"I had that dream again last night. It was dark, and I could hear people screaming at me as if I was in serious danger. When I turned to see who was screaming, I was stabbed through the chest. I felt the pain and the warmth of my blood coming out of my chest when I heard someone whisper in my ear, stating that giving me power was a mistake. As I started turning my head to see who it was, he twisted the blade and kicked me to the ground. I looked up to see who my killer was, but I just couldn't make him out."
Kane slammed his locker shut and started walking to the classroom right next to it. "My name is Kane Muramasa; I'm 18, a senior in high school, blond hair, and green eyes. This dream that I have been having started when I began seeing things that other people can't. I'm not exactly sure what they are, but they look like clear dots that fly like flies around certain people, and when I get close to some of these people, I get a really weird sensation. I guess you can say it feels like a killing intent."
He sat down at his desk and looked out the window. "Good morning, Kane!" someone yelled into his ear. "Ah, good morning, Toshi. Has anyone ever told you that yelling into someone's ear that loud could cause them to go deaf?" Kane scolded him.
"Keep it loud. Oh, how's your sister feeling since the accident?" Toshi crossed his arms and put on a large smile. "She is doing much better now that she is home, and she is under the care of yours truly," he said, pointing at himself with his thumb. "So what are you doing aft...?”
He was interrupted when a piece of chalk hit both him and Kane on the head. "Stop talking and get ready for class, you two!" the teacher said, pointing her ruler at them. "Yes, Ma'am!" they yelled, standing at attention, then sat down and took out their books.
Fifteen minutes into class, Kane got bored and started looking outside, down towards the ground floor. He started looking at the tennis courts, where classmates played tennis, then at the pool, where he saw the girls' swim team doing laps. Finally, he looked at the front gate where something caught his eye – a girl sitting at the gate, staring at him. "Who is that?" he asked himself, trying to focus on her a bit more.
"MISTER MURAMASA, AM I BORING YOU?" the teacher yelled. Kane stood at attention again. "No, ma'am," he answered. He sat down, grabbed his book, and took one last glance at the gate. "She's gone," he whispered. The bell rang and got his attention; he grabbed his books and placed them into his bag.
"Hey Kane, let's go on the roof and eat lunch today; you seem a little out of it for some reason," Toshi requested as he poked Kane in the shoulder. Kane looked at Toshi and looked at the gate again. "Yeah, alright. I guess I need some fresh air," he replied, rubbing his eyes.
Kane sat down and placed his lunch next to him. "You know something, Toshi?" he asked as he looked at him, not surprised that he had a mouth full of ramen already. "There was a girl at the gate during class, and it looked like she was just staring at me the entire time."
Toshi swallowed the mouthful of food and looked at Kane. "It sounds like someone has a crush on you, buddy," he said playfully with a smile on his face. Kane looked at the ground. "Would you shut up!" he said angrily. "No one has a crush on me," he closed his eyes. "And besides, I've never met her." He opened his eyes and was shocked to see a black cat sitting on the metal fence behind them, staring at him.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"Toshi, do you see that cat?" Kane asked, pointing at the cat. Toshi swallowed another mouthful of ramen and looked. "It's a cat, so what," he replied, shoving another scoopful of ramen into his mouth. “No, I'm serious; I swear that cat is staring at me!" Kane said as he turned to Toshi. "Look at it." He pointed and looked back at the fence. "Where did it go?" he started looking around, but no sign of the cat. "Maybe you scared it away," Toshi replied with a cookie in his mouth. “It’s about time to go back to class anyway. Let's go. We’ve only got one more hour before we are done for the day."
The bell rang, signaling the end of the day. “Hey Kane, what are you doing this weekend?” Toshi asked as he slapped Kane on the back. Kane stood up. “I don’t know yet.” He replied walking out of the school. “I will let you know when I find out.” Toshi and Kane exited the school gate. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kane!" Toshi yelled as he started running home. "Yeah, see you tomorrow," Kane replied as he turned the opposite direction and started walking home.
"Who was she, and why was she staring at me?" he asked himself. In a train of thought, he missed his turn and kept walking. He looked up. "Where am I?" he looked around, seeing nothing familiar. He turned around and stopped in his tracks because he saw a girl wearing a dark cloak standing in front of him. He focused on the girl, hoping to get a better look. "Were you the girl that was staring at me this afternoon at the school?" he asked her. He stared at her for a short while, then suddenly she started running towards him. "It’s you, isn’t it? I finally found you." She stopped in front of him. "Um, sorry miss, found who?" Kane asked. She stared at him with her big blue eyes. "I found you silly; you are Kane Muramasa, are you not?" she answered with a big grin on her face. He looked at her confused. "Me? How do you know my name? I've never met you." She started walking around him. "I've been watching you," she said as he started getting that sensation again. When she got back around to the front of him, he could see the clear dots flying around her. "You can see them, can't you?" she asked. "See what?" he asked angrily. "The Pyreflies, dummy," she replied with a grin. "So what, and why have you been watching me?" he asked as she snapped her fingers. Kane looked at her confused but almost instantly saw a small group of dots turn into a small bag. "I was part of the Sentry, and you, Kane Muramasa, I need your help."
Kane looked at her even more confused, more amazed at the fact that she made a bag appear out of nowhere. "Pyreflies are kind of like our helpers, so to speak. They are attracted to our power, the sensation you feel when you get near them is called Instinct," she explained as she reached into the bag. "Not everyone can control them like some of us; they feed on our power to survive, and in return, they help us. Not everyone who can control them uses them the right way." She continued as she pulled a sword out of the bag. Kane jumped back, thinking she was going to attack him with it. "What are you going to do with that?" he asked a little nervous. She looked at him confused. "What are you talking about?" she said as she tilted the sword broadside, showing a small engraving on the blade just above the hilt that read MURAMASA. "Whoa, hold on a second. Just because it has my name on it doesn't mean it's mine. I can't......." He was interrupted by someone laughing behind him. "So this is where you brought the MURAMASA BLADE. Shame on you, Kitty. You know the rules; we are not supposed to disclose any of our information to mere trash such as this kid. Now that you have broken that rule, I have to kill you both. A shame really, I was quite fond of you, Kitty." Kane turned around to see a large man with white hair standing behind him, holding a large battle hammer over his shoulder. "Ready to die?"