The midnight showdown in the warehouse

The night breeze sent chills down Ren's spine. It was strangely cold, but Ren imagined that he would get used to it. Under the moonlight, he scanned the streets, searching for an opponent. 

More than a week has passed.

He has been training since the hand incident, and his skills have improved considerably. He could already feel slightly stronger when he concentrated magical power within his body.

He looked at his right hand. It was full of bandages, but it did not hurt anymore. He found it odd that his hand healed fast but would not complain. It was probably Rui's doing.

He opened and closed his fingers repeatedly.

"I will never forget the rock lesson."

It was not a lesson.

"I must continue my training... Spiritual Sight!"

Standing still would do him nothing, so he began to take it seriously. He activated the Spiritual Sight to seek any weak spirits nearby. Colorful lights did not raid his vision anymore. It seemed that he had gotten used to it already.

"Rui-san said this magical vision would eventually assimilate with my own. I wonder, how will that work?"

Ren wandered through the nocturnal city. He looked at every alley and tight spot but found nothing. That was strange. It was the first time he had not encountered a spirit within the first ten minutes of his "hunting training."

But then, out of nowhere, his instincts rang out, and he reflexively stepped away from where he was. Moments later, a small frightful imp jumped out from the shadows and attacked with a short machete.

"Woah!" Ren gasped.

The imp screeched and ran toward Ren, using the machete for a horizontal slash. Ren dodged backward, doing a low kick to sweep away the demoniac spirit.

"Wry!?" It shrieked. 

Ren infused his body with magical power and rapidly approached the imp before it could recover, aiming to finish it with a stomp. It defended with the sharp tip of the machete, but Ren just stopped his foot mid-air and changed directions, crushing it anyway and sending it back to the spiritual world.

"That was easier than expected... It looks like the tiny imp was scared of something. Was it me?"

"What were you doing?"

"Huh!?"

Ren heard a voice from behind. Surprised, he looked over his shoulder, noticing an expressionless, almost pale little girl with silver-colored hair.

She wore a ruffled dark purple dress that made her look like a doll.

"Wait... I remember you! You're the little girl that helped me back when I started school here. Wh-what you're doing here, in the middle of the night?"

"I asked you something first."

"What am I doing here? Isn't it obvious? I'm train—"

Ren forgot something important.

Regular people could not see spirits. That meant that, for her, Ren had just fought nothing.

"You're what?"

"Acting! I'm acting," Ren answered, embarrassed.

"That sounds odd."

"I know, I know. It might look weird to act here, in an empty lot, in the middle of the night, but that's the thing with art! You can't be bound to logic. When it calls you, you must respond."

The girl stayed silent.

"A-anyway, little girl. What are you doing here?"

"I am looking for a dog."

"Oh, your dog's missing? Since when?"

"Since today. And it's not 'my dog,' but my friend."

"Alright, your friend," Ren shrugged. "L-look, I can help find your animal, only if you never tell anyone what you saw me doing."

"Hm," the girl silently nodded. "Okay."

Ren did not finish his training yet, but he had to stop for now. Consider this an interval.

"S-so, when did you see your...friend for the last time?"

"Not too long ago. I was playing with him when some people in a black suit appeared and took him away from me."

"People in a black suit? Where did they go?"

"To a warehouse not far from here."

Ren wondered while listening to the girl. Why would people in black kidnap a simple stray dog? But most importantly, why was this child out in the streets in the first place? And now that Ren stopped to realize, he did not even know her name.

"It's my fault," the girl wailed and looked downward.

"Hey, it's not your fault. The men in black you mentioned were probably authorities or something. Even so, it's still odd for them to work at this hour. Don't worry, girl, I'll see what I can do to rescue your friend, wink, wink.

Ren decided to play along with the child.

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

"I am totally sure. Now, how about you show me where this warehouse is?"

Part 2

"This is the place."

"It's... eerie," Ren flinched, facing a seemingly abandoned, almost crumbling warehouse. There seemed to be no human presence there.

It was not like Ren was scared of a haunted place. He just had to enter, locate the girl's dog, and leave. Easy as that. 

Please, he was not afraid of ghosts.

"Eek!"

"What is it?"

"N-nothing. It's just cold out here. Ahem, anyway, wait here. I'll be back in just a moment," Ren said as he walked to the entrance.

"Wait..."

Once he came closer, he noticed a small opening in the front door. He peeked inside, seeing some iron boxes and containers. Was someone there? Ren gulped and reconsidered going back.

He glanced over at the girl. She still stood there, expressionless.

He had to put his pride over his safety this time. He was starting to get anxious. What if the people inside were not so peaceful?

Ren pushed the front door. His visibility was poor because the only light was a cheap lightbulb hanging in the ceiling, but he could see it clearly. 

The boxes and containers were cages, with a different spirit in each. They varied in size and color, but they all seemed like animal spirits, like Rui or Haiji.

A small round table in the middle of the room stood out. Three men in black suits played cards but stopped to glare at Ren.

"Uh..."

"So you've really come, huh? Well, Boss did say that they would send someone eventually," one of the men said, standing up and throwing away his deck.

The iron door suddenly closed, pushing Ren inside and locking him. He got his attention back to the individuals in the room. They were menacing and looked old. One of them had a big scar on his face. They looked like the typical mercenary of Hollywood films.

"Show no mercy, boys."

The other two men stood and took pistols out of their waists. They did not wait and quickly started blasting toward Ren. However, their bullets only hit the iron door, leaving several holes.

Ren had already slipped to a nearby pillar.

"Wha-wha-wha-whaaaaaat!? Th-they have guns!? What is happening!?" Ren's heart rate doubled as he hid. "L-let me see, the police?"

He took out his cell phone, but there was no signal.

"Ahhhh! What do I do?! What do I do?! What do I do?!!!"

Ren panicked. A metallic sound reverberated throughout the warehouse; the men were reloading their guns.

He could go up against fists and knives, but guns were way out of Ren's league. 

"Hey, human."

Suddenly, a female voice called to him.

"?"

Ren searched the voice and found one cage where a rabbit with glowy red eyes, one of the jailed spirits, dwelled. It continued talking, staring at Ren with its menacing eyes.

"Free me."

"Free you? Can't you see that my situation is probably worse than yours?!"

"I feel your despair, human. Be not afraid. If you free me, I can assure your safety."

"I—"

Another shot flew by Ren as he was pondering the answer. It was a warning shot.

"Okay! Okay! I'll try to free you! If you can really save me! But how can I do that?"

"Find the charm sealing our power. Destroy it, and we'll be free."

"Easier said than done..."

Ren did not have any other choice. He could not fight his way out of this by himself. If what the spirit said was true, he had to risk it.

It was then that Ren heard:

"I'm tired of waiting. Let's go after the boy already." 

"Oh no," Ren gasped. 

He would have nowhere to run if they came after him. Ren felt the anxiety robbing him of his strength. 

But to his surprise, another man shot the offer down with a firm voice. "No! Think, dumbass. Don't you find it strange? I feel no magical power from the guy."

"Uh, so what?"

"The Magical Association wouldn't send someone weak after us. I sense no magical power, but that doesn't mean he has no magical power. He must be powerful enough to hide it completely."

"Wait. What the hell is he talking about," Ren whispered, taken aback. "They think that someone sent me here? Shit."

Ren had heard about the Magical Association from Rui before. It was like police for magical matters. That proved that they were involved in some illegal scheme.

They also misunderstood Ren's position.

He grasped this chance to think of a plan.

First, he had to free the spirit, trusting that it would really save him. That meant he had to locate and destroy the charm, but how would he do that?

 A charm... It's a magical item, so, perhaps.

Spiritual Sight!

Ren activated his Spiritual Sight. Immediately, the world around him changed completely. He could see the flow of magical power in the area. The jailed spirits emitted a weak light. From each of them came a colorful string that converged into a single point. Ren peeked out of his hiding position to get a better view.

Shoosh! 

A silent bullet flew by.

"Ugh. That was close."

But he had seen where the strings converged. 

"So the charm is in the scarred man's pocket, huh?"

It seemed that his task would be even more complicated.

*****

Several minutes passed without any movement from both sides. Ren remained hidden, and his enemies kept waiting.

But Ren had finally come up with a plan.

I can't use my fists for this one.

"Rabbit spirit," Ren called.

"What is it, human?"

"Can you communicate with the other spirits around here?"

"Yes, I can."

"Good. I need you to do two things for me," Ren said with a grin as he lifted two fingers. 

*****

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A sound resembling the clash of steel rang through the warehouse. It gradually became louder, coming from everywhere.

"What is this?! What is happening!?" One man voiced his fear. He checked the origin of the sound, the captive spirits. They were purposefully hitting their bodies against the jail bars.

The next instant, there was a sound of glass shattering, and the room went dark. 

Roar! Growl!

"The light's off! Gather!" The scarred man yelled in vain. The spirits' fierce cries drowned out his voice.

He sought his comrades, but he could not find them. He shouted their names, but they did not respond. Nervousness started growing inside him.

Meanwhile, Ren watched the three men from afar. He had taken advantage of the distraction created by the spirits to use an empty can of beans he found near the red-eyed rabbit to break the only font of light.

The darkness did not affect him too much. As long as he had Spiritual Sight, he could locate his opponents by looking for their magical power.

The three men, deprived of sight and hearing, began searching for their friends but ended up creating more distance between them. They were almost isolated.

Ren smiled thinly.

It was all coming together.

"Damn! Shut your mouths!" Someone screamed, desperate for silence. They took out their guns and began to shoot.

However, the roaring and thudding did not stop. Ren's ears were starting to hurt.

He would put an end to this now.

He emptied his mind and started running, his footsteps disappearing in the spirits' fanfare.

"It must be something that motivates you. Something from deep within your soul. It must occur naturally."

It must occur naturally, huh?

He did not understand at the time Rui had taught him, but now Ren saw what it meant.

I see now, Rui-san... You just wanted me to come up with a cool name for my new skill!!!!

Ren accelerated, channeling the magical power of the environment in his body through his breathing. 

He approached the scarred man, the one that held the charm.

He pulled his right fist backward, channeling all the power to a single point.

And the words came naturally to him.

Hades' Judgment!!!!

Ren thrust his fist with unimaginable strength into the scarred man's face. The momentum was so hard that his shoulder cracked loudly. The impact sent the scarred man flying and Ren tumbling forward.

Before Ren could react, he had two pistols pointing at him. He had stumbled in front of the two other men.

"Di-"

Before they could shoot, however, they suddenly fell unconscious on the floor. With his peripheral vision, Ren saw a black cat with glasses munching a piece of paper. It was the sealing charm.

Ren breathed a sigh of relief, then stood up. He looked around and spotted countless animal spirits, now free. A single red-eyed rabbit hopped closer to him.

"You have my thanks, human."

"You don't have to thank me. You saved me, too."

"May I know your name?"

"Oh. I'm Suzuki Ren."

"Very well, Suzuki Ren," the rabbit closed its eyes, thoughtful. "Farewell, then. We shall meet again."

The rabbit disappeared suddenly, along with every other spirit in the room. 

"Damn... I really did it..." Ren thought out loud. "Wow. I can't believe what I just pulled off. But... What should I do now?"

There were three unconscious criminals here. He did not know if he should call the police since it was related to magical matters. He also remembered that a child was waiting for him outside. 

In any case, he decided to check if the little girl was still there. Perhaps she heard the shots and called for help. He opened the big iron door that now had holes in it, hoping to see the police surrounding the place. 

Instead, he just found a girl.

"What? You're still here?"

"Of course. Why would I leave?"

"Why would you stay!? There were literally bullets flying through those holes!"

"?" The girl just tilted her head.

What? Did she not know what a gun was? Was she a child of overprotective parents who did not let her watch action movies? 

"Uh. You know, a projectile fired from guns."

"I do not know what you are talking about."

"Forget it, then... Anyway, we can't just stand here. Not after all that I did..."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing, haha! I probably just got involved with a mafia that deals with supernatural things. By the way," Ren furrowed his eyebrows. Now that he thought about it, this whole situation was strange. "Are you a spirit or something?"

"Yes, I am."

"Oh, that explains a lot of things. How didn't I notice?"

"I suppose it is because my magical power is sealed."

So the girl was a spirit. That would explain her lack of expression and lack of common sense thereof. 

"Did you find my friend?" the girl asked.

"You mean the dog? No, I didn't."

Ren remembered that all the spirits had vanished instantly together with the rabbit. The girl's dog was probably among them, assuming it was a spirit.

But as Ren thought that.

A golden retriever came out from the warehouse. Its fur was shiny even in the dark. 

Ren felt nothing special coming from it, so it was not a spirit.

"Oh, Crystal, you're okay." the girl announced, flashing a thin smile

She smiled!!?? It's the first time I see her express any kind of emotion!

"So, this is your friend, right?"

"Yes, he is. His name is Crystal."

The dog came over to Ren, wagging its tail happily.

"Woof!" It abruptly jumped at him, licking him ferociously.

"Woah there!"

"He is thanking you. And I think I should do that as well."

"Don't worry. It was nothing," Ren said as he pushed the animal away. 

"Thank you, Suzuki Ren, " the girl bowed deeply. When she looked up, her eyes reflected the silver moonlight in a dazing way. "I am Eva, Remanescent of the Full Moon. I am glad to make your acquaintance."

"O-oh, it was nothing, Eva?" Ren tried to shrug it off in an attempt to look cool. "But how do you know my—"

Before Ren could notice, the girl, Eva, disappeared, leaving a small trail of silver particles.