Amidst the peaceful silence of the early morning came a sudden shout. "That's not how to hold a sword, you bastard!" Hina yelled, her voice ringing through the air.

  "B-B-but I'm doing my best," Finn replied, shivering as he weakly held a wooden sword.

  Hina stood opposite him, also holding a wooden sword. "Idiot!" she snapped, gripping her sword. "Here I come!"

  She dashed forward, leaving a trail of air behind as she reached Finn.

  "Eeek!" Finn screamed when he realized she was already in front of him. "No! I don't want to die!" he wailed, turning and bolting away.

  "You! Where do you think you're running?!" Hina shouted, charging after him.

  "Arrgh, good grief," Code sighed, watching the scene from a corner. "How's she this lively early in the morning?"

  'I haven't gotten stronger since the battle in Marrowfen District,' Code thought, staring at his palm. 'That means my power, blood dominance, only works when I'm the one who defeats the demon. If only I could take on a mid-class, then I'd get stronger quickly,' his brows furrowed. 'What a hassle,' he sighed.

  While he was lost in thought, Ken stepped into the room, a lazy expression on his face as he yawned. A lit cigarette was tucked in his mouth, smoke trailing from it. "Arrgh," he said as he walked up to Code. "What's with the ruckus this early?" he asked.

  "Uh... ah, Hina and Finn are training, I guess," Code replied awkwardly.

  "Jeez," Ken sighed.

  'What's with this man?' Code screamed internally. 'Who wakes up in the morning and starts smoking?'

  "Oi, lemme ask you a question," Ken said, cutting into his thoughts.

  "Uh?" Code's gaze lifted to him. 'Where's that coming from?' he wondered.

  "Whenever you fight demons, what part of their body do you aim for?" Ken asked.

  "Eh?" Code blurted. "What part I aim for?" he repeated, blinking.

  After a few moments of thinking... "I-I don't know," Code finally replied. "I don't aim for any part of their bodies."

  "Boy, oh boy," Ken said, shaking his head as he turned away, smoke trailing from his cigarette. "Next time you encounter a demon...aim for the anti-tenzen core."

  ...

  A Few Hours Later, the afternoon sun cast a bright red glow over the street. A motel stood by the side of the road. Its glass door swished open, as a young man and woman stepped out. A toothpick jutted between the man's teeth, and his hand was curled around the woman's neck.

  "That was nice, babe," he said to her and grinned as they walked away.

  "Stop saying it so loudly, ugh!" The woman snapped, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

  "Hehehe," the man laughed as they passed by a group of three standing in front of a vending machine.

  "Gosh, why's it so hot today?" Code groaned, sweat glistening on his face. "The weather forecast said it was gonna be chilly."

  "Talk about plot twist," Hina replied. She was dressed in a gray armless hoodie over black jumpers, and she was crouched next to the vending machine, waiting for her drink to drop.

  The can finally dropped with a soft clunk.

  "Jeez," she sighed, picking up her drink and standing. "Can't believe we're stuck in this heat looking for some demon."

  "Oi, Finn?" she turned sharply.

  "Huh?" Finn gasped.

  "Have you sensed any signals yet?" she asked.

  "N-not yet."

  "Arrgh, damn that Van," Hina rasped, stomping away. The memory flashed through her mind.

  After the early morning training session, the group had finally settled.

  Code walked into the parlor, his eyes darting about lazily, as it fell on Hina who sat opposite the TV and held a game console in hand, while Ryūma and Finn sat in the dining area, playing arm wrestling.

  Code's eyes shifted and locked on a brown envelope placed on the sofa. "Someone dropped an envelope?" he announced and reached for it.

  "An envelope?" Finn turned. Seeing that Finn was distracted, Ryūma quickly used that chance to drive Finn's hand into the table and win the game.

  "Hahaha, I win!" Ryūma laughed.

  "Hey, that's not fair! I was distracted," Finn protested, fist clenched.

  "Hmf. Not my problem," Ryūma shrugged with a smug grin.

  "Let's go another round!" Finn said as his brows furrowed.

  "Who's it from?" Hina asked Code. Her gaze remained fixed on the TV.

  "Uh... it says 'From A God'," Code read.

  "Tch, that's Van," Hina scoffed. "What does it say?" she asked.

  Code opened the letter and read: "Nice! I thought you wouldn't find this letter, hehe."

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

  "Does placing it on the sofa even count as hiding it?" Code scoffed.

  He read on. "Yes it does. But anyway, I just wanted to tell you guys if you're reading this by 10:41 pm, then I'm already out of town."

  "Eh?" Code blurted. His whirled to the grandfather clock sitting at the far left of the room. The time on it read 10:41.

  "What?! Did he actually anticipate this?!" Code exclaimed as his eyes trailed back to the letter. The next sentence read: "Yeah, I pretty much anticipated it. I mean, I'm a God, haha."

  "The hell," Code gasped. 'Is he reading my mind?' he thought.

  "Where could he have gone without informing us?" Hina asked. Her eyes stayed fixated on the screen.

  "Who knows? He probably went on a walk," Ryūma replied lazily, his eyes focused on the arm wrestling match.

  "Bingo! You guessed wrong," Code cut in.

  "What?" Ryūma asked as he turned to Code in alarm.

  "I don't know, that's what's written in the letter," Code shrugged.

  "That doesn't make sense," Ryūma blinked. 'Isn't bingo supposed to be paired with 'right'?' he wondered, head whirling. His sight shifted back to his hand which now lay on the table, then rose to Finn's self-satisfied expression.

  "Hehehe, I win!" Finn chuckled.

  "Wait, that's not counted!" Ryūma shouted in protest.

  "How's it not counted? You did the same thing the first time!" Finn shot back.

  "You bastard!" Ryūma exclaimed and lunged for Finn's cheeks. The two exploded into an argument.

  "Oh, and also, I suddenly got this feeling that there's a demon in town. You guys do me a favor and take care of it," Code read on amid Ryūma and Finn's clash.

  "A feeling?" Hina said and rolled her eyes. Code glanced at her. "No way I'm acting because of a feeling. You guys should go without me," she deadpanned.

  Code's eyes trailed back to the letter as he read on. "P.S: I was thinking of getting the latest update of Mega Fight mobile. But since whoever's concerned has decided to not go on the mission, I guess I'll dash the thought."

  "Wha...?" Hina gasped.

  "Yours in everlasting glory (mostly mine), Van Ackerman," Code finished reading.

  "Tch. That bastard!" Hina snapped as her jaw tightened and her fist clenched. "Let's head out," she said, tossed the console to the ground, and rose to her feet.

  "What's with the sudden change of mind?" Ryūma asked. He paused the argument for a quick second.

  "Nothing," Hina replied sharply. "He's probably feeling like he has won," she murmured to herself. "I'm guessing Van went to see his cousin," she added and disappeared into the corridor Code came out from.

  Code turned the envelope to the back, sighting some words written on it. 'Bingo! You guessed right,' he read.

  ...

  Back to Present Time.

  "So, Van and the duchess of Kaida are related, huh?" Code thought aloud, holding his chin.

  The group walked through an alley.

  "Yup," Hina replied. "The Ackerman and Welles are distant cousins."

  "That's crazy," Code muttered.

  "Tell me about it," Hina said. "Welles and Ackerman—two of the five royal houses."

  "Wait, there are five?" Code blinked.

  "Yeah," Hina nodded. "Gravant, Akatsuki, Von Webern, Welles, Ackerman. Keep up."

  "Akatsuki?" Code exclaimed, stopping mid-step. "Isn't that—"

  "Yeah, Ryūma's surname," Hina finished the statement, and they turned a corner. "Ryūma's a royal blood," she revealed.

  "That's massive," Code muttered in shock. 'Why would he be in a guild like this?' he wondered.

  "Not quite," Hina chimed in casually, eyes fixed forward. "When he's an Akatsuki reject," she said quietly.

  "Huh?" Code's mouth fell open.

  They exited the alley into another street. Unlike the one they came from, this street was more populated. The slum sprawled in alleys, roofs patched with rusted metal, walls streaked with grime and peeling paint. Children with dirt-smeared faces darted past puddles and scattered trash, men and women went about their daily labor, their clothes tattered, hands calloused, eyes wary.

  Stray dogs scavenged nearby as shouts, bargains, and laughter blended into a constant hum. Amid the decay, small fires smoked in tin pots, and worn clotheslines sagged with faded garments.

  "This street's on the other side of Azura," Hina said. "If there's any place where demons are hiding, then it's this place."

  "What happened here?" Code asked as they continued walking.

  "Pretty long story," Hina muttered, her tone darkening. "This place used to be an economic area in Azura until twelve years ago, when the Blackthorn incident occurred."

  "Oh?" Code murmured in concern, as the memories of his past life in the slums returned.

  "Stop looking at their faces," Hina cautioned and trudged on. "Yeah," Code muttered and looked away from the numerous eyes darted at them.

  "Get your anti demon charms here!!" A female trader cried, sitting in her stall which was filled with ornaments, cards and charms.

  "Anti demon charm?" Code asked.

  "It's fake," Hina replied flatly.

  The sound of metal striking filled the air, and as it reached Hina's ears, she stopped walking. Code blinked and halted a few inches behind her. "What happened?" he asked.

  "Arrgh, since we haven't found any signals yet, guess I'll find something else to do in the meantime," Hina said, her tone slightly raised.

  "Huh?" Code asked.

  "My sword's been losing its edge these days," Hina continued, turning.

  Code's eyes shifted toward a blacksmith shop.

  "I'll give it a quick maintenance here," Hina said, walking toward the building. "You guys keep trying to find the demon." She waved and stepped inside.

  "Welcome!" a voice greeted as Hina entered.

  "Good grief," Code sighed, turning to Finn. "Everyone's finding an excuse to skip work now, huh?" he muttered.

  The memory returned:

  The group was about to head out for the search, standing outside the house.

  "Uh, you guys, I've got a bad stomach," Ryūma groaned, clutching his torso.

  "Eh? Ate something bad?" Code asked.

  "Nah, I don't think it's that," Ryūma replied, turning toward the house. "You guys go without me. I'll catch up," he said, walking away.

  Code snapped back to reality.

  "Hmm, he hasn't caught up yet," he murmured. "Found anything yet?" he asked Finn.

  "Not really," Finn replied. "Every time I detect the signal, it goes off. It's like the demon knows we're tracking it."

  "Damn," Code whispered shakily. "That's bad news, but let's keep searching," he said and turned away. Finn followed behind him.

  "G-got it," Finn nodded.

  "Guess we better find the demon before nighttime," Code muttered. While he was thinking, a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

  A cold, metallic voice followed. "Hey, you got a minute?"

  "Ah?" Code gasped, his eyes widening.

  ...

  Meanwhile, somewhere else entirely; in the Greystone district of Azura. The marketplace bustled with stalls and stores, air filled with traders calling onto buyers.

  A wide electronic billboard glowed in the distance, flashing two female boxers in mid-pose. Below them, bold letters announced: "Clash of Titans: Nico Reeves vs. Daisy Mallen — Tonight Only at THE OCTAGON."

  Amongst the dense crowd, two figures forced their way through. The first was clad in a white and grey striped coat from shoulder to toe, and a cap, while the second had a cigarette tucked between his lips.

  "Jeez, was it always this far?" The first figure—Ryūma—asked.

  "We're almost there," Ken replied. "They had to move since more people were finding out about it."

  They continued through the crowd, turning a corner until they reached a convenience store. The doorbell rang as Ken and Ryūma stepped inside. They approached the cashier, who sat lazily in his chair reading a porn magazine.

  "What would you like to buy?" the man asked, tone indifferent and uninterested.

  "HyperCrunchamelChocoPeanutOatMarshmellowBiscuitClusterbite," Ken replied.

  At once, the man lowered the magazine, his eyes narrowing. "Come with me," he said, rising from his seat.

  Ken and Ryūma followed him through the store until they reached a door at the far back. The cashier opened the door, which gave way to a staircase that led underground. They walked through the stairs and reached a massive metallic door.

  The man turned to them. "Five Eldrithes per person," he said.

  Ryūma reached into his pocket and pulled out two bronze coins, as the man snatched them.

  "Good. You can go in," he finally said, pushing the door open.

  A wave of noise washed over them as Ken and Ryūma stepped inside. The room stretched wide, filled with people, noise, disco lights, and music. At the centre stood a large ring where two sumo wrestlers prepared to fight.

  "Drop your bets before we begin!" the commentator announced.

  "Hehe," Ken chuckled.

  "Let's make some money," Ryūma said, grinning.