XCEL

He wasn’t going to let another one die, not while he had breath left in his lungs, blood left in his veins, or a shadow left to cast.

That was the silent vow Tegata Kage had made to himself the moment he had broken free from that accursed place. All that was left to do now was to make good on it. If he didn’t, Tegata doubted whether he could bear to look her in the eyes at the end of all of this—if there even was an end.

The intrusive thoughts plagued his mind like the stains of rain on a window—small enough to not get in the way, yet visible and irritating if you were forced to look at them for too long. Tegata chose to look past the window, and down onto the street below.

The day was soon coming to a close. He knew he didn’t have long left. Spire Crane flapped its wings, a borderless silhouette blending into the dimming sky it soared through, Tegata clutching onto its feet. The signals were growing stronger now, both the Rejected, and the children. What they were doing out so late aside, all that mattered was removing the threat to their lives.

A line of trees honed into view, the dim park green beyond it. Tegata ordered the bird to descend.

The dreadful scene soon came into view, and Tegata felt blood pound in his head. The little girls, no older than seven or eight, were backed into a fenced off corner. They cowered, clutching one another as the two menacing monstrosities loomed into view, tipping back their heads to drown out the children with their own ungodly shrieks.

The world seemed deaf to the plights of these stranded children. There wasn’t another soul in sight, everyone having shut the door to the threat as though it were every man for themselves.

But it wasn’t. Tegata’s presence proved the exception. Grateful for the sparse lamplight overhead, he dismissed Spire Crane. The graceful bird crowed once more before it sank into his shadow. He hit the ground at a run, sprinting towards the two Rejected. Extending his hands, he clasped them together in the shape of a dog’s muzzle.

Sed Jackal (冋豺 Keisai)

Emerging from his waning shadow under the golden lamplight with a pair of howls, two hounds, blacker than darkness with no definition to their shape, ran alongside him. The Rejected turned at the noise, but it was too late.

Tegata jumped nearing the first, twisting in the air and slamming his right foot into the side of its face. The monster toppled sideways from the blow and stumbled into the metal fence.

The second reject cried out as both jackals pounced. They rent and tore into the creature’s swollen flesh. The monster stumbled around blindly, a giant swatting at ants. It was futile. The jackals’ teeth ripped the creature apart like tissue paper, not even leaving bone behind. Tegata slowed as he approached the two girls, arms out wide and voice low.

“Hey, hey.”

He flipped up his hood, smiling. Both girls let out a yelp and shrank away. The streetlights revealed the wide tear tracks down their cheeks, and eyes swollen by distress.

Tegata stopped advancing and knelt down. “I’m not going to hurt you, okay? I’m here to help you.”

“Mister,” one of them said between sobs. “What’s going on?”

“I’m so sorry this had to happen to you,” Tegata said, and held out his arms. “Come on. You can trust me, okay? I’ll take you both to safety.”

It took a few seconds, but at last the childrens’ reservation broke. Both leapt forward, practically clamping themselves to Tegata’s arms as he started to lead them away.

“Mister… I’m so scared!”

“I know,” he responded, smiling down at her. “But you’re going to be okay, yeah?”

She nodded, swallowed, then smiled.

“Very brave.” Tegata’s smile grew. “Let’s keep moving, okay?”

“Mister!” The other cried, tugging at his arm and pointing backwards. “Behind you!”

Tegata made another sign with his hands.

Second Plague (二番疫 Nibanyaku)

A thousand creatures of darkness spilled out from his shadow in a wave, briefly covering the ground in a fleeting blanket that vanished into the distance.

He only just had time to turn around. The blow from the first reject sent him flying. Tegata hit a wall and felt all the wind knocked out of him. His head bounced off of the brick, lights popping behind his eyes. He slid down and slumped over, gasping for breath. The two girls were nowhere to be found. Tegata smiled. He’d acted in time.

The problem wasn’t over yet. The reject was closing in fast.

Tegata tried to stand, but everything ached. If it hadn’t been for the psychic energy he had reinforced his body with, he would’ve died on impact. Even with, he would be extremely lucky to escape without some severe bruising. Standing, he steadied his breathing, and centred his mind. Psychic energy flowed through him like a current, exciting every cell.

Sed Jackal (冋豺 Keisai)

One of the jackals emerged from his shadow.

The reject faced off against Tegata and his guard. It then let out a roar and charged, driving a punch into the brickwork where Tegata’s head had been a few seconds ago. This time, he had opted for evasion. Sliding underneath it, Tegata twisted and drove a sweeping kick into the back of its legs. The reject cried out and crumpled under its own weight.

“Go!” He commanded the hound, and it pounced. The shadow sunk its jaws into the creature’s leg, and dark blood oozed from grossly swollen vessels. The reject howled and thrashed wildly, stumbling all over the place, but the dark beast wouldn’t let go. It then seized the jackal by the back of the neck and tore it away, taking out a chunk of its leg in the process.

The reject cocked its arm back and catapulted the jackal across the park. It hit a tree and let out a distorted whimper, losing its form and melting into the surrounding darkness.

That was all the opportunity Tegata needed. The next instant, he threw his punch at the creature’s face, his fist crackling with psychic energy. The blow connected with a resounding crack. The reject’s face splintered under the force, blood jettisoning from its eye.

It wasn’t enough. Seizing Tegata by the wrist, the reject roared and swung him over its head. Tegata cursed and braced himself. The reject then slammed him into the ground once, twice, and then three times more. Each impact shook the ground. Tegata groaned and struggled to pull himself free from the small crater. The fatigue in his muscles was palpable. His reinforcement had prevented serious damage, but now he was drained. His mind was steeped in fog, and the dread was starting to set in. All he could do was grit his teeth.

The reject, wounded but alive, advanced to brutalise its prey. Tegata struggled to gain ground, but he couldn’t move far. At least, he thought, if this was the end for him here, those two girls would live. The moment the thought crossed his mind, he felt the ripples of two more psychic presences nearby.

A figure dropped from above, landing behind the reject. Before it could turn around, Kinuka Amibari threw her arms forward. A hundred silvery threads lashed out under the moonlight and bound around the creature’s arms, legs and throat. The reject struggled, but couldn’t move. It tried to yell, but the constriction around its windpipe made the resulting sound more closely resemble a whimper.

A yell crashed down from the heavens.

Severance Planar (断面 Danmen)

A brilliant white line cleaved through the air above Tegata, cutting the reject clean down the middle. The two halves separated and fell to the sides, revealing another. Rinkaku Harigane stood, and fixed Tegata with an icy stare, Kinuka not far behind.

“Did you really think,” Rin said, “you could just throw your life away without giving me some answers?”

“You two…” Tegata’s voice sounded strained. “What are you doing here? What about your leg?”

“Not a big deal,” Rin said.

“You’re welcome,” Kinuka slapped the back of his head. Approaching Tegata, she bent down and extended a hand. “Here, let me help. You look like you’ve taken quite the beating.”

Tegata took it, and got to his feet.

“Thanks.” He did his best to bow, steeling himself through the pain just about everywhere. “I owe you both a lot for that. Thanks.”

“You think we did this for you?” Rin snorted. “We’re equal now!”

Kinuka hit him again.

“Are you alright?” She reached out to Tegata.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

He was quick to wave away her concern, despite holding his broken arm in the other, but Kinuka was having none of it.

“You’re not fine.”

“I’m telling you, it’s alright.”

She grabbed his arm. Tegata winced.

“That looks broken to me,” Kinuka said. “Let me fix it. It’s the least I can do to repay you for saving our lives.”

“You can do that?” Tegata asked.

“She can do that,” Rin nodded.

The gunshot wound on his leg was now no more, at Kinuka’s insistence on their way here.

“Hold still for a moment,” she ordered.

Tegata did as he was told, watching in wonder as Kinuka reconstructed his forearm, breaking it down into hundreds of threads, and weaving it back up at speed as though she were mending a shirt.

“That’s your specialty, then, is it?” He presumed.

“Threadwork,” Kinuka replied. “That’s what I’ve decided to call it.”

“That’s amazing.” He marvelled at her handiwork a little longer. “Thank you—Kinuka, right? You’ve already got such a good grasp over your specialty. I thought that was it for this arm.”

She beamed.

“Yeah, yeah,” said Rin, “but what about my Severance Planar?” He re-enacted the vertical slashing motion, grinning. “That was pretty cool, right?”

Tegata tilted his head.

Kinuka said, “I guess.”

Rin’s face dropped.

“Oh fuck off, both of you!” He sulked, storming off in a random direction.

“Jealous?” Kinuka taunted.

“No!”

Kinuka giggled.

“Is he always like this?” Tegata asked, watching him go.

Kinuka pursed her lips, several things she could say coming to mind. “Let’s just say he takes some getting used to.”

“I can see that. I take it you’ve known each other for a while.”

She nodded.

“I’m sure he appreciates it.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Tegata then led Kinuka over to a side-street. Night had very nearly fallen yet, outlined against the lamplight, the blanket of darkness that Tegata had summoned earlier was illuminated to reveal hundreds of little shadow frogs all huddled together to form one contiguous mass. Kinuka cooed when Tegata pointed them out. As the two approached, the frogs all parted to reveal the two little girls, arms wrapped around one another, safe and sound.

“You two.” Tegata crouched before them. Hearing the familiar voice, both opened their eyes.

“Mister,” said one. “What’s going on?”

“Are they,” choked another. “Are they gone?”

Tegata smiled, as Kinuka crouched down beside him. “They’re gone. You’re safe now. What are your names?”

The first was Hana, with brown hair in a long braid. When approached by Kinuka, offering to heal any wounds, she hugged a couple of the shadow frogs tight and wouldn’t let go. The second, Teruko, was a little easier to treat. Tegata watched as Kinuka worked her magic with the two little ones. Fortunately, their wounds only consisted of a couple cuts and grazes. Kinuka’s Threadwork had them fixed in no time.

“There,” she said, sewing tight the last of the cuts. “Is that better, Teruko?”

The little girl nodded. “Thank you!”

“Mister?” Hana was tugging at his suit jacket. Tegata looked down. “I want to go home.”

“Yes,” Tegata said. “You must. Promise me you won’t go out late again, okay?”

The response was reluctant, but both agreed.

“The frogs will guide you home, don’t worry.”

With one mind, the frogs swept the children off their feet, balancing them on a wave. Both children yelped and giggled as the creatures juggled them into a comfortable position.

“Can you think of your home for me?” Tegata asked.

Both nodded.

“Good. Do that, and the frogs will take you.”

“Okay!”

“Thank you for saving us!”

Tegata smiled.

“Aren’t they adorable?” Kinuka whispered.

Both children closed their eyes and laid back, and the frogs split into two groups. Each formed a shell around their passengers, constantly shifting, and bounded into the darkness.

Tegata mumbled something as he watched them go.

Kinuka looked up at him but didn’t catch it. What she did catch was the tear from the corner of one eye. In spite of her curiosity, she chose not to pursue.

The two stood for a little while longer in silence under the lamplight. For that blissful moment, everything was still. Not even the sound of passing traffic could be heard. Like all beautiful things, however, it didn’t last long.

“Hey!”

It had been quite a while until Rin realised that no-one was coming after him. In his bait, he had stomped off down a different street and had lost sight of the other two. Fortunately, he was starting to get the hang of locating people by their psychic signature. If he stood still and concentrated, he could sense the ripples a while away. The markers overlaid his vision for a while afterwards. Very useful.

Swallowing the rest of his pride, he turned tail and went back the way he came, only to find that both of them had since vanished. How dare they go ahead without him!

Now, he stood there in the mouth of the alley, slouching frame silhouetted against the lamplight like the vengeful spirit of a homeless person. Both hands in his pockets, he glowered at them like they’d done him some great personal injustice.

Tegata sighed.

“Finished sulking yet?” Kinuka asked.

“No.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Hungry.”

There was a moment of silence, before Kinuka giggled. The sombre mood disappeared in an instant.

“I don’t believe it,” Tegata murmured, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Shut up!” Rin stamped his foot. “I haven’t had a decent thing to eat all day. I have a right to be hungry!”

Kinuka thought for a moment. “Actually, that’s a good point. The last thing I had to eat was the dorayaki back in the cafe. I suppose I could do with something as well.”

“Hell yeah! I want curry udon!”

“Ooh, or sushi! Sushi would be so good!”

Both then turned and looked at Tegata, as though waiting for his permission. This, he noticed.

“Sorry, you two,” he said, staring down at the tarmac, “but we don’t exactly have that kind of time to waste.”

Rin’s groan was louder than his stomach’s.

“Why not?! I can’t think properly when I’m hungry.”

Kinuka agreed along those lines.

“Did it occur to either of you that you’re both wanted by the police?” Tegata asked. “You think you’ll just be able to waltz into any restaurant you like for a meal without the owners calling the police?”

That brought the two back to reality.

“That’s what I thought,” Tegata continued. “Besides, neither of you look as though you have that kind of money—I certainly don’t.”

Rin grumbled something inaudible. He would’ve objected further, had Tegata not made such a good point.

“I’ve got some more explaining for you two,” Tegata continued. “We’re going back to my place.”

“What, that dingy old loft?” Rin pulled a face.

Tegata evidently chose not to hear this, walking past him and out of the alleyway.

Kinuka was soon to follow.

Rin stood still and gawked at him for a moment more, before he shouted after them. “Can I at least get some snacks or something?”

“Make it quick.”

When it came to getting his hands on food, quick was Rinkaku Harigane’s middle name.