Sitting at the edge of his bed, he patiently waited for his friend to return with his precious relic as Morgan fell asleep on the single red couch near the fireplace, her eyes closed shut as her face was illuminated by an orange glow. Seth, however, continued staring down at his feet.
Worry flooded his mind after finishing his meals: "What's taking him so long?" He said quietly under his breath, melancholic over being unable to retrieve the holy item that was taken by the wind of his own stupidity, "Could he be endangered?" More troubling thing to imagine.
He is sure Billy can defend himself from whatever threat is out there; the possibility that he could face something dangerous is fifty percent, but what if the worst-case scenario happens? What if he fails or, worse, dies from an unexpected turn of events?
No, the unruly blond cowboy can fight and win through impossible odds. Billy is, after all, a tough and strong teenager who has pride in himself and can hold his own. But even with that being said, Seth can't help but be worried about him.
Even when he believes his friend is going to be fine, the long hours of waiting are beginning to take their toll on his mentality, making him anxious for the results. And with only two people to share company in this cozy home, it seems he is the only one who is worried.
Tapping his right shoe in a repeating rhythm, the boy didn't notice that Genno was curiously studying him at the other side of this room, where the weapons were hanging. Observing from the corner of his eye, his Japanese comrade could sense how troubled he was.
"Is something wrong?" Genno asked, turning around with a blank look, "I can sense your unease," coming forth with questions directed at the young teen. He noted that the boy is often gloomy and not exactly an extrovert or lively around them.
Catching his attention, Seth sighed tiredly before standing up with confirmation of what he was about to do. "I'm going to see where Billy is," he said, serious and firm, before walking straight to the door where his friend is likely waiting for him. "Don't worry, I should be back soon."
Before he reached the knob, he felt a hand on one of his shoulders. "Let me come," he offered as Seth glanced behind his own shoulder for a second before returning his gaze to the front. "There is a chance you might lose your way, thus I offer to aid you in any means necessary," reassuringly smiling in his gentle nature.
Feeling comforted, Seth smiled slightly back at him and said, "I do need to familiarize myself with this forest," admitting his own faults for getting lost in the first place. To be honest, the boy still has problems navigating around the area, even though he has seen it.
Nodding, the both then left their home, leaving Morgan behind, who is currently taking a long nap on the couch due to the exhaustion of the journey that led them here and the stress of losing Guan Yu while keeping it secret, unbeknownst to Seth's knowledge.
Closing the door behind them, Genno took a step forward to breathe in the fresh air of nighttime, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere that calmed him. Looking around the land of nature, he spotted nothing out of the ordinary, from trees to small animals like what looked to be squirrels scurrying in the bushes.
"So..." Stepping at his friend's side, "Where to?" Seth unsurely asked, realizing how big the forest is, "Any idea where he might be?" I was hoping he could direct him to the nearest spot because he was eager to just get Billy and Crucifix safely back to where they belong.
Shrugging nonchalantly, "not much; all we can hope is if I can sense his Chi," said the Japanese boy, dumbfounded by Seth's last word in his sentence, "what is it?" I turned to see a strange look, which confused Genno about this new expression.
"What's Chi?"
For a moment, he was bewildered by this question: "You don't know what Chi is?" Nearly everyone back in his time knew what it meant, mostly the well-educated folks. "I'm surprised you don't even know what it stands for," he said in a surprised tone of voice.
Expressing embarrassment over this knowledge, he said, "Sorry, I'm not really knowledgeable about where you come from," trying to be nice as he scratched his neck with his right hand. "I hope that doesn't offend you in any way," not wanting to break their friendship by any chance.
Folding his arms together, "I'll explain the way," he then started moving towards the woods as his ally caught up to him, walking side by side, "Chi is the life-force energy that exists in all beings," answering while having no difficulty traversing the difficult landscape, "Some people use it to increase their own physical and spiritual strength," proceeding with explaining to his ignorant companion.
"It is diverse and can do many things, depending on the individual who wields it," reaching to the deeper part of the woods, "while being central importance in some Eastern systems of medical treatment while others use beliefs or invocations," he continues to elaborate with more information to add.
Listening attentively, "Wow..." Seth acknowledged as he followed through, "so it's basically magic of some sort, like those magicians." The response had caught his long-haired friend off guard to the point he even looked offended by the notion of comparing this two concepts, "did I say something wrong?" Smiling awkwardly to ease the tension.
Shaking his head to remove any negative thoughts, "to compare Chi as magic is unacceptable," replying with his own comment as they trudge through the tall shrubs and roots of trees around them, "its much more than what you say it is, for manipulating the life energy of yourself or others is naturally accessible by everyone in the world," but this further confused his friend altogether.
"So wait," scratching his head to try to process all of this, "Chi can do more than just increase their strength; it can cure illness or heal wounds too?" Seth questioned, utterly bemused by what the Japanese boy had explained to him: "It sounds convenient though, like having a magician to summon whenever I'm in trouble or something," chuckling with a grin.
That response only made him roll his eyes. "You're not listening, Seth," he said, trying to explain one more: "If you master Chi, you can enhance your senses, strength, speed, and also control the energies or elements around you," a serious matter at hand.
Before Seth could resume their conversation, a sudden, ominous presence brought all of them to freeze in their tracks, a presence filled with dread and murderous intent that emanated in the dark depths of the woods. "Who's there?" Genno clenched his fists tightly, preparing himself for a fight.
However, he noticed Seth shaking on his own legs with sweat falling from his face. "Do you feel that?" Nervously, he asks while also being overly terrified at what is lurking in the shadows: "It's so...unnatural," scared beyond belief at this discovery.
"There," pointing at the silhouette of a little girl wearing a red robe and glowing eyes, "there it is!" Seth's yelled in fright as it increased tenfold when he saw the hooded figure approaching from afar. "Is it...a person?" Realizing how odd it was to encounter a lone child at night.
Shoving him aside, "stay back, Seth," he firmly said, being the protector in this situation while guarding his defenseless and cowardly friend, "show yourself!" Serious and fierce in confronting the newcomer, he waited for the mysterious stranger to reveal himself in a revealing light.
As the moonlight shines on the girl, she appears to have short white hair with red eyes, and her skin is almost pale but nonetheless not normal enough to pass as human. There was something else entirely wrong with her, besides her red eyes and wicked smile.
More importantly, she is holding a knife in her left hand. "Heya!" Mirthfully greeted with happiness in her voice, "Are you lost?" She sweetly inquired in a questioning tone before pouting, "It's rude not to answer!" Saying in childish manners, "Say something already!" Annoyed by their silence, her childlike antics unnerved them to the bone.
"We are not lost," Seth finally decided to say. "What's your name?" I am trying to know what the child is doing in the woods by herself and, more importantly, why she is wielding a deadly weapon while being super happy about it. It's both creepy and unnerving altogether.
"Because I am an assassin, dummy!" Immediately, the answer hit them like a ton of bricks: "I came here to kill some special people," she told them as Genno got in defensive position in case they were her next targets, "and you two seem to fit the description," humming excitedly as her hands started fidgeting with excitement.
"Are you guys the heroes Wymar was talking about?"
As she said those words, the person who was putting himself in front of Seth realized this girl was not going to let them go or lie through this because he could see the eyes of a lunatic. With this in mind, he had no choice but to throw his first attack in hopes of ending this short without losing anyone.
He rushed forward with his right fist drawn back, intending to strike with all his strength, as he would not take any chances of this lunatic surviving. The young child looked unfazed by the sight of this, simply smiling in pure excitement at what was to come.
As the fist was nearly inches from her face, she swiftly left, much to his shock, suddenly appearing at his side with a raised knife, ready to strike downwards at him. With quick thinking, he turned his front body upwards with his right fist plunging upwards at her lower chin, striking it directly with his knuckles.
When the punch made contact, the girl was launched several meters away in the sky before crashing to the ground harshly in the process. "Genno!" Seth yelled in panic as he rushed forward when, the moment he laid his back on the ground,
Cautiously standing up, he raised his hand to stop him. "Don't come any close!" He warned before noticing her dreadful presence appearing behind him. Her shadowy appearance and wide smile were all he sensed before hearing the swooshing sound of her knife moving through the air in an arc.
Whirling around, he timely raised his hand and grabbed the weapon, much to her shock. "Hey!" She said in surprise, "You can't do that!" Rose whined in disappointment when he disarmed her with such swiftness that even her eyes hadn't reacted in time.
Holding the knife tightly, his face was filled with nothing but cold and lethal intent. "Who's Wymar?" Wanting to know if the mentioned name is her boss, she says, "Answer me or I will break this in half," threatening to destroy her weapon if she doesn't comply.
Looking at the blade being grasped by him, she merely sighing in disappointment, "Oh well," said Rose before swiftly using her knee to strike Genno in the guts, which caused him to sputter in cough blood. "That belongs to me though!" He quickly snatched her knife back before retaliating by throwing a left punch at her face.
Stumbling backwards, she slowly raised her hand to feel the blood trailing down from the corner of her eyes and nose as happiness swelled up in her chest. "This is..." Never has she ever seen herself bleeding since the time she was human. "The first time I have ever seen blood that isn't my own," she chuckled merrily. "If you keep fighting me like that, I will have to kill you again and again until all of your organs are torn apart and spread across the ground!" Laughing out loud before becoming serious with bloodthirsty, she said, "I will enjoy it every time too!"
Genno couldn't respond properly after being hit so damn hard, barely standing with his own two feet as his pain slowly diminished. Never had he thought that little girl could throw a powerful kick without the use of Chi. This is something a normal girl or boy can't do.
"You're nothing; that's all you are."
