Zion vs Anan

Anan was a patient person, this could easily be seen from how long he had lived in this place. And so he watched and waited for the opportune moment to strike. However, he was still human and for some reason despite his age still had the mind of a teenager.

The closer they got to the building in the middle of the forest, the more anxious he got. He didn't want them in there, no, he didn't want ANYONE there. The two already inside didn't count, they were his prisoners.

"We are here" a voice came from one of the figures.

There were fourteen of them, geared up literally from feet to head. Anan could see the knives in their boots and he smiled in amusement at the gas masks they wore. Perhaps to hide their identity, or to protect themselves from something...no, they did that to not leave any traces that someone with a special superpower could use to find them.

The fourteen figures stopped moving, each of them in strategic positions as they stared at the building in front of them, guns raised and ready to attack whatever came out of it. Unfortunately, it was what was outside it they needed to guard against.

Anan struck at this moment, leaping up from the tree branch, he shifted into an eagle dashing towards the closest soldier. On reaching him, his body changed once again to a human and he pierced right through the soldier's heart with his own knife before shifting again into a hedgehog.

Hearing the commotion, the other soldiers turned to their dying comrade to see a shrinking figure in front of him. That didn't stop then however as they pulled the trigger shooting randomly in his general direction. Even if the soldier would eventually die from Anan's strike, he didn't have that long before his body was riddled with bullets from his comrades.

The soldiers were so focused on that one direction that when Anan appeared again from behind another soldier, they were too late to notice and they lost another two of their members.

Anan's skill in killing, his movements, his shifting, it was like a beautiful display of what one could achieve when one reached harmony with their abilities. Anan was a Shapeshifter and he lived it through, taking full advantage of what he could do, he provided a spectacular show that struck terror into the minds of the living soldiers the longer he went on. It was one thing to kill and another to make killing look so beautiful and easy.

In the distance, Light was leading Natalya and Jace away from the dilapidated building when they heard the gunshots. The group stopped and turned to look back, each with different emotions in their eyes. But they were all unified in their concern for Anan despite the obvious threat he proved to be.

"Will he be okay?" Light muttered a question to no one in particular.

Natalya turned to her in surprise, that question was true. Light was truly worried about Anan and not herself. She was starting to see Anan and Light as wild superhumans, that is people with no affiliations who often got in conflict to procure what they needed. But that idea that she and Jace were the most inexperienced of the group was now shattered. Perhaps her meeting with Jace had unlocked some previously inaccessible aspect of her ability, now she could not only hear but see truths and intentions, and looking at Light, what she saw was a lonely child who knew little of the world she found herself in.

Perhaps Natalya had misinterpreted the truth she saw about Light, perhaps it was something else she couldn't identify. However, Light did nothing to show her uncertainty about this whole situation. Getting no answer to her question (not that she expected any), she turned around and continued walking.

Jace and Natalya could only follow, having no idea where they were, and trusting Anan's judgment of Light. Though, now, Natalya felt like she had to take some control over the situation since Light was or seemed to be projecting false confidence. As so, she ... listened. If she could hear someone coming she could tell Light and they would avoid them.

However, when someone appeared in front of them, she failed to hear anything. Light stared at their interlocutor with an indifferent gaze.

"Zion" she muttered.

The man's lips widened into a grin, his eyes fixed on her.

"What do you want?" Jace spoke up at this moment. Stepping forward valiantly, he adopted a fighting stance.

Zion watched him in amusement, his eyes drifted to Light and then back to Jace as if he was saying, 'Really?'.

"A student?" he observed. His question was not really one but an expression of doubt, after all this whole forest was supposed to be inaccessible.

Hearing that voice, Natalya's face paled and her eyes widened in terror. She had heard this voice before, it was him.

"That's him," she said to Jace cautiously.

Jace paused, needing no further explanation, he understood who she meant although not completely. There were two people in her narrative, he doubted though that this man's voice was what made her bleed so he could only be the one reporting and receiving orders.

"A Tucker?" the man turned to her on hearing her voice. The surprise on his face this time was visible as he stared at her. There was a slight apprehension in his gaze, something that did not escape Light's observation. She had never taken her eyes off him.

"What do you want Zion?" Light spoke up, she was not about to let him think or draw too much or any conclusion about Natalya's presence here.

"You and their lives" Zion replied as if he was merely asking for salt across the table.

"You want me?" Light asked a peculiar glint in her eyes.

"You couldn't be thinking to lead me away so they can escape, could you? When did you start to care?" the confusion in Zion's voice was evident this time and despite the maliciousness in figuring out Light's plan, she only smiled back at him.

It was at this moment that Zion felt a very primal danger...death!

Immediately he dashed forward before turning around only to see that whatever had been behind him was still tracking him. He could only pull out a sword to reflect the attack, despite not seeing it clearly.

TING!

And finally, he had some breathing space. He could observe his enemy. It was...the boy?

"How?" he asked in bewilderment. What was even more unnerving was how the boy stared at him. There was something troubling about being looked at with a gaze that said you didn't matter, it was like he wasn't insignificant, he simply wasn't anything, and from the perspective of this boy, there was only curiosity towards something less than an object but odd still.

"Who are you?" Anan asked squinting.

"Your ability, it's interesting" he added.

Now Zion knew what he had to do...run! This boy could tell what his ability was! He had always kept his ability active only people couldn't recognize it because its effect was subtle, but this boy could.

Anan didn't give him the chance to think anymore. He shifted into...was that a sword?

"A Shapeshifter?" the bafflement in Zion's voice was not lost.

He had seen many Shapeshifters he had seen truly proficient ones who could shift into anything in less than the tenth of a second...but he had never seen Anan. A Shapeshifter could not be this powerful. A Shapeshifter, could not make him feel like he was one foot in the grave.

But while a sword rushed at him, it was the swipe of a lion he saw on his face. Trying hard to apply his mental energy, Zion saw not even the slightest hesitation from Anan. No, he could not do to this kid as he did the Redhead Tracker. He was slammed to the ground in an instant and he knew it would only take one more attack to kill him. In fact, even if Anan did nothing and simply left him there, he would die. His insides were injured and shattered, his ribs crushed everywhere. There was not one intact bone in his body.

If his head had taken the hit, Zion knew he would be dead before he realized it.

"You are by far the most powerful person I have ever met. If only I hadn't thought that was my Master" was what he wanted to say, but he could only think it since his lungs and throat were in no state for words.

Natalya heard him though. And then he was teleported away by some device he was already holding in his hand.

"Why did you let him go?" Light asked Anan.

"I appreciate his creativity" Anan shrugged in response.

"That was Zion" Light replied in frustration, knowing that the name would mean nothing to Anan. Being more powerful, Zion's identity was irrelevant to him.