The Student Spy

"We need you for some undercover missions and you will need to adopt the identity of a middle school student. We have prepared an identity for you." Her Master handed over to her a student card.

She looked at the student card. "Yuko Maeda?" she asked. "This was like taking the name and surname of the two most popular members of the Japanese girl group, AKB48 and putting it into one person." And she looked at the logo at the top of her student card. It said "Seishokai University". Well, prior to this, she didn't have an identity and a name, since she didn't even have memory of her past, and a profile.

Seishokai was an organization that originated in Japan dedicated to upholding religious tolerance all over the world, even though it started as a body to promote Japanese Buddhism. The organization had founded universities all over the world, and also founded research institutes and other task forces dedicated to the research in paranormal activities, paranormal weaponry, and fighting paranormal crimes.

Yuko was of schooling age, but she was taught magic, and also trained with all of the world's knowledge and how to be a spy.

Her next mission was to retrieve a jewel, "Palace Jewel", located at a mountain cave in Jeju Island of Korea and it was guarded by a secret martial arts school called the Hwarang Institute. And preparations were made for her to be sent there as an exchange student.

As a representative of Seishokai University, Yuko enrolled in Hwarang Institute as an exchange student from Seishokai University. It was a large beautiful western style campus with a large landscape garden that was protected by a barrier that prevented the area from being detected by ordinary people.

The students there were mostly international students from other countries. Some were Korean. Some were from Europe, and some were from other parts of South East Asia. Yuko herself was from Japan.

However, there was one student whom she noticed. He seldom showed his face, and the reason why he hid his face was more because he had an accident that scarred his face, so he only appeared in front of them with a mask on. When she asked him, he told her he called himself "Aawoot". He had no surname and was brought up in Thailand. However, his past was shrouded in mystery. Yuko was wondering if he could actually be connected with the Palace Jewel in some way.

She learned that the reason the school was sealed off from the general public was that the powerful Palace Jewel was sealed away in this school and the dean of the school had to protect it from being stolen by anyone from the outside world. The school management actually did a lot of background checks on the enrollers before they were accepted as students. However, Yuko was actually allowed in, more because the information provided managed to convince the management. Of course, that didn't mean that the dean fully trusted the students.

Since this was a magic and martial arts school, the students often fought each other in tournaments held in the school. They could use any weapon or spell as long as they did not kill or maim anyone, and even if someone was maimed, the damage had to be fixable by existing magical methods.

One day, the dean approached her and asked her to destroy the monster guarding the jewel for him, and also take custody of the Palace Jewel instead. She was assigned a guardian to go with her, and his name was Aawoot, a student from Thailand.

It was inside a cave inside a hill located within another barrier similar to the one covering the school.

The name of the cave was called Kwiah Amgul (Demon Fang Cavern), or just Kwiah Cavern.

The both of them ran at the speed of sound, since this was what they were capable of.

And they found themselves at the hill called Muhwabong, or "no flower peak".

The entrance of the cave was right in front of them.

Sealed within a barrier, it was untouched by tourism development and unwitting trespassers.

They just walked in.

Further in.

Further in.

And so far they were confronted by nothing.

No booby traps. No spikes. No trap doors.

The path they took led them to a very large chamber with a huge shrine.

The center of the shrine was a large jewel which is apparently the Palace Jewel they were looking for.

Above them was the flying monster that Dean described.

Purple in color. Large wings. No legs though there is a stinger that's very much like that of a wasp. Only hands. Long face with pointed chin. Has two red horns protruding from his forehead.

"Well, well," the monster exclaimed. "Who dares disturb my rest? Are you here for the Palace Jewel?"

"Well, of course yes," said Aawoot.

"Well, I can't let you. I was ordered to show you the way out," said the monster Elvenrat.

"And what if we don't want to go out?" asked Aawoot.

"Then I will destroy you," said Elvenrat. "Those are my orders".

Elvenrat proceeded to attack them by firing a few green fireballs at Yuko and Aawoot, but Aawoot grabbed Yuko's hand and they both disappeared in a flash.

The both of them reappeared elsewhere instantaneously.

Elvenrat blew some air out of his mouth. That gust of air started to blow Aawoot and Yuko round and round the large chamber before the wind was used to smash them against the floor.

It was a very painful splat. The ground was hard and the surface was uneven. If they were normal humans their bones would have been broken.

A lot of blood came out.

However, both Aawoot and Yuko used their internal energy to heal their physical wounds. They could not afford to lose too much blood, or their body's energy storage would be too weak to fight.

Just at that moment, the Palace Jewel, which was just a randomly shaped crystal, started glowing very brightly, and so did Aawoot and Yuko.

Their wounds were healed, and they were rejuvenated.

Elvenrat was shocked.

"W…what the hell? You have the power to harness the power of the Palace Jewel, without touching it?"

Their bodies were glowing. Both of them were glowing with bright yellow light.

"Very well then, it seems that you have earned the right to see my ultimate transformation."

With that, Elvenrat also started glowing. He started growing legs that replaced the stinger the protruded from his abdomen. His body started to become transparent. His face and his arms started to transform into something more "human-looking".

His wings also started transforming, and turning into some kind of black armor with a black cape that covered his whole body except his face.

He was no longer a monster. He was more human looking, an elegant "gentleman". He descended from the air like an angel. The only difference was that his body had blue translucent skin and flesh, which allowed his organs and bones to be seen.

He introduced in a very grand and charismatic voice.

"I am Amgulwang, and I am the new lord of darkness. No longer just a slave to that pathetic Dean."

And all of a sudden, Amgulwang dashed forward at the speed of light and grabbed Aawoot by his neck. Aawoot struggled as Amgulwang drained his powers like an energy-vampire.

"You can choose to die here, hero, or you can swear your allegiance to me, and call me your lord and master!"

"No!" Yuko cried out.

"Say that you will be my woman, my queen, and I'll let this boy go. Or else…"

"No!" Aawoot cried out. "Don't listen to him!"

Amgulwang clenched his fingers harder on Aawoot's neck, already digging into his veins and draining his blood.

"Okay, okay! I'll do as you say. But please let Aawoot go!" pleaded Yuko.

Amgulwang then tossed Aawoot away. Blood flowed out from Aawoot's neck wounds. "Go back on your word and he dies on my next breath, do you understand?"

Amgulwang then proceeded to take Yuko away, and the both of them teleported into thin air.

The Palace Jewel was gone too.

***************************************

Aawoot woke up in the bed of the infirmary at the campus of Hwarang Institute.

The nurse looked at poor Aawoot who was just regaining his consciousness and had multiple bandages around his body and especially around his neck area.

All of a sudden, Aawoot's eyes widened and he struggled to get out of bed, remove the needle that was injected into his hand to provide him an intravenous drip supply. The nurse stopped him. "No, Aawoot, you're in no condition to…"

To her astonishment, he was fine, and was ready to return to the battle.

***************************************

High above the volcanic crater of Mount Halla of Jeju Island was a magic circle. This magic circle made it possible to stand on it even though there was nothing but air below it.

Yuko was lying down but floating in the air and unconscious.

Amgulwang was looking very pleased as he looked into the full moon in the sky.

"Soon, it will be midnight, and this woman will awaken as my queen of darkness," he mused.

"Not if I can help it," said a familiar voice.

Amgulwang then turned to the source of the voice and found Aawoot. Amgulwang also sensed something. His body was powered by the Palace Jewel inside Yuko's body. Just as he expected. Just as he has planned.

"Well, then let's begin this battle, shall we? Let's fight each other to the death for the Palace Jewel that we crave. Let's fight each other to the death, also for one woman," said Amgulwang.

"Enough prattle!" said Aawoot, and he fired a few fireballs at Amgulwang.

Amgulwang absorbed the fireballs as if they were nothing, feeding on their energy.

Amgulwang smiled, as if he scored a point against Aawoot.

"You think I fired those fireballs just for fun?" asked Aawoot.

All of a sudden, Amgulwang felt some pain as his energy started to be drained away.

Yes, the energy was being drained by Aawoot.

Aawoot then dashed forward and engaged in a violent fist fight with Amgulwang.

After defeating Amgulwang, Yuko awakened, and Aawoot held her up and asked her if she was alright. Yuko coughed, and coughed, and coughed. The Palace Jewel was coughed out by her.

Aawoot then brought her back to the school for her to take custody of the Palace Jewel and bring it back to Seishokai.

During the mission, Yuko took a fondness to Aawoot, and Aawoot told her that she was his life partner but from another incarnation, and the version of himself that was suited for him was waiting for her, destined to meet her in future on another mission.

And he left, leaving behind a very curious Yuko, as she continued her life as a student spy.