On the rooftop of a skyscraper in the city center, a figure stood, gazing down, dressed in a suit. Suddenly, a pink portal appeared behind him. A strange monster stepped out; it wore a green medieval suit and had an owl's head on a human body. The monster didn't attack the person on the roof.
"Are you sure about this choice?" the monster asked.
"No matter what happens, I have to save her... She's the one who saved me... I don't want to lose her, no matter what..." the person replied.
The monster sighed. "You never change, do you, from the past. But I'm not sure this plan will work, because you've tried this for the hundred thousandth time, and it always failed."
"Don't worry, maybe this time it'll work," the person answered. "I won't give up on saving her because I love her so much..."
"It's up to you, but this time I won't help you," the monster said.
"It's okay, I can do this myself," the person replied.
The monster then stepped back into the portal and disappeared.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you... This time I won't lose you again," the person muttered, then opened a portal with their hand and disappeared into it.
A moment later, someone opened the door to the rooftop and said, "Damn it, he's already gone... Now what am I supposed to do? That person always manages to disappear just in time before I find him."
At Aeji Ahndo's house, a phone rang. Aeji picked it up. "Hello, Aeji here."
"Hello Aeji, it's me, Shu," someone said on the phone.
"Hello Shu, why are you calling me?"
"My sister agreed to teach you. When do you want to start training? My sister was asking."
"When... How about Saturday? I happen to be free on Saturday."
"Wait a moment, I'll ask my sister..." Shu could be heard talking to his sister. "My sister agreed! So, come to my house this Saturday, Aeji!"
"No problem, Shu, I'll be there on time."
"Alright then, Aeji, see you tomorrow!" Shu said.
"Ugh, what a hassle, but I have to do this for myself," Aeji muttered. "Oh right, I haven't trained with Haru's father yet. I should call him."
Aeji called Haru. The phone rang... soon after, Haru picked up. "Hello Aeji, why are you calling me?"
"How about your father? Did he agree?"
"Sorry, Aeji, my father can't train you because he's very busy. Instead, I'll train you. How about it? Do you agree?"
"Of course, I agree, Haru! Oh, when are we going to train? I've already talked to Shu that I'll be training with his sister this Saturday. Do you want to come along too?"
"That's a good idea then! This Saturday, we'll meet at Shu's house. I'll tell Shu later."
"Alright then, Haru, see you this Saturday!"
On Saturday, I waited for Haru at the bus stop. We were going to go together to Shu's house. Suddenly, someone greeted me, "Morning, Aeji! Are you ready to train with me?" (with a slight smile).
"Morning, Haru! Let's go straight to Shu's house!"
"Let's go!"
We waited for the bus that would take us to the bus stop near Shu's house.
"Oh, do you know what Shu's sister is like?" Haru asked Aeji.
"Shu's sister? I don't know either. We'll see what Shu's sister is like later," Aeji replied.
Soon after, the bus that would take us to the stop near Shu's house arrived. We got on, and while waiting to get there, Haru and I chatted.
"Haru, what kind of person do you think Shu is?" I asked.
"I think... I think Shu is a good and friendly person, but he's just quiet. I don't think he's a bad person... Maybe he has a reason to be quiet, or maybe being quiet is a form of self-protection for him, like the saying 'silence is golden'," Haru explained.
"Is that so? I think the same as you, but..."
"But?"
"It seems like Shu has some trauma that makes him so quiet..."
"It's possible, since Shu hasn't really talked much about his past, has he? But it's probably better if we don't know about his past, we should just keep quiet," Haru suggested.
"Yes, you're right, Haru."
The bus we were on had reached its destination. We got off the bus and immediately called Shu to ask for his address. "Hello Shu, we've arrived at the bus stop near your house," I said.
Shu sent his address using a digital map. We followed it and were stunned to see Shu's house, which was very large and surrounded by a high wall.
Suddenly, the gate opened and someone appeared, greeting us, "Hello, Haru and Aeji! Welcome to my house, please make yourselves at home."
Haru and I entered and followed Shu towards his house, passing through a very spacious yard. From the yard, I could see many trees and animals such as deer, mousedeer, rabbits, and the like. Haru and I were once again amazed by Shu's house.
"We've arrived at my house, come in first. I'll call my sister downstairs."
Shu went upstairs and we waited downstairs. Not long after, a very beautiful and tall woman appeared. That person was Shu's sister.
"Hello Haru and Aeji, my name is Xue. As you already know, I am Shu's older sister. And oh, Aeji..."
"Yes, what is it, Sis?" I asked.
"Shu often talks about you and Shu says he lik—"
Suddenly, Xue's mouth was covered by Shu's hand. "Sis... I told you to keep this a secret," Shu said with an annoyed tone.
"What did you want to talk about, Sis Xue?" I asked again.
"Nothing, Sis was just joking," Xue replied.
Haru whispered to Xue, "Actually, Aeji isn't very perceptive, and there's also someone else who likes Aeji."
Xue said, "Wow, that's amazing! And now Shu has a rival, huh..."
"You're being noisy, Sis! But I won't lose to him, Sis. I'm confident in myself, Sis," Shu retorted.
Xue smiled. "I'm sure you can win Aeji's heart, okay? Just trust the process... No need to rush to win her heart," she said, stroking Shu's head.
Shu smiled slightly. "You're Haru, right? Are you going to train with Aeji too?"
"Yes, that's right, I'm Haru. I also want to join Aeji because my reflexes and fighting instincts aren't very good, so it's no problem if I can train along too," Haru replied.
"Alright then, I'll teach you both how to fight too. How about that?" Xue asked.
"Didn't we promise to teach us about reflexes and instincts?" I asked.
"It's okay, I haven't fought in a long time anyway," Xue answered nonchalantly.
"Wait... You can fight, Sis?" Shu asked in surprise.
"Of course I can... Who says I can't fight, Shu?" Xue teased.
"I've almost never seen you fight, you know..." Shu muttered in wonder.
"Heh... You underestimate your sister too much, Shu," Xue replied with a mysterious smile.
"Before that, I want to test your fighting abilities, Haru and Aeji," Xue said.
"Who's afraid, Sis Xue!" Haru and I exclaimed in unison.
"I'll close my eyes as proof that I have good reflexes and fighting instincts," Xue said.
"Alright, Sis Xue!" Haru and I replied.
We both launched our first attack on Xue, but Xue managed to parry it with her hand. "Is this all your ability? Try harder with Sis!"
"What now, Haru?" I whispered.
"How about this, Aeji, we attack her from two directions. How about it? I'll attack the front and you the back," Haru whispered.
"I agree, Haru," I whispered.
Haru and I finally used that plan, but suddenly Xue appeared behind me and slammed me to the ground, and the same happened to Haru.
"You want to attack me from two directions, huh? Are you sure that method will work?" Xue asked with a cunning smile.
"How could she be behind us?" I exclaimed in astonishment.
"So what do you think, Shu, about my fighting skills? Are you impressed?" Xue asked.
"Yes... I didn't expect you could fight all this time, Sis," Shu replied.
"Ugh, my body will be destroyed if this keeps up," I muttered, trying to stand up.
"So what about you two? Do you still want to try fighting me?" Xue asked.
"No, no, just once is enough, Sis Xue. We're impressed with what you did earlier, Sis..." I said quickly.
"Alright then, I'll immediately teach you about reflexes and instincts in fighting. Before that, both of you sit down," Xue commanded.
"Okay, Sis," we both answered in unison.
"Before we start, do you know what Qi is?" Xue asked.
"Qi...? What's that, Sis?" I asked, confused.
"Is Qi some kind of vital energy like Ki in Japan?" Haru chimed in.
"Yes, you're right, Haru. Ki and Qi have similar meanings, which is vital energy. Before you can understand what reflexes and fighting instincts are, you must be able to understand what vital energy, or life energy, is. Also, not all beings have life energy. I will also teach you what Reverse Capture is," Xue explained at length.
"You can also do Reverse Capture?" Haru asked, surprised.
"You know that, Haru? This should be easy if you know about Reverse Capture, even if you've never used it," Xue replied, now looking at Haru.
"Before I teach you what Reverse Capture is, you'll learn from the very basics first," Xue said. "First, close your eyes and imagine you are seeing the nerves in your body. Imagine that the nerves in your body are energy flowing to your core life essence, which in this case is the heart."
Haru and I did as Xue instructed and tried to imagine it.
"How is it? Can you do it?" Xue asked.
"I can, Sis, but I can't feel anything yet..." I said.
"You don't need to rush to feel it. Just imagine it first. After this, I'll teach you how to feel it," Xue explained.
"Are you having any difficulty?" she asked again.
"A little, Sis, but I can pretty much understand this..." I replied.
"Good that you can understand it. And now I will teach you how to feel it. Empty your mind and focus on your surroundings, focus on your soul and also your surroundings," Xue instructed.
"Hmmmm, I can feel it, Sis, even if only a little..." I muttered.
"Focus your soul on your surroundings... and also your life energy... And now I will throw two baseballs at you, and you must be able to catch them!" Xue threw two baseballs at us.
Haru and I tried to focus my soul on my surroundings and I could feel my surroundings. I reflexively caught the ball, and so did Haru.
"We... we managed to catch it, Sis!" I exclaimed.
"It turns out to be this easy..." Haru said.
"And you'll learn on your own how to feel living beings after this. It's easy, but just change the method," Xue said.
"Change, Sis? How's that, Sis?" I asked.
"Use your soul to feel the souls of other beings," Xue replied.
"If you've succeeded in doing that, I'll teach you Reverse Capture. And also, Shu, guide them, okay! Sister trusts you," Xue whispered to Shu, adding, "and also help your future husband, Aeji."
"Ugh, Sis! What are you talking about!" Shu exclaimed, his face reddening.
"Sis is just kidding, hehe. Good luck you two! Don't worry, Shu will help you," Xue said with a smile.
After that, Xue left Haru and me with Shu.
"I'm sorry about my sister, Aeji, Haru... She's always like that," Shu said.
"It's okay, Shu. I understand your situation with your sister," I replied.
"Thanks, Aeji. Okay, back to the beginning... I'll guide you to feel the souls of living beings. As my sister said, use your soul to feel the souls of other beings. You know what mana is, right?" Shu explained.
"I know... Mana is used to create something from elements, right?" Haru asked.
"Yes, you're right, Haru, but you're mistaken about creating something," Shu replied.
"Mistaken?" Haru asked, confused.
"Mana cannot be used to create, but rather to form and control mana according to the element we desire," Shu explained.
"But what does mana have to do with this?" I asked.
"Every being has a soul, right? And also, not all beings have souls, right? And not every being has mana, right? You can use that as a substitute for a soul to feel your surroundings," Shu explained.
"Oh, yes, you're right, Shu... I didn't think of that... But how do we do it?" I asked again.
"It's easy, you just press the mana within your own body, then you try to feel other people's mana," Shu instructed.
"Alright, Shu, we'll try," Haru and I replied.
We did what Shu taught us, pressing our mana to make it easier to feel other people's mana. We began to feel the mana that Shu possessed. Shu's mana felt very eerie because even though it felt very small, its density was very thick.
"I can feel your mana, Shu, but..." I stopped.
"But? Oh, you're feeling my mana that I'm pressing, huh?" Shu chimed in.
"You're pressing your mana? Is your mana very large if it's not pressed?" I asked curiously.
"Yes... Do you want to feel it? Alright, I'll try to release my mana for just a moment," Shu replied.
After that, Shu released his mana and a very large, black and reddish aura of Shu's mana appeared.
"Shu, that's all your mana... It's so big! But it's normal, you're a Sevorant," I exclaimed.
"Huh, yeah, but my mana isn't as big as Dad's and Sis's," Shu replied.
"If Shu's is already this big, what about your Dad's and Sis's? They must be much bigger!" I chimed in.
"So, how is it... You can feel it now, right?" Shu asked.
"I can, but I think I'll be traumatized by your mana capacity, Shu..." I complained.
"Don't worry, your mana will grow bigger later. Just practice using it more and your mana capacity will increase," Shu explained.
"Is that so... But it seems like it's getting too late, I have to go back," I said.
"Oh, yes, it's getting late. In that case, I'll have my driver take you home," Shu offered.
"I don't want to trouble you," I politely refused.
"Relax, you two, and don't forget to take this...!" Shu went into his house and returned with three gift bags. "Aeji, you take this and Haru, you take these two."
"What is this, Shu? I don't want to trouble you. I should be the one giving you something because I asked you to train me," I protested.
"I'm serious... It's really okay. Besides, everyone at home is already tired of these... They're just ordinary cakes," Shu replied casually.
"Ordinary? (I looked inside the gift bag and was shocked) This is not ordinary, Shu! These are cakes made by Chef Jilu... They must be very expensive, right? Why are you giving us cakes like this? I don't want to trouble you!" I exclaimed in disbelief.
"I'm serious... It's okay," Shu repeated.
"Alright then... Thank you very much, Shu," I said, smiling at him.
"You're welcome," Shu replied, trying to hide his blushing face.
"And also, why did you give me two?" I asked Shu.
"Oh right, I forgot to tell you, give the other one to your girlfriend, Haru," Shu replied with a smile.
"Alright then... Thank you very much, Shu, sorry for troubling you," Haru said.
"It's okay, relax with me," Shu replied.
Suddenly someone approached us. "Mr. Haru and Mr. Aeji, the vehicle is ready to take you home."
"It seems it's time for you to go home. So, see you later..." Shu said.
"Thank you very much, Shu, sorry for troubling you," I said.
"It's okay, relax," Shu replied.
Haru and I began to get into the vehicle and said goodbye to Shu.
"Bye-bye, Shu, see you again later..." I exclaimed.
"Yes, Aeji and Haru, bye-bye," Shu replied.
Haru and I were on our way home.
Meanwhile, in a narrow alley, someone had just finished off several people. He said to someone who was still alive, "Where is your leader?" (threatening him with a sword).
"I swear I won't tell you anything no matter what!" the person shouted.
"Hmm, is that so... Alright..." The person slashed the head of the person he had threatened. "I will do anything to save her in the current script... Cranium Cervidarum, I will not forgive you!"
Elsewhere, someone ran up to a figure. "Boss, our subordinates who were at [missing location in manuscript] have been dealt with by him. What should we do, Boss?"
"Hmm, is that so..." the boss muttered.
"So what do we do, Boss?" his subordinate asked.
"Just let it be, we have a plan," the boss replied calmly.
"A plan? What plan, Boss?"
"Do you know a place called Academy Of Athena?"
"Of course I know, Boss... Don't tell me you're planning to attack that place?" his subordinate asked, surprised.
"Yes, you're right... Go immediately and mass-produce our created beings," the boss commanded.
"Yes, Boss!" The person immediately left the room.
"Don't worry, my master, we will soon awaken you," the boss muttered with a confident tone.