Betrayal

"Let me see your mobile device."

"What... why?"

"We're being tracked."

In the matter of seconds, squad cars and armored trucks skidded to a stop at either ends of the alleyway, effectively blocking them off and preventing any immediate changes of escape.

Rainwater washed up against the buildings in waves, splashing into Grim's eyes, causing him to stumble backwards.

Behind him, the detective chanted something in the Shamanic language. It was quick and forced, which only meant one thing.

"Offensive magic?" Grim asked without sparing a backwards glance. "Found an escape route?"

"Not exactly..."

Suddenly, Grim's body felt heavy. Some kind of hidden force at play was weighing him down, and before he could turn to see it, the ground around him cratered and his body slammed against the broken cobblestone in a sickening crash.

"Gaahh!"

A burning sensation filled is lungs as the air was forced out of them. Unsurprisingly, Grim stubbornly pressed both of his palms against the ground, attempting to free himself of the supernatural force. However, that had been a grave mistake.

His right arm snapped at the elbow, and left popped at the shoulder.

"Gaaaaaaaahn!"

His face smacked against the stone, bouncing twice before the sound of his skull cracking echoed throughout the narrow alleyway.

Nearing unconsciousness, his senses scattered - the smells of wet stone and iron pipes were masked with the tartness of burnt seashells, while the wailing of sirens sounded more and more like nails against a chalkboard.

Yet, somehow, he didn't die.

But there was no mistaking it - Grim was worse for wear.

With all of his might, he pushed against the stone using only his chin and feet, tightening his core and lifting his broken body to everyone's surprise.

"What in the world...?"

"He's a goddamn gami!"

Then, with the last of his strength, he jerked against the artificial gravity and flipped himself onto his back, splashing rainwater into the air. As if in slow motion, it came sprinkling back down and against the detective's grimriore - a magical spell book - as she held it up with her remaining hand.

His eye widened when he saw the magical aura surrounding her form. The betrayal tasted bitter.

After all, he'd just saved her life.

Growing up a loner - not because of choice but due to circumstance - should've made him immune to this kind of emotion.

So, why did it hurt?

For a brief moment, his thoughts were just as clouded as his vision. Then, something inside of him snapped, just as he heard her voice.

"I'm sorry, Grim... but I... I can't just let you escape."

Her words were stammered. Tears began to fall to her chin, but Grim only saw blood as she continued:

"I know that you're innocent... But I am not a judge. I'm a detective. And it's my job to collect evidence to provide to the courts. It's my duty as a sworn officer to bring about justice in the court of law. So... I wont help you run."

Her tears blended with the rain that trickled down her face. As sincere as they appeared, Grim saw a mask of deception. It was something he had grown accustomed to spotting amongst the human race. His time in the slums molded him in this way. He wasn't going to let some pretty face change that.

Every last one them would die.

In mere seconds, a wave of officers surrounded him, pointing automatic rifles at his head and placing heavy steel restraints on his wrists, waist, and ankles before tazing him with lightning magic.

His body jerked violently.

A moment later, everything went dark.

******

"Where the hell did it go, Captain Hoshizawa?"

"Shhh... lower your voice, Arashi. It could be anywhere."

Two men crept towards a large metal door at the end of a narrow corridor. It stunk of mold and feces. The wooden walls were weather and dilapidated, making it appear as though it would collapse at any moment.

Step. Step. Step.

"Hold!"

Hiroshi Hoshizawa whispered the command, but it carried anyway. Arashi Imada followed the captain's order like a computer following a prompt, raising his light pistol even higher as his glowing grimriore shifted over his right shoulder.

"That damn gomi has to be in there," Hiroshi whispered.

His grimriore - black leather and gold trimming - hovered just above his open palm, pulsing with a dark glow that radiated immense power.

With a flick of his wrist, the pages turned, stopping on a blank sheet.

"Captain Hoshizawa, wait," Arashi warned. "If you blow that door, and the gami isn't in that room, won't we just be giving away our position?"

Hiroshi ignor him at first, chanting in the Shamanic language. In response, a spell circle etched into the grains of the page, emitting a faint light that grew with every enunciation.

Finally, he turned to Arashi, his voice low but full of reverence.

"Something tells me... it already knows."

On cue, the door came flying off the hinges and directly towards both men. As disorientated as it was, Hiroshi acted quietly.

"Fourth Tier: Wall of Shadows!"

In front of Hiroshi, a wall of dark matter materialized. And with a wave of his hand, it grew to the size of the door, swallowing it whole before vanishing itself.

Arashi, after flinching, dashed forward.

"I'll finish it!"

"No, wait!"

Hiroshi reach out his hand, but it was too late. A dark shadow-like being appeared before Arashi, at a distance that made it impossible to defend. The gami's glowing red eyes left a streak of crimson light in their wake.

In a fraction of a second, its scythe came dangerously close to beheading the man, but with incredible dexterity, Arashi ducked and twisted his body in mid stride, pressing his conjured weapon against the gami's rib.

BAM. BAM. BAM!

Rapid fire rang out, causing the gami to crash into the adjacent wall. The hole that it left was massive, as the shadow tumbled into the next room.

"I injured it!"

Hiroshi dashed forward, into the open room.

"Good. Now stand down I'll finish this."

In a blur of after-images, he closed the distance and floated directly above the recovering gami, his palms extended with magical aura.

"I, A Ranked Striker, Hiroshi Hoshizawa, hear by exorcise this soul astray... In the name of all things holy - return to the dark realm at once!"

DARK VOID

In a fantastic glow of darkness, the struggling gami shrieked in a voice that didn't belong to the living as it's shadowy form twisted into a knot, vanishing into the darkness.

In the matter seconds, the darkness receded and the spell was complete.

Hiroshi's feet slowly made contact with the ground until he stood over the spot the gami had just been a moment ago.

Arashi shouted from the other side of the wall, peeking into the room:

"As always, you make our jobs look so easy. It's no wonder you made A Rank so fast - in your second year as a Striker."

Hiroshi dismissed his grimriore with a wave before turning to Arashi with a confident look.

"You're A Rank too, Imada."

"Yeah, I know. But you're on track to becoming S Ranked. That's more than I can wish for."

Arashi stepped over and into the crumbled wall, finally disspelling his weapon before dismissing his grimriore.

Meanwhile, Hiroshi wiped a splatter of dust off his shoulder before applying the same care to Arashi's.

"We're a team, Imada. The only reason I climbed the ranks so quickly is because of you, partner. You're speed and ability to manipulate magic so easily has always inspired me to push my limits. So, quit putting me on a pedestal, okay. That's an order."

After a moment, a smile creased Arashi lips. Then, before they knew it, both men burst into laughter.

"Yes, sir!"

Suddenly, a call over their comms and interrupted the moment:

HEADQUARTERS TO UNIT 4

Hiroshi tapped the device in his ear, turning to the windows on the other side of the room.

"Go for Unit 4"

THERE'S A SITUATION AT HEADQUARTERS. FINISH UP YOUR ASSIGNMENT AND HEAD OVER IMMEDIATELY

"Situation?"

WE HAVE DANUJA YOMIYAMA IN CUSTODY

Both Hiroshi and Arashi stared at each other wide-eyed and with darkened expressions.

"Headquarters. Repeat that last transmission," Hiroshi uttered.

There was a heavy silence before the voice returned:

WE HAVE THE GRIM