"Huff! Huff!" Yuki's lungs and eyes strung badly. She could barely see several meters ahead of herself. 'Why am I trying so hard?' She wondered. 'Just to save a boy I just met? One I barely know?' She stumbled as her vision darkened. Then she quickly slammed her foot into the ground to catch herself. 'Have to keep moving!'
'Technology will save the world someday! I'm going to use it to defeat the nightmares!' She chuckled to herself as she thought back to those words of the boy. It felt like long ago, despite it having only been half a day since they met. 'He's so naive, but he gave me hope. I want to save him!'
Suddenly, a roar rang out. A green mutant appeared in front of her. It was a 3-meter-long tiger. The nearby flames didn't seem to bother it as green smoke floated off its body. It growled before pouncing towards her.
'Ugh!' She quickly rolled out of the way while returning a fist to the left side of the mutant's ribs. However, no damage was dealt. Instead, she only felt her fist throb. A tiny amount of blood trickled down her hand. The green smoke of the mutant had damaged it. Fortunately, the green smoke was relatively weak and the wound likely wouldn't leave any permanent damage.
The tiger prepared to pounce again. She quickly prepared to defend herself as best she could. Suddenly, a white light covered the area. Then a fist slammed through the head of the tiger.
"Dad!" She yelled excitedly as she saw the figure covered in light.
"Not quite." The light faded, revealing a mostly unfamiliar esper. "You've got some guts. Running away from me is one thing, but to run through the streets in this situation. Did your father drive the common sense out of your head?"
"Ah, it's you." She replied while disappointed. It was the esper that had promised her father to protect her.
"Let's go." He grabbed her by the arm.
"AHH! She screamed in horror while pointing forward. The esper turned around in confusion before his eyes widened as well. A series of small meteors were heading right for them. They were so numerous as to blot out the sky.
"DAMNIT!" He yelled. The white glow reappeared over his body. He placed a hand on Yuki's shoulder and the white light spread to her as well. "My power strengthens the body of whomever I place it on." He quickly explained. "There's a time-limit for other people. The more people I assign it to, the more divided my power becomes. It's already at half-strength between the two of us. Prepare to dodge as many as you can!"
"Right!" She nodded in affirmation. The man let go and the two split up. It would be harder to dodge right next to each other.
"Ugh!" Yuki ground her teeth as she dodged to the side. Some lava from a nearby meteor splashed onto her. However, the light kept it at bay. 'This feeling... It's amazing!' Her body had never felt so light and strong before. She moved quicker than ever before. Her years of martial arts training finally felt like it paid off as she evaded the meteors.
Suddenly, a tall building came crashing towards her. She remained calm and easily ran backwards to avoid it. Large piles of dust and flame shot into the air as it blocked the street. She was now trapped, not that there was really any way to outrun the meteors anyways.
"Yuki!" A voice yelled. She turned to look at the esper that had helped her. He ran towards her. "What did you do to the power I gave you?!" He questioned while avoiding the meteors. Craters appeared in the street all around him as he jumped between the stable areas of the street.
"What did I do?" She looked at her hands in confusion. Then her eyes widened in shock. The white light had almost completely faded.
The esper quickly caught up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder again. The light on her body lit up once more, while the light on his body faded a bit in color. "My power should have lasted for at least an hour. What's happening?"
She thought for a moment before speaking, "It should be my yin constitution. It's interfering somehow!"
"You're what?!" The esper asked in confusion. The light on Yuki's body had already started fading again. It likely wasn't strong enough to withstand the repeated meteors flying towards them anymore.
Suddenly, they felt a shadow cover them. The two looked up and their eyes widened in horror. They didn't even try to run, for they knew it was hopeless. A giant meteor made up of lava was heading for them. The earlier meteors were like pebbles in comparison.
The esper glanced at Yuki and seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then his eyes hardened with resolve. He placed both hands on her shoulder while standing in front of her. "Tell your father that my debt has been paid. The interest is free of charge." He tried to smile to comfort her. The white light on his body flowed towards Yuki. He forcefully created more and more of the light. His body started to wither as he did so. Wrinkles appeared on his skin and his hair turned gray.
"Stop!" She yelled. "You're over-exhausting your mana! Do you want to die?!"
"This is the only way to save you." He sighed.
"Just run away and leave me behind!" She protested.
"Do you think I can outrun that?" He grinned. "Remember. The best way to thank somebody that saves you is to live your life to the fullest." One final large burst of white light exploded from his body and entered her own. His body turned into motes of white light that formed a brilliantly shining shield in front of Yuki.
She stared stupidly at the meteor as it headed towards her. Soon, it slammed into the barrier. The ground shook heavily as all the nearby buildings toppled to the ground. A large crater appeared on the ground. It spanned hundreds of meters. The barrier lasted for several moments before dispersing. It had deflected the worst of the damage. She now stood atop a tall strip of land that survived thanks to the barrier. She was trapped due to the steep slopes that led down to the crater beneath her. The brilliant white light still covered her body as it protected her from the flames, heat, and smoke.
She fell to her knees as stared at the damage around her. 'It's all my fault! It's all my fault he died! If I had just listened. If I hadn't run away!' Tears poured down her face as she sobbed. The white light from the esper was still being absorbed into her body. It felt warm. So incredibly warm.
Suddenly, it felt like something clicked into place within her mind and body. An explosion of power occurred within her mana-core. White and black snow began to float down all around her. The flames were quickly extinguished by the strange snow. The snow naturally formed into a yinyang pattern that swirled slowly around her.
"I awoke?!" Her eyes widened in shock. She stared at the unfamiliar white snow that fell down. Despite being snow, it felt oddly warm, even though it was really cold. "Hic!" She began to sob again as tears covered her face. 'Grandpa said I only had dark and water mana affinities! This power! This power shouldn't be mine to have! I stole it from that man! He should be the one standing here alive!"
The snow continued to fall, slowly filling up the crater. Soon, she passed out from shock.
...
Yuki awoke in a hospital bed. Tears pouring down her cheeks. 'It was my fault he died. I don't even remember his name.' She turned to the side and saw her father sleeping by her bedside. 'I've been too afraid to even ask my father his name. To admit it was my fault he died...' She thought of her white hair. It disgusted her. It was the constant reminder of what she had done. Not just that, her powers were such a reminder as well. Still, there was hardly anything she could do about it.
"Dad." She grabbed his shoulder and shook it, but he didn't respond. "Dad?!" She tried again, but harder. Then, her eyes widened in shock. She just noticed that everything surrounding her was black and white. 'What's happening?!' She looked around in fear. Everything was bland and monotone. Many shades of black, white, and gray.
She slid off her bed and stood up. Then she realized to her horror that she did not match the world. Her entire body was glowing a light shade of blue. 'Am I dead?' She wondered. She looked like a spirit that was roaming the afterworld. She tried walking, but quickly floated above the ground. 'I'm definitely dead...' She floated around the room as she slowly became accustomed to her new form.
She turned to look at her father and saw that her human body was still resting on the bed in eternal slumber. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw similar beings to herself. They all glowed different colors, with some being blue like herself. However, all of their eyes seemed lifeless and without thought. What was even odder was that they were all heading for her father. They slammed into his body and disappeared without a trace. Her father didn't even seem to notice.
'Weird.' Soon, she grew bored and flew out of the hospital. She was able to phase through objects as she pleased. She could also touch and manipulate them physically if she wanted to. The world beneath her was still operating as normal. Steam wagons drove down the street. Bright lights formed advertisements in the sky. 'I must be in Steam Work City again.'
Out of curiosity, she attempted to use her powers again. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to work anymore. 'Makes sense.' She thought. She was dead after all. She flew towards the academy and saw her friends and classmates. They'd likely get a new batch of espers soon because of the Lightning Nightmare attack. She smiled as she watched her friends train. 'I never really had friends back in the sect.'
She floated around aimlessly and soon grew bored again. 'I wonder how Ed is doing. To think that bastard would pull a trick like that! I bet my dad killed him!' She snorted as she thought back to how her father had killed the men that kidnapped her when she was a child. She was her father's reverse dragon scale. Touch her and you awake the fury of the dragon.
'If Ed is dead too, then can I find him here?' She wondered. She flew back towards her father and still saw similar spirits entering him. She tried to follow as well, but an invisible force suddenly pushed her back. She frowned and tried several more times, but the result was always the same.
'Weird.' She decided to just go check on Ed herself. She flew out of the city and headed towards Georgia. She flew quite fast and it only took her a few hours to get there. She looked around and soon realized he was gone. But she could hear the people on the streets talking about Forge and Harmony. 'It appears he's still alive?' She thought for a moment before deciding to head towards Reef City. The rumors said that was where recruitment was for Harmony.
She arrived at Reef city and soon located the base of Harmony. Crowds of people occupied the buildings surrounding the base. Some new dwellings were also beginning to crop up. She flew through the base while ignoring the masses of people. Soon, she entered a room she presumed to be Ed's office. She stood behind his chair and her eyes widened in shock. Dupe was in front of the desk and chatting with Ed! 'Why is Dupe here?! I just saw him at the academy. Is he working with Ed in secret?'
"How's the merit system coming along?" Ed questioned.
"It's going well." Dupe smiled. "We'll limit body modifications to those that earn enough merit. We've also implemented the experimental series that requires less merit, but also holds much greater risks."
"Good." He nodded. "Make sure to only pick those we've carefully investigated for the experimental series. No surviving family. No close friends. We can't risk upsetting people. It'll probably take a while before the experimental series becomes safer."
"Understood." Dupe nodded. He hesitated a moment before leaving. "Are you really okay with what happened to Yuki?" He questioned.
"How do you know about that?" Ed frowned.
"Haha, I do attend the academy. These things slip through the grapevine."
"You must have been in Georgia too." He shook his head. "Otherwise, there's no way you'd question me about Yuki."
"Tsk. So lame. Yeah, I was there. I thought our big boss had finally got a girlfriend, but alas!" Dupe held his hand to his forehead dramatically. "To be so cruel! Such a nice girl and you treat her like this!"
"You're overreacting." Ed sighed. "I reduced the shock significantly. She should be fine. It was only enough to knock her out for a few minutes."
"Then why hasn't she woken up yet?' Dupe questioned.
"She hasn't?" He questioned. "I don't know then. Perhaps it's related to her amnesia or powers. She'll probably wake up eventually."
"So cold." Dupe turned to leave the office while waving. "You should send her some flowers or something, haha!"
'So, Ed didn't really plan to kill me?' She wondered as she watched him begin to fill out piles of paperwork. She floated horizontally in front of the desk and held her head in her hand as she watched.
Suddenly, Ed looked up from his paperwork. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" He screamed in horror as his chair shot backwards. His eyes widened as he aimed an arm towards her. "Yuki?!" He questioned.
"Huff! Huff!" Yuki's lungs and eyes strung badly. She could barely see several meters ahead of herself. 'Why am I trying so hard?' She wondered. 'Just to save a boy I just met? One I barely know?' She stumbled as her vision darkened. Then she quickly slammed her foot into the ground to catch herself. 'Have to keep moving!'
'Technology will save the world someday! I'm going to use it to defeat the nightmares!' She chuckled to herself as she thought back to those words of the boy. It felt like long ago, despite it having only been half a day since they met. 'He's so naive, but he gave me hope. I want to save him!'
Suddenly, a roar rang out. A green mutant appeared in front of her. It was a 3-meter-long tiger. The nearby flames didn't seem to bother it as green smoke floated off its body. It growled before pouncing towards her.
'Ugh!' She quickly rolled out of the way while returning a fist to the left side of the mutant's ribs. However, no damage was dealt. Instead, she only felt her fist throb. A tiny amount of blood trickled down her hand. The green smoke of the mutant had damaged it. Fortunately, the green smoke was relatively weak and the wound likely wouldn't leave any permanent damage.
The tiger prepared to pounce again. She quickly prepared to defend herself as best she could. Suddenly, a white light covered the area. Then a fist slammed through the head of the tiger.
"Dad!" She yelled excitedly as she saw the figure covered in light.
"Not quite." The light faded, revealing a mostly unfamiliar esper. "You've got some guts. Running away from me is one thing, but to run through the streets in this situation. Did your father drive the common sense out of your head?"
"Ah, it's you." She replied while disappointed. It was the esper that had promised her father to protect her.
"Let's go." He grabbed her by the arm.
"AHH! She screamed in horror while pointing forward. The esper turned around in confusion before his eyes widened as well. A series of small meteors were heading right for them. They were so numerous as to blot out the sky.
"DAMNIT!" He yelled. The white glow reappeared over his body. He placed a hand on Yuki's shoulder and the white light spread to her as well. "My power strengthens the body of whomever I place it on." He quickly explained. "There's a time-limit for other people. The more people I assign it to, the more divided my power becomes. It's already at half-strength between the two of us. Prepare to dodge as many as you can!"
"Right!" She nodded in affirmation. The man let go and the two split up. It would be harder to dodge right next to each other.
"Ugh!" Yuki ground her teeth as she dodged to the side. Some lava from a nearby meteor splashed onto her. However, the light kept it at bay. 'This feeling... It's amazing!' Her body had never felt so light and strong before. She moved quicker than ever before. Her years of martial arts training finally felt like it paid off as she evaded the meteors.
Suddenly, a tall building came crashing towards her. She remained calm and easily ran backwards to avoid it. Large piles of dust and flame shot into the air as it blocked the street. She was now trapped, not that there was really any way to outrun the meteors anyways.
"Yuki!" A voice yelled. She turned to look at the esper that had helped her. He ran towards her. "What did you do to the power I gave you?!" He questioned while avoiding the meteors. Craters appeared in the street all around him as he jumped between the stable areas of the street.
"What did I do?" She looked at her hands in confusion. Then her eyes widened in shock. The white light had almost completely faded.
The esper quickly caught up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder again. The light on her body lit up once more, while the light on his body faded a bit in color. "My power should have lasted for at least an hour. What's happening?"
She thought for a moment before speaking, "It should be my yin constitution. It's interfering somehow!"
"You're what?!" The esper asked in confusion. The light on Yuki's body had already started fading again. It likely wasn't strong enough to withstand the repeated meteors flying towards them anymore.
Suddenly, they felt a shadow cover them. The two looked up and their eyes widened in horror. They didn't even try to run, for they knew it was hopeless. A giant meteor made up of lava was heading for them. The earlier meteors were like pebbles in comparison.
The esper glanced at Yuki and seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then his eyes hardened with resolve. He placed both hands on her shoulder while standing in front of her. "Tell your father that my debt has been paid. The interest is free of charge." He tried to smile to comfort her. The white light on his body flowed towards Yuki. He forcefully created more and more of the light. His body started to wither as he did so. Wrinkles appeared on his skin and his hair turned gray.
"Stop!" She yelled. "You're over-exhausting your mana! Do you want to die?!"
"This is the only way to save you." He sighed.
"Just run away and leave me behind!" She protested.
"Do you think I can outrun that?" He grinned. "Remember. The best way to thank somebody that saves you is to live your life to the fullest." One final large burst of white light exploded from his body and entered her own. His body turned into motes of white light that formed a brilliantly shining shield in front of Yuki.
She stared stupidly at the meteor as it headed towards her. Soon, it slammed into the barrier. The ground shook heavily as all the nearby buildings toppled to the ground. A large crater appeared on the ground. It spanned hundreds of meters. The barrier lasted for several moments before dispersing. It had deflected the worst of the damage. She now stood atop a tall strip of land that survived thanks to the barrier. She was trapped due to the steep slopes that led down to the crater beneath her. The brilliant white light still covered her body as it protected her from the flames, heat, and smoke.
She fell to her knees as stared at the damage around her. 'It's all my fault! It's all my fault he died! If I had just listened. If I hadn't run away!' Tears poured down her face as she sobbed. The white light from the esper was still being absorbed into her body. It felt warm. So incredibly warm.
Suddenly, it felt like something clicked into place within her mind and body. An explosion of power occurred within her mana-core. White and black snow began to float down all around her. The flames were quickly extinguished by the strange snow. The snow naturally formed into a yinyang pattern that swirled slowly around her.
"I awoke?!" Her eyes widened in shock. She stared at the unfamiliar white snow that fell down. Despite being snow, it felt oddly warm, even though it was really cold. "Hic!" She began to sob again as tears covered her face. 'Grandpa said I only had dark and water mana affinities! This power! This power shouldn't be mine to have! I stole it from that man! He should be the one standing here alive!"
The snow continued to fall, slowly filling up the crater. Soon, she passed out from shock.
...
Yuki awoke in a hospital bed. Tears pouring down her cheeks. 'It was my fault he died. I don't even remember his name.' She turned to the side and saw her father sleeping by her bedside. 'I've been too afraid to even ask my father his name. To admit it was my fault he died...' She thought of her white hair. It disgusted her. It was the constant reminder of what she had done. Not just that, her powers were such a reminder as well. Still, there was hardly anything she could do about it.
"Dad." She grabbed his shoulder and shook it, but he didn't respond. "Dad?!" She tried again, but harder. Then, her eyes widened in shock. She just noticed that everything surrounding her was black and white. 'What's happening?!' She looked around in fear. Everything was bland and monotone. Many shades of black, white, and gray.
She slid off her bed and stood up. Then she realized to her horror that she did not match the world. Her entire body was glowing a light shade of blue. 'Am I dead?' She wondered. She looked like a spirit that was roaming the afterworld. She tried walking, but quickly floated above the ground. 'I'm definitely dead...' She floated around the room as she slowly became accustomed to her new form.
She turned to look at her father and saw that her human body was still resting on the bed in eternal slumber. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw similar beings to herself. They all glowed different colors, with some being blue like herself. However, all of their eyes seemed lifeless and without thought. What was even odder was that they were all heading for her father. They slammed into his body and disappeared without a trace. Her father didn't even seem to notice.
'Weird.' Soon, she grew bored and flew out of the hospital. She was able to phase through objects as she pleased. She could also touch and manipulate them physically if she wanted to. The world beneath her was still operating as normal. Steam wagons drove down the street. Bright lights formed advertisements in the sky. 'I must be in Steam Work City again.'
Out of curiosity, she attempted to use her powers again. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to work anymore. 'Makes sense.' She thought. She was dead after all. She flew towards the academy and saw her friends and classmates. They'd likely get a new batch of espers soon because of the Lightning Nightmare attack. She smiled as she watched her friends train. 'I never really had friends back in the sect.'
She floated around aimlessly and soon grew bored again. 'I wonder how Ed is doing. To think that bastard would pull a trick like that! I bet my dad killed him!' She snorted as she thought back to how her father had killed the men that kidnapped her when she was a child. She was her father's reverse dragon scale. Touch her and you awake the fury of the dragon.
'If Ed is dead too, then can I find him here?' She wondered. She flew back towards her father and still saw similar spirits entering him. She tried to follow as well, but an invisible force suddenly pushed her back. She frowned and tried several more times, but the result was always the same.
'Weird.' She decided to just go check on Ed herself. She flew out of the city and headed towards Georgia. She flew quite fast and it only took her a few hours to get there. She looked around and soon realized he was gone. But she could hear the people on the streets talking about Forge and Harmony. 'It appears he's still alive?' She thought for a moment before deciding to head towards Reef City. The rumors said that was where recruitment was for Harmony.
She arrived at Reef city and soon located the base of Harmony. Crowds of people occupied the buildings surrounding the base. Some new dwellings were also beginning to crop up. She flew through the base while ignoring the masses of people. Soon, she entered a room she presumed to be Ed's office. She stood behind his chair and her eyes widened in shock. Dupe was in front of the desk and chatting with Ed! 'Why is Dupe here?! I just saw him at the academy. Is he working with Ed in secret?'
"How's the merit system coming along?" Ed questioned.
"It's going well." Dupe smiled. "We'll limit body modifications to those that earn enough merit. We've also implemented the experimental series that requires less merit, but also holds much greater risks."
"Good." He nodded. "Make sure to only pick those we've carefully investigated for the experimental series. No surviving family. No close friends. We can't risk upsetting people. It'll probably take a while before the experimental series becomes safer."
"Understood." Dupe nodded. He hesitated a moment before leaving. "Are you really okay with what happened to Yuki?" He questioned.
"How do you know about that?" Ed frowned.
"Haha, I do attend the academy. These things slip through the grapevine."
"You must have been in Georgia too." He shook his head. "Otherwise, there's no way you'd question me about Yuki."
"Tsk. So lame. Yeah, I was there. I thought our big boss had finally got a girlfriend, but alas!" Dupe held his hand to his forehead dramatically. "To be so cruel! Such a nice girl and you treat her like this!"
"You're overreacting." Ed sighed. "I reduced the shock significantly. She should be fine. It was only enough to knock her out for a few minutes."
"Then why hasn't she woken up yet?' Dupe questioned.
"She hasn't?" He questioned. "I don't know then. Perhaps it's related to her amnesia or powers. She'll probably wake up eventually."
"So cold." Dupe turned to leave the office while waving. "You should send her some flowers or something, haha!"
'So, Ed didn't really plan to kill me?' She wondered as she watched him begin to fill out piles of paperwork. She floated horizontally in front of the desk and held her head in her hand as she watched.
Suddenly, Ed looked up from his paperwork. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" He screamed in horror as his chair shot backwards. His eyes widened as he aimed an arm towards her. "Yuki?!" He questioned.
