Chapter 1 - James and Alice

"The great war had begun. No one knew from where they came. But they just did. That was the first time all the beings decided to band together to repel these invaders; Gods and celestials, Daemons and devils, even the ones dubbed 'evil' of all factions, clans and individuals, joined the fight for survival. For once every being put aside their differences and came together to repel the invaders. Although, some would argue, each side had their own agenda.

It was all fine in the end because if their plans were aimed at the invaders and not backstabbing or cutting down on ally forces, it did not matter. The war was long and hard with many deaths on both sides. It seemed to hurt the allied forces more than it did the invaders though. No matter how many came and killed or warded off, there seemed to be no end to them. Out of the long-lasting war, heroes emerged, and even more heroes fell.

One day the invasion just stopped. They no longer came. The invaders that kept pouring out in the tens of thousands each day just suddenly disappeared. Almost as if they never came, nothing but an illusion, and yet, the destruction and deaths they left in their wake told otherwise. The beings were left with nothing to do but rebuild and try return to their former everyday lives, trying to salvage what was left of their lives. Some clans were affected in more ways than some. New major powers rose, some old ones fell, and others grew even more powerful. Some families tried to stay alert, passing the stories and threat down through the new generation, but as more time passed, more dismissed it as nothing more than fairy tales, something to scare the children, until eventually the threat was completely forgotten. Only certain families had made sure to keep such information." James looked around the different aged group of children seated on the floor looking up at him with varying expressions, proud of himself for having captured their attentions, although some not in the way he wanted, but still.

"Will they come back? The in...in...indaders?" A cute six-year blonde girl who sat right in front of James looked up at him and spoke with slight tears at the rim of her eye. "It's not a true story, Annie, so they can't come. Right Sensei?" A young brown-haired boy who looked about eight years spoke out loud. He looked to be trying to put on a brave front, but James could tell he was a little scared as well. The rest of the children looked at their sensei in anticipation. Their martial arts class had ended quite a while ago, yet the children of varying ages had yet to change out of their Gi.

It was a martial arts class for young children, and James was their instructor. Today like every other, the children had begged their sensei to end the class early so he could tell them a story. They always loved his wild tales of the heroes and villains. Wild was the emphasized word. Even the children sometimes hard to wrap their heads around what he was talking about, but that was exactly was they enjoyed about his stories. Today, like every other time, James had refused their request of ending their lessons early, but just like every other day, James cracked under the collective puppy eyes of about twenty kids. Even when James held strong, the kids pulled out the big guns and used Annie, the cute little blonde six-year-old, who was a bundle of cuteness. Those little devils knew the adults had a hard time resisting her cuteness.

James chucked slightly before picking up the cute little Annie in his arms. "Who knows. There is always a little bit of truth in every story or legend." Seeing the tears threatening to spill out from little Annie's eye, James held her closer, "But don't worry, even if they do come, your sensei here will beat them black and back." He gave her a reassuring smile which made her wipe the tears threatening to spill. "Promise?" She asked in a soft voice almost inaudible. James smiled even wider, "I promise." He reassured her. She gave the brightest and most innocent smile which could just melt a heart. Why wouldn't she; Her sensei just promised to beat those monsters for her. There was nothing else she was afraid of.

Standing by the door was a tall young lady that looked to be in her mid 20's. She had black hair that had been tied into a ponytail that reached her back. Her lips cute and pink that suited her maturing looking face. She stood at an impressive six feet three inches tall, yet she stood ramrod like a spear, not slouching in the least. She had a very subtle smile on her face which added to her beauty. She was the owner of the dojo that taught kids between the ages of six and twelve. Although they did teach adults on the occasion, the dojo seemed to primarily focus on kids. The Titan's Dojo. That was the name of the Dojo she owned; the place James worked at.

Looking at the kids and their interaction with their sensei, she could not help but crack a small smile. She only ever showed this side of her when she was with the kids and James. "Alright kids, time up. Go get changed. Your parents will be here soon." The voice was sudden to the others, but they were not startled since they already knew who it was. Although they had been told to go change, the kids rushed to her first, surrounding her. Bombarding her with questions about the invaders their sensei James had just talked about.

"Will sensei also beat them up when they come?" Little Annie pushed her way to the front and spoke looking up at the Titan's Dojo owner. She picked Annie up and assured, "Of course. With us around, who would dare invade us. Now go get changed. Your parents will be here soon. All of you."

"Since Alice sensei said she will beat them then we have nothing to worry about." A kid with glasses and snot running down his nose spoke which earned cheers all among the rest of the kids. "Oi, are you saying you were worried when it was me?" James glared at the runny nosed kid, holding himself back in order not to chop the kid on the head. "Alice sensei is Alice sensei after all" The kid retorted in a matter-of-fact manner before walking away with the other kids behind. He was like the little leader of the odd eleven or so group of children.

James could only shake my head while Alice laughed slightly at the side. James looked at her with slight worry in his eyes. Just as he was about to speak, the doors to the dojo opened as three women walked in, chatting and laughing with each other. Practice was over and the moms had come to pick up their kids. The Titan's Dojo was a martial arts studio, but to the moms, it was a place that would take care of their kids for a few hours after school while they could rest or take care of their businesses for a few hours. It was a convenient 'Day Care' when they needed it. Plus, the kids got to do something they enjoyed. A win-win situation.

No sooner than later, the moms kept pouring in. One after the other the kids were emptying out of the dojo, waving goodbye to both of their Sensei. It was a usual sight, and the kids would be returning the following day. Both Alice and James enthusiastically saw the kids out. They both had admitted it multiple times; There was a joy that came with teaching the kids. All the kids surprisingly all had the zeal to learn, even little Annie, and the two Sensei appreciated that very much.