A Familiar Face

Jason faced the direction of what was previously behind him but saw nothing. There was nobody behind him. There was only a grass field that stretched out to the walls surrounding him.

Jason's hand remained on the hilt of his sword as he continued to look around the area and thought. "Where are they? I swear I just sensed someone following us! Is it a Transparent?!"

Thomas said while annoyed. "What are you looking at Jason?! There is nobody over there!"

Jason sighed as he thought. "I don't sense that person anymore." He let go of the hilt of his sword. His left hand fell to his side as he thought. "They must be gone." He turned around and faced Thomas and Aeolos. He said to Thomas. "They disappeared." He walked past Thomas and Aeolos.

Thomas turned around and began to follow after Jason.

Aeolos put his left hand up and said. "Hey wait you guys."

Jason and Thomas both stopped walking. They turned their heads and both looked at Aeolos at the same time as they both said at the same time. "Huh? What is it?"

Jason looked at Thomas and said with irritation. "Huh?! Are you trying to copy me, Thomas?!"

Thomas said with annoyance as he looked at Jason. "Huh?! Like I'd ever copy you!"

Jason said with irritation. "What do you mean?! You always copy-!"

Aeolos had his right hand horizontally pressed up against his forehead. He used his hand to block out the sunlight as he attempted to see further into the distance. He suddenly cut Jason off as he squinted his eyes and said. "Is that... a person?!"

Jason and Thomas both suddenly turned and faced the same direction as Aeolos.

Jason spoke first as he said to Aeolos. "Where? Can you see who it is?"

Thomas said to Aeolos. "Is it an enemy or an ally?"

Jason looked at Thomas and said with annoyance. "Are you dumb or something?! We don't have any allies! Everyone is either an enemy or just someone trying to make some money!"

Thomas looked at Jason with a hurt expression. He pointed at himself with his right hand and said. "Then what about me?" His right hand fell back to his side and he said. "And... Jack?"

Jason had an extremely annoyed expression on his face as he said. "You?! Do you honestly think you're my ally?" He pointed at Thomas and said. "Weren't you the one who tried to kill me while I slept back at that building?! And the one that caused Jake to run away? And the one that-!"

Aeolos cut Jason off as he said. "I think it's a girl!"

Jason sighed and said to Aeolos. "A girl? What are you talking about?" He looked over at Aeolos again.

Thomas mumbled with disappointment. "A girl? What is a girl doing out here?" He raised his right arm upwards and pressed his right hand horizontally against his forehead. He used his hand to block out the sunlight as he attempted to see further into the distance. He then squinted his eyes and said. "I see her!"

Aeolos sighed and said. "Is she walking or running? I can't tell."

Thomas nodded and said. "She's definitely running."

Aeolos said with uncertainty. "Is she though?"

Jason thought as he looked back and forth between Aeolos and Thomas. "What are these two talking about?" He looked in the same direction as Thomas and Aeolos. The bright sunlight prevented him from seeing as far as Thomas and Aeolos. He thought as he squinted his eyes. "I can't see anything." He raised his left arm upwards and pressed his left hand against his forehead. He used his hand to block out the sunlight as he attempted to see further into the distance. His eyes remained squinted from before as he thought. "Is that her over there?"

Jason saw a girl with long blonde hair who was running toward Aeolos, Thomas, and him. The blonde girl wore a black sweatshirt with an orange strip that went all the way down both, the left and right, sides of her shirt. The orange strip was also on the upper arm and under arm of both of her arms. The sweatshirt also had an orange collar. The girl also wore black sweatpants which had an orange strip on the left side of the left pant leg and on the right side of the right pant leg.

Jason thought as he watched the girl run towards him. "She looks familiar... But, why? Where have I seen her before..."

Thomas yelled out with surprise. "Wait that's not a girl! That's a woman!"

Aeolos looked at Thomas and said with surprise. "Huh? Are you sure?"

Thomas nodded and said. "Yes. She is nineteen!"

Aeolos looked at the woman running toward them and mumbled. "She is nineteen? She looks like she is the same age as me."

Thomas shook his head back and forth as he said. "She looks young, but trust me she is nineteen!"

Jason turned his head and looked at Thomas as he said. "Wait how do you know her exact age? Do you know her or something?"

Thomas looked at Jason and said. "Yeah she is a friend of mine."

Jason's eyes got wide as he said with surprise. "You have friends?!"

Aeolos continued to watch the woman run toward them and said to Thomas. "What's her name?"

Thomas said. "She'll probably introduce herself when she gets over here. Hold on I'll call her over here." He began to wave his left and right arm up in the air.

Jason looked at Thomas and said with annoyance. "Hey wait what are you doing?! Don't call random strangers over here!"

Aeolos had a confused expression on his face as he continued to look in the direction of Thomas's friend. He said while confused. "Huh? Where did she go?"

Jason looked alarmed as he thought. "Did she-?!"

The woman with long blonde hair who was previously running toward Aeolos, Thomas, and Jason now stood next to Thomas's left side. Her long blonde hair dazzled in the sunlight.

Jason immediately reached for the hilt of his sword with his left hand. He stared at the woman with a fierce expression as he said angrily. "Who the hell are you?"

Thomas turned around and looked at the blonde woman that was now on his right side. He stared at her for several seconds.

The blonde woman smiled as Thomas stared at her.

Thomas then turned his head and looked at Jason as he said. "Jason, this is Kuria. She is a..." He stopped midsentence and thought deeply to himself before he said. "Close friend of mine."

Jason thought as he looked at Thomas and the blonde woman known as Kuria. "Close friends?" He let go of the hilt of his sword. His left hand fell to his side and he thought. "They are a little too close. Clearly they are more than just 'close friends'."

Kuria bowed as she said to Jason. "I apologize for running away earlier. I didn't realize you were one of Thomas's friends." She looked up slightly as she stared at Thomas intensely and said. "He didn't mention he was traveling with The Anti-Slasher."

Thomas backed away a few inches from Kuria as he put his hands up defensively and said fearfully. "I-I meant to tell you I swear... I was just unconscious at the time and..."

Kuria stood up and stared at Thomas intensely as she said. "Unconscious, huh? That is the excuse you're going with?"

Jason thought deeply as he listened to what Kuria told him. "Kuria, huh? Why does that name sound familiar to me? I feel like I've heard that name before. But I don't remember where."

Thomas began to slowly back away from Kuria as he said fearfully. "I-It's not an excuse I swear! I really was unconscious!"

Kuria watched as Thomas backed away from her and said. "If you're telling the truth then why are you trying to get away?"

Jason continued his thoughts as he put his left hand on his chin and thought. "And what does she mean she apologizes for running away earlier?" He looked at Kuria and thought. "Have we met before? She does look familiar."

Thomas stopped backing away from Kuria. He looked at her earnestly and said. "I'm telling the truth! I really was unconscious! When have I ever lied to you before?"

Kuria looked down at her hands and began to count her fingers one by one.

Thomas rushed over to Kuria as he said. "Wait! Stop! Hold on! That is not what I meant!"

Jason continued his thoughts as he thought. "And she also called me The Anti-Slasher. But, my title is The Slasher Slayer? Do some people refer to me as The Anti-Slasher instead?" A sudden look of realization struck his face as his fierce look from before returned to his face and he thought. "Wait! How does she know about Slashers?! She said her name is Kuria, right? I thought she was a human but is she-?!" He reached for the hilt of his sword on his back and said fiercely to Kuria. "Hey, you! You said your name is Kuria, right?!" He pulled his sword off of his back and said intensely. "Are you number sixty six, Kuria Pallas, The Reaper?!"