CHAPTER 2: FAMILY FOREST PART 1

They finally arrive at the lake and it's packed, everyone is camping. Dac parks the van and Rinka wakes up Minaro who had fallen asleep, and they hop out.

Dac opens the trunk and grabs some camping supplies and carries it over to an open spot right beside a big tree.

…

Rinka and Minaro are kneeling next to a bunch of stuff needed to build a tent. Rinka picks up a black thin pole and examines it.

Rinka: How the hell do we set up a tent?

Minaro: I don't know. There's no instructions.

Dac walks by and chuckles at them.

Dac: Instead of teaching you how to fight all these years, I should have taught you two how to set up a tent.

He kneels and picks up a pole.

Dac: You guys go eat, I'll set them up.

…

Rinka and Minaro are seated on some foldable chairs, holding plates full of rice and shrimp.

Dac grabs a chair and sits near them with his own plate, and everyone starts to eat.

They patiently eat for a while, just appreciating the nature surrounding them and eyeing the other people around.

Dac stares at Rinka and Minaro, something above them, barely visible and moving fast, catches his eyes.

Dac: Both of you! Move! Now!

Rinka and Minaro are confused, Dac stands up.

Rinka: Huh? Move to where?

Dac: JUST MOVE FROM THERE ALREADY!

Rinka and Minaro quickly leap away from their chairs and turn back to look at them. Dac is near the spot and is observing a dark red, thin, long string, slightly swaying.

Dac: This was going for you guys.

Dac touches it carefully.

Dac: It's sharp. It could easily cut someone.

Suddenly, screaming, yelling, crying, can be heard. Rinka, Minaro and Dac look around, startled and perplexed.

Other campers are being aggressively pulled up trees by other strings. Dac quickly moves his head, a string cuts a bit of his cheek.

He stares at where it came from, leaves at the top of a tree rustle and he can see yellow glowing eyes hiding in them.

Dac: I don't know what's going on but I feel like we have to do something about it.

Rinka: We have to save everyone, right?

Dac: … Yes, we're gonna have to save the day… Let's split up and act.

The three run in different directions, paying attention to the hundreds of people tied to trees with the strings. Blood is dripping from them and they squirm tensely. The grass is being painted red.

...

Rinka is jogging, and investigating.

"Why'd all this crazy shit have to happen today?"

He spots a string flying towards him and swiftly dodges it.

A red-haired boy, with a blue shirt, common jeans and a green eye patch stands on the branch of a tree. His eyes are all black with yellow random lines in them.

He jumps down from the branch, dashes ahead and strikes Rinka in the stomach. Rinka is launched and rolls on the ground.

"What the hell!?"

As Rinka stands, a red string falls out of the tip of the boy's index finger. He flicks it and it cuts a little of Rinka's thighs, the blood that leaks out isn't red, but black, pitch black.

The boy's eyes broaden, he's awestruck and speaks.

"You have black blood. I finally found someone who has it."

He carelessly dashes to Rinka, and immediately gets kicked by him in the stomach. The boy holds onto Rinka's leg and throws him as he's blasted back.

Rinka and the boy land, then stand. The boy quickly flicks another string and this time Rinka avoids it, dashes and emerges right in front of him.

Rinka punches his face and knocks him out.

…

Minaro is awkwardly climbing a tree, he's hugging it. He reaches the point where a bunch of string are wrapped around the tree and are hanging a few people.

"How do I get them down?"

As Minaro is thinking, he spots something from the corner of his eye. It's a fist, he's suddenly punched and blasted to the floor and a little far from the tree.

He looks up, a guy with red hair, a green shirt, blue jeans and eyes similar to the boy Rinka was just with, is eyeballing the tree Minaro was just at, unimpressed.

He studies the streams of blood coming down the tree and the large puddle on the floor, then speaks.

"No black blood."

The guy looks over to Minaro, who's now standing up, a little angry.

"Do YOU have black blood?"

Minaro: … No.

"I don't believe you, you're still conscious after receiving one of my punches, so you're clearly not normal."

The guy begins to walk toward Minaro, a growing grin appearing on his face.

"I'm going to have to check you for black blood."

Minaro stands his ground. Straight away, the guy dashes and instantly strikes him in the stomach, Minaro goes flying and hits the floor.

He stands and observes, red strings come out of the guy's back, they wrap around his arms and hands, and create two giant boxing gloves.

The guy laughs hysterically.

"Are you ready?"

Minaro sends ice waves toward the guy, he swerves and jumps past it all. He's right in front of Minaro now and throws a punch, Minaro swiftly ducks under it and strikes the guy in the stomach, pushing him away.

"I'm really starting to believe you have black blood."

The guy rushes forward, reaching Minaro again. Minaro quickly reacts and freezes the entirety of the guy's right boxing glove, then kicks it to shatter it instantly. That surprises the guy.

He attacks, Minaro dodges it and kicks him in the face, launching him near a tree.

The guy speedily rises and wipes miniscule blood off his mouth. A twisted grin stretches across his face, and he laughs once again.

"You definitely have black blood!"

The remaining string glove unravels and turns into a large spear, and the glove that was shattered earlier is replaced.

Minaro touches his hand and freezes it into a sharp icicle, making his own impaling weapon.

The guy starts to run to Minaro, Minaro creates a path of ice under himself and begins running as well. The slipperiness makes him slightly faster. Later, he creates an ice ramp to fly off of.

He swiftly flies toward the guy with a strong kick prepared. Immediately though, strings rush out of the guy's back, and they wrap around Minaro's leg and dynamically slam him to the ground.

Minaro looks up and barely spots the string spear coming down on him, so he rolls out of its way and cuts the string on his leg with his ice, then rises.

The guy thrusts the spear towards Minaro, and he leaps over it and kicks him in the face. He's blasted back.

Minaro lands, and the guy just leers at him.

"No doubt at all, you have black blood, I'm gonna have to try my hardest."

Minaro is attentive. The guy whispers something.

"Ultimate Skill, Spider Prince."

He starts to shake violently and release distorted laughs. Minaro dashes to him and tries to kick him before anything can go down, but strings quickly grab onto Minaro's torso and toss him.

Minaro tears them off and looks ahead after landing on his stomach. More strings around the guy all tangle and morph and become alarming, praying mantis arms. There's 4, 2 connected to the shoulders, and 2 connected to the hip.

Minaro and the guy stand at the same time. 6 small black dots appear on the guy's stomach, which resemble spider eyes. Next, a hole opens up in the guy's stomach, inside is a mess of strings surrounded by sharp black spider fangs.

"I haven't used this form in a long time… Now, spill some blood for me, will ya?"

The mantis arms extend and head for Minaro, he brings out 4 clones and they narrowly manage to freeze them.

The guy rapidly breaks the frozen arms off himself. Then, his stomach mouth vomits out strings onto the ground, which untangle and wrap, becoming two giant blades, which he begins to swing around fast.

Minaro and his clones dodge the blades repeatedly until the guy moves closer and instantly speeds up. One blade moves horizontally and destroys all the clones, the other blade moves vertically and slams into Minaro, leading him to the ground.

Then, the guy dashes and kicks Minaro up and away. Next, he leaps and slams his knuckles into Minaro mid-air, once again crashing him against the ground.

Minaro lies on the floor, unmoving. The guy stands over him, giggling annoyingly. Another mantis arm forms on his shoulder and comes down rapidly, ready to impale Minaro's back.

But, 2 clones immediately jump out of his back, one holds the mantis arm in place and the other strikes the guy in the face, pushing him away.

After the attack, the guy looks back at Minaro, 13 other clones are now present beside a standing, determined Minaro.

The guy smiles.

"Still willing to fight, huh? That's the power of black blood… I can't wait till I have it!"

TO BE CONTINUED...