Tuesday, August 6, 3074 AE - Midnight

In the quiet, shadowed streets of the town, three figures darted through the night. Their movements were swift and calculated, each of them scanning their surroundings with intense focus. They were searching for something—or someone—of great importance. The urgency in their steps was palpable as they turned a random corner, only to be confronted by a lone female figure standing in the moonlight.

The woman before them had long, flowing silver hair that glimmered eerily in the dark. Her eyes were concealed beneath a blindfold, giving her an otherworldly appearance. The lead figure, Blaze, reacted immediately.

“Found you,” he growled, thrusting his hands forward as a burst of fire erupted from his palms. The flames surged towards the woman, but to his shock, they passed right through her, as if she wasn’t there at all.

The silver-haired figure smirked, her voice a whisper on the wind. “You three are getting close... but not close enough.” And just like that, she vanished, leaving the trio standing in stunned silence.

“Dammit, just where is she?” Blaze muttered in frustration, his fiery temperament flaring up as he clenched his fists.

“Calm down, Blaze,” Scarlett, the second figure, interjected. She placed a hand on her hip, her other hand resting on her chin as she pondered their situation. “We already knew this wouldn’t be easy. Besides, if she’s using illusions and clones, she must be nearby.”

“So you mean she’s in plain sight, but also hidden?” Lyria, the third member of their group, asked, her voice tinged with a mix of confusion and intrigue.

Scarlett nodded. “Yes. She’s probably counting on us being exhausted and hungry. She knows we’ll be less perceptive, so she’s using these tricks to throw us off. But that also means she’s confident enough to stay close.”

“She’s doing a good job at it,” Lyria added, a hint of weariness in her voice. “This is the tenth illusion we’ve found tonight. And every time we try to take a break, she hits us with some energy beam or another. It’s like she’s toying with us.”

Blaze, silent until now, was deep in thought. His brow furrowed as he replayed everything they had encountered so far, trying to piece together a solution.

“Wait,” Scarlett suddenly said, her eyes lighting up with an idea. “If she’s using her powers to create these illusions, we can trace them back to her. Each illusion has its own energy signature, and if we can track that, we can find her.”

“Energy signature?” Lyria and Blaze echoed simultaneously.

“Exactly,” Scarlett continued, her voice gaining confidence. “Everyone with Reiki has a unique signature. It’s like a signal that’s imprinted within them. Unless you actively hide it, your location can be tracked by that signal.”

Blaze’s eyes widened slightly as he considered this new information. “Wait, really? I never knew that. Doesn’t that mean we can find Kōsō more easily?”

“Yes and no,” Scarlett explained. “Kōsō’s energy signature is erratic, making it appear as if it’s in multiple places at once. That’s why it’s so difficult to pinpoint their exact location.”

“Tch, it would’ve been easier if it was a straight shot,” Blaze grumbled. “Anyway, how do we find that woman using this signal thing?”

“We’ll need to split up and search in different directions,” Scarlett suggested, formulating a plan. “We’ll look for the strongest signals, as those will have more of her energy. Once those signals disperse, they’ll leave behind tiny threads that we can follow to her, but they’ll be hard to sense.”

Blaze nodded, his fiery determination reigniting. “Then let’s split up. I want to get this mission over with.” Without another word, he took off, heading north of the city, his pace driven by sheer willpower.

“Always so impatient, isn’t he?” Lyria commented, watching her brother disappear into the distance.

“That he is,” Scarlett agreed with a small smile. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ll head west, and you can go south. One of us is bound to find her.”

The trio split up, each of them fueled by renewed energy now that they had a plan to find their elusive sensei.

Unbeknownst to them, from a hidden vantage point, Aeloria watched her students with a smirk. “Ara, they’ve finally discovered that aspect of Reiki. I’ll give them two days before they manage to find me.”

Thursday, August 8, 3074 AE - Evening

Two days had passed since the trio split up, and despite their best efforts, they had yet to find a trace of their sensei’s true location. However, they had narrowed it down to three possible places. As the sun began to set, they gathered to discuss their findings.

“So, what did everyone find?” Scarlett began, her tone serious. “I’ll go first. I found five illusions, and after destroying them, the threads led me to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city.”

“Interesting,” Lyria mused. “I found eight illusions, one of which led to the center of the nearby forest. How about you, brother?”

Blaze crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. “Hn, I found fifteen illusions. One of them led to our house, which is... confusing.”

“What?” Scarlett’s eyes widened. “That’s it! In plain sight—she was hiding where we would never think to look! Our house... we wouldn’t have checked there because we’ve been so focused on following her energy.”

“Then let’s head there,” Blaze said, his impatience showing again. “If she really is there, then I’m sure she’s waiting for us.”

Without another word, the three of them took off, running back to their home. Exhausted from three days of relentless pursuit, their bodies ached, and their throats were parched, but they knew they had to finish this mission quickly.

When they arrived at their home, Blaze flung the door open. There, sitting comfortably on the couch, was their sensei, Aeloria. She appeared completely at ease, watching what seemed to be a romantic show on the holo-screen.

“Oh, hey guys!” Aeloria greeted them cheerfully, not even turning her head. “Nice of you to join me. Wanna watch the show with me?”

“No,” Blaze snapped, his frustration evident. “We found you, so the first part of the mission is over. Now, let’s get on with the second part.”

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

“Aww, no fair. It was just getting to the good part,” Aeloria pouted as she turned off the screen. She stood up, stretching leisurely before flashing them a mischievous grin. “Well, I guess it’s time, huh? Follow me.”

The trio sweatdropped at her carefree attitude but followed her out of the house nonetheless. She led them to an open field that bordered a dense forest, the setting sun casting long shadows across the ground.

“This is where your second part will happen,” Aeloria announced, turning to face them. “Here, you all have to land a single attack on me. If you can’t manage that by the end of the week, you fail the mission.”

“Easy,” Blaze said confidently, igniting his hand with flames as he prepared to attack. “All I have to do is land one hit.”

“Easy, huh?” Aeloria chuckled, her blindfolded eyes seemingly locking onto him despite her covered vision. “We’ll see about that. As I mentioned before, I won’t be holding back much. I won’t use any of my powers, but I will be fighting you hand-to-hand.”

“How is that not holding back?” Lyria asked, perplexed by her sensei’s words.

“It’s simple,” Aeloria explained with a knowing smile. “I’m going to use most of my speed and strength to fight you. Even without my powers, it will still be incredibly difficult for you three to land a hit.”

Lyria’s eyes widened as she processed the information. “I get it now. Since using her powers makes her far stronger than most, she’s learned to be proficient in hand-to-hand combat, making her still superior to us.”

“Exactly, Scarlett,” Aeloria praised. “You’ve got good intuition. Now, enough talk. Let’s begin.”

The moment the words left her lips, Blaze launched himself at Aeloria, firing a rapid barrage of fireballs while gripping his scythe tightly in his hand.

“I’m curious,” Aeloria said calmly as she effortlessly dodged his attacks. “How do you carry that scythe around? It always just seems to appear out of nowhere.”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Blaze shot back, increasing his speed as he sent a flurry of strikes with his scythe. “How can you see with a blindfold on?”

Aeloria grinned, catching his scythe with one hand and delivering a powerful palm strike to his stomach. The force of the blow sent him flying backward, crashing into the ground with a heavy thud.

“Trade secret,” she replied with a wink, her voice light but her movements lethal.

Right after Blaze was sent flying, both Scarlett and Lyria charged in, determination blazing in their eyes as they flew towards Aeloria. Scarlett covered her hands in intense flames, throwing punches left and right, each one packed with raw fury, hoping that at least one would connect. Meanwhile, Lyria soared high into the air, summoning her energy and releasing a barrage of beams, raining them down like a relentless storm.

Aeloria, with a swift motion, slammed her fist into the ground, shattering it and sending debris flying into the air. The explosion blocked the energy beams, scattering them harmlessly. The dust and rubble clouded Scarlett’s vision, forcing her to strike blindly at the incoming debris. She incinerated each chunk with her flaming fists, only to be met with a sudden impact—a foot drove into her face with unrelenting force, sending her crashing into the ground beside Blaze.

Before Scarlett could recover, Lyria dived down at incredible speed, aiming a powerful punch at Aeloria. But Aeloria, unfazed, caught the blow, her strength matching Lyria's. The sheer force of the impact, however, ripped apart the ground around them, lifting chunks of earth into the air as if the planet itself recoiled from their clash. Aeloria, seizing the moment, grabbed Lyria’s arm and pulled her close, ready to deliver a devastating spinning kick. But Lyria’s eyes flashed, and from them shot a concentrated beam of energy. Aeloria barely managed to leap away, narrowly dodging the searing beam that sliced through the air.

As Aeloria landed, the sound of clapping echoed through the battlefield. She stood there, her expression calm but with a hint of admiration in her eyes. "I am impressed," she said, her voice steady. "You three are stronger than I thought, but strength alone will not be enough to defeat me."

With a simple wave of her hand, Aeloria sent three shockwaves rippling through the air. They struck Blaze, Scarlett, and Lyria with precision, sending them tumbling backward. Each shockwave resonated with a thunderous boom, the force of the impact causing the trio to groan in pain as they struggled to regain their footing.

Blaze, his body aching, muttered under his breath, "This is so not fair. We’re all hungry, tired, and not in the right state of mind. How do you expect us to win?"

Aeloria’s figure blurred, and in an instant, she was in front of Blaze. She struck him repeatedly, her fists a blur as they connected with his face, each hit driving her point deeper into his mind. "Do you think the enemy will give you time to rest?" she spat, her voice cold and sharp. She delivered a vicious kick that sent him flying. "Do you think they will let you eat?" She appeared beneath him as he soared through the air, kicking him upwards with brutal force. "And do you think they will care about your state of mind?" A final, powerful kick launched him crashing into the ground, creating a massive crater beneath him.

Aeloria landed gracefully, her eyes locked onto Blaze, who lay battered and bruised in the crater. "In a fight, your life is always at risk," she lectured, her tone unforgiving. "You have all survived by chance, but that will not always be the case. I know you want to exterminate them, but what's the point if you only get yourself killed?"

Blaze, his body screaming in agony, forced himself to stand. Blood trickled down his right arm and from a gash on his head, but he wiped the blood from his lips defiantly. "So what," he growled, his voice filled with pain and determination, "if I can kill them, then that’s all that matters."

Aeloria’s eyes softened slightly, but her voice remained firm. "What about your sister? What about your friend? How do you think they will feel watching the person they care about die right in front of them because of his own reckless actions?"

Blaze hesitated, glancing over at Lyria and Scarlett. His sister and his best friend—two of the most important people in his life. Inside, a torrent of emotions raged. He didn’t want to lose them; he was sure they felt the same. But deep within him burned a desire for vengeance, a desire to avenge his family.

"Do you think your parents would want this?" Aeloria’s voice cut through his thoughts like a knife. "Do you think they want their son to go down a road that will get him killed? I’m sure they don’t."

Her words stung, bringing back memories of his parents—of what they said before they died. 'Keep moving forward,' they had told him. 'Don’t look back.' But something deep down refused to let him move on. It pushed him to seek vengeance, to see those who wronged him suffer.

Blaze narrowed his eyes, suspicion creeping into his voice. "Don’t tell me you did the ‘Mission’ just to teach me a lesson about how I should act."

Aeloria smiled a hint of mischief in her expression. "That’s exactly it. You need to stop being all emo and live life. You’ve been like this since you were younger—always brooding, always serious. Have some fun."

"Have fun?" Blaze scoffed, his voice dripping with bitterness. "The only ‘fun’ I want is to see every last Kōsō dead." His hair shadowed his eyes as he clenched his fists, the weight of his grief and anger evident in every word.

Aeloria sighed inwardly, knowing this would be difficult. 'He’ll come around eventually,' she thought. But there was no time to dwell on it. With a quick motion, she charged at Blaze, her speed blinding. He tried to move, but his injuries slowed him down. Just as her fist was about to connect, Lyria appeared by his side, pulling him out of harm’s way.

"That was close," Lyria said, her voice filled with concern. She lightly bopped him on the head, trying to lift his spirits. "Be more careful, will you? It’s my job to keep you safe, just like Mother said."

Scarlett walked over, a smile on her face despite the battle. "And it’s my job to keep pushing you to get stronger, so come on, lighten up some, we’re friends, aren’t we?"

Blaze’s eye twitched, but a small smile tugged at his lips. "Geez, you two just never give up, do you? Fine, I’ll try and lighten up."

As he stood, his eyes and hair began to change. His hair turned a shimmering silver with streaks of violet, and his eyes glowed a deep, intense violet. Power surged within him, renewed resolve in his heart. "Let’s finish this," he said, his voice filled with newfound determination.

"Yeah," Lyria nodded, her eyes alight with hope.

"Right, let’s do it!" Scarlett slammed her fist into her palm, ready for round two.

Inside Blaze’s head, a familiar voice whispered, 'You better make this count, my host will not fail—I will not allow it.' It was the voice of Ēteru no Eikō, the Kōsō spirit that resided within him, its power merging with his own. Blaze felt the weight of its presence, the intensity of its will.

With a final glance at his sister and best friend, Blaze readied himself. The battle wasn’t over, but this time, they would fight together—stronger, faster, and more determined than ever.