The Village Disciples

Beyond the walls of Ryakudatsu, a figure could be seen traveling through a nearby forest, only to come to a halt precisely at the forest's edge. Standing at the edge of the forest, Ryakudatsu can be spotted clearly in the distance.

'There it is.' A deep voice suddenly spoke out. With the figure slowly creeping out from the leaves of the forest, a male with crimson red hair that shone in the sunlight, a black kimono, and eyes that looked demonic was revealed. 'Here is where my next piece to my plan resides.'

This male can also be identified as Yuso. Yuso continued to walk towards the walls of Ryakudatsu, traversing to the entrance side of the village. After a few moments, the golden bars of the front gates were in sight, alongside the guarding warriors who were currently stationed there.

'I can almost sense it from here.' Those were the final words before Yuso continued to trek towards the golden gates of Ryakudatsu.

XXX

"Hey, Tsuika. What time does our shift end?"

Two warriors clad in light, royal blue armor with golden crosses as their crest emblem stood tall at the gates of their village, conversing as they remained posted to their position.

The warrior being questioned, Tsuika, glanced at his fellow warrior. "I have no clue. The minister keeps changing it to different parts of the day."

The other warrior grunted in displeasure, turning to look back at the path leading to the village. It was hot out. Standing outside all day in the heat was exhausting. And don't speak about how boring it is to stand around and watch the clouds float by, or leaves from trees sway around in the wind. The warrior wanted more. More excitement. Not dawdling at the entrance of an already heavily protected village.

"Hey, Eiji. Do you see that man up ahead?" Tsuika suddenly called out to his fellow warrior, knocking the warrior named Eiji out of his glum thoughts and pointing in a distinct direction.

Eiji forced his thoughts away, focusing on the direction Tsuika was pointing in, immediately noticing a figure slowly walking up the trail to the entrance of Ryakudatsu. As the figure got closer, its features came into view. "They look alone. Stay on guard; they might be one of those rogues we're always told about."

What felt like an eternity, the figure that both of the warriors spotted was finally at the entrance, causing a battle of glares to be waged. Eiji grew an irritated look. "State your needs, boy!"

Yuso, who was facing the two guards, remained motionless, his face expressionless. Yuso then began to take a step forward, alerting both of the warriors. Both Eiji and Tsuika reached for their weapons from the holsters on their hips, unsheathing their swords. "Sir, keep it right there!" Tsuika eventually warned.

Yuso continued to creep towards Eiji and Tsuika, prompting them to tighten their grips on the hilt of their swords, also causing their swords to glow in accordance with their aura. Suddenly, both confusing and frightening to the warriors, Yuso's eyes began to swirl clockwise, as well as his hands glowed a vibrant red.

"We will use force if you don't stop!" Eiji further warned, gritting his teeth aggressively as Yuso got closer.

Yuso then raised both of his hands, revealing the glowing, miniature pentagrams embedded in his palms. "Submit."

"AHH!" And that was all Eiji and Tsuika heard before being blinded by a red light, ultimately consuming them both.

XXX

"Stop shoving me!"

A whiny voice that belonged to a kid could be heard, the owner of the voice being hidden in a small bush, containing him and two others.

"Maybe stop taking up so much space!"

Currently, we have returned to the three munchkins, otherwise known as Mizuki, Sona, and Toshiro. The three of them were trying to proceed with their plan of spying on the first-year guests.

"Guys, shut up. We'll be caught if you keep messing around." Toshiro announced, looking over to the other two.

""Fine."" Both Mizuki and Sona conceded, huffing in annoyance.

The three then started looking through the openings of the bush, enabling them to spot the first-year students mid-training. Almost all of them were doing various activities. Shooting magic beams into the sky, sparring, and so on.

"I've never seen magic used in such a way up close," Mizuki said in awe, watching the first-years intently. "I wish I could use magic like that."

Sona clicked her tongue in a mocking manner. "Yeah, right. You being able to do that? Leave some room for the female warriors!"

"Guys! Stop arguing. We're going to be-" Toshiro tried to warn, only to be cut off by a different voice.

"Caught?"

The three kids gasped in fear, snapping their heads upward and instantly spotting one of the first-years towering over them. This first year was Tanjo. Akogare could be seen standing behind the jet-black-haired teenager, a curious glint in his eyes.

"Uhm, we have a perfect explanation for this!" Sona took the initiative, waving her hands incessantly.

Tanjo raised his left eyebrow in amusement. "What is it then?"

Sona's eyes moved from side to side, thinking of a potential excuse. "Uhm… Oh, just screw this. RUN!"

The three spying kids began sprinting, only to have each of them grabbed by the back of their shirts, halting them in their tracks. They looked back and saw Tanjo and Akogare, but this time, an additional first-year arrived. It was Naderamu. "Who are these brats?" The blonde female questioned.

Akogare turned to look at Naderamu. "We don't know. We saw that they were spying on us while we were training."

"Is that right?" Naderamu's eyes squinted as she observed the three kids, instilling fear into each of them.

Mizuki closed his eyes and smiled nervously. "W-what are you guys going t-to do now?" A stutter has emerged.

Naderamu looked towards the sky and tapped her chin with her index finger, feigning contemplation. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe tell your parents?"

The three kids grew quiet. They stayed quiet until Sona eventually spoke up, "We don't have parents."

The three first-years' eyes widened slightly. Akogare then looked towards the blonde female. "Good going, Naderamu."

Nadermu cast a glare in Akogare's direction, gritting her teeth. "I didn't know!"

Tanjo got on one knee, letting go of the kids' shirts gently. "So, where do you stay then?"

Toshiro looked at the kneeling Tanjo, clutching his arm in nervousness. "With Father Laurence." He then answered quietly.

"He must not be doing a good job watching over you if you guys are sneaking around here." Akogare stated abruptly, tilting his head to the side.

"Well-"

"There you are!" A new but familiar voice called out.

Turning to look at the source, everyone could spot Gabriel jogging towards them, most notably, looking at the three kids. "I've been looking everywhere for you guys! You know how worrisome Father gets."

Naderamu parted her lips to speak, folding her arms as she looked at Gabriel curiously. "You know these brats?"

Gabriel turned towards Naderamu, sporting his usual smile that rivaled Akogare's. "Yup! I hope they didn't bother you much."

"Oh, no they haven't!" Tanjo hastily replied, shaking his head.

Gabriel sighed, his blonde hair swaying as his head dipped downward. Gabriel then stood up. "Okay. Well, come on kids. We don't want to keep Father waiting."

The three kids gained expressions of glum, being immediately noticed by the three first-years. "Yes, Gabriel." They all replied, proceeding to walk along with Gabriel, away from the first years.

Gabriel did a quick turn towards Tanjo, Akogare, and Naderamu. "I hope you guys enjoy the training grounds!"

Tanjo formed a fake smile, raising a hand to wave at Gabriel. "Yeah… We will."

XXX

Hey! It seems that Yuso has appeared once more! What's going to happen next? Stay tuned for more.

Have a Good Day!

Peace - Cr1ticalz_