Chapter 1:

( ' It's cold... ' )

( ' In front of me, the world is filled with white. ' )

( ' Hey, where are you? ' )

( ' Can you hear it? The sound of my footsteps? ' )

( ' I am still walking, looking for you. ' )

( ' Please appear before me soon. ' )

( ' I don't think I can hold on... ' )

( ' Please hurry... ' )

( ' ...I want to see you... ' )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The town of Vernir was bustling with activity. Vendors were putting up their stalls, preparing for the festival this evening. Little children were running about, causing trouble for the nearby adults. On the horizon, the sun was starting to set, casting an orange glow.

( ' How beautiful... ' )

" Oooiiii! Big sis Mirai, what are you spacing out for? Come here! " said a young man with blonde hair and hazel eyes, gesturing to a young woman a few steps away from him. The young woman had dark brown hair and hazel eyes, she was a beauty only found once in a millennium. Shaking out of her stupor she smiled gently at her younger brother.

" Ah-ah, you're eating snacks again! How many snacks have you eaten, Liam? Geez, at this rate you'll get fat in no time! " At her words, Liam stuck out his tongue towards his sister. Then with a confident smirk on his lips he said " It doesn't matter! After all, I work out and train every day! Any excessive fats will just burn away. I'm not like a certain someone after all~ "

*Snap!*

Mirai felt a cord in her snap and at the next second, Liam found himself being held by the neck. Swallowing nervously, Liam eyed the hand on his throat that seemed just about ready to send him to the afterlife. His gaze then flicked over to the gentle (pissed) smile his sister gave him.

" Oya, oya~ Did you say something, Liam? " As if in slow motion, he watched as his sister's closed eyes fluttered open. Then a piercing stare was sent his way, and he knew that if he said one wrong word, he will be facing heaven's gates for sure. Chuckling he said " Of course not~ I said nothing, nothing at all! " Smiling sweetly, Mirai gave a "little" pressure to the hand squeezing her brother's neck.

" Oh really? That's good... Because surely my little brother knows better than to piss me off, right? " Nodding his head in agreement, Liam said " Yes, I would never do that. " Pleased, Mirai released her hold and walked towards another stall. Liam watched his sister leave and massaged his neck, thinking ( ' Ah-ah, this will be a little bruised for sure. Damn, big sis Mirai didn't hold back her monster strength at all! ' )

" What are you doing dawdling about Liam? Come on quick, don't you want to enjoy the little time left before our patrol? " Liam stared at his sister in disbelief for a few seconds before a big grin spread out across his lips. Laughing, he ran forward and pulled his sister along to visit various different stalls. Mirai smiled and thought to herself ( ' I'll allow him to have fun first, after all we won't have time for it later. Just for now, I want him to be free of the burdens of being a hunter. It's selfish and impossible, but I want to see that goofy grin on his face always. ' )

" Come on quickly big sis! They might run out of the legendary Supreme Mango Torte if we don't hurry! "

( ' Ah, that's right... I want this moment to last forever. ' )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Night has fallen and the 2 siblings were now entering work mode. Tonight, they will patrol in this town and hunt for the evil beings known as the fallen. Mirai adjusted her hair tie and took a good long look at herself in the mirror. Earlier in the morning, in order not to draw attention to themselves they covered their uniform with a coat, but now that night has fallen, they can finally take off the warm clothing.

Mirai's uniform was a long sleeved white button-up shirt, paired with a black formal vest for ladies, and a black and red checkered skirt that is almost down to her knees. On the upper left of her vest, a golden brooch was shining brightly. It was designed as an iris, the symbol of GEM. Taking a long deep breath, Mirai schooled her expression and left the ladies' public comfort room.

When she stepped outside, Liam was already waiting for her. He was also dressed in his uniform, a long-sleeved white button-up shirt with a tie, paired with a black formal vest for men and black slacks. The iris brooch also shone beautifully from the upper left side of his vest.

Seeing his sister, Liam observed as to how different she was right now, to the her just this morning. The sister in front of him right now is the hunter named Mirai V. Alakarte, a person who exists to destroy the Fallen. The her right now is nothing but a fake, a persona used to hide the softhearted person underneath.

( ' But that's alright, because no matter how many times she changes, she's still my sister. The only person in the world that would ever really understand me. ' )

" Let's go, big sis Mirai. " Nodding her head towards him, they parted ways, a silent promise between the two.

( ' I'll definitely come back to you alive! ' )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liam patrolled the streets and observed his surroundings. To others, it may seem like he was just taking a walk and looking at the things at sale, however every cell on his body was on full alert. After patrolling the crowded streets, he then went to the more secluded ones. His footsteps echoed as he walked through a deserted street.

Suddenly, suspicious sounds were heard from a hidden corner in the street. Liam quickly rushed towards there and was greeted by a horrid sight. A man and a woman were doing unimaginable things, something that Liam was not supposed to see yet.

" A-Ah~ George, s-slow-Ah!-down~ A-At this rate, I'm g-gonna break~! "

" Then... Go ahead... and break! "

More lewd noises were heard after and Liam found his cheeks heating up. He quietly left the couple alone, and ran to another secluded street. He thought to himself ( ' D-Don't they have any sense of decency at all!? Doing that kind of thing in public, where everyone might see them... Ahhh, my eyes are tainted! God, I'm only 13 years old and I've already seen such an impure sight! Ahhhh! ' )

Slowing down to a stop Liam exclaimed " How on earth am I gonna sleep peacefully tonight!? Ahh, I want to forget... Please let me forget! My virgin eyes are now soiled... Huhuhu. " As he was regretting ever entering that street, he felt a tug on the corner of his slacks. He looked down and was surprised to see a little girl in tattered clothes. The little girl meekly raised her head and said " S-sir, can you give me some money? I need it to feed my siblings... "

Liam glanced behind her and saw 2 young boys hidden behind a large trash bin. He looked at the little girl once again and took note of how skinny she is. ( ' She must be hungry herself, yet she's more worried about her siblings. Ah, what kind of a person am I, if I don't even have the heart to give money to these helpless children? ' ) Sighing, he reached into his slacks and took out a small pouch filled with coins.

He then gave it to the young girl and smiled reassuringly, saying " I'm sorry, but this is all I have right now. Is it enough? " The little girl's eyes widened and she said " Y-Yes! Thank you! " Liam patted the little girl's head, not caring how his hand just got matted with grime and dust. She looked at him in the eye then lowered her head, softly saying " Thank you very much. Mister is such a good man... I know that Mister will forgive me, even if I do this. "

" Huh? What do you- "

*Swoosh* *Shing* *Crash* Liam only had a moment to notice a large club swinging towards him before he crashed into the wall of a nearby house. The wall broke and toppled on top of him, making dust rise up all around. The perpetrator, a man with red hair, calmly looked on at the damage he made.

" Ahhh... You bastard, that hurt! Heh, well it's my fault for letting my guard down though... "

As the dust cleared, the red haired man could finally see a squatting Liam with a rather large scowl on his face. In his hands is a scythe, a weapon that the red haired man abhors to no end, an Eleos. Liam gripped his Eleos (which he calls Exalion) and took a good look at his opponent, paying special attention towards his eyes. The red haired man's eyes were the color of crystalline red, a trait only the Fallen have.

Smirking, Liam stood up and said " I never expected to encounter such a strong opponent here. My, what a lucky man I am! To appear before me when I was getting bored, your luck really isn't that great huh. Although... I never expected to encounter a Watcher here either. " His eyes zeroed in on the little girl behind the red haired man. Feeling his gaze on her, the little girl raised her head and smiled at him.

" Tsk! " Liam then muttered curse words underneath his breath, thinking ( ' She's making fun of me! I swear I'll teach you a good lesson after I whoop this Fallen's ass. Just you wait! Damn, to think she was a Watcher of all things! Give me back my money you little bastard! ' )

Watchers are humans that are under the direct subordination of the Fallen. They support the Fallen even though they know what kind of creatures they are. Their main task is to report to any nearby Fallen if they spot a hunter roaming about. They're troublesome for most hunters because the Eleos can only detect the Fallen, not human beings. In other words, it's troublesome because they even have to be cautious of their own kind.

Liam's attention was caught when 10 people appeared behind the red haired man, eyes glowing red. Smiling, he readied his scythe muttering under his breath " Where could these guys have hidden themselves? For my Eleos not to detect them, do they perhaps have a little trinket that helped them out? Well, let's just take a look after I'm done with them. After all, there's gonna be a blood bath tonight... " Then he lept into the air, along with 5 other Fallen.

" Exalion, activate! "

He swung his scythe and 5 wind blades appeared, cutting the 5 Fallen down. Blood sprayed, then they were reduced into black feathers. Liam willed the 5 wind blades to attack the squad beneath and charged.

It was honestly a blur, all Liam could remember was that he swung his scythe with every bit of his strength, while simultaneously releasing his ability. He watched as some of his opponents blocked the wind blades while others got cut down. Him on the other hand, charged right at the red haired man. In his hand, his Eleos was thrumming, telling him that this Fallen is the most dangerous one among them.

The red haired man didn't hesitate as well, he swung his club and it clashed with Liam's scythe. Both exchanged blows with Liam dodging both the blows from the opponent in front of him and the other Fallen. In a moment of carelessness, he tripped upon a tin can and slipped.

( ' Wha- A tin can!? What the heck is that thing doing here??? ' ) Then he noticed the little girl at the side, giving him the middle finger. ( ' Ahhhh! That bastard! ' ) The club descended on top of him and he realizes that he couldn't block this strike. Liam gritted his teeth as the club comes closer to his face, thinking ( ' Crap! I'm so screwed! ' )

" Lumen, activate! " After tha, all Liam could see was red flames burning the Fallen that surrounded him. They screamed endless curses, saying " One day, you hunters will all face retribution! " then disappeared in a flurry of black feathers. Still in shock, he sat on the ground, blinking a couple of times at the scattered black feathers. Then he heard a squeal and immediately whipped his head around to take a look.

" So you're a Watcher... You're too young to be one though. " Liam watched as his sister one handedly picked up the little girl from earlier by the scruff of her neck. ( ' Damn, big sis Mirai is really strong. ' ) " Ne, big sis Mirai, thank you for saving me back there! So, umm, what are we gonna do with her? " It was then that Mirai's attention was once again focused on him. He felt his scalp tingle as he looked at his sister's eyes.

( ' Scaryyyyy!!! She's definitely pissed! ' ) Liam could already feel the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. *Bonk!* " Ah! Tss, that hurt... You didn't hold back at all did you, big sis? " Mirai huffed and turned away from him saying " You should be glad I didn't string you up with Lumen. I was actually considering it since you obviously needed to be taught a little lesson! " With her face turned away from her brother, she let her mask of indifference slip for just a moment.

( ' You big idiot! What would you have done if I hadn't arrived on time!? Trying to fight those Fallen all alone when you're still learning to control your Eleos, you really are an idiot! ' )

Liam stared at his sister's back, sighed and stood up. He then gently embraced her from behind, saying " I'm sorry, big sis Mirai. I'm sorry for making you worry. " Mirai closed her eyes and squeezed her brother's hand. She took a shaky breath and said " Don't be careless next time, alright? " Behind her, Liam smiled sadly and said " Yes... " He then let go of her and both of them turned their attention to the little girl.

She stared at them and said " So you're both siblings... Must be tough. " She then lazily grinned at them, evoking Liam's wrath once again. " Oi! Give me back my money, you scammer! " Surprised, Mirai asked " You gave your money to her? " Pissed, Liam shook the young girl then replied to his sister " Yes, this kid fooled me! She said that she was going to feed her siblings using that money, but it was just a trap she set up! "

Laughing, the little girl then cockily said " It wasn't my fault that you fell for it so easily! All I did was set up the trap, you were the one that fell into it. Don't blame your stupidity on me, foolish mister. " Liam could feel his self-control breaking bit by bit. His right hand was already itching to punch the little bastard on the face. *Slap* The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed throughout the street. Wide-eyed, the little girl touched her aching cheek.

Liam looked at his sister in shock, then with a horrified expression, immediately checked on the little girl. He asked the little girl in a frenzied voice " A-Are you alright? " ( ' Big sis Mirai, you idiot! You do know that you have superhuman strength, right!? How could you slap a little girl that harshly! What would we have done if her head was sent flying!? ' )

" You... Don't you dare play with people's feelings! To call a person foolish for having good intentions towards someone... Just how much more degrading could you get!? " Mirai clenched her fists tightly, feeling all of her emotions boil up within her. ( ' How could you say that when you're still that young? Just what have you been through? ' ) she thought sadly. The little girl kept quiet, not making a single sound, still clutching her left cheek.

Suddenly, Liam could feel Exalion thrum once more. Eyes going wide, he glanced at his sister and saw her already clutching her Eleos. It was on it's compressed form, a pair of silver bangles. When decompressed, her Eleos which she calls Lumen, will transform into thin metallic strings. It's quite deadly and will definitely hurt a lot when bound by it.

They looked on top of the nearby houses and for sure, Fallen were there. A Fallen, a young woman with blonde hair, spoke up " Hand the little girl over and we might spare you, or interfere and we'll destroy you. " Liam shifted in front of the little girl and said " Hah! Like hell we're giving her to you. Who knows what you'll do to her... Besides, she has important information that is beneficial to GEM, we can't afford to let her go. Isn't that right, big sis Mirai? " Nodding her head in agreement, Mirai prepares herself for battle.

The blonde woman's eyes then turned crystalline red, smirking she said " Death it is then... " Snapping her fingers, multiple Fallen then appeared on the rooftops of the nearby houses, eyes glowing red. They were completely surrounded in all sides, but what bothers the siblings, was that their Eleos' didn't notice them at all.

Frowning, Liam thought to himself ( ' As I thought... They definitely have something that blocks the Eleos' sensitivity towards them, otherwise we definitely would have noticed such a crowd! We better report this new information later to Master Evan. Well, that is if we can live through this though... ' ) The blonde woman grinned devilishly and whispered " Snatch the little girl back. As for the hunters... kill them! "

At her command, numerous fallen charged right at them. Both siblings readied their Eleos, already activating them. Just as both sides were about to clash, a gunshot was heard, and the Fallen nearest to the siblings were reduced into black feathers. Shocked, both sides couldn't react. Before they know it, multiple Fallen have already perished. Enraged, the blonde woman looked for the perpetrator, but she couldn't find nor sense anyone else other than the 2 hunters in front of her.

Angrily she shouted at them " What kind of tricks are you youngsters playing now!? " Liam shouted back at her " Believe me when I say we don't have any idea what's going on either! " She obviously didn't believe him and instead charged at him. However, she was pushed down before she could get to him. She struggled and was surprised that her strength wasn't enough to shake her captor off.

She heard the click of a gun and a man's voice echoed behind her " Move, and you die. " With a snarl she said to the 2 hunters in front of her, " An accomplice... So it wasn't just you two... Hahaha, you did a good job in tricking us, you damned beings. " Tilting her head she asked the little girl " What about the others? " The little girl shook her head, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.

" If you're going to ask me something then get on with it. " Said the blonde woman to the person behind her. The man went quiet for a moment then asked " What item is the Fallen using to avoid detection by the Eleos? " Immediately, she replied " We're not using any item, that's all I can say. " Enraged, Mirai grabbed the woman's collar and said " I don't think you're in any position to refuse us right now. Tell me, if you're not using an item then how did you avoid the Eleos!? "

Suddenly, a gunshot was heard and Mirai felt her right cheek sting. She raised her hand to touch it, she was wounded! Her gaze focused on the cloaked person behind the Fallen. Liam shouted at him " What are you doing!? Shooting a comrade is breaking the rules! " The cloaked man stayed silent then said " Don't interfere. " The Fallen found it amusing as she saw a fall out between the hunters. Stealing a glance at the little girl, she saw how the other was observing the scene as well.

( ' Heh, she was always such a smart child. If she tells that person about this then we could use this to our advantage! ' ) Then she felt the cold muzzle of a gun near her neck, and the man whispered " There's another question I want you to answer... Do you know of a Fallen named Luslec? "

*Badum!* *Badum* *Badum* Shaking, she shrieked " H-How...? How do you know that name!? " Instinctively, she could feel it, the man was smiling dangerously. Happily, he exclaimed

" Bingo! Finally found another one that knows about him. Ne, tell me, where's that snake hiding? " The woman shivered, feeling that if she won't give him the answer he wants, dying will be better.

" W-We currently don't know his current location. However, h-he was last seen at Tierra, that's all I know! " Behind her, she could here the man sigh.