Chapter 2: Beginning of the Hunt

Five hooded figures assembled in the thickets on the foot of the mountain range near the port town of Eden as soon as dusk approached. They used forest camouflage capes that enabled them to perfectly blend with the surroundings. A short robust figure who seemed to be the group's leader invoked a spell, he muttered in a coarse deep voice:

"Psion link, activate."

Psion link. A type of magecraft that when activated, allowed the user to communicate with selected targets. It used an earpiece-like device as a catalyst to connect with other devices. Psion technology, or PSI for short, was a highly advanced technology, born from the combination of magecraft and science. It transcended electromagnetic waves as it cannot be interrupted by any sort of electromagnetic interference. It made use of psions to connect the consciousness of those using it. As a side effect, anyone connected could openly hear what the other party was thinking and, although harmless, affected parties would feel a brief pain, as if something sharp was piercing their brain.

"We'll begin the operation at eighteen-hundred hours. According to intel, the target is proficient in spirit arts. Our main objective is to eliminate the target, by any means necessary. Failure is unacceptable."

The four other hooded figures replied in unison:

"Da."

As soon as the sun dipped behind the mountains, they made their move, heading for the shrine fifty thousand kilometers from their current location.

~~~

Sylvia had just finished shopping on her way back from her duties when she noticed suspicious movements within the forest. Her superior senses allowed her to discern anything no matter how far. She was one of the exceptions, an Exceed. Before the logic of the world had been rewritten, the planet, Eona, had a harsh environment which made the surface uninhabitable. Due to their weak circuits, humans of that time were unable to handle the mystics brought upon by the gods of the planet. They had to dig and dwell in underground settlements; however, it cannot be said that they were completely safe because mystics penetrated the ground. Humanity's efforts only reduced the amount of exposure because complete exposure would rupture the organs and eventually, lead to death. They only delayed the inevitable. It was during these times where some humans expressed mutated genes within them that allowed them to withstand the mystics. At the same time, it gave them extraordinary abilities that a normal human shouldn't have. Ironically, this was the very reason they were alienated and were exiled from the underground settlements to the surface.

They finally came, huh? Sylvia thought. I must hurry to Shin. At their pace, they'll be there in ten minutes.

Sylvia picked up her pace. Contradictory to her physique, she made a huge jump and landed on the nearest rooftop and began leaping from rooftop to rooftop. She was moving swiftly as if her weight had been neglected. This was one of the abilities the Exceed developed, the Flash Step. By gathering ki around the circuits on specific areas of their body, they could enhance those regions and perform feats no normal human ever could.

~~~

Shin sensed the shadowy figures approaching the shrine from the direction of the forest. He never understood how this ability developed within him. It was just there ever since he became aware of it. At the age of three, he began to perceive silhouettes of what one would normally describe as a Spirit. These encounters haunted his dreams. It was at the age of seven that he learned to control this ability. The ability had a similarity to that of an Exceed however, his ability had more to it which he still had yet to uncover.

He knew that they weren't the usual shrine visitors, considering how their movements were comparable to rats scurrying around the kitchen, looking for leftovers. Just as he was about to dash for his bedroom to get his training sword, he heard someone loudly rapping on the door. It surprised him and anxiously he called out.

"Who's there?" Shin promptly took a stance to prepare for what could possibly happen, knowing that there are suspicious figures looming towards the shrine.

"OPEN THE GODDAMN DOOR SHIN!"

He immediately knew it was his Master, Sylvia, behind the door. Without any hesitation, he removed the lock and opened the door.

"Shin…" Sylvia briefly paused, trying to catch her breath. "Pack up your things, we're leaving."

Shin tried to protest but was met with an assertive glare from Sylvia, meaning he had to do it, no questions asked. He ran to his room and began packing.

Sylvia realized that she returned home empty handed as she placed her hand against the doorway to support her weight and recover from the taxing ordeal of returning to the shrine as soon as possible. She probably left the groceries somewhere along the way. Cling, cling, cling. She heard the chimes that she set in the forest. It signified that they had arrived.

Fuck, they're here. The Lunari Order, she thought. They're definitely after the technology his mother made. Just as she ended her train of thought, immediately she laid down in prone position—

"SHIN, DUCK!"

Shin ducked at the last millisecond as a black bullet passed through the wall, grazing his cheek.

"GET DOWN HERE SHIN!" Sylvia commanded him.

He crouched down and crawled downstairs towards Sylvia, dodging the barrage of black bullets phasing through the shrine's walls which caused him to tumble down the steps. Shin grunted from the pain but pressed on towards Sylvia who was just out of arm's reach. It took thirty minutes for the spraying bullets to grind to a halt.

~~~

On the thickets five meters from the shrine, a short robust figure winced. They had been raining down the shrine with black bullets launched from the Black Barrel, one of the lost technologies from before the Age of Mystery returned. It propelled bullets at an astounding speed, creating a specific frequency that allowed bullets to phase through objects.

"How come not a single bullet hit them? This is cutting edge technology we have here," the short robust figure grunted as he observed two red blips on the device strapped to his right wrist, signifying that their targets were still alive.

"They probably have a barrier that redirects the vector calculations of the bullets, Mukuro. Also, this is just a replica. Cutting-edge it may be, its fire rate, power and accuracy can't compare to the original. Besides, the original is five times the size of this replica. It would be hard to transport it considering our squad size," answered a short blue-haired woman as she lowered her hood. Beneath her hood revealed a black mask covering half of her face and two almond-shaped eyes with gray pupils separated by a steep nose bridge. She opened a panel on the side of the Black Barrel. The panel had a keyboard on it and projected a holographic screen which seemed to be the main console of the weapon. "I can make the appropriate recalculations. Just buy me some time."

"Tch, how long, Aoko?" asked Mukuro.

"Ten minutes," Aoko replied, as she began typing to recalibrate the Black Barrel. "However, I doubt they'll stand idly inside. I'll adjust the firing mode to single instead of burst. Leave the rest to me."

"You heard her boys. We'll distract them for ten minutes. Let the hunt begin."

Mukuro revealed himself from hiding and began to move towards the shrine. Three of his hooded companions followed him shortly after he left the thickets. The four of them rapidly dashed from the foot of the mountain range towards the peak of the shrine.