Natalia, Soul, and Eli all were above the country. Natalia pulled out a laptop and began breaking down the areas. "This is the map of everything. There are only 12 states in this country. Each are ran by a knight that serves and protects the king: Nry. Nry is the supreme ruler of this new land. I'm shocked he even let an outsider like us get help from him." Natalia said, as she then closed the laptop.
"I thought there was a total of ten knights though? So, wouldn't that mean two states are free?" Eli asked.
"Not exactly." Soul answered. "You see, Nry still watches over all states and lands. Even the two that have no leader, but that's not important. What's important is actually finding out if they'll lend us a hand or not."
"Okay, I see." Eli said as she looked out the window to see a massive flag drifting in the wind on a thick metal pole that stretched higher than a tower.
On the flag was a yellow skinned man, with bright green eyes, two horns with a serpent tongue. "Creepy country flag. Looks demonic-"
"It's not demonic. In fact, it's this country's great founder: the spirit of Yuna." Natalia explained. "Based off of the information we've learned from them, the people of this land, this country was founded about five hundred years ago. Not by a human, but by a spirit. The spirit was said to be a guardian of our world against jinns and demons."
"That's a nice story, I'll give them that, but it looks…creepy." Eli said.
"An angel or anything that's good always seems evil or monstrous. It's to scare off the evil spirits that roam the land." Soul explained.
"Good point. So where is the king located? Which state?" Eli asked.
"In the middle of the country. We're going to Anura. Anura is the second biggest state in this country. Being larger than the united ties states of America alone."
"Holy cow!!" Eli laughed.
(I have to try…and get the king to lay off on the hunt for Joey. Somehow. What am I to say to the king when I meet him?)
******
The three were now over the state: Anura. The plane opened its doors, the pressure and force from the air was immense. "Meet you three down below!!" Eli laughed as she dove head first out of the plane.
Soul turned and looked at Natalia with curiosity, but ultimately, she decided to be quiet about it. "See yah in a few minutes." Soul said before jumping.
(I won't. I won't let him…hunt you down, Joey!)
******
"Yeah, that's them." A female soldier said, her long smoky lilac hair dropping almost to the ground. She wore armor that matched her unique hair, had lipstick that was purple, wore a helmet that had two long wings on the sides, and had a long black cape that matched the length of her hair.
"Miss Luna. What are your orders?" An old man asked, kneeling to the woman.
"The king did say he was expecting the jinn slayer corporation to come. So, we can assume that this is them. The three girls that are falling from the sky are covered in jinn energy. With that information we can only guide them to the king's castle. Send them this way will you, June?" Luna asked as she turned her back and walked away, her shoulders and hips moving in synchronized fashion. Like a model walking down the runway.
"Yes ma'am." June replied.
******
June had approached the landing three slayers and guided them to Luna's location. It took exactly 20 minutes for them to move through the thick jungle of the great Anura. The three girls were surprised to see a giant golden pyramid in the middle of the jungle, with it having multiple white glowing doors, ten openings to enter, and an opening for the roof of it, letting the sun hit directly into the room.
"What a house." Soul said, kicking the mud from her boots.
"Indeed it is." Luna said, walking down the stairs of the massive pyramid. Natalia, Eli, and Soul all quickly noticed Luna's immense jinn energy.
(What the hell?!)
(Is this real?)
(She's a…monster. This energy is beyond that of Kai's!)
"Welcome to the great Anura jungle, only a fraction of our beautiful home. I am Luna, one of the great knights of the king. A chosen one of Yuna." Luna said, looking at the girls with a confused look.
"Kneel." June whispered.
"O-oh!" Eli gasped, as she and Soul kneeled immediately. Natalia followed behind them, only lacking by a second or so, but it caught the attention of Luna immediately.
"Child." Luna said.
"Yes?"
Luna smirked at Natalia. "If you wish to not kneel, then don't." Luna said. "It's just a respect thing. Something we do here."
"Is it something you do here or is it something you want because you're strong?"
Luna's smirk turned into a smile. Soul was about to scold Natalia, but Luna put up one finger.
"Let me ask you something. I don't even know your name or anything, but I already think I'm gonna like you. When it comes to power…what would you do for it? What would you give to not be weak and have things go your way? No one able to challenge you? What would you give…to achieve such a thing?" Luna asked, glaring down at Natalia.
"If I was offered power to achieve my goal, I'd look at it as cheating and not worth it."
(Cheating.)
Luna put her hand over her mouth and began laughing about, holding her stomach from the intense cramps from laughing.
"Ahh, yes, I can sort of agree with you. Anyways, let's get a move on…shall we? What is your name, children?" Luna asked while turning around and holding out her cape.
"I'm Natalia, this is Soul and Eli." Natalia said while pointing at each of them. "Great. Let's move out. Grab onto my cape…and hold tight. Back up, June."
"Yes ma'am."
Eli was confused, but she reached out and grabbed onto the cape with all her strength. "Uhh…what's this gonna-"
Suddenly, Eli and everyone else that grabbed on was met with an enormous amount of winds that pulled her head back, making her mouth open and jiggle from force.
"What the…HEEEELL!!!"
******
(Child of fate) the voice said.
Xavier jolted his eyes open, looking around his room for where the voice came from. "Who was-"
(Don't you want to be great?)
"Am I going crazy?!" Xavier now got out of bed and turned on the lights, even though the sun was out.
(Child of fate. Do not fear…I am here to make you great.)
Xavier slapped himself across the face, trying to reason with what was going on.
(You want to be…great, no? We…can help each other.)
"Who are you?!"
(I am but a servant for you, child of fate.)
Xavier sat down, hands on his head. "A servant?"
(Indeed. You are the chosen one. A chosen kin. A true-)
"Yo, Xavier!" A boy called while knocking on his room. Xavier jumped up and hurried over towards the door. He swung it open and met eyes with a tall man, his hair tied up in a ponytail and white. "What is it, Dante?"
"Seesh, nice to see you also. It's time we head out, kiddo." Dante said. Dante usually wore a suit. A black suit with a black briefcase and a pair of black glasses hanging from the collar of his shirt.
"Ever since you pretty much snitched on Kai, some slayers have been mad at you. Personally…if someone lets someone like THAT walk, then I don't blame you one bit." Dante said as he lit a cigarette.
"Bad for your lungs, man. Shouldn't be playing with-"
"Tsk. I already know it." Dante turned and smirked at Xavier, his blue eyes seemingly glowing in the sun light as they walked down the hall. "I'm your guardian until the sentencing of Kai is complete. So if I wanna smoke to make my day better, I'm gonna do it."
"Do you, man." Xavier said while looking out the windows and walking down the hall. "So…not to hit a nerve, but…why did you help the clans? I mean, your family was erased because of them. So why even bother-"
"Because it's the right thing to do. I was taught to follow the code of the jinn slayers. That's all I did, even if the codes are right or wrong, I'll follow them. Clans are the most closest things to communicate with angels, right? So they have to be on to something to enforce these rules." Xavier explained.
Dante inhaled the smoke and exhaled smoothly. "Good way of putting it, but still…you're an interesting one."
"Hmph! So who's your teacher?" Xavier asked.
"A little woman who's my wife. We're from Canada. Sent here to work and protect you…" Dante sighed.
"Oh. I'm sorry." Xavier said.
"No you're not. You couldn't care less because that's who you are, right?" Dante asked, stopping in his tracks. "Nothing wrong with being selfish, but don't put on a damn act. It's…rather nasty to me." Dante said as he blew his smoke in Xavier's face.
******
(She…is fast!) Eli thought as Luna stopped moving. Eli was flung off of Luna's back with Natalia and Soul.
"Luna, just what kind of speed-"
Natalia turned to face her, but Luna was already behind her walking up the stairs of the massive castle. (When did she-)
"Let's go children. My majesty is waiting."
The girls were stunned by the sight of the massive city that surrounded the giant castle. It was like they were in a world for giants, not normal humans. The buildings,homes, and skyscrapers were all covered in a lavish gold. Highways and roads covered the skies, and jinn energy completely flooded the entire city. "This place is…amazing!" Eli laughed.
"Stay focused, Eli. We're here for business, not to mess around." Soul sighed.
******
Luna dropped to her knees immediately and kneeled before the massive man sitting on the throne, his back turned, wide shoulders and long curly black hair that dropped to his upper back.
"My beautiful knight Luna. What have you brought in today?" Nry asked as he spun his throne around.
"The jinn slayer corporation is here, sire. They want to discuss with you the plan to capture the boy. Joey Castle I believe?"
"Hmm. Let them in."
******
"Nice to meet you, great king." Soul said. Nry smirked as stood up, revealing his massive size as a man. "Welcome to my great country. My great kingdom. You all are here to discuss information on your little mission, yes?"
"Yes." Natalia answered.
(I have to keep it low, but…)
"Yes. I remember a pair of men from your organization, but they had heavy accents. I believe they were South Koreans? Eh, anyways, yes let us discuss the plan to get this…Joey. Will the three of you follow me? Oh? Luna you also must come."
******
The four were lead into a massive room through a secret door within the chambers of the king. Natalia was met with an extremely long black table that had diamonds inside of it, its shine brightened the dark room. "Take a seat." The king said as he sat in a diamond chair.
"The jinn slayer corporation. They came to me on a mission to help you all capture this fugitive and give him to you? In return of this deal, we want to learn more about how you all operate. Jinn energy, civilization on the outside, and money of course. So, my question is…how do I know I can trust you all?" The king asked, putting his hand u see his chin and playing with his long beard.
"Trust us with what? Actually giving you that information and money?" Eli asked.
"Indeed." The king replied.
"What if we gave you one of those things right now." Natalia said.
Soul and Eli turned and glared at Natalia. (What are you saying?! She knows we can't-)
"How can you possibly do that for me? You aren't in power-"
"I can make some calls. I'm certain they'll agree to this." Natalia said confidently.
(I know for a fact…that they won't agree to this. I'm hoping for a fallout between the jinn slayer corporation and Yuna.)
"Give me a few minutes and I'll let you know what they say." Natalia said as she stood up and walked out of the room. Natalia shut the door and everyone sat in silence.
Nry looked and glanced over at Soul for only a second, but he noticed it immediately. "Child…you can see into the astral world?!"
"H-how did you-"
"What an amazing ability you possess, girl. I'd personally love to see it in action." Luna said as she leaned foward slightly.
"You want me to do it here? Now?" Soul asked.
"My majesty is curious…that makes me curious as well."
"Umm…well, I'm not sure if I'll see much, but…I can do it for you if you'd like-"
"Nonsense! There are very little physical people in my country. You all have noticed that. Have you seen a single man? Woman, child?"
"Wait, are you saying that the true essence of your country is in the astral world?! How is that possible?" Soul asked.
"Our great founder: Yuna. They were mysterious and powerful. Yuna wasn't a human to begin with, they were only a spirit. They founded this great land in the astral world of spirits, then connecting the bridges together and thus creating this great land physically, whoever, I, the king of the country use a spell that covers this great land from people who aren't associated with the supernatural or if I so choose to not have it shown in general, I can put it into the astral world at will."
"Fascinating." Soul said as she closed her eyes. (Enter the realm. Deep. Deeper. Deepest you can possibly go…go…go…darkness….light….deep...…..)
Soul opened her eyes, floating above her physical body she quickly looked around her surroundings. She saw nothing out of the ordinary with anyone who was in the room, but through the walls of the massive castle, she saw spirits. These were indeed jinn spirits, however they were…almost like normal civilians?
Soul left the astral world immediately and shot into her own body. Soul woke up and immediately reached for her jinn slayer weapon: the splitting of souls sword.
Before she could even draw it, Luna had held out an extremely long sword that stretched across the table from the opposite side of the room.
The long golden sword was covered in symbols, their own native language and tongue.
"Do not…be foolish." Luna threatened, her jinn energy starting to show.
"ABAHAHAHA!!! Everyone…just calm down!" The king laughed while wiping the tears from his eyes. "Those…aren't jinns." The king said.
"What?!? Those were clearly-"
"Astral beings and spiritual beings are different things in this reality. Astral beings are things and creatures that are here in our world, but are mainly connected with the world of dreams. SOME and a very small percentage of some rare species can come into the physical world. If you can't see them, then they simply don't exist to you nor can they harm you. Jinns don't reside in that deminsion…nor do demons and more. That is a place where you'll see things that shouldn't be in our world. Fairytales if you will. For the spiritual world, is the "home" of the soul. The spiritual world is all ready around us, but not even you can see it, Soul. The spiritual world is all around us…even right now as we speak. There are things and beings that walk amongst us, try to cause things to happen, give or ruin energy, and it is the highest of all levels." The king explained as he rubbed his fingers through his beard.
"I'm still not understanding this. I was in the astral world and saw humanoid beings. They looked like jinns-"
"Soul. I don't know exactly what it is you saw, but jinns are in the spiritual world with demons and such. I remember reading on a Great War that took place. It was that filthy country called: America and they were fighting Vietnam. I remember reading on the American soldiers having to wear a device that helped them see in the dark, but once they put on this device they could see them. The great spirits that roam our world in silence. Soldiers would scream, shoot in the sky, and report seeing entities with masssive wings. Those soldiers with that technology was able to see into the spiritual world."
Before Soul or the king could say anything else, Natalia came into the room. "Yeah, so, we might need to leave for now. When we return, I'll come back with one of the things you require." Natalia said.
The king glared at Natalia and smirked. "I order you, Luna, to go with these girls to the jinn slayer corporation."
"Huh?!?" Eli gasped.
"That's fine." Natalia said.
Luna raised on eyebrow and glanced at the king for only a moment. "Very…well." Luna said as she walked towards the door. "We will take my aircraft. Your technology is far too slow." Luna said.
*****
Nry sat alone in the room, thinking about what Soul had saw. "Jinns in the astral world? Is there….a crack? I remember…hearing stories of a dimension that is far deeper than that of hell. That of the spiritual world, known to be the highest amongst all realms. Is this the doing of THAT?…."
******
"Nah, you really don't get it. For the past week and some change I've been putting up the most THIN layer of protective energy every single night!" Ahana yelled.
"No one asked you to do that! You all would've been fine!" Joey spat back.
"Mandy, tell him the amount of jinns wanted at him!" Ahana looked over and Joey did the same, looking at Mandy who sat on the couch with a tired expression on her face.
"Yestherewasalot." Mandy said quickly as she flopped down on the couch. "Hey! Don't land on me!!" A small voice screamed from under her weight. Mandy lifted her head and Ted came crawling from underneath her. "Big head! Don't do that!" Ted yelled as he kicked Mandy on the side of her head.
"You little- don't kick me!" Mandy yelled, grabbing and shaking Ted violently.
"And don't touch Harvey like that!!!" Ahana yelled.
Amongst all the yelling and arguing, Joey could hear a small knock at the door. "Wait." Joey said, silencing the entire room immediately. Joey crept towards the door and looked out the peep hole to see two guys. One wearing a ghost mask and the other was a Spanish looking man, wearing a dark red shirt, black shorts, with black shoes. "Uhh, so, we already know you're here. You need to come with us if you don't wanna die." The guy said as he scratched his head.
(A threat? The jinn slayer corporation found us! I recognize that mask-)
"What Javier means to say is…Kai sent us. There's word that a great king is coming for you and knows your location." Ghost explained. (Kai? How does he know about where we hide?) Joey thought as he slowly backed away from the door.
"Yup, told you he wouldn't answer. Plan b it is!" Javier said as he then kicked open the door. "Woah, woah, woah!!!" Ghost yelled as Ahana and Joey showed off their jinn energy. Without hesitation Javier also began to raise his own. "Who the HELL are you two?!?" Mandy gasped.
"Everyone call down. Pardon my partner here. He doesn't know when to follow the plan or do things without being reckless. We are only here to get you guys out of here."
"How does Kai know where we are?" Joey asked.
"Because he sent me the night you ran away. No one in the crew noticed, but I slipped away and found you easily. Ahana carried you here and I found your location. Now I've been given orders by Kai to try and protect you from what's coming." Ghost explained.
"What's coming?" Ahana asked.
"A great king is working with another king. A king who sent a knight to assist in looking for you guys. In probably a day or less, they'll be here and kill you. We need to move." Ghost said.
"How do we know this isn't some trap? I can't trust you." Joey asked.
"Tsk. What a damn guy! You hearing this, G? Listen, Joey…we don't have anyone around us. Besides, Kai is the one who sent us. This is completely secret. He even put his life on the line for you!" Javier said.
"I sense truth." Ahana said.
(Damn she's terrifying up close!) Javier thought.
Joey looked at Mandy, worry in his eyes. "Mandy…"
"Don't worry, I'll still find her, Joey. If we want to go with these guys to some other little location, we can. But I know the mission. I'll still find her, Joey." Mandy said as she picked up Ted and packed her other things. "I say we trust them."
"Fine." Joey sighed.
*****
Deep within the underground cellar, Kai was chained to the floor, in the dark and cold. "Thank you…Ghost."
******
A great shift had begun. The natural energy had been changed all around the world. What was the meaning? Everyone on the planet had slightly changed. Why?
******
"I…I don't know what this is, but I…really don't you love me!"
*****
Later that day…Dante and Xavier were met with a powerful force. There was a casual fire, no time for police to act, Xavier leaped into the building to retrieve the child.
"XAVIER!!!" Dante yelled over the flames. People around the area stood by and recorded the fire with their phones, police sirens were in the distance and the loud sound of pops from the flames grew ever so louder.
Dante took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves, ready to go into the home to try and get the two out. "Don't do it mister! You'll easily be caught by in the flames!" A man yelled out.
"Tsk. Screw that!" Dante yelled as he jumped into the house.
******
2 hours after the fire….
Xavier was laying in the hospital bed, his hearing was muffled, his entire body seemingly wrapped with some white clothing or towels. Every small movement he made caused him excruciating pain. His eyes were even covered, as the lights from the room caused pain and irritation.
Xavier slowly moved his head to the left to get himself more comfortable, but a hand held his head and put a pillow on his side. "There you go, kiddo." Dante said.
"D…Dante…." Xavier said, coughing up blood in the process.
"Don't speak! Please…don't speak, Xavier."
"G. Th….gil."
"The girl? She…she didn't make it. Her wounds were too severe. I'm…sorry." Dante stood up and walked beside Xavier's bed. "I should've…been the one to-"
Xavier gently placed his hand on Dante's. "It. K."
"No, no it's not okay. That fire came out of nowhere. You, without even thinking heard the girl screaming and jumped into the home. The very moment you went in, the little explosion went off, lighting the entire home to flames. I'm sorry, Xavier. Truly…"
There was a knock on the door, as a nurse stepped in. "Can I talk to you outside, Mr. Viperpool?"
"Yes ma'am."
The two stepped outside, Xavier looked up at the ceiling as his hearing suddenly went from muffled to perfect hearing. He could hear Dante and the nurse talking outside the room.
"Well, he has been severely burned. It's a miracle he even survived, but…his wounds and other things…they won't be normal or heal. His skin. His throat and breathing. Enter internal damage also."
"So what are you saying? He…"
"He won't even be able to function without the support of someone. He won't be able to walk or even speak much anymore." The nurse explained.
"But he…he's."
"All you can do for him now…is…."
(What a pathetic joke.) a voice said.
(Who…are…you-)
(It doesn't matter now. I thought you wanted…to be great. Look at you now, Xavier. Look at yourself!! All for a..a child? The girl is dead. You went into the flames for no reason, boy. Now you'll have nothing. They'll look down upon you. Laugh at you. Say that you deserved it. But you don't, Xavier. You don't deserve this terrible fate.)
(They'll…laugh at me? In this condition? But…I…)
(Absolutely. They don't see the great in you that we do. You're special…THEY are nothing. They are the ones…god has allowed this to happen to you. He lets those, who are lower than you, live on with their happy lives…all while you rot away in this bed. Your talents will be forgotten. You can't even pick up your jinn slaying weapon anymore.)
(What…what do I do? Just…lay here? Be taken care of for the rest of my life like some…child!)
(No. That will not happen. All you have to do…is accept and submit.)
(Accept? Submit? To what? What…what are you?! Who are you?!)
(It is not I. It is WE! Abandon god. He has abandoned you, Xavier. We won't. We shall grant you a second chance. A new body. You'll claim your rightful spot at the top of that great mountain you so desperately want to climb! Take…my hand and I shall have you reach the sky that is above the mountain. You'll look down at the people that are on top, at the peak. You'll rain supreme, my golden child of fate.)
Suddenly, all around Xavier was nothing but darkness and a cold wind. No one and nothing was around him, only the bed he lay on. A massive hand broke through the darkness and hovering over his head. Xavier looked up to see the pale and scaly hand above him. "Let us help you to achieve your goal. Let me give you wings. Fangs. Claws. New power. New energy. New…everything. That girl you want…you can TAKE her as you please. You can put that girl in her place. You can be the strongest amongst men. Take your rightful throne…as our kin!"
Xavier felt a surge of power and energy flow through his body, as he was lifted from the bed and into the air. "This…power…it's…"
Xavier's internal damage had healed, it didn't hurt to move anymore. "It's amazing, yes?" The voice asked.
"It's the best feeling…ever." Xavier admitted, as he was now being lifted higher into the dark void. "If you accept. You'll be granted these wonderful things. No one will stand to you, chosen child. All you have to do…is utter those words." The voice explained, the hand growing even bigger than its planetary size. "Think about it. You can have Wraith again. You can finally KILL Lily. Be at the TOP of that mountain! You…will be the best. Let it all go. Throw away…your humanity."
(If I decline….i'll be a nobody. A damn cripple! They all…will laugh at me. I won't get Wraith back. I…I'll be a failure-)
"Do you…accept?"
"I…accept."
******
Dante opened the door to the room to hear a loud beeping sound. Echoing throughout the room. "Kid?! Hey, what's wrong?" Dante noticed the machine read the number 0, the heart had no pulse.
"Nurse!!"
******
It is now. The great change started all across the world. Slowly and steadily, an evil was beginning to merge with the physical world once again. This new force is a force no one of this era ever had the chance to encounter. Dreadfully for them, it is here. This is…the new world.
Next chapter: The white lightning and Lily