The start of the journey

“So, what’s the game plan again?” red eyes twitched at the question. Asato ignored Erin completely as he made a last check around his house, laying out instructions for the shadow puppets to work their weight around the mansion.

There was too much to do before leaving the home and one could not leave the mansion and Asato’s own had a tone of volatile material which could not be left unattended.

Besides, the incident of yesterday still bugged him. It had been too well planned and once he had enough time to consider the type of energy used, it had felt too similar to his own.

Nothing that existed naturally in this world.

That posed too many problems since there was no conventional method of dealing with them and Asato had a feeling that this would not be the last they would see of them too.

“Hey, I’m asking you a question” there was a poke on Asato’s cheek followed by a flash of retreat. But all in vain as quick fingers caught the offensive had and twisted the wrist in a painful way.

“Pay attention the first time. We leave in ten minutes through the boundary of the demon world. I’ll summon you once we reach there” the pained yelp was ignored by Asato as he released the offensive hand in his grip.

Erin rubbed his aching wrist and gave him a wounded expression which was once again ignored by Asato in favour of looking through his bag instead. He needed to make sure there were enough jars to store the magic plants.

“Hey, I was just rechecking in case you forgot. Where is the brat today?” There was clearly a whine in that voice which was something Erin hated with a passion when it was done to him.

It made him wonder when Erin would see him as a grown-up instead of a kid he could bully.

“Nate went back to the other side to open the gate for us. And the bottles were prepared yesterday since it takes time for them to gain their special properties to store herbs” It took a lot of work to make normal glass non-responsive to magic and every jar treated needed to be used within 24 hours.

So there had been a hurry to store jars as well as ingredients to soak them for the special properties.

“I see. But why do I have to stay back though? Can’t I pass through the gate with you?” Erin asked as he paced around him, clearly, a distraction personified. Asato just wanted to chuck him out but he could not.

He needed the guy, unfortunately.

“Because there will be an initial security check. The gates that provide one-way entry to human worlds open randomly so you can’t keep them in check. The other side, however, has fixed gates for travel. The two-way ones are impossible to cross though and you know why”

The human world and the other side had a cold truce but the tensions between them were both times high. Under such circumstances, it was killed first to ask question later policy for both sides which made the two-way travel pathways a no go.

The one-way pathways to the demon world had one-way security but that won’t be a problem for him with Nate’s help. Erin was a no go though, so they had to improvise. And that meant to use the demon blood of his to make a summon.

It would be tricky due to Erin’s human nature, but Asato had his blood so that balanced it out.

At least a little. And it would be the fastest and safest way without worsening relationships between both sides. If they don’t get caught, that is.

And they won’t be. Once they pass the check, they were golden. After that, it was the case of every man for themselves.

“Anyway, looks like your ride is here” there was a cutting sound and in front of their very eyes the very fabric of space tore itself.

One could see a vast expanse of green through the hole mixed with specs of a different colour. Old styles buildings stood in the expanse of green, creating a mix of open and closed space in the vicinity.

The sky looked clear and fresh. It looked to be out of medieval Asian culture, and if Asato had to take a guess it looked close to edo japan. But then again, most of the Asian architecture of that time looked similar so it could be anywhere.

Just, the creatures that walked around the place could not be said to be human. They were humanoid but had features that clearly marked them as non-humans. Some had sharp-pointed ears, others had webbed limbs.

Then there were others that had scales or different coloured skin. Or looked as if animals had decided to give up walking on four legs and had instead turned bipedal.

There were those who looked completely human too, but their number was seldom as only after attaining a certain power level could you transform into a human form or had to be born in human skin as half-blood.

No one was suicidal enough to ask anyone such a question though, in case it was the former. The latter case was more of a kill on sight type of case since most halflings were either retarded or a threat.

It was better this way for them too and one of the main reasons they would be safer making a call than to try and smuggle Erin with them. The check at security was tough to fake.

“Master Asato, please come this way. The post had been informed of your arrival and arrangements have been made for your stay here” a soldier called out from the site.

Since the moment the portal had opened, Erin had placed himself in such a way that he was not visible anywhere from the portal but he could observe most of it through the room mirror. For the people on the other side, the room only had Asato and a shadow servant with him here.

Nate stood on the side of the tall greish creature with pupilless eyes, clearly a zombie by the looks. A basic undead you could find almost anywhere and very difficult species to evolve to a higher level.

“I’ll cross over now. Take care of my space and make sure no one enters any place they are not supposed to” Asato picked up his bag as he made his way over to the portal.

There was a side-eyed look passed into a dead corner which everyone ignored, believing it was for another shadow soldier. It was actually a warning for Erin to behave himself and not get into things he was not supposed to.

Erin was a trouble magnet and trouble found him easily. While Asato had bad luck with the supernatural as a whole, Erin had trouble with life. He never had any problem with major things but always found trouble with minor things.

It truly was a case of bad luck but not bade fate.

Erin gave Asato a nod in return and a grin which was supposed to be reassuring but it nothing to reassure Asato at all. In fact, it felt more like a doomed grin than a reassuring one. Even the person himself knew that the dream of keeping out of trouble was a futile one.

Asato dragged his mind away from Erin and toward a more recent problem. The guard made a quick check of his bog material before returning it back. Everything was a standard set of a doctor so there was no big problem.

Surely it was Nate’s and Haru’s influence which made this passing so much easier.

“Mater Asato, you made it here,” Nate said in such a way that gave of the same energy as saying you’re late which filled Asato with amusement. However, the address of Master from such a young-looking body left weird to him.

Especially when his won body was 14 years old. The glamour made him look unrecognisable to most outsiders so that no one questioned his age or looks, but it still was weird to listen to a word reserved for much older people.

“Call me senior for the time being, I’m here under a disguise after all. No one should recognise me here” Asato instructed who nodded his head at his words.

“Ok. I’ll lead to accommodations. Settle down, then work” the child led him through the ancient streets with different creatures travelling adjacent to him all over.

It was just as Asato had envisioned it to be, everyone going about their own way without disturbing anyone else. As such, things looked to be on track.

The place Nate had chosen turned out to be a good pick, considering that they were going to attempt something risky. It was a little out of the main part of town, but not enough to actually be something to keep an outlook for.

The house itself was designed in a manner which had an inner courtyard surrounded by a building then followed by another courtyard that surrounded the buildings and an outer shell of buildings with attached corridors running on both sides.

There was considerable distance between the outer shell as well as the outer wall that touched the street. It was a beautiful establishment and similar to the others in the area. Clearly, a wealthy society which gave them enough buffer to arrange for the summoning ritual.

However, before they could enter through the open front gate, there was something that collided with Asato. Something brushed his arm near his wrist before the touch disappeared.

Red eyes looked around for the culprit but there was nothing there, just a familiar feeling which surrounded the area.

“Senior?” Nate asked as the narrowed red eyes relaxed a little.

“Nothing, I just felt as if something collided with me just now. Must be my imagination then” Asato summarised as he turned around to continue walking inside the house.

Before he made his way inside though, a black smoke explosion drew his attention a few blocks away. It felt way too familiar to the thing he had faced before.

In the clear sky with the low heightened buildings in the vicinity, it looked like a cloud of doom. Something seemed to be wrong in the very air of the place and it made something in Asato scared.

The very energy of the place seemed disturbed somehow, out of balance and it called upon his soul.

“Nate, we need to check it out” Asato called as he turned around to check the place out only to be dragged back by something invisible tugging at his wrist. A shiny black thread bounded his wrist with the ground and he had no idea what it meant.

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