake saw Kagami place her hand on her sword, but that was it. There was no other movement before Brad’s head rolled off his shoulders. Jake clenched his eyes shut in fear as Brad’s head landed next to him with a thud, rolling and coming to a stop, resting against his legs.

Jake opened his eyes to find he was back on the front lawn, the long dewy grass cooling the stinging cuts in his skin. It was still dark and Brad’s dead body lay next to him in three pieces. Jake weakly rose to his feet, stumbling down through the yard to the house. The pain felt like it was slowly paralyzing his arm, while the cut to his chest seemed to be slowing down his heart. Struggling to breathe, he took two steps into the lounge before passing out on to a sleeping Paige.

Startled, Paige woke up, shoving him off her and her makeshift bed, “What do you think you are doing creep?”

Paige jumped up and flicked on the light, noticing the large cut across Jake’s chest, “Jake!” she cried, bending down, giving him a shake, “Jake! Are you ok?”

Jake started moaning as he came to. He opened his eyes to everyone in the room staring at him. Teresa was placing some bandages around the wound on his chest. “This is an interesting poison, it was designed to burn the nervous system, slowing the body down. I take it you got into a bit of a scuffle?”

Marco hurried back in to the room. “Teresa, you had better come and look at this.”

Teresa stood to her feet, “Alright. The rest of you stay here.”

“Bring the boy,” Marco said, motioning at Jake.

Teresa supported Jake and helped him limp out to where Brad’s lifeless body lay.

“You need to tell us exactly what happened out here,” Marco said in a stern voice. Jake stared at Brad’s sliced body before turning his head away in disgust.

“That Hunter just attacked me. Obviously you can see how that ended.” Jake coughed weakly.

Marco stared intently at Jake, as if waiting for something more, “Did he say anything to you?”

Jake thought hard for a moment, Evil? I see you have been brain washed by Hyung. The Hunter’s words echoed around his head. Jake shook his head slowly, his head aching from the cuts and poison. “Not really, just that his name was Brad,” Jake lied.

“Are you sure he didn’t say anything else?” Marco repeated, unsure of whether to believe him or not.

Jake closed his eyes, “I’m really tired, can I go lie down?”

Teresa nodded. “I will take him back inside, can you get rid of the body?”

“Sure thing,” Marco dragged the body off as Teresa and Jake headed back to the house.

“Are you ok?” Teresa asked him before going inside.

“I will be fine. The burning has stopped at least,” Jake muttered, “still a little numb though.”

Teresa smiled, “Yeah, I took care of that, the numbness will also subside in a little while.”

Twenty minutes later, Marco walked back into the room, dirt and sweat covering his hands and face. “Well, it is not day light yet, but we might as well make a start since everyone is up. But first, breakfast!” A large smile spread across his face as he disappeared into his tiny kitchen. After a few minutes he returned, all cleaned up and carrying a large platter of tropical fruits. Bananas, mangos and pineapples were just some of the succulent fruits he had on offer.

Jake sat on the couch with a hand on his forehead, his head was still pounding from the injuries he had received. Marco walked up and handed him a strange looking pink fruit, “This is the dragon fruit, full of nutrients. You should eat it, it will help with the healing process.”

Jake nodded, and began slowly picking through the black and white insides, its sweet flavor invigorating his senses.

The others had all gathered around the tray, picking pieces different pieces from the platter.

Jake remained silent, keeping to himself.

Teresa sat down next to him, biting into a crisp apple, the juices running down her chin. She wiped the liquid away before speaking to him, “I want you to stay here with Marco. He will get you better, the rest of us can go on the search.”

“I’ll be fine to go,” Jake argued, attempting to stand. His legs wobbled under his weight, and he collapsed back onto the couch.

“Yeah you’re completely fine…” Teresa replied sarcastically, “I will look after your friends. I will make sure nothing happens to them.”

“I’m not worried about you guys. I know you will be fine. After my fight with Brad, I feel stronger, and really wanted to go with you.”

Teresa pulled out her small red notebook and flicked through a few pages before patting his shoulder and standing up, “I will bring you back a souvenir.”

“You’re not very good at this sentimental stuff are you?” Jake said with a weak laugh.

“You will get used to it,” Teresa stated, tucking the book back into her cloak.

She then spoke to everyone in the room, “I will give you a quick rundown on the Hunters so listen up! Firstly, they work in levels. A level one Hunter is a new recruit. These are often children, either taken from their parents, or orphans. They are trained mostly by the level two Hunters. These ones have learnt the basics, but are not up to field missions yet. Jake just fought a level three Hunter. His skills didn’t seem that great, but judging by the poison that he used, he was trying to become a level four. A level four Hunter will usually have a special ability, these Hunters are not to be messed with. They are trained to take out Keepers, and they usually know which Keeper they want to attack.

“So there are four levels?” Jake asked interested.

Teresa was silent for a moment before she spoke, “No. Unfortunately, there are level five Hunters. Three of them to be precise. These Hunters are as strong, if not stronger than a Keeper. They will have no interest in your blades because their weapons are already as rare as they come. The fable is, that their weapons were forged in the deepest pits of Hell. If you meet one of these Hunters and have a chance to kill them, take it.”

The group stilled for a moment.

“How can we tell them apart?” Jake asked.

“Tattoo’s,” Teresa replied, “A level three will have one below their right ear, a level four will have one below each ear and a level five will also have one on their chin. That is the easiest way to differentiate between them. Lower than a level three, you won’t have to worry, they don’t let them out.”

The group all silently stared at her.

Teresa just smiled, “Eat up! We have a long trip ahead of us. I don’t want you all passing out and complaining that you are hungry minutes into this. Where we are going, you will need all the strength you can get.”