4 The power of a Name

(Thirteen years ago. Advanced training hall.)

Jack tilted his head back dodging the punch easily. He quickly brought his own arm up slamming his first into Jasons side. Blue Mantra pouring off of both of them. "Take this!" Jack yelled throwing out a kick to the shins.

Jason gasped out in pain and shock as he fell back. "Oww!" He yelled grabbing his foot. "What the hell man!" He gasped out.

"Ha ha! Street rules!" Jack said kneeling down and elbowing Jason. "I might not know any martial arts like you or Lin but I can still win through cheap crap!" He said smirking slightly before finally holding his hand out. Jason grumbled slightly but still took the offered hand. "Rookie mistake!" Jack yelled as he flung Jason up and using his momentum to throw Jason out of the arena.

Jason flopped onto the ground crashing painfully. "Wow!" Lin said from the bench he had been watching the fight. "Amazing. The amount of Mantra you were letting off was insane Jack!" Lin said waving his arms around.

"What about me!" Jason asked still on the floor

"You were amazing as well," Lin said nodding. "The two of you are in a whole other league compared to the rest of us." He said shaking his head now. "Even with my Mantra Spirit, I can barely keep up with you two. It's actually kind of depressing. I work as hard as you do Jason but I'm still left in the dust and Jack... Well, he doesn't even train..."

"You're still far stronger than the other kids!" Jason said finally standing up. "And ignore Jack. The dudes a hack."

"Jealous!" Jack said smugly. "I think our little one on one has made me even greater than before." He said as his Mantra grew six sizes larger.

Lin couldn't help but laugh at that moment confusing Jack and Jason. "I can't believe how naive I had been," Lin said a bitter smile going over his face. "It's hard to believe we have only known each other for two years. Jack has just turned seven and already people are calling him a prodigy. And you Jason... Well, you just got a new sister right. I kept believing when I was a kid I would be able to protect everyone but I realize how dumb that dream was..." He trailed off.

"Hey!" Jack said smacking his friend upside the head. "Don't give up on your dream so easily." He looked Lin in the eyes. "You might not be the strongest person but you are the most determined."

"Yeah!" Jason said nodding. "Jacks right. I can't believe I just said that. You are amazing at what you do Lin. And besides. It doesn't matter if you don't save everyone. As long as you know you can save the people you care about."

Jacks eyes went wide as what Jason said echoed through his mind. "No-" He gasped out. And suddenly there was two of him. The young naive child that talked to his friends smiling. And the nineteen-year-old failure who realized too late what the words meant. "Lin!" Present day Jack gasped out. 'Untie me!' Jack stepped forward but his hand passed through Lin and Jason. "Forget about saving people!" He yelled. 'Hey!' Everything began to go dark as his vision blurred. "Please..." He whispered out tears streaming from his face. 'Wake up!'

(Present day.)

Jacks eyes opened as he stared at the ceiling of his room. He set up slowly. "Finally!" Van yelled. "Untie- Are you crying?" Jacks eyes widened as he reached up finding his cheeks were wet and his eyes had become puffy. "Seriously!" Van yelled when Jack got up walking away.

"Maybe you should leave him alone for now," Finn said standing next to his brother. They were all in the Inn which Jack had rented. He got two rooms. One for the girls and one for the boys. Since Jack didn't trust Van at that moment he had tied the boy up and enhanced the rope with Mantra so he wouldn't be able to break out.

Finn and Van heard running water for a second before the bathroom door opened and Jack walked out rubbing his eyes with a towel. He snapped his fingers causing the Mantra on the ropes to vanish. "You're free now," Jack said in a bored manner walking off.

Van let out a mighty roar as he flexed and the rope exploded off of him. "Yes!" Van announced. "Now. Why the hell did you tie me up!" He screamed. Jack shrugged not answering the boy before leaving.

"Listen Van..." Finn said stopping his brother. "Maybe you should just drop it for now."

"Why?"

"He-" Finn stopped trying to think of the right words. "He looked like he was reliving a bad memory."

"So?" Van yelled waving his arms. "He always sleeps and dreams about weird things. Sometimes he mutters about somethings. Someone named Lin?" He questioned. They both just shrugged unsure of who that was as they left the room heading downstairs.

"Hey, guys!" Brave said when she saw them walk downstairs. She waved them to the table her and the other two girls were at. "Have you seem Mr. Nine?" She questioned.

Finn and Van looked at each other for a second. "Yeah... He should have come downstairs. He left before us." Van questioned. "You don't think he ran off-"

"No, I didn't run off," Jack said sitting down and startling everyone with his sudden appearance. "Now hurry up and eat. We'll be heading over to the guy who runs this crappy town in a little bit so be ready." He said turning to look out the window and silently brood.

"Umm... Mr. Nine?" Finn asked hesitantly. "I have a question." Jack turned slightly to look at the kid. "Who- What does the name Lin mean?"

Jack was silent for what felt like forever before finally speaking. "A dumass who thought he could save the world." Jack finally said standing up. "Now come on. I've changed my mind. We will be going now." He said walking off.

"Great going Finn..." Brave said signing slightly. "Now we don't get any food." Finn flinched at the glares he was getting and quickly apologized.

"That name? Lin..." Fate said trailing off. "My brother mutters about that name in his sleep a lot too..." She said silently.

"Weird?" Brave said putting her arms behind her back. "Who do you think he is? A rival maybe?" Fate shook her head pulling out a picture she stole from her brother's room and handing it over. Brave looked at it notice a fifteen-year-old Jack and two other boys she didn't recognize.

"That one is Jason. My brother." Fate said pointing at one of the boys. "My guess is that the other one is Lin?" She said shrugging.

"So they were all friends?" Brave said startled. "That doesn't seem right at all?" She questioned shaking her head in a very confused manner. They weren't able to talk any further however as Jack reached the office of the Mayor entering.

That was where they found themselves now. Seated in the Mayor's office.

"I'm glad you guys are finally here!" The Mayor said laughing slightly. He was a very thin figure and had bags under his eyes and practically no hair. "Thank you for coming." He said shaking Jacks hand.

"The Organization sent me obviously," Jack said nodding. "So please tell me everything that has happened so far?" He asked.

"Well to start with. I'm not the Mayor..." The man said a bit sheepishly. "She was actually taken a few days ago by the Demons so if you can rescue her I would really appreciate it. I've been trying to keep everyone calm without her."

Jack nodded though deep down he knew he wouldn't be able to find the Mayor and bring her back. "I was looking over a few files last night before I came in," Jack said. "Your little town is supposed to be attacked by low-level grunts but in here it mentioned high-leveled Demons. Why haven't you asked for help with this situation before?" Jack questioned sitting forward.

The man sighed slightly running a hand through what was his hair. "Well we would have asked for help sooner but at the time we didn't need it..." He said letting out a deep sigh once again showing just how exhausted and stressed he was. "You see. We had a Guardian protecting us and they were able to defeat even a B-class easily. They helped us out constantly and would go out of there way to save us. That was actually part of your mission. I want you to try and find the Guardian if you can."

"I'll see what I can do," Jack said standing up. "We will investigate and look for clues in the woods and look around and find this Guardian..." He said.

"What is a Guardian?" Sera asked in a curious manner.

Jack smiled slightly which to the kids was a first. "It's kind of hard to explain..." He said scratching his head slightly. "Well, a Guardian to put it simply is a monster." He said yawning as he exited while the kids followed him.

"But Monsters are supposed to be mindless animals?" Finn said. "They shouldn't be able to protect a town."

Jack let out a laugh as if it was the funniest thing in the world. "Alright, kids!" He said grabbing a stick and pointing at the ground. "It's time for class..." He said. "Tell me what happens when you are born?" He asked.

"Well?" Brave said thinking. "We come out. And we cry. And then we are named?"

"Bingo!" Jack said snapping. "Name." He wrote the word in the ground. "Names have power." He said. "We gain our power from Mantra Spirits who we can then gain power by voicing the name they have. We call each other by our names and we use name to describe things." He said. "To put it simply we as humans get our power from names." He said. "Even if a parent doesn't voice a name to a newborn child the mother will still give it a name internally and who we get our names from are important also." He said.

"Alright well, what does this have to do with Monsters and Guardians," Finn asked.

"Shh!" Van and Fate said hushing Finn. "Continue they both said." Apparently, they found it intriguing.

"Right. Well before I get into monsters I first need to get into Demons." Jack said. "You see Demons do not need names. Many Demons are brash and unspoken preferring to kill you quickly so they can eat you. But others... Orders aren't like that. Some Demons have names but it does nothing for them. Unlike us, Demons don't get their power from names but rather through fear. You see there are many things that will determine how strong a human is. The first is the genes. The second is their affinity to Mantra. And the last is their name. Not really the name itself though. Rather who gives the name. In order to name you must have power. The stronger you are the stronger the meaning behind the name you give is." Jack said. "When I was a kid I was named Jack. My parents weren't anything too special so I didn't receive much from the name but, I did receive some. Later down in my life I was given the last name of Nine from Mr. Colin and with his power, I was given a boost." Jack said flashing his Mantra. "Now that doesn't mean you can just give out names. Naming is seen as a great form of power and as such it is normally impossible to receive a second name from a Mantra user of such power." He said sighing as he ran a hand through his hair.

"So you gained your insane potential form having two names?" Fate asked. "One from your parents and the second one from Mr. Colin and because Mr. Colin is so strong you were given a massive power boost!" She said taking a deep breath once she finished since she said it all in one go.

"But what does that have to do with Monsters?" Brave asked.

"Thank you!" Finn yelled.

"I would also like to know?" Sera asked.

Jack muttered a few words under his breath for a second. "Right well. Monster don't have names." He said. "To an extent. Obviously, we have names for the type of monster but that doesn't really count. Kind of like how we are called humans but we still need to be given a name. Anyways. Names are the key factor here as a Guardian is a type of monster who was given a name by someone. Guardians can bridge the gap between human and demons." He said raising his arms. "Monsters can't learn Mantra but can learn another form of energy unique to them that mimics basic Mantra and they can, in fact, kill Demons as well." He said flashing his Mantra on and off. He grabbed the stick again and started drawing. "Another way to look at it is like this." He said drawing three shapes. "Demons are here. Humans are here. And in the center is the Monsters. Humans use Mantra to hurt Demons while Demons use what is called Black Aura to hurt us. Mantra is effective against Demons and neutral against humans. Black Aura is effective against Humans and neutral to Demons. Meanwhile, monsters use M Cells as there energy. M Cells are neutral to both Humans and Demons and so to counter that Monsters are also Neutral to both Black Aura and Mantra." He said drawing multiple arrows that pointed to multiple stick figures.

"I think I get it..." Van said nodding. "So Monsters are resistant to us but in return, we are resistant to them as well. Not only that but some help fight off Demons..." Van said trailing off. "But what about this towns Guardian? Are they dead?" He asked.

Jack shook his head slightly. "I don't think so..." He said looking over towards the forest. "When a Monster does die the M Cells within them are let out and as a result plant life grows abnormally quick. I'm not seeing that here. Not only that but if the Guardian really did die the Demons would likely attack the town destroying it instantly. As members of Gods Organization, our job is to make sure Demons don't become too powerful. For this mission, we will all stay together. I plan on letting you guys do most of the fighting to test your skill but if something dangerous does happen I want all of you to get behind me."

"You don't think there will be anything too dangerous do you?" Brave asked. Jack just shrugged in an unsure manner that really didn't sit well with the kids.

"Honestly I have no idea?" Jack said as he looked out to the forest that seemed to call his name. He couldn't help but feel like he was being watched causing his hairs to stick up. "Just in case though everyone will be paired up. Sera since you are the least experienced you will stay with me. Van, you'll be paired with your brother and Brave you're with Fate. Make sure to stay next to the group and don't leave your partner." Jack said.

"Alright, let's hunt some Demons!" Van said fist pumping the air.

"Don't worry Fate!" Brave said. "You can count on me to protect you."

"I highly doubt I will need it." Fate said instantly crushing Brave's spirit.

Meanwhile

(Deep within the forest in a cave.)

"Oh, can he see us?" Lucy asked brushing a hand through his long red hair. His blood red eyes stared at the crystal ball that one of his servants had shown him.

"No my God." Pin said his tongue hanging out. "I spied on him all day yesterday when he entered the town. I was in the trees watching him. He murdered my poor little precious pet!" He whined out letting a mewl of anger. "So I want him!" He said cackling. "I want to put a collar on him and beat him into submission!" He said his mood becoming cheery. His long green hair flowed left and right while his green eyes beamed with excitement.

"I wouldn't mind putting a collar on him as well?" Whip said as she ran a hand up her leg.

"Back off Dom, I found him first!" Pin yelled letting out a growl.

"The two of you behave," Lucy said sighing out. "Honestly you are both acting like pathetic A-Class trash." He said. He hummed still looking at the image of Jack. "I don't know what you two see in him though." He said shrugging. He stood up slowly stretching out. "Honestly he didn't look that impressive." He said sighing out. "And to think I let you get my hopes of Pin." He said shaking his head.

"I'm sorry my God!" Pin said instantly getting to his knees and holding onto Lucy's legs. "I promise you though there is so much more to him! He has a Divine Spirit! He has gained the favor of Mr. Colin and has also been given a second name!" He said.

Lucy turned raising an eyebrow. He waved his hand as an elegant glass of wine materialized in his hand. With his other hand, he stroked his beard. "A second name you say." Now that had gotten his attention. "I wonder if he might be the one I have been waiting for?" He questioned to nobody.

"You don't think he could-" Whip began but she was silenced when Lucy raised an eyebrow towards her.

"Perhaps," Lucy said. "Why not. It's settled. Pin. I want you to make sure that you be a little obstacle for them. Make sure they find this cave and put on a little fight. Once you get a judge on his power you know what to do."

"Of course my God!" Pin said letting his tongue come out. It kept stretching until it was nearly two feet long. The surface of it was also covered with thin needles that impaled it from all directions. "I promise not to fail you."

"Good. Oh and remember. Don't kill him. Or his friends while you're at it. We can kill them later as a form of motivation to fuel him." Lucy said taking a sip from his drink. "Oh right. I almost forgot. How is the Guardian you captured?" He said to Whip.

"They are still contained. It's actually remarkable how much they're able to heal. Whenever I ripped off some flesh they didn't even whimper." She pouted slightly. "They aren't very fun. It seems they don't even have the ability to feel pain. Or anything else I do to them..." She trailed off letting out a sigh. "Other than that they are remarkably strong. Not only that but they have stamina. I was up with them all night long trying to get a whimper out of them." She ran a hand over her stomach slightly a smile appearing on her face. "Although while they might not react to my painful advances I have found I can get them on edge in other ways through means of a delicate tough in other places that don't involve the veins." He ran a tongue over her pointed teeth.

"I see..." Lucy said dropping his glass which caused it to simply vanish. "That Monster really is something. They rival the power of your average S-Class. Give it a while and they might even reach the level of a Demon Lord." Lucy pouted slightly running a hand through his hair. "Ohh if only they had been born a human! Then I would gladly wait on them. Instead, I'm stuck with some B Class loser waiting on him to get stronger!"

"Fear not my lord!" Pin yelled. "I shall make sure he is groomed well with my Needle. By the end of it, the seed will be planted and he will eventually become a great adversary."

Lucy nodded walking over to Whip. "Pin make sure you let that Monster out when you think you put on a good enough show. I trust you will be able to handle this?" He questioned. Lucy raised his arm bringing it down causing a tear in the fabric of reality to appear. "Alright Whip. Let's head home for now." He said stepping through followed by Whip. "Get strong soon human," Lucy whispered slightly. "Before it's too late."