Ascendants

A cold sensation runs up Kiara's spine as Zhang utters the words Ascendants from his lips. The feeling it brought reminded Kiara about a specific event in her past. It was as if her Grandfather's words echoed in her ear. 

"Long before humans began recording their history," Edward recited, "There were the Elusives, ancient spirits that have only one desire, to consume all life in our world" Kiara looked on, her eyes wide open, listening intensively to the story.

"In that chaos emerged the Ascendents, powerful barbaric creatures that once ruled over the world as they seemed fit." Edward dramatically read out loud, the lights flickered in the room. 

A tap from Adam snaps Kiara back to reality. She eyes on Zhang, his gaze narrowing on her waiting for her answer. 

"The Ascendants are our eternal enemies," Kiara calmly says, unease lying heavily on her shoulder as Zhang examines her answer.

"Not bad," Zhang walks towards the ancient mural, "Did your grandfather ever tell you the source of spiritual energy in the world?" 

Kiara's eyes were drawn to a specific Ascendant in the mural, its shadowy form commanding over a thousand Elusives into the battlefield. She felt a strange unearthly connection to it, "Spiritual energy… has always been in humans, it just had to be harnessed." Kiara tensely claims, fidgeting her fingers. 

"That is partially true," Adam rebutted, "Technically in a way, the Ascendants were the ones to teach us about harnessing spiritual energy." 

Meanwhile in the Crimson PineGlade Forest.

Hirano stares intensely at his opponents, motioning Kawata to get behind him. Azrael pulls his dagger out of his pocket, preparing for a little scuffle. The Roman soldier steps forward, ignoring his partner's glare.

" I'm always interested in meeting new opponents. The name is Trajan." he boastfully exclaims, raising his blade high in the air, " Cesar Trajan."

"What's wrong with you," Azrael angrily shouts at Trajan, " Why would you give your name to the enemy?"

"A warrior should always know his opponent's name, Azrael." Trajan taunts her, awaiting Hirano's answer. Azrael scornfully breathes through his mask, muttering quietly to himself, Good job for ruining our tactical advantage…you dumb brute. 

The plague doctor is Azrael and the warrior is Trajan, Hirano analyzes, a grin appearing on his face, That blabbering monkey is going to be the cause of your deaths.

Hirano's eyes narrow at Azrael and Hirano, their spiritual energy looking peculiar. Nothing like anything he has seen before.

"Who are you two?" Hirano questions, summoning a blade in his outstretched hands, "You two don't appear to be wardens." Trajan gets into a battle stance, while Azrael stays cautious, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Don't underestimate the Ascendants, Trajan." Azrael warns his partner, his gaze looking straight at Hirano, " They may be relics but they are still powerful."

Relics! Hirano angrily reacts to Azrael's insult, his mind racing with thoughts, So you people know about our existence and are willing to insult us. 

Hirano leaps towards Azrael, leaving a shockwave behind him. Reacting quickly, Azrael blocks Hirano's blade with his daggers. 

"Finally. Some action!" Trajan yells before charging towards Kawata, a happy smile plastered on his face. Kawata quickly jumps onto the trees to gain enough distance away from Trajan. 

"Get down from there," Trajan scornfully orders, "A pretty girl like you should prove your worth by battling me and not hide in trees."

Kawata summons a bow and arrow, a bright pink glow coming from her stretched-out arms. She quickly releases the arrow toward Trajan, with the singular arrow splitting up into multiple arrows exploding on close impact with her enemy. 

When the smoke clears, Kawata sees two shinigami reforming themselves from the damage. Their forms resemble ghostly Vikings. Trajan stomps forward, his footsteps heavy and echoing through the forest floor.

"This is going to be fun," Trajan gleefully smiles, his shinigami quickly vanish and reappear next to Kawata catching her off guard. A massive shockwave rippled through the Crimson PineGlade,

Simultaneously as the battle continues, Kiara's eyes widen at the revelation.

"The Ascendants taught us spiritual energy?" Kiara questions, her tone uneasy and puzzled. 

"This is something Master Edward should have taught you," Zhang questions, disappointment clear in his gaze, "This is basic history for recruits like you to know."

Kiara felt very sheepish from Zhang's comment. It was like a stab to her self-esteem. 

"The ancient wardens studied how the Ascendants manipulated their spiritual energy," Zhang instructed, " We trained our minds and our bodies to manipulate and force out the energy in our very core, to do the same."

"After a couple hundred years, we had the first generation of wardens," Adam cuts into Zhang's lecture, clearly annoying him. Zhang turns his back towards Adam, " Please raise your hand whenever you want to add something to the conversation."

Edward's voice echoes in Kiara's head, trying to remember the story of the Ascendants that he once recited to her as a child. 

The Ascendants, badly weakened, were hunted down one by one, sealed in separate talismans to prevent their return.

"Were all the Ascendants ever sealed away?" Kiara questions, fidgeting with her fingers. Zhang looks over to Kiara, "Who knows? The numbers of how many they were have been lost to time."

"So they could still be out there," Kiara exclaims, her tone filled with concern. Adam glances at Kiara, crossing his arms, "The power of the Ascendants has likely been diminished over time like a fading ember. They might no longer be the deities that once tried to destroy the world but they are likely stronger than most wardens." 

A shockwave echoes throughout the Crimson PineGlade. Azrael throws his dagger at Hirano, quickly dodging the attack. Hirano swings his blade, cutting through the air with a swift arc, but Azrael swiftly maneuvers himself out of harm's way.

Stay still, Hirano yells, his hand glows with a golden-yellow aura. Forming his hand into a finger gun, a small orb of light appears. He speedily aims his finger at Azrael, " Divine contagion." 

Hirano fires a flying orb of pure spiritual energy at Azrael at high speeds. Azrael puts his hands into a hand sign but before a protection barrier entirely covers his body, the flying orb explodes on Azrael's chest. 

Azrael breathes heavily as the effects of the Divine contagion kick in. Hirano swings his blade at Azrael, quickly blocking the attack with his daggers. 

"You are strong, you primitive lifeform but a monkey is still a monkey no matter how you animals have evolved," Hirano scornfully taunts his enemy. 

Azrael eyes look intently through his plague doctor mask. He swings his daggers towards Hirano. Swiftly reacting, Hirano blocks every attack with his blade.

"Ah. What's wrong? Did I hurt your feelings?" Hirano taunts, his blade raised high, "Humans have always been sensitive to the truth." 

Azrael leaps towards Hirano. Acting quickly, Hirano blocks Azrael's attack, sparks flying everywhere. Hirano's scornful eyes meet up with Azrael's through his mask. 

"This is what makes humans interesting… They claim to talk big but when the truth is revealed they cower to the strong," Hirano swings his blade, forcing Azrael far into the forest, " That's why monkeys like you are ultimately killed by the hunter."

Azrael grabs a stone with a small rune etched into it out of his pockets and throws it at Hirano. A shining bright light momentarily blinds Hirano and a humanoid ravenous Elusive launches itself at the Ascendant catching him off guard. 

Hirano blocks the creature's vicious attacks with his blade, "Filthy animal." The Elusive jaws bite down tightly on Hirano's blade. Its skinny arms aimlessly try to impale Hirano's head. Kawata turns her head to see Hirano being overwhelmed by the ravenous Elusive. 

"Hirano!" Kawata screams out being tackled by Trajan into a nearby tree. 

"Kawata!" Hirano yells out. He grips out his blade tightly before pushing the Elusive back. In a quick precise motion, he slices the Elusive in half before kicking the upper half far into the forest. 

"No!" Azrael calls out as he sees the upper half of the Elusive roll out of his gaze. Hirano runs off to protect Kawata from Trajan. It's my fault for allowing Kawata to fight an opponent outside of her comfort zone, Hirano thinks to himself.

The two Viking shinigami block Hirano's path. Their speed was too quick for Hirano to register. Trajan walks forward towards Kawata, his steps heavy on the forest floor. A gleeful grin tugs on Trajan's face. 

"How does it feel to be so powerless?" Trajan taunts holding his broadsword high in the air. In an instant, Kawata appears behind Trajan firing multiple arrows at point black range. Reacting quickly Trajan raises his shield to protect himself from the explosions. 

Trajan swings his arm dispersing the smoke cloud around him. He gives a skeptical look at seeing Kawata's new form. 

"You look different." Trajan ponders, "Weren't you a girl a minute ago?"

"I like to be unpredictable," Kawata says, a sly smirk plastered on his face. Suddenly ethereal crimson wings appear from Kawata's back. He quickly leaps at Trajan, attacking with swings. 

Trajan effortlessly blocks all the attacks with his blade. Hirano grips his blade and with a quick motion, he effortlessly destroys the shinigami causing Trajan to cough up blood. Momentarily distracted Kawata swings his wing at Trajan's face, leaving a wide gash across his face. 

Azrael throws a bunch of potions at Kawata causing an instant series of explosions but Kawata reacts quick enough to fly away from harm's way. Hirano appears through the smoke cloud in front of a bewildered Trajan with his hand outstretched and glowing in his golden aura. 

"Divine contagion," Hirano calmly says, his eyes narrowing on his target. He quickly scratches Trajan's cheek and in a blink of an eye, he appears right behind him. Azrael slowly walks forward next to his partner but Trajan suddenly coughs up blood causing him to kneel on the floor. 

"I think you should help your partner," Hirano scoffs, "What I just infected him has an 80-90% mortality rate." Trajan's muscles felt like they were in severe pain and his head felt like it was moving at high speeds. Kawata slowly descends gracefully next to Hirano. 

"If you don't help him he's going to bleed or die from organ failure," Hirano laughs to himself causing Azrael to clutch his fists in anger. 

"Tell us why you are after the talisman and I might give you the cure." Hirano calmly explains. 

Azrael looks down at his collapsed partner suffering on the forest floor. "We don't need your cure. Based on the symptoms and mortality rate it's likely a modified disease version of Ebola. Yet if I remember correctly there is no known cure for this disease." 

"Correct." Hirano scornfully looks, "Your partner will die in just a couple hours to this more extreme variant."

"Oh no. I can make a cure in time," Azrael retorts, "The talisman will be ours and its powers will be for great use" 

"You're trying to steal the power of the Ascendants? Sorry, but you will never mimic a fraction of our power," Hirano angrily says, his hand glowing a sickly color. "Divine contagion," he swings his arm directly at the duo but Azrael puts his hand on Trajan's shoulder. A thick cloud of smoke appears from beneath them before quickly distorting the nearby area before they vanish quickly. 

Hirano's hand slowly lowers as the realization kicks in. They were gone.

"Damn it," Hirano mutters to himself. He turns his head towards Kawata, "You okay, kid?" He notices a rainstorm about to form in the distance. Kawata slowly walks forward to his brother, "Yeah I'm good. Just a little bruised." 

"That's good," Hirano pats Kawata's back, "We got to find that talisman as fast as possible before those two do. Let's rest up and survey the remaining areas before continuing in the next couple of days." The sibling duo slowly make their way out of the forest. 

Azrael and Trajan quickly reappear in a different part of the Crimson PineGlade. Trajan lays there almost motionless on the floor, "It…burns…Azrael…." he says softly to himself. 

"Calm down," Azrael reassures, pouring a mysterious liquid down Trajan's throat, "That should deal with the symptoms until I can create a real cure for you." 

Azrael looks around the forest area, his eyes narrowing his mask, "I wonder what happened to that Elusive that I summoned. What a waste of a rune stone."

Azrael waves his smoke covered hand into the air, The teleporation spell appears to still be experimental, he thinks to himself. Azrael slowly puts his hand back on Trajan's shoulder, "I'm going to teleport us back to the master alright." 

"Why…not…sooner—" Trajan softly says, clutching his stomach. 

"You were going to die if I didn't pour my vial down your throat," Azrael retorts towards the dying Trajan.

That Elusive probably bled out and died somewhere. Azrael thinks to himself, "Now stay still." In a quick flash, the duo pair disappear out of the forest. Somewhere in the Crimson Pineglade the upper half of the Elusive that Hirano sliced off starts convulsing violently as ghostly legs appear beneath it.

"Remember to never underestimate your threats," Zhang calmly explains, "The Ascendants may still be out there and maybe weaker but a dying flame can still burn you." He slowly makes his way out of the library before picking up a fighting form book, "Remember to study hard tomorrow but these forms are going to save for the tests I have available for you."

Kiara sighs to herself. Adam crosses his arms, "Best we bring marshmallows for this dying flame." He slowly makes his way out of the library, "Come on. The sacred library is boring anyway so many of the same history books here. let's see what Anby and Seth are training with their spells." Kiara quickly follows Adam in his direction.

Yet she couldn't shake off the familial connection she had with the mural. It was like something was calling out to her but she didn't know what it meant. The nagging sense of dread she learned in the library didn't leave her mind for the rest of the day. The atmosphere shifts as dinner time creeps in for everyone in the temple. 

Kiara sits close to her new friend group as she notices Edward sitting on the farthest seat on a long wooden table. Adam is busy eating all of Seth's vegetables while Anby is nose-buried reading Kiara's library books. 

The Arbiter suddenly strides into the dining room with his royal guards paving the way for his entrance in a dramatic procession. Kiara looks at the middle-aged figure walking unhurriedly to his seat. The loud murmurs and conversations of the children quickly die down. Edward gives a glance at the Arbiter before continuing to drink his cup of tea.

Before the Arbiter sits down, he claps his hands together instantly making everyone stand up in unison. Kiara, taken aback by this, is the last one to stand up.

"Today. You may have seen the return of one of our best wardens-Edward Meitner," the Arbiter calmly explains, a gentle smile plastered all over his face. Edward rolls his eyes at the Arbiter's compliments.

The Arbiter gestures his hands for Edward to stand up and present himself to everyone. Edward quickly stands up, as the Arbiter claps his hands together, making everyone clap their hands in unison.

"It appears he hasn't returned alone," the Arbiter stares directly at Kiara causing her to tense up and stand up straighter. "On Sunday afternoon, Kiara Meitner will have an evaluation just like the rest of you before her. I hope we all congratulate her on her journey that is yet to unfold." 

Kiara could feel a bunch of eyes watching over her in the cafeteria, a shaking feeling quickly consuming her. As the Arbiter sits down, everyone in the cafeteria follows his very movements.

Oh this is...this is a cult following? Kiara thinks to herself as she popping a piece of beef in her mouth. I'm not feeling the pressure. Nope, not at all. This is totally normal. 

"It's nice for you to make a return, Edward," the Arbiter says, looking down at the table and looking straight at the old man, "I trust that you will adjust to life here just fine." The murmurs and chewing of the children echo throughout the cafeteria.

"Nothing has changed much," Edward says with a half smile, "I expect the same old tasks given to me." The Arbiter takes a bite out of his meal staring intently at Edward. 

Edward slowly stretches his neck, his hand covering the scars that run up from his neck and up to his lower cheek. The Arbiter slowly puts his fork down.

"How's Kiara, Edward? I trust she is meeting your expectations," the Arbiter says.

Edward pauses for a moment, 'She's doing the best she can. She is a strong girl who just needs something to push her further."

"So she has no clear direction? Risking everything without knowing the stakes at large." the Arbiter inquires. 

Edward gives a half smile, pausing for a moment. 

"She has that fire that all wardens have. I just need something to allow her to tap into it more," Edward calmly explains, "She needs to find a path that suits her the best, something that can channel that fire into something powerful."

One of the senior wardens scoots his chair next to Zhang. "The Arbiter is asking a lot of questions." the man whispers, catching Zhang's attention.

"He's just curious, that's all," Zhang reassures the man while eating his meal.

'Edward. I wonder what you think is going to be Kiara's rank after her evaluation." the Arbiter questions. 

"Uh. I expect her to be D-rank," Edward says, chewing his food, "She hasn't been training for that long so she is very much in the lower ranks at this point."

"True but we have to wait and see to be sure, Edward. We all want to impress and make people we care about proud." the Arbiter says, taking a bite of his food, "I can't wait to see what kind of person Kiara is- her strengths and desires alike."

The Arbiter's words echo in Edward's head, We all want to impress and make people we care about proud, he tries to ignore the Arbiter for now and continues eating his meal. The Arbiter smiles to himself. 

Kiara noticed how unnatural and stiff her grandfather was at the table. She tries to ignore it but something feels very off. The weight of their conversation weighed heavily on her. 

After the meal, Kiara gathers her tray and makes her way to the exit, the chatter slowly fading away from her. The cool night air brought a chill down Kiara's spine. After a while- it was bedtime for everyone in the temple. 

Edward and Kiara went into their separate bedrooms and wished each other good night. As Kiara retreats to her own space, laying motionless on her bed. Her mind replays the conversation she had with Adam. What was her motivation? Why did she want to be a warden? She thought having ideals of justice and protecting people was enough but now there is doubt. 

She stares up at the ceiling contemplating the weight of these unanswered questions that clouded her mind. Was it a way to fit in? To live up to her grandfather's expectations? She always had the desire to help people but was that enough to pursue a profession like this?

As Kiara closed her eyes-something strange appeared in her dreams. It was like a dark suffocating feeling was constricting her. She wakes up in a mysterious forest area, the moonlight dimly lighting the desolate empty area. Her breathing felt very shallow and she felt like she was going to collapse any second now. 

A mysterious shadowy figure slowly walks into view. It was unlike anything Kiara had ever seen. Its form is ethereal and glitching between solid and translucent. The air around the creature feels oppressive and slowly crushes Kiara's lungs. She stares as the figure makes its way towards her. She looks down to see she is now holding a katana in her hand. 

"When did I?" Kiara wonders, her voice barely escaping her lips.

"Thank you ... .for—." the figure says, its voice hoarse and husky. Its voice becomes more distorted as it raises its blade at Kiara, "Battle ... .prepare ... .yourself…" 

The creature raises its blade at Kiara and the mysterious energy consumes her. In an instant, her heart skips a beat and she wakes up in a cold sweat. She stares at the clock- a couple of hours passed by. What just happened? Was that just a nightmare?

Convincing herself that it was just a nightmare Kiara tries to ignore what just happened and goes back to sleep. As Kiara's eyes shut and fall back to her dreams, Rain falls incessantly down wreaking havoc on the city. 

The Elusive that Azrael thought was dead is now busy ravaging and mutilating the nearby stray cats and the homeless living out in the alleys of the city. The bearded man tries to fight back against the humanoid creature but he is soon overpowered, brutally mutilated then ultimately killed. 

The gray and pale skin of Elusive slowly wanders the streets, its regrowing legs translucent and pallor. Its large inhuman head unnaturally turns into the starry night, sensing a duo of wardens pursuing an Elusive from the building rooftops. It slowly makes its way to their location, its footsteps brittle and soft on the road below.