final future book 1 (chapters 1-14) (revised)

7/29/2019 Final Future book 1 (Chapters 1-14) (revised)

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Chapter 1,

On a distant world, the planet was split into two massive continents, Gian and

Gaia. These continents are thought to be named after two siblings that were separatedwhen the continents split apart. Time has further separated the lands as the ages passed.

Gian has aged into the industrial age, while Gaia was forced to continue the fight to live.A restless, raging ocean prevented many ships from maing it across, both from sea andair. !owever, in the land of ancient Gian, there was a prophecy, lost in time. "n this it was

foretold that five powerful spirit warriors, adept in the now lost art of magic, will rise up

against the end of e#istence to save the ones they love. $ut it seems none has awaened

their power as a spirit warrior and dissolved into the present society. They must now findeach other and learn the ancient lost arts to survive the attac on humanity. And now the

prophecy slowly unveils its secrets.

%"&m bored to death,' grumbled (ercer irritated as he waled in circles inside a

cramped )ail cell.

(ercer *obe was a twenty+year+old *hati a humanoid reptilian li-ard+lierace. !e is often carefree and always looing for a decent fight. *ince *hatis don&t have

hair, spies often tae its place maing each *hati uni/ue. These spies usually trailed

down their long tails as well. They have lived on the shorelines of Gian, but most havesince moved inland toward the cities.

%*o am "0' sighed ogan with a serious face as he sat down on the bottom of a

bun bed in a corner of a )ail cell.

ogan 2osamai was a tall twenty+one+year+old 3ar 4lf 4lven race withcharcoal gray sin male with short messy blac hair5 he seemed very mysterious in

everyone&s eyes. 3ar 4lves used to be tribal races until the advancement of technology.

6ow they spend their lives lie normal people. They were adept in dar magic, but were

soon forgotten in the new age.%!ow long have we been in here7' complained (ercer, curious and irritable at his

own /uestion.The )ail cell they were in was fairly undersi-ed, barely able to accommodate the

both of them. Gray, blea concrete walls surrounded them, leaving no color at all. (etal

bars completed the hopelessness in the cell. Throughout the day, shadows leave changing

mars, only to tease ogan and (ercer.%" lost trac a couple of years ago,' sighed ogan uncaring as he laid down on the

bed.

%3amn8 "t&s been that long7' in/uired (ercer with a nasty scowl, angrily pacingaround the cell.

%" guess so,' yawned ogan not caring about (ercer&s /uestion, %"&m going tobed.'ogan and (ercer were only actually in this cell for about two years. "t seemed

longer as there was nothing to do and no one cared to visit them. The 4mperor of the land

isolated them from everyone, e#cept for the occasional guard.%" might as well )oin ya,' yawned (ercer as he climbed onto the top bun of the

bed, %night, ogan.'


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ogan /uicly fell asleep on his uncomfortable, stiff bed with only (ercer&slooming scaly tail to loo at as it draped over the side of the top bun. ogan began to

dream of a massive demon army approaching a city from an open grassy plain. The sy

was darened by smoe and reddened by the approaching roaring flames.%:hat&s this7' ased ogan confounded as he stared at the city.

Then without warning, the demon army started to raid the helpless city. oganstared at this familiar city in shoc and disgust.

%"t&s 6u ;an88' e#claimed ogan as he saw the demons brutally illing do-ens of

people and burned familiar buildings.

:hen ogan looed away into the hori-on in repulsion, he saw five immense

creatures emerge from the outsirts of the city, each towering over the vast landscape.%"t&s the legendary spirits8' said ogan surprised by their appearance.

The spirits began to reveal their appearances one by one. There was a golden

oriental dragon, a darened red phoeni#, an a/ua blue serpent, a silver pegasus and abron-e mechanical lion. 4ach of the spirits was the si-e of buildings, possibly larger. The

dragon /uicly summoned a vast lightning storm and electrocuted hundreds of demons

and then the snae shot an immense water torrent and washed away more demons intothe shadows. :hen the Pegasus began to whip up a massive tornado, the phoeni# flapped

its wings and blew a heat wave at the now raging tornado. As soon as the flames hit the

tornado, it merged with it and formed a blistering fiery tornado that incinerated manydemons and flung molten rocs in the air. The lion )umped up in response and cooled the

molten rocs and then shattered them. As the roc shards fell to the ground, they started

multiplying and rained over the remaining demons.

%:hat power,' thought ogan shoced, unable to fully comprehend what hadhappened, barely able to spea, %"&ve never see anything lie this before.'


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%=ou cannot escape me8' bellowed the shadow as his sharp blac claws reachedfor ogan, %this is your fate8'

%6othing is set in blood,' declared ogan as he stopped running, now reali-ing

his horrible dream, %my fate is my own and you will not tell me otherwise88'Then a shining golden, volatile aura started to slowly spiral around ogan. !is

fear dissolved in the bathing light. *pars of the aura pushed away the shadows fromogan

%This will never happen to my hometown8' e#claimed ogan as his aura

completely surrounded him, blasting light to combat the darness.

%This is impossible88' yelled the shadow, taen abac with ogan&s power,

%sorcery was lost forever8'%6ot from me,' boasted ogan with a calm voice, %" won&t let this happen8'

%Then try88' bellowed the shadow angrily.

Once ogan&s aura started to fluctuate, everything fro-e in place. !e watched aseverything stopped in front of him. 4verything faded away, as if to disappear.

%ogan, wae up,' said a familiar male voice, worried.

%:hat7' ased ogan as he looed around in the blan area, confused.%:ae up88' yelled the voice.

:hen ogan woe up from his dream, he rolled off of the bed onto the hard

concrete floor. The shoc was enough to immediately wae ogan from his post+sleepdrowsiness.

%:hat the hell were you dreaming about7' ased (ercer, curiously as he leaned

over the edge of the top bun.

%6othing anymore,' groaned ogan as he shoo his head.%:ell, nothing was a nightmare,' said (ercer, concerned.

%?ine, but it&s gone now,' said ogan as he got up.

%Oay,' acnowledged (ercer with a sigh, %so what are we going to do today7'

%The same thing we do every night, (ercer,' said ogan aggravated, %we plot totae over the world.'

%;eally7' ased (ercer curiously.%6o,' scolded ogan sternly.

?or two years ogan and (ercer had sat in this )ail cell without visitors, rotting

away. They never shared the reason why they were in prison, but shared their lives. They

have met before, but only for moments at a time. Then an "mperial !ume human guardwearing a scarred suit of armor waled up to the cell&s doors.

%The 4mperor would lie to mae a deal with you two,' declared the guard with a

gruff and angry voice.%:hat ind of deal7' ased ogan curiously as he glared at the guard.

%!e wants you two to help fight in an upcoming war,' scoffed the guard, %hemust be delirious, but an order is an order.'%*o what do we get in return7' ased ogan, hoping for an incentive to fight.

%=our freedom,' scowled the guard as he glared at ogan, %but we will be

watching you guys.'%" don&t now, that&s invasion of privacy,' teased ogan, hoping for some privacy

in his life.


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%3ude, " don&t care, " can already taste fresh air,' begged (ercer e#citedly, %andhopefully water.'

%" suppose you&re right, "&ll replace the guards watching you with these

earphones,' sighed the guard in defeat, %but nothing else, got it7'%Oay0' said ogan confused.

ogan was very septical as to the guard&s motives. !e thought the guard wasacting odd for being an "mperial soldier.

%Alright8' e#claimed (ercer e#citedly, %you&re negotiating from now on.'

%"&ll be bac after signing some papers,' said guard as he threw the earphones at

ogan and (ercer.

They were barely able to catch such small devices. :hen the guard left, oganand (ercer eagerly put on the earphones. ogan, being a 3ar 4lf, easily put the

earphones in his pointed ears, but (ercer who was the reptilian *hati race had

difficulties using the earphone without any visible ears. (ercer )ust wrapped theearphone around one of his head spies nearest his so called ears.

%*o, (ercer, what are you going to do when you&re free7' ased ogan turning to

the bac end of the cell.%" don&t now really,' said (ercer, unable to thin now that he&s going to be free.

%?air enough,' said ogan, deep in thought, %" don&t have a clue either.'

Once the guard returned a few moments later, he threw two pairs of shacles andchains at ogan and (ercer. The metal screeched across the floor with a deafening noise

that echoed throughout the enclosed prison.

%Put these on,' scowled the guard, %you&re not free yet.'

After ogan and (ercer put on the shacles and chains, the guard opened thedoor and led them to an arena ne#t to the "mperial astle. The "mperial astle is the most

secure place in Gian and the busiest. The Arena was nearby so the 4mperor can supervise

and occasionally bet on the fights, but ultimately this was so the army can /uell any

problems in the arena if necessary.%"n here,' ordered the guard as he opened a door leading to a cell.

*o once ogan and (ercer got into the cell, the guard closed and loced the door.They eagerly too off their shacles and chains and threw them at the door to be taen.

(ercer was angrily about their treatment thus far.

%*o why are we here7' ased ogan as he looed around to see a busy training

room.%The 4mperor has thought of some tests for you to tae to prove your worth,'

laughed the guard, hoping they would fail.

%And me without my pencil,' said (ercer sarcastically.%"t&s fighting you dimwit8' yelled the guard angrily, without thining.

%Thans for telling us,' said ogan unfa-ed by the guard&s shout, %and ourweapons7'%?ine but don&t try anything funny or else it&ll be your last,' said the guard, %so

here, two rusty swords.'

The guard held up the two rusty swords. ogan observed the rusty, near broenunempt swords, he was unhappy about their choices.

%an " have a very rusty atana, please7' ased ogan, politely though seemingly

rudely as well.


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%:hat7' ased the guard, confused with ogan&s /uestion, %you should be happy)ust to get this.'

%" do have standards,' e#plained ogan, %my weapon is a atana, nothing more,

nothing less.'%3ude, what&s wrong with you7' ased (ercer peeved with ogan&s attitude,

%)ust tae the damn sword.'%6o, " re/uire a atana for ma#imum efficiency,' e#plained ogan, %otherwise, "

can&t fight well.'

%?ine here,' said the guard as he gave ogan a rusty atana and (ercer a rusty

sword, %but remember this, you won&t always have a atana nearby.'

%" now, thans,' said ogan as he and (ercer piced up their weapons.%=ou&ve got be idding me, they don&t belong here' said a twenty+one+year+old

3ar 4lf female with long red hair tied up and in dull steel armor, %too soft.'

%"&ll show you soft88' yelled (ercer angrily as he went to the woman and attacedthe cage.

%alm down, (ercer,' said ogan as he calmly sat down at the bac of the cell.

%?ine,' said (ercer as he waled away, angrily.%ie " said, too soft,' chucled the woman as she smired.

%*o, who are you7' ased ogan.

%" am this arena&s $loodmaster and ultimate fighter, Chen Du,' said Chen proudlyas she grandly posed to show off her scarred armor.

Chen Du is a 3ar 4lf warrior always prepared for battle. 4veryone in the arena

dares not to piss her off. !owever she is much inder than people mae her out to be. A

$loodmaster is lie the ruler of the arena, only the strongest may carry the title.%:ell then, you should eep that )aw in place when " get into the arena,' teased

ogan seriously with a stoic face, %my power is beyond your imagination.'

%:hy you88' yelled Chen as she attaced the cell, angry with ogan&s remar.

%$y the way, our match starts0now,' said ogan as he carefully listened to a far+off noise.

Then two doors, on the far side of the cell, opened. The doors creaed loudly untilit was completely opened with a loud metallic thud.

%!ow7' ased Chen as she baced away, shoced.

%6ice tric,' said (ercer as he and ogan went into the arena.

%"f only you new0' said ogan under his breath, peeved with (ercer&s remarabout him.

%6ow entering the e#+convicts, ogan 2osamai and (ercer *obe,' said the

announcer over the microphone.%Oh yeah88' yelled (ercer as the crowd immediately booed at them.

The arena was a large circular ring of death. :ith the a few spires with chainsdecorating the center, spies and armored doors were placed around the arena. oncretereinforced walls prevented many combatants from reaching the watching crowds.

%And their opponent, the mean, the bad, and the ugly, !abis the berserer,' said

the announcer.Then an Orc a dar green humanoid, barbaric race with a beastly face entered

the arena on the opposite side of the arena. Orcs are a large bodied barbaric race. Though


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with a few e#ceptions, they lie to try to start fights when possible. :ith the recentcivili-ation of their race they have calmed down enough for everyday life.

%" will crush your sulls8' yelled !abis with a guttural tone as he drew out his

a#e.%Then try8' yelled (ercer as he drew his sword.

%=ou can have this one,' sighed ogan as he sat down.%Oay, suit yourself,' said (ercer as he sprinted towards !abis.$ut when (ercer got close, !abis slammed him into a wall. (ercer was

imbedded into the concrete wall )ust below the stands.

%Too easy,' said !abis, disappointed.

%" suppose " should meditate,' said ogan as he began to meditate by the edge ofthe arena.

After (ercer got out of the wall and piced up his sword, he charged at !abis

once more.%"diot,' said !abis as he ran towards (ercer.

Once they collided, !abis slammed (ercer with the blunt side of his a#e. (ercer

was flung into the wall once more. !e /uicly charged at !abis yet again, unfa-ed by therepeated impacts with the wall.

%This is pointless,' growled !abis with his deep voice.

Again, when they collided, (ercer was thrown into a wall again. (ercer didn&tseem to feel the pain of hitting the wall. (aybe it was because of his tough *hati sin,

or possibly some other thing he has yet to discover.

%"&m not done yet,' said (ercer as he got out of the wall.

%=ou are wea8' yelled !abis, though he thought differently after watching(ercer wal out of the wall again and again.

%?ine, "&ll step up,' grinned (ercer, happy to finally release his pent up

aggression, %)ust for you.'

Then (ercer piced up his sword and charged at !abis again. $ut once (ercergot close, he slowed down and started to slash !abis repeatedly. $ut !abis easily dodged

every one of (ercer&s attacs. "t was as if !abis could see (ercer&s actions before it hadhit. 4ventually (ercer pushed bac !abis fairly close to a clean slate of the concrete wall

yet to be ruined.

%:hat the hell7' ased (ercer confused.

%" was trained by a martial arts master,' said !abis as he grabbed (ercer andthrew him into a wall, %at this rate "&m going to run out of wall space.'

%Then you come out of them,' said (ercer as he grabbed !abis and threw him

into the wall ne#t to him, %time to get serious8':ith his sword, (ercer began to slash !abis over and over again. $ut !abis

easily dodged every slash and the blade created holes around !abis. !is green sinbecame brighter as spars flew from (ercer&s sword.%"f you don&t serious then "&ll )ust ruin the fun,' growled (ercer angrily.

%" see,' smiled !abis as he iced (ercer far away from him, %"&ll get serious

then8'%:hat7 :ere they merely warming up before7' ased the announcer, trying to

rouse the crowd.

%Time to see how long he&ll survive,' thought ogan as he continued to meditate.


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Once ogan started to swing his atana in circles above his head, his aura swirledwith the atana. A tornado formed as ogan swung his atana. !is golden aura faded to a

whirlwind of blue winds. 4lectricity savagely arced across the savage winds. *oon it

became a ha-ard to be in the arena.%:hoa, get a rubber suit and some cinder blocs fols, this is getting intense,'

groaned the announcer as he protected his face from the winds.%!ow is this possible7' ased !abis as he stood against the raging winds.%ie this88' said ogan as he slammed his atana into the ground in front of him.

Then the tornado slammed into the ground hori-ontally and went straight for

!abis. :hen it got close to !abis, ogan swung his atana upwards, bringing the raging

tornado upward. "t barely missed the stands behind !abis. The raging winds suced in!abis with impressive force. After the tornado diminished into the air, !abis& charred

body slammed onto the ground with a sicening thud.

%:hat a fight, no one has seen anything lie this, lie ever,' said the announcer,stunned by recent events.

%3ragon heart,' said ogan as he nelt down, e#hausted.

Then several reddish energy waves flew towards (ercer from ogan. Once thewaves touched and was absorbed by (ercer, he woe up.

%:hat happened7' groaned (ercer as he shoo his head and looed at !abis&

charred remains, %whoa, what really happened )ust now7'%A little presentation,' scowled ogan as he got up.

%3amn, of what7' ased (ercer, confused.

%(y power,' groaned ogan as he staggered to get up.

%6ice,' said (ercer as he and ogan went bac to the cell.(ercer helped ogan bac into the cell and onto a cot. ogan was e#hausted from

using magic, while (ercer was fully healed and still energetic.

%"&m sorry, sensei,' said Chen as she waled up to the cell, %" didn&t now.'

%"&m not your sensei,' said ogan, still tired.%ould you teach me the art of sorcery7' ased Chen, politely.

%?ine, but you must learn to control your emotions,' said ogan, %don&t let itcloud your mind, meditate and allow your mind to be calm.'

%Oay, sensei,' said Chen as she bowed.

Once Chen waled off, the "mperial guard came bac to the cell. The guard was

seemingly more happy than the last time they saw him.%=ou&ve passed the first test,' said the guard, %but it only gets harder.'

%Oh man, the last one was tough0' sighed (ercer, %awesome8'

%$ring it on,' smiled ogan.


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Chapter 2,

%ogan, you smiled0' said (ercer, /uite shoced.

ogan was normally a serious person when depressed5 he never once smiled whenimprisoned with (ercer. !owever, this is not who ogan was as a person, he was usually

more positive and upbeat.%That fight loosened me up, do you prefer that " was serious all of the time7'

ased ogan as he looed at (ercer with a serious face.

%:ell no, )ust asing, but what about me7' ased (ercer, almost whining.

%:hat7' ased ogan confused, losing his faed serious face.

%" want to learn the arts too88' said (ercer, eagerly.%?ine, let&s meditate for a while to gain some mana,' instructed ogan, %" can

finally gather mana here.'

The prison they were in beforehand prevented any magical use and the ability togather mana, or magical energy. This was forgotten over the years leading to the

industrial age, so only ogan was truly affected these days.

%Oay,' said (ercer, not nowing what mana was.Once the guard waled off, ogan and (ercer sat down and started to meditate.

The only sounds ogan and (ercer could hear were metals clashing from people training

across the room. (ercer found it hard to concentrate with other people in the room, beingloud. *everal hours later, the guard came bac, with a silver food service cart.

%3inner time,' scowled the guard as he clanged on the cell bars.

%:hat is it, gruel7' ased (ercer as he slightly opened his eyes, tired.

%*tea and cheese subs,' replied the guard, curiously, %do you prefer gruel7'%"t&s been so long, " almost forgot about real food,' smiled (ercer happily as he

got up, %ogan, get up.'

$ut ogan didn&t move, even an inch. 4ven his breathing was still and /uiet. $oth

(ercer and the guard stared at ogan, worried. "t was lie ogan was a statue, fro-en inplace.

%ogan7' ased (ercer as he gently poed ogan with his reptilian nucles.After (ercer poed ogan, he fell over and snored. ogan had fallen asleep while

meditating. 6ormally ogan was a light sleeper, but he remained sound asleep when his

head hit the hard wood floors of the cage. "t shows how tired he was from his /uic fight

with !abis.%!e fell asleep8' said (ercer angrily.

%:ith that much power, " can see why,' sighed the guard as he shrugged his

shoulders, not surprised.Though no one noticed at the time, it was weird how the guard was unsurprised at

ogan&s e#haustion. !e assumed ogan was oay without any further inspection.%"s sorcery really that powerful7' thought (ercer, though the thought didn&t last.The ne#t morning, ogan woe up early. !e /uicly too notice of the worn gray

wool blanet that covered him and the rough pillow he was resting upon.

%That was a great nap8' said ogan as he got up and stretched as if to comment onhis rather uncomfortable night on the floor.

Chen then waled up to the cell to welcome ogan this morning. *he seemed to

be calmer than the last time she approached. !er bright red hair now flowed down to her


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waist, and a headband was seen behind her two large bangs in her hair. "t&s been awhilesince Chen let her hair down, and seemed feminine. Chen didn&t lie to appear feminine

in front of other people, so she too on a more intimidating appearance, to hide her true

self.%" have meditated and controlled my emotions lie you said, sensei,' said Chen as

she calmly bowed.*he was slightly embarrassed by her appearance, but happy at the same time. The

rest of the fighters in the arena noticed Chen&s new loo5 a few of them couldn&t focus at

what they were doing. They were entranced by Chen&s more attractive appearance, which

replaced her usual intimidating and unapproachable loo.

%Good,' said ogan with a comforting smile as he en)oyed seeing Chen appearedmore feminine, %that is the hardest part.'

Then ogan did a hand sign in front of his face. Chen stared at ogan, curious as

to what he was doing.%?o#+vision,' e#claimed ogan to himself as his eyes became lie a fo#&s yellow

feline+lie eyes, %good, good, you did great.'

ogan saw Chen&s immense fiery red aura, though some parts of the aura werepitch blac. !er aura was stronger than he&s ever seen, it seemed strange to him. Others

had a much calmer and more colorful aura than Chen&s.

%"s that what " thin it is7' ased Chen angrily as she covered her chest with herarms.

%:hat7' ased ogan as he looed up to see her angry e#pression.

ogan was staring at Chen&s chest for a /uic moment. Though all one could see

is a heavily armored chest plate, Chen thought he used #+ray vision to see through thearmor.

%=ou&re a sic man,' yelled Chen as she slapped ogan across the face.

%?o#+vision detects energy levels, that&s all8' groaned ogan as he rubbed his

reddened chee, %" swear0'%Then why were you looing at my0' grumbled Chen shyly, unable to finish her

sentence.%The heart is the center of the mana in the body,' e#plained ogan, %sorry if "

seemed to be intruding.'

The humanoid body contains a large mana networ in tandem with one&s nervous

system. :hile the heart beats, it also circulates mana around the body helping it surviveand heal.

%3on&t worry about it now,' smiled Chen, now understanding his intent.

%6ow to use sorcery, or magic, you must focus on something and cast it,'e#plained ogan as paced around the cell, %but it must be realistic, no changing reality.'

%Oay0' e#haled Chen confused, unable to understand what ogan had said.%Try this out, " can cast lightning due to the fact that the muscles in the body canproduce trace amounts of electricity, but magic is needed to amplify it,' e#plained ogan.

%Oh, oay,' responded Chen, still very confused.

%Try the basic firebolt spell at that target,' instructed ogan as he pointed at anarmored practice dummy, %focus on the heat around you and amplify it.'

%Oay,' said Chen, eager to learn magic.


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*o Chen focused on the heat around her. Then suddenly, a small fireball ignitedon Chen&s hand. The fire hovered over her gray, charcoal colored hand. *he didn&t feel

the fire&s burning heat, but a warm, pulsing sensation instead. The fire&s miniature aura

was soothing to watch.%6ow throw it,' said ogan ama-ed at her accomplishment.

Then Chen threw the fireball at a target. ?lames engulfed the target, maing itappear red hot. The metal heated up and the heat nearly melted the armored dummy.

%6ice,' said ogan, astonished she managed that much, %now practice that until

you get it and try maing it bigger and hotter.'

%Oay,' said Chen happily as she bowed and left.

(agic can be very difficult to learn and master. "t often taes years before one cando what Chen )ust did. 4ven ogan too days before he could use such powerful magic,

though ogan was alone during his magic training.

%That was pretty nice0 but the tests continue,' said the guard as he waled up tothe cell after watching ogan and Chen, %but you need to do something first.'

%Of course, but what now7' ased ogan with a slight scowl.

%$reafast,' said the guard as he pulled aside a food service cart.%Gruel7' ased ogan.

%6o, pancaes and some orange )uice,' groaned the guard, irritated from hearing

gruel again, %what&s up with you guys and gruel7'%6o offense, but id food7' ased ogan, trying to be polite.

%?ine, starve,' smired the guard, angrily but seemingly )oingly as well.

%*orry, but eating crap all this time, " thought " would have a man&s meal,' sighed

ogan hoping for meat in his meal, %but thans, " suppose " would overreact.'%3on&t mind me asing, but how the hell did you end up in )ail7' ased the guard,

in/uisitively.

%an&t remember, but "&m reformed,' said ogan as he shrugged his shoulders,

%or something lie that.'%=ou probably want to toughen up then your ne#t opponent is a real monster,'

warned the guard thining of their ne#t opponent in the ring.%:hen7' ased ogan, seriously.

%$efore lunch,' said the guard, %but don&t e#pect anything if you fail and wae

him up, breafast is important.'

%Oay0' in/uired ogan confused.ogan raised his right hand high enough for the guard to see and snapped his

fingers. All of a sudden, a small fire started on (ercer&s pants. "t too a second before

(ercer woe up.%:hoa, fire8' yelled (ercer as he got up and ran in circles, %put it out, put it out8'

Once ogan snapped his fingers again, the fire went out. (ercer&s ragged trousershad a small burned hole by his tail.%:hat was that for7' ased (ercer as he angrily glared at ogan.

%?ood,' said ogan.

%Alright0' groaned (ercer as he looed at the food, %PA6AJ4*8'Then (ercer /uicly started to eagerly eat his breafast. :hen the guard left,

ogan grabbed his plate and started eating as well.


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%3oesn&t that guard seem strange to you7' ased ogan, /uite septical of theguard&s behavior with them.

%6o, not really,' said (ercer as he stuffed his face.

%(ust be me,' said ogan as he ate as well.

?inally at noon, it was time for the ne#t test. The guard came bac to the cell, withogan and (ercer&s weapons in hand.

%"t&s time for your ne#t fight,' said the guard as he passed ogan and (ercer their

weapons.

%Alright8 " was starting to become bored,' e#claimed (ercer e#citedly.

After the doors opened, ogan and (ercer went into the arena. The crowd waseager to see them again, they cheered as loud as they could.

%6ow entering the dynamic duo, the double trouble, ogan 2osamai and (ercer

*obe,' said the announcer over the microphone.%Oh yeah,' (ercer as he started to show off for the cheering crowd.

%And at the other gate the invincible, the immortal, Tyson the bison,' said the

announcer.%"s he really a bison7' ased (ercer curiously to ogan.

Then a large hairy creature with thic, bestial armor smashed through the steel

gates. "ts crimson fur grew from under its heavy steel armor. $ull+lie horns protrudedfrom its head.

%lose enough,' chucled ogan as he observed their ne#t target.

%(e Tyson, you dead,' growled Tyson in an inhuman voice, unable to spea

completely.%"n your dreams,' grinned (ercer, confidently.

Then (ercer rushed at Tyson but he swung his right arm and slammed (ercer

bac ne#t to ogan. (ercer wasn&t affected much from the impact, Tyson&s fur helped

cushion the blow.%=ou attac, "&ll bloc,' ordered ogan as he wielded his sword.

%ool with me,' groaned (ercer as he rushed at Tyson once again.:hen Tyson had his hand over (ercer, ogan ran to bloc it. $ut Tyson used his

other hand to smac (ercer away.

%*mart,' said ogan as he retreated bac to (ercer.

%$ut not smart enough,' smired (ercer.*o (ercer ran towards Tyson again but water started to rise up from the ground

and surrounded (ercer. ogan was surprised to see (ercer use magic after only one day.

%:hat the...7' ased Tyson, shoced at (ercer&s mystical attac.%!ydro missile88' yelled (ercer as he was shot towards Tyson in a veil of water.

4very time Tyson swung his arm, (ercer dodged it with ease. A trail of watermared his path, )ust lie a comet.%$ull fire88' yelled Tyson as he shot two streams of fire out of his nose and blew

(ercer away.

The water around (ercer protected him, but he could still feel the heat from theflames. The water rapidly dispersed bac into the ground.

%6ice use of magic but he&s too powerful to tae on alone,' said ogan, %the

flamethrowers is his nose is /uite strong.'


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%?lamethrowers7' ased (ercer confused, %didn&t he use magic7'%!e&s not using mana, so no, he&s not,' observed ogan, %if you loo closer,

there&s a device hidden in his nose.'

:ith ogan&s display of magic in the previous day, Tyson&s handlers implanted powerfulflamethrowers into his nose and told him it was magic. Tyson /uicly believed his could

use magic, but it was a tric to empower Tyson.%Good point,' replied (ercer as he looed at Tyson&s large nostrils, %then let&s

attac together.'

%et&s try it,' nodded ogan with a smir, eager to fight again.

$oth ogan and (ercer gripped their swords tightly, waiting for Tyson to attac.

(ercer&s tail often moved around as if to lure Tyson into attacing.%$ull fire8' e#claimed Tyson as he shot two streams of fire at ogan and (ercer.

:hen they /uicly )umped in opposite directions to dodge the fire, they )umped

off of the solid concrete walls and flew towards Tyson.%*torm wave88' yelled ogan as golden lightning viciously arced behind his

sword.

%!ydro missile88' yelled (ercer as water once more surrounded him.$ut once they got close to Tyson, he simply bloced it with both arms and pushed

ogan and (ercer into the concrete wall on the other end of the arena.

%"t didn&t wor,' groaned ogan as he and (ercer e#ited from the wall.%*o, go full power, "&ll distract him,' growled (ercer as he turned to Tyson.

%?ine,' said ogan as he closed his eyes.

:ith a sudden yell, a golden aura blasted from ogan and surrounded him

immediately.%That&s more lie it,' laughed (ercer e#citedly as he looed around his shoulder.

%*torm 2olley888' yelled ogan as he shot multiple lightning balls at Tyson.

$ut the lightning simply dispersed over his fur and armor, not affecting him at all.

"t was doubtful that the lightning even hit Tyson&s sin.%That ticles,' laughed Tyson with a nasally breath.

%3o the other one,' said (ercer, curious if it was a different attac that illed!abis.

%?ine,' said ogan as he swung his atana in circles over his head, %3ragon

*torm88'

:hen the tornado began to appear, (ercer charged towards Tyson, sword inhand. (ercer could feel an immense power behind him.

%3ie88' said (ercer as he raised his sword.

$ut Tyson suddenly threw (ercer into the air with a /uic flic of his arms, onlyso Tyson can better focus on ogan.

%An opening,' said ogan as he ran towards Tyson while dragging the tornadobehind him.%6o opening for you,' glared Tyson as his head towered over ogan, %*ull

bash.'

%Oh shit,' said ogan as he stared at Tyson&s looming head.Then ogan was slammed into the ground when Tyson head butted him. The

tornado swiftly dispersed into the wind.

%ogan88' yelled (ercer as he continued to fly upwards.


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%6ow it your turn,' said Tyson as he looed up toward (ercer, %$ull fire.'Tyson, at that time, shot two streams of fire at (ercer. !e could see the arena

become warped by the intense heat as he continued upward into the sy.

%Ahh88' yelled (ercer as he dove down with a burst of water towards Tyson,%$aclash Tsunami88'

As (ercer fell, water began to surround him again. Once the fire hit the water,(ercer swiftly slashed the fire with his sword. :hen he did, the sword broe into two5the impact seemed too solid for a fireball. The water protected the fire from dispersing

from (ercer&s attac. "mmediately, the fire and the water combined together and flew

towards Tyson. The fire formed a veil of intense flames around the torrent of water. The

two never e#tinguished each other.%6o888' bellowed Tyson as he was sliced by the water and rapidly incinerated

from his own flames.

%ogan8' yelled (ercer as he landed safely using a burst of water, %" need to healhim.'

Then (ercer tried to heal ogan with his water, but ogan stayed down, nearly

dead. (ercer could barely sense his slowing heartbeat. After Chen ran out into the arena,she rushed to ogan.

%"&ve got this,' said Chen confidently as she leaned over ogan, %Phoeni#

;ebirth.'$ut nothing happened to ogan. Chen couldn&t figure out why, she ept training

since that morning. !ealing someone magically re/uires a little medical training

beforehand, which Chen did not have.

%Oh no,' cried Chen as she laid on ogan, %"&ve failed you, sensei.':hen several tears landed on ogan, he started to glow with a dull red light.

%:hat the...7' ased Chen as she got off of ogan.

After the light faded away into his body, ogan opened his eyes, only to notice

his blurred vision. *ome magic can only be casted in a specific way. "n the past, onlysome powerful people were affected by these strange magic rules, these people were

nown as the spirit warriors later on. Otherwise magic can be casted in infinitepossibilities, limited only by the caster&s nowledge.

%:hat the hell happened7' groaned ogan as he held his head with his hands.

:hile ogan wasn&t looing, Chen got up silently and started to loo serious. *he

didn&t want ogan to see her crying, so she wiped off her tears well before ogan couldsee much of anything.

%Tyson almost illed you,' e#plained (ercer, %but Chen saved you with a

miraculous dis+'%*hut it88' interrupted Chen angrily, %don&t e#pect me to do it again.'

%Of course,' smiled ogan as he got up.%They did it, they beat Tyson, now we don&t have buy anymore slaves to feed himanymore,' )oed the announcer to the watching crowd.

The crowd laughed to the )oe but some were curious if it were true.

%And thans to our very own $loodmaster, Chen Du, ogan gets to live anotherday, but tomorrow, he&s going to wish she didn&t,' said the announcer, as if to entice

people to come bac.


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F i n a l F u t u r e P a g e | 1B

The crowd loudly cheered as ogan, (ercer and Chen waled bac to the waitingroom.

%" wonder what we&re going to fight tomorrow7' ased (ercer as he and Chen

helped ogan bac into the cell.


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F i n a l F u t u r e P a g e | 1E

Chapter 3,

The ne#t morning, the guard woe up ogan and (ercer early for breafast. This

time he pushed a rather large food service cart.%That was ama-ing yesterday8 =our reward is eggs, bacon, ham, stea and your

choice of drins,' e#plained the guard really happy about something.%Awesome "&ll have some0' said (ercer.%:e&ll both have a cup of coffee,' interrupted ogan with a serious e#pression.

%Oay,' said the guard as he left, leaving the food in front of the cell.

%:hy coffee7' ased (ercer, disgusted with coffee.

%"&ve been thining,' said ogan with a worried e#pression.%About what7' ased (ercer, curiously, staring at the food, which was only so far

away.

%(y nightmare " had a couple of days ago,' said ogan as he down.%=ou never did tell me about that,' said (ercer, as he never looed away from

the food, %but, " don&t care, it&s )ust a dream.'

%Thans0' sighed ogan hoping for him to care, even a little, %but you&re rightit&s )ust a dream.'

As soon as ogan smiled, Chen waled up to the cell. *he too notice of (ercer&s

starving e#pression, with a /uic smile she turned to ogan.%:hat are you smiling for7' ased Chen with a big grin.

%Dust reminding myself a saying,' smiled ogan as he got up, %live for today,

because yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come.'

%;ight0but here&s the real reason, "&ve decided to )oin your ne#t fight,' saidChen with a confident smile.

Chen grabbed a large naginata from a nearby weapon rac. The naginata had a

thic sword+lie blade at the tip of long wooden pole. This large weapon was taller than

Chen herself.%=ou&re right, now "&ll be able to go home /uicer,' said ogan, as he thought of

his old home, curious if it&s still there.%;ight0' sighed Chen, hoping for a different reaction.

%ool, with your girlfriend dude, we can&t lose,' e#claimed (ercer happily.

%!e&s not my boyfriend8' growled Chen, angrily, though she felt differently.

%*he&s not my girlfriend8' said ogan right after Chen spoe.%Oay, oay, fair enough,' laughed (ercer, %not yet at least.'

%!ey, Chen, " heard you&re helping them,' said the guard as he arrived with three

plates, %en)oy some breafast before you go in.'%$reafast for me too7' ased Chen.

%=ou&re going to need it,' said the guard with an enthusiastic tone, %also " feel thecage is unnecessary.'Then the guard opened the cell door. ogan, (ercer and Chen stared at the guard,

stunned with his actions.

%$ut no running off,' smiled the guard, seemingly happy.%Oay0' said ogan, (ercer and Chen confused.

%atch ya later,' said the guard as he /uicly left the training room.


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%6o way in hell is that guy a guard in the most secure prison in Gian,' said theogan in disbelief.

%And he did everything without anyone second guessing,' observed (ercer.

%:e&ll as when he gets bac,' shrugged ogan, %for now let&s en)oy this mealthat&s probably poisoned.'

%;eally7' ased Chen hoping he was )oing.%" don&t really now but "&m hungry,' said ogan as he and (ercer began eating.%:hatever,' said Chen as she began eating as well.

Chen stared at ogan and (ercer&s ravenous appetite as they basically inhaled

their food. After they finished their now messy meal, the guard came bac with a sword

and a atana.%Time for the final fight,' said the guard as he handed ogan and (ercer their

weapons.

%" got a /uestion for you,' in/uired ogan in hopes to answer his /uestions.%6o time, get into the arena,' said the guard as he eagerly pushed them towards

the arena, %hurry8'

%Oay, oay,' said ogan as he, (ercer and Chen was pushed into the arena.%That was close,' e#haled the guard in relief.

%6ow entering the invincible, the mystics, ogan 2osamai and (ercer *obe,

with the help of our own $loodmaster, Chen Du8' said the announcer, rousing the crowdonce more.

%Oh yeah, we&re invincible8' shouted (ercer as he showed off for the crowd.

%" haven&t fought in here for a while,' said Chen as she too a deep breath, %"t&s

great to be bac.'%And on the other side, *amuel,' said the announcer as one small gremlin came

out of the gates.

(ercer and the crowd laughed at the little gremlin. "t was no bigger than a small

child, but it had a malicious, evil, toothy smile. "ts demonic appearance was evident withits pointed ears and blac leathery sin. The gremlin&s piercing red eyes glared at ogan,

(ercer and Chen with malicious intent.%That&s it7' ased Chen disappointed, %" came out for this7'

%"&ll tae care of this,' smired (ercer as he charged towards the gremlin.

%6o wait8' yelled ogan, worried.

$ut (ercer didn&t hear him, let alone stop at all5 he continued to charge at *amuelwith murderous determination. 6othing could deter (ercer away from his goal to ill

*amuel.

%:hat7' ased Chen, at disbelief with ogan&s worried e#pression.%*amuel is a resurrection demon,' e#plained ogan as he watched (ercer, %it

can&t die.'%There&s no way to stop it7' ased Chen, now worried as well.%6ot to my nowledge,' replied ogan as he shoo his head.

%3amn,' scowled Chen as she bit her nails in angst.

*o when (ercer sliced *amuel in half, the two halves fell to the ground. Oddlyenough, there was no blood spewing from the corpses, it )ust appeared dead from

(ercer&s simple attac.

%3one,' said (ercer with a smile as he turned to ogan.


18/99


%6ot /uite,' said ogan as he pointed the now bubbling corpses, %oo.'After (ercer turned to loo at the corpse, they had regenerated and formed two

separate bodies. "t seemed that when *amuel is split, it will only grow in numbers.

%3amn,' said (ercer with an irritated sigh.Then one of them iced (ercer away. The force nearly sent (ercer flying into

the concrete walls surrounding the arena.%*mall but powerful,' groaned (ercer, now reali-ing his mistae, %figures.'%et&s incinerate them,' said Chen, happy with her plan.

%(mm0maybe but we shouldn&t hold bac at all,' said ogan, thining about

the power needed, %3ragon *torm8'

%Phoeni# $la-e8' yelled Chen as she emitted a fiery red aura and ogan emitted agolden aura.

:hen ogan began to spin his atana above his head, Chen&s aura was /uicly

morphing into a phoeni#+lie shape. Once ogan&s bluish, electrified tornado appearedover him, he and Chen shot their respective spells at *amuel.

%*torm Phoeni# $omb88' yelled ogan as the flames and the tornado merged

together.:hen it did, a huge shocwave was emitted from the center of bright fiery

e#plosion. "t blew (ercer behind ogan and Chen who were standing firm watching their

spell. A golden red, fiery phoeni# rose up from the e#plosion, as if it was rising from itsown ashes. Then the phoeni# started to flap its wings to get higher, eventually hovering

over the arena. 4very time the phoeni# flapped its large fiery wings, a huge gust of

flames swept the *amuels up into the sy, while burning them with intense flames

simultaneously. (ercer could feel the powerful heat from far behind ogan and Chen.%6ow blast88' yelled ogan as his aura began to diminish.

After reaching a slightly higher altitude, the phoeni# started to dive towards the

*amuels at supersonic speeds. Once it burnt through the *amuels, they e#ploded in a

fiery electrified inferno. "t was a spectacle to see such magic being performed.%:hoa,' said Chen as she and everyone else was stunned and truly unable to

believe what they had seen, %damn0'All of the sudden, several *amuels rose from the blac ashes that littered the

arena. As ogan had said, *amuel couldn&t die easily. ?or as long as something is left for

them to regenerate from, it will come bac.

%!ow the hell can anything survive that7' ased (ercer, still in shoc.%" don&t now,' e#haled Chen paraly-ed in fear, %nothing should have survived

that.'

Then ogan collapsed, e#hausted from casting that spell. Chen heard as ogan hitthe ground with a loud thud. *he was afraid to turn around to find out what had happened

to him. :ith a pained e#pression she reluctantly turned around to see ogan on theground.%ogan7' /uestioned Chen as she rushed to ogan still terrified, %ogan7'

$ut ogan didn&t respond. !e was unconscious and unable to respond to

anything. !is breathing became shallow and slow, as if in a deep sleep.%*omething&s wrong,' sobbed Chen as she shoo ogan.

%;evive ogan, "&ll do what " can to these demons,' growled (ercer as he ran to

fight the *amuels.


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F i n a l F u t u r e P a g e | 1H

%ogan7' ased Chen as she continued to shae ogan, %please wae up.'Again, ogan didn&t respond at all to her violent shaing. Chen couldn&t find out why.

%"&ll protect you and your friend,' cried Chen as a fiery, volatile blac aura slowly

spiraled around her, %"&ll get your revenge for you.'Then Chen yelled as loudly as she could once the aura completely surrounded her.

The air in the arena /uicly became heavy and stale. (ercer noticed the dar energy andtraced it to Chen.

%Oh shit,' said (ercer as he ran to ogan as /uicly as he could.

%"&m sorry,' cried Chen as tears ran down her face, %$lac ?lame Ocean8'

As soon as her aura towered over the arena, it washed over the arena, almost

incinerating the *amuels instantly. The blac flames got close to the audience, but neverharmed them. *treams of blac flames were all that was left from the attac, not even the

ashes were safe. Chen collapsed ne#t to ogan, e#hausted as well. asting such powerful

magic taes a great toll on the body and causes many casters to fall into a deep sleep torecover, if they do at all.

%Oh great, now " have to bring two people into the infirmary0' sighed (ercer as

he carried ogan and Chen into the arena&s infirmary.A few hours later, ogan woe in a hospital bed in the arena&s infirmary. !is head

continuously pounded as pain radiated throughout his body. !is sight was slightly blurred

till his head cleared.%6ever use that much mana ever again0' groaned ogan as he got up from the

infirmary bed, in pain.

%!e&s awae8' yelled Chen as she ran to ogan from across the room, %" mean0

you&re awae0'%6ice try,' smiled ogan as Chen stopped running and started to wal slowly,

embarrassed.

%:hat7' ased Chen suspiciously.

%=ou missed me,' said ogan with a happy smile.%" won&t this time,' smiled Chen as she started to punch ogan, playfully.

%Ow, ow, ow,' groaned ogan as Chen punched him, %" )ust woe up and this ishow you greet me7'

%Pretty much,' smiled Chen as she continued to punch ogan.

Chen was very happy that ogan woe up, but she felt withdrawn about telling

him. *o she /uicly resorted to violence hoping to cover her embarrassment. Chen hadbeen watching ogan since she woe up earlier.

%Awward,' smiled (ercer as he leaned on the door frame.

%


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F i n a l F u t u r e P a g e | 9I

%ogan8' e#claimed (ercer, worried.%"&m fine, )ust tired,' groaned ogan as he smiled but stopped when (ercer

looed at him.

ogan wanted to avoid taling about Chen, so he triced (ercer to stop. "n truthogan&s pain wasn&t all that bad, though he was still tired.

%That&s funny, you&ve been out for two wees,' chucled (ercer as he helpedogan up.

%;eally, it&s been that long7' ased ogan, surprised.

%6o, not really, it&s only been a few hours,' laughed (ercer at his own pran to

ogan.

%Ass,' scowled ogan as he sat down on the bed.Then the guard waled into the room with Chen, who was still embarrassed.

ogan and (ercer hoped to see this guard for the last time. They couldn&t wait to be free

and bac into the world after being loced up in prison.%3idn&t thin you&d live,' smiled the guard as he looed at ogan, %but lie "

promised, you&re free.'

%!old on, you promised7 " thought we made a deal with the 4mperor7'/uestioned ogan, confused.

All of a sudden, the guard&s armor began to morph into an elegant regal robe, and

his face changed. !is sin got really dar and marings grew on his face. The !umeguard had morphed into a regal 3ar 4lf before their eyes. "t appeared that this 3ar 4lf

new magic as well.

%" am ao Du, the 4mperor,' said ao with smile, hoping to ease ogan and

(ercer.ao Du is the current 4mperor of Gian. After the previous one had died, he signed

away ao as his successor. ao Du is the youngest 4mperor appointed at the age of

twenty+si#.

%4mperor,' said Chen as she, ogan and (ercer nelt down.%Chen, you don&t have to act this way, you&re my baby sister,' smiled ao, hoping

to comfort Chen.%*ister7' ased ogan and (ercer surprised.

%=eah, he&s my brother0so what7' ased Chen, angrily.

%Dust curious, but why are you here7' ased ogan as he turned to Chen.

(ore often or not, many 4mperors made an appearance at the arena for manyyears, but none of them, even their families, ever decided to rule the arena as

$loodmaster.

%" rose the rans in a temple, when " was moved to the palace, the previous4mperor treated me lie a son,' e#plained ao in Chen&s place.

%" couldn&t live as a mon, so what7' ased Chen furiously, irritated at everyone."n part Chen was unable to live silently as a mon because she was still distraughtover losing her parents at a young age, though Chen was always a rowdy person, even as

a id. ao was easily accepted into the monastery, he was very ind and /uiet. $ut the

years in the palace, ao become nosier in other people&s business.%(aybe we should change the sub)ect before she ills us,' laughed ao, en)oying

his time with his sister.

%*hut up8' yelled Chen angrily, %=ou now " won&t, anymore0.'


21/99


Then ogan, (ercer and ao started to laugh together. Chen /uicly felt lie shewas being moced. *he was a little disappointed with ogan, who )oined in.

%*orry, " couldn&t help it,' chucled ogan as he stopped laughing, %want to

meditate to calm down7'%6o, "&m fine,' said Chen as she tried to stifle her anger, %so the reason you&re

here.'%;ight, onto the point,' said ao as he cleared his throat, %" wanted to see if you

were worthy to defeat the doom that is approaching this land.'

%Oay,' said ogan seriously as he listened to ao, %but what do we get in return,

besides our freedom7'

%Anything you lie,' said ao as he opened his arms.%(y house in 6u ;an,' said ogan immediately.

%Granted,' nodded ao, %The paperwor is already done.'

%:hat about the mars7' ased (ercer /uietly to ogan.%As him,' said ogan without looing away from ao.

%:hat mars7' ased ao pu--led.

%These,' said (ercer as he and ogan too off their shirts and showed ao theirbacs, %6o one else nows.'

Chen stared at ogan&s bare body, she blushed at the sight. *he shoo her head

before anyone too notice. $oth ogan and (ercer had intricate tattoos on their bacs.ogan featured a )agged dragon and (ercer had a curvy snae. $ut these mars weren&t

tattoos, but birthmars used to signify the ne#t prophesi-ed warriors.

%They&re lie Chen&s mar,' thought ao shoced as he observed the mars.

%*o7' ased (ercer curiously.%" don&t now what these are, but my adviser, Pang 2ong, should now,' lied ao

as he once more cleared his throat.

%:here is he7' ased ogan as he and (ercer put on their shirts.

Chen was a little bit disappointed that ogan put on his shirt. Again, she shooher head before anyone noticed her e#pression. *he would have been e#tremely

embarrassed if anyone saw her affection to ogan.%" don&t now but your secretary should be able to tell you,' said ao as he

shrugged his shoulders as if he new.

%*ecretary7' ased ogan befuddled.

%" forgot to tell you7' ased ao, /uicly reali-ing he did, %speed dial one.'%Oay,' said ogan as he dialed one on his earphone.

"t was hard to dial the number one on his earphone, but it turned out that it could

dial any number the user thought of when pressed. These were prototypes that the4mperor swiped to give to ogan and (ercer.

After ringing several times, someone piced up. A woman /uicly answeredalmost lie she waiting for someone to call her.%$out time,' answered a twenty+four year old !ume female with short white hair.

%:ho&s this7' ased ogan curiously.

%"&m ;uia Toochi, your personal secretary,' replied ;uia on the phone, %*owho am " woring for7'

;uia has long served the "mperial court as a secretary. *he was recently told to

serve ogan by ao Du. !er pure white hair often causes trouble for her, it was unnatural


22/99


for a !ume to have such pure hair. *he often felt more comfortable taling on the phonethan face to face.

%ogan 2osamai,' said ogan, confused at why he even has a secretary.

%Ah yes, oh and by the way, did ao Du forget to tell you about me7' ased;uia, a tad irritated.

%


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F i n a l F u t u r e P a g e | 9>

%About time,' yawned (ercer as he got up from the bac seat.Then ogan noticed a dar figure standing in front of his house. The figure )ust

stood there staring at ogan behind the windshield, unmoving.

%!ey Chen can you stay in the car, please7' ased ogan, seriously, hoping forChen to agree.

%Old friend7' ased Chen, having a slight idea of who it is.%*orta, secret organi-ation,' replied ogan without looing at Chen.%ogan8' scowled (ercer angrily as he glared at ogan, %shut up.'

%Of course, this never happened0' sighed Chen as she sat bac into her seat.

%"t better not have,' scowled (ercer with a mean glare to Chen as well.

%=es, but you must remain in the car,' said ogan as he smile to Chen, %at leastuntil he&s gone.'

%?ine,' said Chen angrily.

Then ogan and (ercer got out of the car, shut the doors and waled to the darfigure. :ith each step the figure grew more ominous, the figure seemed to have the will

to ill.


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F i n a l F u t u r e P a g e | 9@

Chapter 4,

%*o you&re free,' said the dar figure with a mysterious, distorted voice.

%6ightmaster, why are you here7' ased ogan, not wanting the figure&s presenceby his house.

6ightmasters are master assassins and e#perts at hiding their presence fromothers. !owever, a certain guild mainly uses people with this title as messengers.

%Dust get settled in and come by the hideout, *hadowings,' smiled 6ightmaster

with a clap of his covered hands.

*hadowings are the leaders of a certain dar guild, normally there is only one

*hadowing, but ogan and (ercer agreed to share the title to prevent further bloodshed.%Good, we )ust got here and we have a guest with us,' said ogan, trying to get

rid of the 6ightmaster.

%" thought we had to leave town again,' sighed (ercer in relief.%6ot yet anyways,' said 6ightmaster as he vanished in a puff of blac smoe.

After ogan gave a signal to Chen, she got out of the car and waled over to

them. *he wasn&t at all curious about the 6ightmaster, but instead she wanted to nowmore about ogan.

%*o who was that7' ased Chen, in/uisitively.

%*orry, that&s classified info,' e#plained ogan as he turned the doornob inmany directions.

%:hat, you can&t trust me7' ased Chen angrily, as she stood behind ogan.

%*orry, guild rules,' replied ogan focusing on the doornob.

%*hut up88' growled (ercer angrily to ogan.%:hat guild7' ased Chen, really hoping they would tell her.

%" already told you too much,' said ogan as he stopped turning the doornob.

%ome on, why not7' ased Chen, %=ou&re my sensei8'

ogan ignored Chen and anymore of her probing /uestions. Then suddenly, anumber pad loc came out of the doorbell button through some strange mechanisms.

%" loced the place up, so thieves couldn&t get my stuff,' e#plained ogan withoutlooing away from the number pad.

%J,' replied Chen, unsure to say anything else.

:hen the door opened, it revealed an immense room, bigger than the house

appeared from the outside.%3amn, it&s bigger then it is outside,' gasped Chen stunned by the sheer si-e of

the room.

%(y dad enchanted the door to teleport us to my actual house,' said ogan, deepin thought.

%And if you don&t now the code7' ased Chen, curiously.%"t sends you to an empty house,' e#plained ogan, %the code is I1FF.'%ool,' said Chen as everyone waled into the house.

%The bedrooms are upstairs, the training room is downstairs and everything else is

on this floor,' said ogan as he closed the door behind them.%Oay,' said Chen as she waited for ogan to say something, %what now7'

%"&ll set you up and (ercer will find everyone here,' groaned ogan as he

stretched, happy to be home.


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F i n a l F u t u r e P a g e | 9B

%?ound one,' said (ercer as he stomped his foot on the floor.All of the sudden, a sinny male Geoshati a race similar to *hati with subtle

differences fell from the ceiling. Geoshatis are more attuned to heavily forested area

and cannot breathe underwater5 instead they are able to cling to surfaces.%!ow long have you been here7' ased (ercer, angrily.

%*ince you left,' replied the Geoshati as he got up and respectfully bowed.%*o you were my houseeeper,' said ogan as he studied the Geoshati.%(ore or less,' smiled the Geoshati through his li-ard grin.

%?ine, but if " find one spec of shit in my chandeliers again, you are dead,'

scowled ogan, angrily.

%=ou probably want to go clean up, ;asputin,' chucled (ercer as ;asputin, theGeoshati, ran off.

;asputin is an odd Geoshati, even by racial standards. !e constantly wears dar

clothing and nothing else. !e doesn&t lie to fight and prefers to stay home to be helpfulin other ways. And for some odd reasons, he feels he has to use chandeliers as toilets.

%6ow " wonder, where&s my sensei and apprentice7' ased ogan, deep in

thought once more.%:ait, they live here too7' ased Chen surprised to hear about more people here.

%=eah, it&s a full house,' smiled ogan as if he was happy to say that, %but "

usually eep it running.'%;eally, well " guess that&s inda cruel if you do everything in the house,' said

Chen.

%=eah well, that&s life,' sighed ogan, %now " got (ercer to help out now.'

%:hat7' ased (ercer shoced to this, %but " don&t even live here.'%=ou do now, unless this isn&t good enough for you,' smired ogan, enticing

(ercer to stay.

%?ine...' grumbled (ercer under his breath.

%Oay so, ogan, are you going get me settled in or what7' ased Chen, %or am "sleeping on the couch until you do7'

%Oh shit88' said (ercer e#tremely worried.%:hat7' ased ogan.

%3rago and ;ycoon,' e#claimed (ercer, %they must be here8'

%*hit88' e#claimed ogan as he /uicly ran upstairs.

Once (ercer ran off, Chen ran after ogan to a large iron door at the end of thehallway left from the staircase.

%*tand bac,' warned ogan as he opened a door.

All of the sudden, a small, dull yellow dragon immediately ran out of the room.The dragon was small in si-e and its wings barely enough to support its body in flight.

$one+lie armored scales covered its top of the head and all the way down its bac to thetip of the tail.%!ey 3rago8' e#claimed ogan happily as the dragon carefully )umped onto

ogan.

%:ait a minute, a dragon7' ased Chen shoced, %aren&t they illegal as pets7'%" got permit,' replied ogan, hoping Chen would believe him.

%Oh really7' ased Chen, doubtful of ogan&s apparent e#cuse.


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F i n a l F u t u r e P a g e | 9E

3ragons not only rare but are also wild animals that are difficult to tame.*omeone can only have one as a pet with permit given to them by the 4mperor only.

(any people are reluctant to obtain the permit because of the difficulty to get it.

%As long as he&s fire+trained,' e#plained ogan, %and he is.'%Oay0 well how did you get 3rago7' ased Chen as she continued to glare at

ogan.%" found him out in the forest, while " was training,' groaned ogan as he was

trying to get 3rago off.

%*o7' ased Chen begrudgingly.

%" felt bad so " too him in,' whined ogan with a faed frown, %he was alone.'

Then (ercer, with a big dragon+lie creature with si# spies in rows of two on hisbac, and ;asputin waled up to ogan and Chen.

%Another dragon7' ased Chen, /uite surprised.

%" wanted one so my uncle got me one,' said (ercer as he shrugged hisshoulders.

(ercer&s dragon was a farm+raised, guardian+trained dragon normally meant for

war uses5 however (ercer was able to get one of the older ones as a pet.%" ept them well fed,' said ;asputin.

%*o it seems,' said ogan as he put down 3rago.

Then a si#teen year old !ume with brownish, big spiy hair, wearing a white shirtwith grey designs, and a thirty+two year old !ume with white small spiy hair with five

blac diamonds, which crossed the center of his hair hori-ontally, and wearing a dar

cloa waled up to ogan.

%:e&ve heard you came bac,' said the older !ume as he welcomed ogan.%:elcome bac sensei,' said the younger !ume as he bowed.

%Good to be bac,' replied ogan as he bowed in response.

%"s this your sensei and apprentice7' ased Chen curiously.

%And who are you7' ased the older !ume, almost flirting with her.%Chen Du,' replied Chen, tad disgusted.

%Greetings, sister of the 4mperor,' greeted the older !ume as he /uicly neltdown, %"&m ;yu *haraisu.'

%And "&m Gan King,' greeted Gan King as he nelt as well.

%:ait a minute, you&re teaching a id7' ased Chen, now reali-ing that this is

ogan&s apprentice and master.%!ey, he ased,' shrugged ogan with a chucle.

%:hat about his parents7' ased Chen curiously.

%!is mother was murdered by the $lood Omen, and his father died of poisoning afew months later,' e#plained ogan, %" found him on the streets alone, so " decided to

tae him in.'%That was nice of you,' said Chen, admiring ogan even more.%"&m still ever so grateful for your indness,' e#pressed Gan King formally.

%*top this act, be yourself,' demanded ogan as he looed at Gan King, %it&s

oay.'%;eally7' ased Gan King as he looed up at Chen.

%!e&s only doing this because you&re the 4mperor&s sister,' said ogan, looing

at Chen.


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F i n a l F u t u r e P a g e | 9F

Then Chen nelt down to Gan King&s level. *he patted him on the head gently,reassuring Gan King. !e felt relieved to see Chen acting indly, instead of lie his

assumption of rude royalty.

%=eah, you can stop,' smiled Chen.%Than you,' sighed Gan King, %" don&t now how long " could eep that up,

4mpress.'%3on&t call me that,' scowled Chen, bearing her teeth at the idea of being called

empress, %call me Chen.'

%Oay, Chen,' smiled Gan King.

%:ow, it&s getting dar already,' observed Chen as she stood up, looing out the

window of the living.*o Gan King and ;yu got up as well. ;yu brushed off the dust from his blac

cloa, even though there was none. iving alone for all this time, Chen had gotten used to

living to a certain pattern, lie preparing for bed at night. ogan and (ercer never had tolive with such a pattern and slept whenever they felt lie.

%*o7' ased ogan with a slight smile, %this is when much of the fun begins.'

%ie what7' ased Chen, though she could see where the conversation wasgoing.

%overt mission time88' yelled (ercer e#cited, %it&s been awhile since we did

this.'%=ou&re assassins7' ased Chen surprised.

%6o, we&re freelancers who need money,' hinted ogan as he wined, %*o you

in7'

%" guess so,' smired Chen, %after all, my brother and " were in the *hadow lanfor a bit.'

The *hadow lan isn&t so much a clan, but a secret guild that gathers assassins or

spies to be hired for a variety of reasons. :hen ogan and (ercer rose to leadership,

they changed the guild into a more laid+bac righteous guild. "t caused some members to/uit or retaliate in frustration. The shadows was the nicname given to the guild by its

clients and most of the members.%*o you were in the shadows and didn&t tell us7' ased (ercer angrily.

%" wanted to see if you were in the shadows before " could tell you,' stated Chen

regaining her confidence, %you now guild rules and all.'

%Oh right,' said (ercer, reali-ing he did the same thing, %secret organi-ation.'%(mm... the shadows might now something about this war,' wondered ogan,

hoping they did.

%*o what&s the plan7' ased Gan King eagerly.%(ercer will go to the shadows and find out what&s up, "&ve got to head to a house

in the forest and the rest of you do missions for cash,' ordered ogan as he looed at hisroommates in the house, %we do have rent to pay.'%And me7' ased Chen, feeling left out.

%:hatever pleases you,' said ogan, not caring of Chen&s decision.

%"&ll go with you,' replied Chen /uicly.%Oay, any /uestions7' ased ogan, looing around.

Though no one decided this, ogan was often tased of issuing orders to

everyone. !e was often /uic enough to thin of things to do before the others could.


28/99


%=eah, why aren&t all of us going to the shadows7' ased Chen curiously.%:e need money to support this house,' admitted ogan as he shrugged his

shoulders.

%And Gan King and " aren&t in the shadows,' e#plained ;yu.%Oh oay,' said Chen, feeling stupid.

%:hy am " going to the shadows7' ased (ercer, angrily.%:ell, the shadow ing must mae an appearance and get the shadows bac in

order,' stated ogan as he turned to (ercer, %and " have plans.'

%Oh oay, "&m all set,' smiled (ercer, remembering how fun it was ordering

people around.

%et&s go88' e#claimed ogan as everyone, besides him and Chen, ran off.%$ut first, " should you settled into our co-y little home,' smiled ogan.

%Oay, but don&t try anything,' laughed Chen as she )oingly covered her body.

%Of course not,' smiled ogan as he turned around, %well maybe...':hen they got to the hall of rooms on the second floor, ogan waled up to an

empty wall space between two other doors.

%Alaa-am8' yelled ogan as a door was molded from the wall.%:hat the hell was that7' ased Chen, befuddled with ogan&s actions.

%The magic words in order to form a new room,' stifled ogan as he tried to hold

bac a laugh.%;eally7' ased Chen, septical.

%6o, not really,' laughed ogan, %"&d thought it would be a nice pran.'

%ogan, that was horrible,' retorted Chen seriously.

%;eally7 " thought it was funny,' chucled ogan, still smiling, %anyways, youcan set up after we return.'

%O,' replied Chen thining about her new home.

*o ogan and Chen got into her car and drove into the forest north of 6u ;an.

After ogan drove to an edge of a cliff )ust past the entrance of the forest, he got out ofthe car.

%:hat are we doing here7' ased Chen to ogan.%*hh0 this is ogre territory,' whispered ogan /uietly, %and get down.'

*o ogan and Chen laid down on the edge of the cliff. Then Chen noticed a small

run down shac on the bottom off the cliff.

%*o is this the house7' ased Chen /uietly, %what could be here7'%(y mother&s amulet,' whispered ogan.

%Oh, by the way, what&s up with the name ogan, anyways7' ased Chen, very

curious.%3on&t now, but my parents came from Gaia before " was born,' e#plained

ogan. %Oh,' said Chen, now even more curious about ogan.Gaia had a whole culture that harbored different ideals and names. (ore often

about survival, some of its lore involved the spirit warriors coming to the land. The name

ogan happened to appear briefly in one of the legends. Then several ogres came out ofthe house, nearly breaing down the doorframe. The ogres wielded large weapons, and

seemed to be guarding the house.


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F i n a l F u t u r e P a g e | 9H

%:e need to tae out these ogres /uicly and silently as possible,' whisperedogan still observing the shac at the bottom of the cliff, %:e can&t alert the boss.'

%*o attac from the shadows and not be seen,' muttered Chen, uneasily.

%=eah, pretty much,' confirmed ogan, %should be easy enough.'%?ine, turn around and don&t loo bac at all,' scowled Chen, embarrassed.

%:hy7' ased ogan, confused as he looed at Chen curiously.%Dust do it,' demanded Chen, with a serious glare.%?ine,' sighed ogan as he turned around and shut his eyes.

All of the sudden, Chen /uicly and /uietly tore off her shirt and pants. As soon

as she did, a shadow rapidly crawled over her body, forming blac and dar gray sin+

tight clothes. Once it reached her face, it formed a nin)a+lie mouth mas. "t soon formeda blac headband and her long red hair was altered into short silver hair. :hen she was

done transforming, her naginata split into two small unai.

%Oay you can loo now,' said Chen with a different, mysterious sounding voice.:hen ogan turned around, he )umped bac. Chen now looed lie a completely

different person, though she was still a 3ar 4lf.

%:ho are you, what did you do to Chen7' ased ogan, startled by Chen&s newloo.

ogan /uicly grabbed his sword at hand, ready to strie Chen in her new form.

*he was scared if ogan was actually going to hit her.%" am Chen, )ust transformed,' assured Chen uneasily, %my clan was nown to do

that.'

%6ice,' said ogan, admiring her new loo.

ogan rela#ed upon hearing it was still Chen. !e rapidly felt bad about nearlyattacing her with his weapon.

%This form is nown as =ui,' blushed Chen as she brushed her silver hair bac.

%:hy7' ased ogan, curiously.

%"t means snow and " first transformed during winter,' e#plained Chen, %so callme =ui when "&m in this form.'

%Oay, =ui,' said ogan, confused, %time to ill these ogres.'%All right,' nodded =ui with a smile.

Then suddenly, =ui vanished without a trace. :hen =ui appeared at the foot of

the cliff a couple of seconds later, all of the ogres collapsed, dead. Then ogan

accidentally fell down the cliff, sliding off of the loose dirt. !e then slammed into therough ground to end his terrible fall.

%ogan8' e#claimed =ui as she ran to ogan.

%:hat was that7' ased ogan forgetting about the pain he&s in.%(y shadow rush ability,' boasted =ui, now proud of herself.

%" couldn&t even see you,' said ogan surprised.%*hadow rush temporarily increases my speed, basically lie slowing down timefor me,' e#plained =ui, %guess my new magic maes me even faster now.'

%ool,' admitted ogan, ama-ed with Chen&s new persona.

Then a loud banging came from the inside of the house. The banging /uiclyapproached the front door, trees shoo with each tremble.

%:e need to hide,' demanded ogan as he and =ui ran into the bushes that hid

in the dar shadows.


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F i n a l F u t u r e P a g e | >I

Once they were hidden, a large, much bigger ogre crashed through the door,breaing down the wooden frame. This ogre was also more armored and intimidating

than the last group.

%:ho illed me men7' ased the ogre as he looed around in a guttural tone.:hile many ogres do not spea in a comprehensible manner, the bosses can

sometimes spea partially, usually enough to understand that they were going to illeveryone.

%"&ll distract him, you ill him,' whispered ogan, trying to be /uiet.

%Oay,' whispered =ui in a soft voice.

%:ho there7' ased the ogre, barely able to hear ogan and Chen taling.

%(e, you ugly son of0.man8' hecled ogan as he )umped out from the bushes.%(e no son of man,' growled the ogre angrily, %"&m Gorloe, proud son of ogre8'

%"sn&t that a female&s name7' ased ogan, mocing Gorloe.

%6o8 "t warrior name, warrior name88' yelled Gorloe as he blindly charged atogan.

$ut ogan simply too a few steps to the side. Gorloe ran straight past ogan,

unable to turn.%=ou girly+girl8' antagoni-ed ogan as Gorloe ran into the cliff.

The ground around them shoo upon the impact, enough to cause ogan to

stumble.%6o8 =ou girl+girl8' snarled Gorloe as he got out of the cliff unscathed.

%$etcha you can&t stay still for a few seconds,' enticed ogan still antagoni-ing

Gorloe, %unless you&re chicen.'

%6o chicen, me still,' said Gorloe as he stood still.Ogres are not the most intelligent creatures. :hen provoed enough, they would

do )ust about anything. Once =ui appeared on Gorloe&s bac, she stabbed him in the

bac with her unai, but her unai broe and shattered from the impact.

%(e bac lie diamond, you stupid,' scowled Gorloe as he threw =ui ontoogan.

%*orry,' blushed =ui as she got up.%3on&t worry about it,' smiled ogan.

%:hat you doing7' ased Gorloe, confused as he stared at ogan and Chen.

%!aving an awward moment, do you mind7' ased ogan angrily.

%*orry,' said Gorloe, almost sincerely.:hen Gorloe looed away, ogan wined at =ui and she nodded in response.

=ui thought ogan had a plan. =ui got off of ogan and helped each other up.

%!ey, you tricing me,' scowled Gorloe as he glared at ogan.%!ey8 =ou&re the one who threw =ui onto me88' yelled ogan as he got close to

Gorloe&s beastly face.%=ou ill me men8' yelled Gorloe in response.%=ou&re in my mom&s old house88' yelled ogan as he secretly did hand signs

behind his bac.

%"t abandon for years8' yelled Gorloe spitting in ogan&s face.%" was in )ail88' yelled ogan now actually angry with Gorloe.

%That&s it, " can&t handle this, you&re on your own,' fumed =ui as she stomped

off.


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%=ou sissy girlfriend fled,' laughed Gorloe hysterically.%=ou shouldn&t have said that,' smiled ogan as he calmly too a few steps bac.

%:hy7' ased Gorloe as he stared at ogan curiously.

All of the sudden, a huge gash stretched across Gorloe&s chest, green bloodoo-ed from the wound. Gorloe nelt down in pain. 6othing was seen going near

Gorloe, though it was dar so who could tell7%:hat going on7' ased Gorloe, groaning from the immense pain.%=our end,' said ogan as he leaned against a tree.

After a couple more gashes stretched over Gorloe, he fell to the ground, dead.

Green blood covered the ground. Oddly, plant life began to grow from the blood on the

ground. Though never proven recently, ogre blood speeds plant growth using a magicalcompound. "t has been thought that was the reason why ogre blood was green in the first

place. =ui soon appeared by ogan.

%*hall we go in7' ased =ui, flinging the green blood off of her remainingunai.

%adies first,' insisted ogan as he bowed.

%:hat a gentleman,' chucled =ui as she entered the house.:hen they got through the door, they saw a dim light in the other room. "t seemed

lie a fire, the way it flicered in the dar, it easily caught ogan&s eye

%*omeone&s here,' observed =ui as she duced down.%"t&s not an ogre,' said ogan as he rolled his eyes and waled towards the light.

After they got into the light, they saw a !ume sitting by the fire, calmly as if he&s

been here for days.

%:ho are you7' ased ogan he observed the man.%The true /uestion is, who are you7' ased the !ume without looing at ogan or

Chen but instead the fire in front of him.

%ogan 2osamai of 6u ;an,' said ogan, septically.

%Chen Du of !uang Chong ity,' said =ui as she turned into Chen with a burst ofred fire.

%ogan, tae off your shirt,' ordered the !ume staring into the fire, %and Chenshow me your shoulders.'

%*hould we trust him7' ased ogan to Chen, though it didn&t matter to him.

%As long as " get to eep my shirt on, " don&t care,' scowled Chen as she rolled up

her sleeves.%True,' replied ogan as he too off his shirt, %plus it&s rela#ing with my shirt

off.'

Once more Chen blushed when she saw ogan tae off his shirt. The man noticedChen&s blushing e#pression before she cleared her head.

%Thunder 3ragon and 3ar Phoeni#,' commented the !ume, surprised, %do younow anyone who bares these mars7'Then the !ume threw some strangely colored sand into a fire. All of the sudden,

three bright pictures appeared over the fire. A similar curvy snae, an obscure Pegasus

and finally and clear and straight lion was pro)ected from the fire.%This snae loos familiar,' said Chen as she studied the obscure image in the

fire.

%(ercer,' said ogan as he and Chen looed at each other.


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F i n a l F u t u r e P a g e | >9

%*o what&s up with these mars7' ased Chen as they snapped bac to the !ume.%The prophecy foretells, five spirit warriors will save the ones0 the world from

the end of e#istence,' e#plained the !ume, correcting himself, %the spirits are the5

Thunder 3ragon, A/ua *nae, 3ar Phoeni#, Aero Pegasus and 4arth ion.'ogan /uicly remembered the dreamed he had bac in prison5 the spirits were

e#actly as the !ume described. Then ogan&s earphone rang, bringing him to reality.%*orry, hold on,' answered ogan as he pressed a button on his earphone, %yes7'%"&ve found Pang 2ong,' replied ;uia e#cited to have finished her first

assignment from ogan.

%:here7' ased ogan sternly.

%!e&s a !ume living in an old house in the 6u ;an forest,' e#plained ;uia.%Thans,' sighed ogan as he hung up and stared at the !ume.

After ogan looed at the !ume, he disintegrated into sand, and blew away in the

wind.%" thin that&s was Pang 2ong,' said Chen, as she watched the sand.

After ogan looed down in embarrassment with Chen&s comment, he saw a

folder with a bulging center.%:hat&s this7' ased ogan as he piced up the folder.

%Open it and find out,' said Chen e#cited to find out what was in the folder.

After ogan opened it, a fragment of a )eweled neclace with strange designs andnote fell out.

%This is one of three fragments of the nine+tailed amulet, the precious item you

came looing for,' read ogan, %once completed, you will have two new allies.'

%:hat the7' ased Chen curiously.%!e broe my mother&s amulet8' said ogan angrily.

%There&s more,' said Chen as she saw the letter.

%P.*. " wrote this note after they broe the amulet and too other pieces,' read

ogan, %never mind0'%" guess we&ll have to go and collect the fragments,' reiterated Chen as if to

clarify what was in the note.%" guess we should,' sighed ogan, %but first let&s head home.'

%Oay,' said Chen as she and ogan got into the car and headed bac home.


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F i n a l F u t u r e P a g e | >>

Chapter 5,

(eanwhile, (ercer was waling to an abandoned house at the end of Chuge ity.

Chuge ity is si# massive towers on the edge of Chu Geran ae. 4ach of the towers isconnected by bridges, boats are main choice of travel between towers. Chuge ity serves

mainly for 6obles and main families to hold their fortune in secure vaults in the towers.On a few of the floors, certain people are allowed to live in these towers. *ome of thepoorer people who come to the city had to tae refuge in the waterways at the bottom of

the towers.

%(an, " wanted to ill someone0' sighed (ercer as he approached the

abandoned house, seemingly depressed.After he unloced the door to the house, an odd gust of air blew by (ercer from

inside the run down house.

%:hat the hell7' ased (ercer to himself in confusion, %oh well...'Once (ercer closed and reloced the door, he headed to the basement door.

:hen he opened the door heading to the basement, the burst of air blew by again. "t was

unsettling to (ercer, until he noticed something strange.%(ust have had this place vacuumed seal to eep the dead smell from leaing,'

sighed (ercer as he waled down some rotting stairs to the basement, %it does have a

lemony scent going.'Then (ercer reached a strange metal door with an intimidating demon face on the

top part of the door and a row of raging dar flame designs on the bottom. ;oc walls

made up the hall before the door. Torches lit up the eerie hall, giving it a dangerous feel

to be in.%:hat is the color of night7' ased a raspy voice in a long creepy sigh.

%*angui+ )ust let me in, $ob,' scowled (ercer as he rolled his yellow reptilian

eyes.

Then the demon door opened its metallic eyes, groggily. The door&s designsmoved around magically, giving it life. Though magic was forgotten in this age, some

secret organi-ations possessed magical ob)ects, no one could figure out how they wored.%*orry, " was tired,' yawned $ob with a creepy sigh at the end.

%Dust let me in or else "&ll demote you to dog door again,' scowled (ercer with an

angry e#pression.

%;eally7' ased $ob scared of (ercer.%Of course not,' chucled (ercer with an odd smile.

Then the door sighed in relief. The sigh eerily echoed throughout the hallway,

resonating off of the roc walls.%"t will be the bathroom door this time,' growled (ercer seriously with an

intimidating glare.Then the door opened, metal creaed against the roc surrounding the door. :hen(ercer waled through the door, a twenty+eight year old ?orest 4lf a light sinned, tall

4lven race female wearing dar clothes, waled up to (ercer. ?orest 4lves usually lived

in the heavy forested areas, separate from the Geoshatis. :hen they started to live inthe rest of the world, they sometimes dropped the forest part of their racial name. Other

?orest 4lves stayed in the green lands, living to the old traditions.

%:elcome, *hadow Jing (ercer,' said the ?orest 4lf as she bowed in respect.


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%" told you, ilith, call me (ercer,' said (ercer trying to ease ilith, %and rela#,"&m not here to ill anybody.'

*ince this specific hideout had some betrayal situations in the past, this hideout is

rumoured to be annihilated by the *hadow Jings. 4veryone in the *hadow lan has beenon edge since then. :hile ogan and (ercer wouldn&t annihilate the hideout, they felt no

reason to correct the misunderstanding either.%Then why are you here7' ased ilith, curiously still being polite and

submissive.

%" need some info on the current 4mperor and something on the upcoming war,'

e#plained (ercer as he looed around.

%Try Paine, " thin she&s in the training room,' said ilith calmly but uneasily.%Thans,' smiled (ercer as he left.

*o (ercer went to a big double door on the southwest of the hideout and /uicly

opened it. The metal doors slammed into the solid roc walls. "t easily and immediatelydrew the attention of everyone in the hideout.

%Paine7' ased (ercer into the open.

%:ho&s asing7' ased Paine, a twenty+two year old 3ar 4lf female, as sheturned around, scowling at (ercer.

%The *hadow Jing,' boasted (ercer proudly.

%=ou have to be lying, ao Du was the previous *hadow Jing and "&ve heard noone claimed the title yet,' laughed Paine, doubting (ercer&s story.

Then a twenty+five year old 3raen a human+lie race with tribal marings on

their bodies and possesses dragon+lie wings male waled up to Paine.

%$e nice, he is the *hadow Jing. !e )ust got out from prison,' corrected the3raen, as he stood ne#t to (ercer.

%:ait, you&re (ercer *obe7' ased Paine, reali-ing the trouble she&s in, %"&m so

final future book 1 (chapters 1-14) (revised)

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