The smell of freshly grilled meat and buttered bread was intoxicating, his stomach growling Satoshi lurked just beyond the barrier which encompassed the large wooden village before him. Roughly the size of a single neighborhood the village was more akin to a girl scouts club by appearance. Women aged toddler to elderly crept around the wooden cabins, singing and talking, trading dishes which they prepared in a communal ceremony. Said dishes wafting sweet scents to the Starving Satoshi.

  If he had to guess it would have been roughly two and a half weeks since he’d washed up in Neverland. Exhausted, tired and hungry he was nearly fully healed after that disaster which was the Cymba, however the damage from using [Zenkeidou] still caused shivers to run down his spine, that searing pain from his brain stem to his ankles like someone had stabbed him with a rod warmed by hot coals right into his spine vertebrae was something he still felt the aftershock from.

  He’d long since left Clemente, that mad hermit at the outskirts of a small town, he also ransacked that town for food but was soon chased out. That was about four days ago if Satoshi had to guess. But even counting the days had been hard, in this country they all blurred together, it almost felt as if the woods themself were cursed like time had no ruling over the forests of Neverland.

  Feeling his stomach grumble he frowned. He had not a penny to his name or any more food in his shadow storage. He tried to hunt for food but found the woods of Neverland disgustingly foul in both smell and atmosphere, it was as if he had been dipped down into a vat of sweet honey and choked on the thick liquid as he tried to swim to the surface. The Kami itself was far too kind and welcoming. It was almost as if he was repelled from hunting in the woods, not that he’d seen any big game there anyways. No, that was perhaps another surprising part, if he only needed a normal amount of food he’d be fine. There were enough rats, Snakes and rabbits for him to hunt and eat. His physical body has been officially healed to almost full health, if this were a world of health bars and stat screens he’d be around the 92% mark most likely while as his Mana Pool and Aura would be at 45%. And the best way to fill that up was to eat alot and sleep alot. If he was to return to Edoland he would surely need to be back to full health.

  As for the amount of food he had to eat, if he guessed he could at this moment eat a half a horse a day and still be starving by the next morning, the smell of the food from the village would make his stomach growl. However the fact there was a barrier around said village was enough of a sign for him to know this was not some simple girls camp. Though he wasn’t one with any real talent in Barriers he could tell from the sight of it that it was a nasty one, the kind of barrier which you didn’t want to come into physical contact with. But he didn’t have to. The Kageki clan were raised to be assassins, what kind of assassin would be stopped by a barrier? If something that small stopped you then you shouldn’t even be an assassin in the first place.

  But the question was less about if he could raid the village and more like if he should, he’d have to be a true idiot not to recognize exactly who this village must have belonged to. It was without a doubt one of the compounds of the [Witch Cult]. Being assassins the Kageki Clan had multiple hits placed onto members of the Witch Cult in the past, his ancestor even being responsible for killing one of the Queens of the Witch Cult it was understandable that the two groups would have bad blood. So they came to form an agreement, if the Kageki didn’t mess with the Witch Cult the Witch Cult wouldn’t mess with the Kageki. A simple agreement which had lasted for 300 years, but one which Satoshi himself was surely about to break. After all the Kageki clan were long since dead, only he had the blood of the shadow assassins coursing through him. To sever that connection was of no concern to him, the Witch Cult could curse his clan till the end of days for all he cared. No, the more glaring issue was whether or not he could survive raiding this village. Based on what he saw most of the women were not very powerful, they could defend themselves in a direct confrontation perhaps but against someone lurking in the shadows and silently culling them one by one they would have no chance. But the [Witch Cult] had to be a threat for his family to form a pact with them in the first place. So was there someone of monstrous power hiding inside the village just waiting for their moment? That was something he could only know by entering the village. But he couldn't bypass the barrier now, he would have to wait until dark when he could move in the shadows of night. Until then he would sleep.

  # # #

  The howl of a wolf forced Satoshi awake. A sound which shouldn't have existed in Neverland as no wolves were native to the island but Satoshi knew no better.

  The full moon having risen above him he looked around at his surroundings, having climbed high up into an Evemore tree it was unlikely anyone other than a veteran birdwatcher would spot him, most definitely not some school aged girls too busy playing house.

  Scaling down the tree in a quick but steady pace Satoshi lowered himself to a near crawl as he approached the village's outer layer where the barrier laid, it was just as horrid as he’d imagined. It’s surface fuzzy and sizzling he knew even just touching it with his finger would cause him to be sent into a state of extreme pain

  As such he had no other choice but to cleave through it, but that wasn’t quite a simple thing either, to cleave through someone's barrier you might as well have sliced open their flesh, whoever had cast it or at the very least was responsible for the barrier would be notified of its bypass immediately. As such time was of the essence for a case like this, if Satoshi was still an assassin and not a thief he would have bypassed the barrier and began to cause mass havoc, to draw a large crowd and spread chaos amongst it, then he would go after his target. When no one else was paying attention to them. To stalk and lurk beyond someone's shadow wasn’t quite as simple as the movies made it. Assassins focused on speed and success, why lurk behind someone for days when you could simply slice their neck open and be done with it? But Satoshi wasn’t here to assassinate someone, he was here to steal as much goods as he could before departing back to Edoland, stowing away on the bottom of some ship for possibly weeks.

  As such he needed to focus less on speed and efficiently and more on steady and consistent movements, noise suppression and lurking.

  Drawing his Katana from his shadow he raised it up and quietly pressed its end into the barrier, like oil on a pan it sizzled and hissed, sparks flying out, however Satoshi only needed was enough room for him to fit through, and being as small as he was that wasn’t much.

  “!”

  Slashing upwards Satoshi created a slip in the barrier, one which was enough for him to barely squeeze through on all fours, though one wrong movement and he’d be in for a world of pain.

  [Kagepo!]

  But Satoshi didn’t need to do that, using the Kageki clan's most notable spell he instantly appeared on the other side the barrier which snapped back closed in a half a second.

  “Phew.” He sighed a bit of sweat dripping down his brow. Whoever the barrier master was would be sent a signal that it had been breached, but the size was so small, quick and no evidence of entry present they would think it was fluke, perhaps a flicker of some faulty rune or the like.

  [Kagepo]

  Once more teleporting this time atop a buildings roof Satoshi lay low, like a cat on the prowl he was on all fours, his back arched and head low he strained his ears for any kind of sound, or alert.

  “...”

  “...”

  “...”

  Yet he heard nothing, not even a cough or sneeze he let out a quiet sigh of relief and continued to creep along the roof until reaching its edge which he flipped himself over off of, grabbing the end as support he hung from the roof like a pull up bar and looked down at the ground below which was covered in darkness.

  [Kagepo]

  Dropping down to the ground, Satoshi once more vanished into the shadows now appearing across the small set of buildings atop another roof once more. On all fours he crawled along the roof listening to see if anyone had heard him or sensed his presence. It had been a while since he’d needed to do something as sneaky as this so his skills had rusted far beyond what they’d been in the past.

  “...”

  Hearing nothing he rose up some, enough to hunch his back above the roofs thatch woven fibers and look around the small village, it was no larger than a few dozen buildings, all lights having been long extinguished and only a single building's chimney emitting flames.

  Straining his nose he sniffed the air for any whiff of grain, meat or the sort but found nothing. Maybe a storage freezer? He wondered. Based on the house's design he imagined these [Witches] didn't even have electricity or not a main power grid at the very least.

  Makes my life easier at the least. He nodded. Once more using [Kagepo] he appeared above the house with its chimney still billowing out smoke. Now confident enough to stand tall he walked across the roof and found a small soft spot in the thatch which he could force a single finger through. Breaking it open he peered his eye through and saw it was a great hall of sleeping girls of all ages, lined up in bunk beds with a few dressers, a lamp or two and old style radio in the corner.

  Should I grab one of them and try to have them lead me to the food storage? No, that would be too dangerous… but wandering around this place to find it could take forever as well…

  “!”

  His observation flashing Red Satoshi flipped backwards right as a long sword slashed into the thatch where he’d just been. Sending fibers flying through the air.

  “What the hell?” He hissed, staring at the tall hooded man with the absurdly long sword who appeared before him. He wore an all black cloak with bits of green knots and cords hanging from it, his face obscured by darkness the only visible detail of it being the long and wispy white braided goatee which hung down to nearly his stomach.

  Not speaking a word the man lunged once more at Satoshi who clicked his tongue and dove down into the shadows using [Kagepo].

  Now wrapping behind the man, Satoshi was surprised when the man spun around as if reading his plan.

  “Tch.”

  Satoshi threw Tsubashinai at the cloaked man, the chain which connected it to his wrist gliding along the way the man swatted the katana away with no issue.

  “Heh.”

  With a smirk Satoshi used [Kagepo] one more time, he now appeared behind the cloaked man and caught his Katana, using the chain he wrapped it around the cloaked man's neck and brought him down, the man's back against Satoshi's own he struggled for a moment while Satoshi clutched the chain pulling it tighter hoping to break the man's trachea.

  SNAP!

  The two struggling when Satoshi found the weak spot in the thatch roof. It didn't take more than the two men's weight and struggle to cave the old thatch in. Both men fell down to the floor as the girls inside woke with screams and cries.

  “Damnit!” Satoshi coughed as he slammed to the floor with a somersault, jumping to his feet he spun around to meet the cloaked man's blade once more, his hood now fallen back to reveal a wrinkled old man's face with sunken in black eyes and a long hooked eagle nose. His scent, like that of old sage brush.

  “A man!” One of the girls screamed.

  “Get him out, get him out!” Another cried.

  “Kill him Aeker!”

  “SHUT UP!” Satoshi roared, between grit teeth as he and the cloaked man Aeker clashed blades against one another.

  “Who sent you?!” The man asked, his voice harsh and raspy like wood crackling over a fire.

  “The Goddess of Death Shini.” Satoshi scoffed. Though due to the commotion the girls had turned on their lights and the shadows had all but vanished, Satoshi now put on the back foot he pushed back against the man managing to create a short distance between their persons. Then twisting his body he reached for the nearest girl to him hoping to use her as a hostage but found that idea to not be as good a one as he’d imagined.

  “Aieee!” The girl let out a scream and before Satoshi could tell what had happened there was a flash of light and he’d been thrown backwards into the brick fireplace which crumbled under the impact.

  “Gah!” He coughed pain shooting through his body, the bricks dropping down on his head he was quickly buried beneath the pile of them.

  The girls let out screams of terror as they ran out of the house which began to shake; only the cloaked swordsman Aeker remained. Sword drawn he stared at the pile of rubble as the house began to collapse around them

  BOOM!

  “...”

  “...”

  The dust settled and Aeker stood in the ruins of the house, not a single scratch or bit of dust on him he watched the pile of bricks with his hand grasping his sword's handle.

  [Hitsurugi!]

  Appearing from the side and to Aeker's surprise was Satoshi, the assassin having used [Kagepo] before the house had collapsed he’d managed a surprise attack, the flaming katana's blade only an inch before the old man's face it was his victory, the man would die here and now.

  [Bind]

  “!?”

  Freezing mid air Satoshi felt himself suddenly frozen. As if in the clutches of an invisible giant hand he couldn’t do anything more than breathe. He could not even turn his head to look at the person who’d just emerged onto the scene.

  “Now what is this?” The intruder asked, her voice soft but authority in it.

  “An intruder, my queen.” Aeker said quickly, bowing his head down and laying his sword before him.

  “Don’t act like that now, you know I don’t like it.” The new woman sighed. She was rather tall and wearing a hastily put together pair of clothes having changed from her night gown into a baggy white shirt and long red and black plaid skirt with a belt. She had flowing white soft hair and sharp yellow eyes which seemed to stare through one's soul.

  Grinding his teeth Satoshi couldn't look at the woman no matter how hard he strained, he had no hope of breaking free either and he knew exactly why. This woman, she was the one he’d wanted to avoid the most, one of the few people his father had told him to bow his head before, The [Witch Queen].

  “An intruder!?” An elderly lady asked running to the scene still in her night gown. She was short with a fat flat nose and freckles covering her face between deep wrinkles. “Aeker, how could this happen!?” She screamed at the man.

  “I’m sorry, my love I’ve failed.” Aeker said, his voice solemn as if ready to commit seppuku on either woman's command.

  “It’s fine Alice.” Said the Witch Queen with a yawn. “This one is quite feisty, he’s almost like a wolverine short but deadly.”

  A vein popped Satoshi's brow and he let a laugh escape his clenched teeth. “You must feel pretty proud to have gotten the jump on me huh?”

  “Proud?” The queen asked with a laugh, “No more surprised at your stupidity is all, but you’re a foreigner aren't you? What’s your name?”

  Satoshi didn’t mean to speak but the words came out before he could even think. “Kageki Satoshi.”

  “!”

  At this Alice gasped and Aeker clenched his sword.

  “Kageki?” The queen hummed pursing her lips.

  “And you’d dare to break the contract established by your ancestors over 300 years ago!” Alice hissed, running over to the bound Satoshi and glaring at him.

  “Ptuh.” Spitting in the old woman's face she grew with rage and nearly killed him then and there if not for the Queen's comment.

  “Stop Alice, you’re to return to your quarters, as are these girls. Aeker, would you stay with them tonight to soothe their worries?” She asked.

  “Of course, my Queen.” Aeker said, bowing his head low once more.

  “And as for you.” The queen said, looking at Satoshi. "We're gonna have a long chat now aren’t we~”

  # # #

  The room was rather barren for being the queen's personal quarters, four wooden walls made of stacked logs and sanded down to be smooth, a rough stone floor and a thatch roof above their head reinforced with iron bars. It appeared to be somewhat like a studio apartment, all rooms combined into a single large chamber with only the toilet itself being separated in a closet.

  Satoshi strained against an invisible bondage and frowned deeply, his bottom lip sticking out as he sat crossed legged on the floor. The Queen, a woman of elegant but almost ghost-like beauty sat on her bed's end staring down at him, legs crossed and chin resting in her hand she traced her finger through the air aimless. Her long white eyelashes fluttered with exhaustion.

  “It’s been quite a long day already, counseling a school of young girls ripe with attitude is not at all easy.” She sighed.

  “Did you bring me to her to use as your personal venting servant?” Satoshi scoffed.

  “I wouldn’t mind that, you know.” The queen smirked, her lips drawn tight with annoyment. Satoshi felt the bonds around his body tighten. “But no, I brought you here for one reason and one reason only.” She sighed.

  “...” Satoshi didn’t speak, he only listened with eyes creased.

  With a sigh the Queen began to speak. “The Witch Cult is not an institution which relies on modern technology-”

  “I think I can tell.” Satoshi huffed.

  The queen glared at Satoshi with fire in her eyes before she began to speak again. “If you think this is the main school you’re not only mistaken but blatantly stupid.” She hummed to which a vein burst on Satoshi's brow upon hearing. He tried to bark back and insult though the queen bound his mouth shut too as if a muzzle had been placed onto his jaws. “Anyways, as such we don’t receive news as regularly as one might assume we do, our news travels by hawk or pigeon, the winds or sea, even word of mouth at times. It’s an annoying custom but one so deep baked into the cult that I have no choice but to follow it… for now at least.” She added that last part with a whispered hiss to herself.

  “...”

  “So, I’m interested to know, seeing as you’re from Edoland I can presume based on your appearance, accent and name, Kageki Satoshi. What is the current state of Edoland after the fall of Azhar? Ripples have been felt throughout Neverland without a doubt, even our cult has been damaged financially and politically with the fall of the Tsuchigaryu.” She finished with another deep sigh.

  “Don’t know who that is.” Satoshi shrugged.

  At this the queen raised her brow high and pursed her lips. “You’re an assassin are you not?”

  “I already told you I’m not.” Satoshi growled.

  “Hmmm,” The queen put her finger to her lips and tapped it softly a few times while thinking deeply. “You’re not lying… So tell me why would it be that you Kageki Satoshi is not a member of the Kageki clan's Assassins and why would you purposely break our 3 century long contract for a reason as foolish as stealing food, as you put it.”

  “Huh, you Witches really don’t know shit now do you?” Saotshi laced his words with as much venom as he could muster, the word Witch already being one which could insult a female magic user as much as calling a normal woman a whore could. however the Witch Cult was the source of said insult so it had no effect on the Queen. “The Kageki clan’s dead, they have been for over a decade.”

  The queen's eyes shot open and her jaw slacked slightly before she regained her composure. “You’re not lying… if that’s true our information network truly is lacking in Taiponbo…”

  Satoshi didn’t feel the need to insult her further, it dealt no damage to her pride nor ego, not enough to let her ease her restraints at all that is. But he himself already knew that the Witch Cult struggled in Taiponbo, they ruled in Vulracious, Iboria, Afurenthos and Kiton. Taiponbo never had the interest to work with the foreign powers such as theirs. He felt a sense of joy at robbing this woman from the easy information machine she thought she’d snagged with Satoshi. She would be just as much in the dark as before she’d met him.

  “Then how would you have survived? And who took up the niche that your clan once filled?” She asked.

  “The Toumeikan Yakuza, they killed the Kageki and took the hits for themselves.”

  “You speak as if you’re not a member of the Kageki.”

  “When was I ever?” Satoshi asked.

  “...” The queen paused for a moment while staring at Satoshi before letting out another sigh. “You’ve yet to answer my question as to how the fall of Azhar has impacted Edoland.”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “I wouldn’t know, I haven’t been in Edoland since May.”

  “Is that so, what a shame I hoped to get more from you…” The queen stood up and brushed her skirt smooth before walking over to the kitchen and grabbing from the wooden ice box a jar of ice cold tea. “This is brown tea, so I’m not quite sure if it would fit your palette but would you be interested in it? I have seed cakes as well.”

  “...” Satoshi eyed the women nervously but he couldn’t for long before his stomach answered for itself, rumbling with a crack.

  The queen let out a giggle and smirk. “You truly were just hungry, what a fool you are Kageki Satoshi not the Kageki clan.”

  Satoshi's cheeks tinted a slight red before they turned back to their tan color, his head shaking and spiky hair slicing the air. “What do you plan to do to me?” He asked.

  “Well~” the queen began as she began to prepare the dishes for her and Satoshi. “Right now you caught me and well, us all during a bit of a vocational retreat, a late summer break you can think of it as. But with you introducing yourself I imagine we’ll be cutting this short. By tomorrow night we’ll return back to the Black Web Schools Compound, and I think that there I’ll hand you over to the local authorities to do as they wish.”

  “...” Satoshi didn’t speak, he only tried not to smile at her blatant arrogance , Satoshi had broken out of jail and prison multiple times, it was nothing to him, if she’d truly wanted to bind him this [Black Web] Compound would have been best, to throw him in the dungeon where the light does not shine. But it seemed as if her interest in him had already died down at his lack of knowledge.

  Humming to herself the Witch Queen walked over to where Satoshi sat on the floor and with a flick upwards of her finger conjured a small wooden table, and one of amazing detail. The grain itself was carved deliberately and sanded to be as smooth as glass.

  “!”

  Satoshi's eyes widened at the strange meal she brought and she seemed to take pleasure in that. Her snow white bare feet walking past Satoshi she took a seat across from him, her legs folded behind her she placed two clear jars of brown tea, a small loaf of seed cake made in a circular shape, a butter knife and slab of creamy dark yellow butter on a tiny dish.

  Satoshi felt his body lighten, rather than being fully bound in chains he was now more akin to being in handcuffs. He felt the urge to kick the table up, to grab the butter knife and use it to stab straight through the Witches eyes, to use his own foot on her throat, to crush and suffocate her. But he also saw how futile that was, he knew the moment he tried to kick the table up he would be on the ground in even heavier restraints and at that point she might even try to feed him herself, something he would rather die than accept.

  “Domo.” He muttered, reaching his hand out greedily and grabbing the cold jar of tea. Ripping the metal lid off he gulped down the sweet brown liquid. Like that of honey and rich leaf; it had nothing in common with the green tea of Edoland. Like comparing white grapes to red ones.

  With a gasp he put the bottle down, having drunk the whole thing and grabbed a handful of cake from the loaf without cutting it and plunged it into his mouth.

  As if purposely made to defy logic while the tea was sweet the cake itself was bitter and earthy, nothing like the cake he’d known. Chocolate with laced fudge or soft cream filled vanilla white bread. This was tart, and full of little pebble like seeds but he still gulped it down without complaint.

  “I do wish you would keep some manners about yourself.” The Queen sighed as he took a sip from her own tea jar, the thin slice of cake in her hand lathered with a small spread of butter which she took a careful bite of, using her off hand below in case any crumbs fell.

  Satoshi grunted at her words and rubbed his mouth with his forearm. “Do you have meat?” He asked.

  The Queen frowned and looked to her side, “I do not eat meat myself, but I imagine some strips of elk jerky are about her somewhere.” With a sigh she stood up and walked back over to the kitchen of the cabin and looked above the spice rake, and sure enough hanging were small strips of salted and dried meat slabs. Plucking them off one by one she walked back over to Saotshi and passed them to him.

  Taking them from her Satoshi shoved all of the jerky into his mouth and nearly gagged at how salty they were. It was like he had taken a mouthful of salt alone, the meat was hard and tough. The kind which men needed to grind with their molars for minutes on end until it became soggy enough to swallow.

  “Here so you don’t choke.” The queen said, passing Satoshi a new tea jar which he chugged down.

  “Thank you.” He sighed, after swallowing the meat, his mouth filled with a rather tart taste.

  “I hope that holds you until morning, I’m too tired to prepare a true meal myself.” The queen frowned standing up and dusting off her skirt. “Then we can have something more appetizing, eggs, toast with jam and peanut butter and vegetable soups. Perhaps like the Misa you drink in Edoland for breakfeast?” She asked.

  “It’s Miso.” Satoshi answered. Though the food wasn’t what he would have preferred, it would be enough to hold him for now, he hoped so at least. Western food has never been his palette of choice, rice, fish, pork and beef mixed with scallions, onion and herbs were what he had grown up eating, so these more archaic western foods might as well have been bushmeat and flat bread. But to the Witch Cult that was what a mid night snack was.

  “Well then, I assume you can sleep on the floor as is?” She asked as she began to prepare her bed.

  “Do you think I’m a dog?” Satoshi asked with a scoff.

  “No, but you came sneaking into my home like you were one, and going by how you smell and the dirt built under your nails and mud on your skin it’s not as though you’ve been in many beds as of late. Though to be honest, I really just do not wish to use a washboard and drying rack tomorrow morning to wash any white sheets you might dirty.”

  Satoshi didn’t speak, he only grumbled curses and kept his legs crossed staring at the Witch who laid in her bed, her soft white skin as pale as bone and soft like velvet being hidden under her covers she rolled to face away from him with a yawn. “I’ll wake you in the morning.” She said,

  “Are you not afraid I’ll kill you?” Satoshi laughed.

  “Of course not, I know you’re not that stubborn or foolish.” She answered with a grumble as if already half asleep.

  “Tch.” Clicking his tongue Satoshi looked around the Cabin to see if escape was possible, but found it to be far too difficult to pull off in his current form. Instead he would simply have to wait out the night, just like he had so many times before. From a child who’d not yet grown hair on his face to the current day he’d spent many lone nights under the moon, hungry, cold, wet and sick it didn’t matter, This was nothing to him. It’s just annoying… He thought with a yawn.

  # # #

  The Witch Queen Edna woke up with a yawn, opening her eyes which fluttered with bits of tears she sat up in bed, the cot far too soft to be comfortable almost like sleeping in mud she ran her hands through her frost white hair, as soft and smooth as morning snow with not a bit of oil or dirt in it she lazily put it into a bun. A few strands still hanging from the back and sides she let out another yawn and turned to see Satoshi, or at least the boy who went by the name Saotshi.

  Leaning up against the ice box with eyes glazed over, he stared into the void itself it seemed. He was a rather handsome boy, short in statue but wiry and with a soft yet defined face. His eyes however were narrowed constantly as if in a bad mood and his black hair stood straight up in thin needled spikes like a porcupine's quills. It was because of these things, his size, eyes, hair and overall attitude that she associated him with a wolverine.

  “Are you awake?” She asked, stepping out of bed, her pale white feet flinching at the stone floors stinging cold surface.

  As if snapping back to reality the boy Satoshi looked up at her, his eyes the same as the night before full of hate and anger he grit his teeth but offered no response.

  “I’ll take that a yes then I suppose.” She yawned and covered her mouth. She’d worn her clothes to bed rather than a night gown so she’d have to fetch a fresh pair from the dresser, walking over to it she opened the old wooden doors and plucked a button up white tshirt, with a long black skirt and open toad shoes with a thick black lace across them.

  Staring at her with no shame nor motive other than to watch her every move was Satoshi, his eyes following her every breath and movement like a viper hiding in a brush.

  With a sigh she took her clothes with her into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

  Satoshi watching the door close let out a sigh and turned to look around the room.

  No clock… but I counted 5 hours… it should be nearly 7 in the morning then. He thought. Straining his nose he sniffed the air, finding small traces of eggs over a skillet and dough being beaten and needed into loafs. I hope it’s not that seed shit. He thought with a sign. Standing up he walked across the room to the front door and peered out the small crescent moon shaped peeper.

  “!”

  Looking back through right at him on the other side was the man from the night before, the man wearing a black cloak which hid his face. Said coat being covered in green ropes and knots. His beard down to his stomach and braided, the man didn’t flinch at Satoshi only drawing his blade and in a single motion kicking the door open.

  Satoshi jumping backwards dodged the man's piercing thrust. His arms still bound to his person so that he could not lift them more than high enough to grab a fork from a table he was unable to do much else but dodge the next swing of the long sword, this time by dropping his knees quickly and ducking down the sword arching overhead and slicing through the air with a crack.

  The blade now that Satoshi could see it in clear light was nearly like that of an Otachi, a long form Katana, though with a double edged blade rather than a single curved one

  Kicking off the ground he swung up his foot aiming straight for the old man's wrist hoping to snap it so he’d drop the weapon but he was frozen mid air and the man dropped down to a full bow dropping blade without hesitation.

  “Aeker McQuinn!” Edna barked, her tone like oil on a stove.

  “Forgive me for my trespasses, my queen.” The old man breathed, his voice as raspy as old floor boards straining under new weight. “I saw this creature in your home and assumed the worst had occurred.”

  “Creature!?” Satoshi growled, a vein popping on his brow.

  “Quiet, Kageki Satoshi.”

  “!”

  Satoshi's jaw slammed shut as if held closed by a muzzle; he tried to force it open but found it impossible.

  “Aeker, you are to leave at once, and go watch over the girls! Do not come unless I order you. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, my queen.”

  Aeker bowed deeply.

  And with that the man in a single clean motion had grabbed his blade, resheathed it and vanished out the door, his black cape flapping behind him as he walked in the wind you could see just how thin the man was despite his strength.

  “Are you in good health Kageki Satoshi?” Edna asked, releasing Satoshi from his bondage.

  “!”

  As soon as he felt himself freed for even just a moment Satoshi kicked off the floor and vanished out the open door of the cabin. Edna's eye widened but it was too late to stop him, once Satoshi's shoes had touched the ground he already kicked off and began to sprint in the opposite direction of Edna, zig zagging and hoping around he took multiple twists and turns throughout the camp, girls screaming as they saw him he jumped over their heads and out of the way.

  One of the girls had tried to cast a ball of fire at him but he easily dodged it like one would a soccer ball kicked by a child.

  It was only when he nearly met the barrier he stopped, his feet skidding along the ground. Standing there and already waiting for him with a smile on her nearly Fae like face was Edna the Witch Queen.

  “That was quite the show, I must say, Kageki Satoshi. But when I said you would be coming with me back to the Black Web Academy I was not lying.” She sighed.

  Satoshi's observation flashed red and he rolled to the side, an invincible set of hands having grabbed where he once was, while Satoshi could not see them with his Observation it was like the image appeared in his mind.

  “Oh?” Edna asked, taken aback.

  From the shadow beneath Satoshi's outstretched arm came his Katana [Tsubashinai] , its red tinted blade glittering under the morning sun rise. “You caught me by surprise yesterday woman, today will not be the same.”

  “Ho? And do you think that Aeker McQuinn has not come to claim your head for himself because he doesn’t know what has occurred? No he knows but understand my word is law, if you cannot defeat him how do you plan to get past me?”

  “Hmph.” Not even offering a response and only a prideful huff Satoshi raised his hand into the air and with it came the very ground itself growing up and spreading around the Witch Queen like a dome forged from stone, shadows breeding across its dark interior the only thing the Witch Queen could see was darkness even her observation blocked. Not even she felt entirely calm in such a situation, a cold sweat dripping down her back.

  “You underestimate me, Witch.” Satoshi's voice boomed as if coming from every direction.

  [千影龍撞雨: Strike Of Thousand Shadow Dragons!]

  With sparks of light and from every direction came flying down dragons shaped like serpents, their bodies long and thin with no wings and only four small limbs but made of multiple colors and elements such as fire, electricity, water, earth and air they struck down at Edna who quickly cast a [Shield] around herself, but the dragons destroyed that as well aiming straight for the woman herself. Blasts of color, hisses of electricity and fire, whips of wind and thumps of stone rang out in the dome.

  CRACK!

  The darkness was broken when the barrier the dome had forged shattered to mana which would soon become Kami.

  Dripping with sweat and panting was Satoshi, his mana pool taking a heavy hit after casting his greatest spell he smiled upon seeing the Witch Queen down on one knee, her clothes covered in tears and burns and a streak of red blood in her white hair she too panted.

  “Impressive, Kageki Satoshi, with that I’m afraid even Aeker would have been fell, but I’m the Witch Queen Edna Llewellyn Leinster!” She said proudly.

  “!” Satoshi grunted as he was grabbed once more by an invisible hand, at a speed so great he could not have even known it had come down upon him before he’d already been grabbed. It squeezed him tightly as if he’d been plunged to the bottom of the sea's depths and covered in chains made of pure steel and tungsten. Even though he strained his muscles they would not flex at all.

  “Damnit!” Satoshi yelled aloud, his eyes nearly red from the blood vessels which spread across them in a web-like pattern.

  “You’re strong Kageki Satoshi, I thought you were more bark then bite but you truly do deserve the title of [Wolverine Of Edoland].” Edna laughed, running her hand through her hair the blood stain vanished and her clothes too began to heal like flesh wounds would close.

  “But now you’ve angered me and while I’m known for my kindness unlike that old witch Alice I’m not kind enough to let this pass over like morning dew on a blade of grass.”

  “!”

  And with that Satoshi vision blurred his body in pain, but unlike being burned or having your flesh sliced this was mental pain, imagined. As if his very nerves were on fire from every angle. And though he tried to fight it, he’d lost his consciousness.

  # # #

  The carriage bumped along its path, the sound of horses neighing softly stirred Satoshi awake and when he opened his eyes he found a blade to his throat, a long blade like that of an Otachi which was double sided and the man who held it Aeker McQuinn sitting across from him.

  To his side was a woman from the day before, Alice if Satoshi remembered correctly what she’d been called.

  “Speak not a word slant eyes.” Alice commanded. “If you’d pulled something such as that during my reign I'd have had your every nerve ripped from your body one by one!” She hissed.

  Satoshi didn’t speak, he only looked to Aeker, his eyes narrowed on the old man's sunken in red eyes. Staring at one another like Rival Wolf pack leaders would it was Satoshi who broke the contact first looking out the carriage windows at the forest around them. “Where’s the Queen?” He asked.

  “!”

  Aeker shoved the blade further into Satoshi's neck, now drawing warm blood with a slight sting.

  “If she meant you to kill me she’d have done so already, your threat means nothing to me wreath.” Satoshi laughed.

  CRACK

  Like his head had been hit with a hammer he felt his eye swell with blood and his lip be pierced by a tooth which fell from his mouth.

  “Watch your tongue boy, you were told to be kept alive but you can still be alive without your tongue or working spine.” Alice said, the fire in her eyes was enough to scorch Satoshi to ashes.

  Satoshi clenched his jaw, his own eyes narrowed enough to make even Alice flinch back for a moment. He was tired, tired of being humiliated, tired of being captured, he wanted to end this, he needed to kill Kanako to prove himself, yet here he was in a horse drawn carriage with two fools who his father would have killed with his eyes closed and them a head start of 30 seconds.

  Why am I thinking of him? Satoshi asked himself angrily. Looking at Aeker he let out a sigh, the old man was truly annoying, someone who Satoshi could have killed the night before with [千影龍撞雨: Strike Of Thousand Shadow Dragons], but why should he have? Why hunt a rabbit with a cannon? If you knew your strength you’d do so with a dagger just to prove you could. But that pride is what had gotten him stuck in this situation, and now he was even worse for wear, he could feel it himself, his magic had been sealed, most assuredly Edna's work and something only she could break the seal of. He tried to wonder if he could get out of this situation, he would have to kill Alice first, she was the problem, if he killed her that would break Aeker, and Satoshi would be able to kill him then, at least he hoped so. The issue was that without magic there was a chance it wouldn’t work and even if it did then what? Edna would simply bind him up more strictly then was now maybe even kill him. Perhaps he could take Alice as a hostage? But would the old Witch calm down enough to not flail and bite, kick and scream until he got too annoyed and snapped her thin wrinkled neck in his elbow.

  No, the only reliable thing to do now was wait, to wait until whatever happened happened. Sighing he twisted his body and laid his legs across the side of the chariot booth he was on as if it were a sofa.

  “Sit properly boy.” Alice said, “You’re to act with respect. Which part of that can you not understand!? Is it that the youth these days do not hold any ounce of respect in their bones!?”

  Satoshi didn’t answer her complaint, he only sighed and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

  “Let him sleep, Alice, at least this way he won’t do any more harm.” Aeker said, his voice smooth and soft yet stern.

  “Do not use that voice on me! I am not in the mood to be wooed by your gentlemanly commands!” Alice barked back

  Satoshi once more imagined what he could do now, while the two bickered like an old couple he could suddenly use his elbow to smash in the face of Aeker and kick in the head of Alice. But once again he wasn’t sure if that would actually work, if they would catch him before he did so or even if it did work then what?

  No, all he could do was sleep, bid his time until he could escape… for real this time.

  # # #

  “To be captured is a man's greatest shame!” Dou yelled, split flying from his old wrinkled mouth.

  “Yes Sir!” The crowd of men before him lined in a single file agreed with a deep bow.

  “If you are caught you might as well slit your own throat! If you return to me with such shame even if you manage to escape from it on your own, then I kill you myself!”

  “Yes Sir!” The crowd agreed once more.

  Satoshi or as he was known as by his real name at the time Kosei watched on, from the roof of his mother and his shack, the one which smelled of backed up sewage and crawled with cockroaches and mice. Resting his head in his knees he looked on at his fathers commanding presence, the crowd of men who stood before him a mix of cousins, sons and even more distant cousins. The Kageki were killers first and foremost.

  His father Kageki Dou the worst and best killer. If you paid a hefty fee for the suddenness of the job Dou could walk into the president's office and kill him without being seen in as little as three hours after the hit was placed.

  Yet apparently Dou was not the greatest assassin to ever live, no not even in the last 100 years, that would be the title of Kosei's grandfather, the father of Dou and the man who he was said to be the spotting image of.

  Kageki Kanroji, though Kosei ha’d never met him, he’d died decades before Kosei's birth, the only thing he knew about him was what his father had said. When he called Kosei into his room, drank until his words slurred, he would spend hours insulting Kosei and his mother. Only to end up on the floor crying himself to sleep, muttering about Kanroji and failures.

  “...”

  “Koshi!”

  Kosei looked over the edge of the roof down at his mom, “Yeah?” He asked with a smile hopping off the room down the floor below.

  “I managed to get some pork belly today, do you want Yakiniku or Shogayaki?” She asked with a soft warm smile

  His mother Utakoe Kaori was beautiful, once a popular idol she’d become a concubine of Kageki Dou and quickly gave birth to Kosei. Though at the very sight of Kosei at his birth her fate was sealed. Unlike the other Concubines and their children who lived in a mansion on the estates, Kaori and Kosei were given the shack they now lived on in the farthest corner of the estate. Kaori's once short cropped dyed brown hair was now long and black with broken ends and too thick to comb easily.

  “Yakiniku!” Kosei screamed. “I love Yakiniku!”

  “I know, I know.” His mother laughed, patting him on the head, his short spiky black hair coarse in her hands. Though she flinched at it early on, being the same as his father she’d grown used to it. This was her son's hair, not the monster who’d helped create him, who’d put that tumor inside of her and ruined her life. Who’d turned her from an idol into a woman who couldn’t even afford a proper haircut and lived in a poverty shack.

  “Ow!” Kosei yelped as his mother grabbed his hair firmly, pulling it harshly without noticing as he’d fallen down into their thoughts.

  “S-sorry!” She said letting his hair go, looking down at him she saw his slanted eyes looking back up at her, eyes unlike her own round and double lidded, Koseis were beady and sharp, small sanpaku pupils looking up at her she barely resisted the urge to push him away.

  “Come on inside and help me then, let’s make it the way you like it.” She said and quickly turned away grabbing Kosei by the arm and leading him into their shack of a home.

  “O-okay!” Kosei laughed.

  # # #

  Satoshi awoke when the carriage came to a slowed down pace, opening his eyes and looking to Aeker and Alice. It was Aeker who spoke first.

  “You’re to wait until Alice and I leave, then you will walk to me with your back facing me and hands behind your back as if cuffed. I will then pull you down by your collar and lead you to the authorities.” Aeker explained.

  Satoshi sighed and nodded his head, wiping a tear from his waking eye which he frowned at.

  The carriage came to a stop only a few minutes later and as said before, Aeker opened the door and guided Alice out gracefully, then he looked to Satoshi who with a frown stood up and faced the wall of the carriage, hands behind his back he walked backwards until right at the carriages exit where Aeker with one hand grabbed Satoshi's joined wrists and with his other the collar of his neck and dragged him down.

  “Couldn’t be gentler?” Satoshi asked with a grumble.

  “Slience, keep your eyes down and at the ground, I want you to count the very pebbles on the floor.”

  Satoshi looked straight behind Aeker as he spoke, at the massive monolithic castle behind him, one which could be the size of a small city, tall and made of oily black stone; it's as if the sunlight itself was afraid of it.

  “Let us move.”

  Grabbing Satoshi's back of the neck he pushed him forwards and Satoshi looked down at the ground, he wondered if it would be worth it to try and break free now.

  No, it will be easier at a police station of some kind, there I don’t have to worry about these witches and the old man. He felt shame as having to admit that he couldn’t get past these people, these foreigners, what would his father have said? Why am I thinking about him!?

  “Do not tense again or I’ll break your arm.” Aeker said strictly his grip on Satoshi's neck growing to the point of pain.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Satoshi answered back.

  I just need to find out how to break free from this seal…

  After a few minutes of walking Satoshi came to a stop and looked up, but Aeker with his elbow forced his head back down and Satoshi ground his teeth, the urge to whip around and tear out Aeker's throat with his teeth so very strong.

  “Here he is Gordon.” Aeker said with a sigh.

  “A lively one huh?” The man named Gordon said. “Let me look at him.”

  “Lift your head boy.” Aeker ordered and Satoshi obeyed, looking straight on at the man before him he could tell he was an officer of the law immediately.

  Tall with dark red hair slicked back and trimmed stubble he was a man who wore a suit and bullet proof vest.

  “Did you get the [Key] from Edna?” Aeker asked.

  “Yes, it’s already been taken ahead to the station.” Gordon nodded.

  “Then I’ll leave him to you.” Aeker pushed Satoshi forwards, letting go of his neck before walking away towards the castle's front gate which was across a long bridge which ran over a mote so deep you’d think god himself cared it out, the bottom full of frothing sea water.

  “Well then, Kageki Satoshi, let’s be friends shall we?” Gordon asked, putting his hand on Satoshi's shoulder roughly.

  “For the short time we’re together, sure.” Satoshi agreed with a grin.