“So young and naive,” I whisper, peering through the chains of my wide-brimmed black hat, tottering on the ledge of the blue spirit energy-infused skyscraper under Goliath’s city glow.
“What?” Cuts Ji-Yong.
“Nothing. I was just reminiscing.”
“No. You were dying. What is the first rule of the X-Brigade?”
“You have no memories. You are not yourself once you adorn the sapphire and diamond seal. No name. No past. No feelings. Just your mission.”
“Exactly. The moment you put yourself into the situation of nostalgia, it opens room for error. So, whatever memory it was, burn it.” Says Ji-Yong taking in a deep inhale of his skinny black and gold pipe. He blows out smoke circles before leaning over to me. He tilts up his wide-brim hat, “ugh! That was so deep. You’re so lucky to have me as your mentor. I’m freakin’ awesome!” Kicks Ji-Yong before crossing his legs and pressing his fingers deep into the center of his forehead, again staring me down.
I smile, turning my attention back to the city, yet I am slumping over and groaning even more. “How in the world did I end up with the most conceited member of the Brigade as my commanding officer?”
“Alright, sparkles, eyes up!” Ji-Yong stands to his feet, pushing his hat down, his long black coat swimming in the air. He puts his hands behind his back, giving the appearance of him looking at the sky. One would believe he couldn’t see anything. But it was the X’s signature, The view of the Omnipresent.
I jump to my feet, standing next to Ji-Yong. “Um, sir. When are you going to tell me who our target is?”
“They are a team of two young girls.”
“Wait a minute, we are out here for a bunch of kids!?”
“Not just any kids. Kids who are being led by pain. They are from Ren. They appeared on our radar the day their region was almost burned to the ground. They call themselves, Death.”
“What a morbid name for a team of children. So, what’s their crime?”
“Actually, for the first time in a long time, I don’t know why they are on our list.”
“But your rank is heaven level?”
“Yes, I know my little ducky; it is hard to see your amazing commander in this state. However, I am a level two heaven, not one.”
“So, Parker has the answers?”
“Yes, as always, but no matter, an order is an order.” Says Ji-Yong standing on the ledge of the building, falling straight back into the city. Disappearing into a puff of white smoke.
I groan again as I am nowhere near heaven level and have not learned the dragon’s breath technique. With one last groan, I throw on my red gloves with proton pads, clapping them together, activating the protons as they glow, and the small spirit energy-infused robots run through the maze of the gloves.
Running to the edge just as Ji-Yong did, I jump up, flipping backward, falling towards the building, and pressing one hand to its glass surface as protons create a magnetic effect with the beams. As I slide down the side, falling onto the sidewalk of the bustling city and landing in the shadows.
“Mhm. Just as I thought,” mumbles Ji-Yong from behind me. “What is that supposed to mean?” I jump.
“Oh, nothing. Just, you fell with a lot of style when you could have just leaned off the edge and slid down.” Says Ji-Yong poking his lips out cutely. “You know what? I think you have a little bit of me inside of you.”
“So, you’re saying I’m a show-off!?” I can’t help but shudder at that thought. Yet, Ji-Yong doesn’t scold me but busts out in laughter. I find my face growing hot as I take this opportunity and step toward him.
“Yep! But I never said it was a bad thing. I’m a full believer that if you are going to do amazing things, you might as well do it in style.” Winks Ji-Yong as he makes his way down the city street, swaying his broad shoulders from side to side as he practically glides with each step.
Though conceited, he is a fantastic fighter and says profound things every blue moon. All I could do was stare hard at him. I scoff at myself, knowing he had read me like a book.
We continued to move through the bustling city, hiding in the shadows’ embrace for what felt like hours. “Ji-Yong,” I call behind him, trying to catch my breath. “We have almost walked around the whole city.”
Ji-Yong turns to me, but his eyes glow a deep red this time. A slight chill rolls up my spine, the hairs on the back of my neck twirling. I try to catch my breath in the cold city, all while moving back slowly. Why would he try to use the eyes of the dragon on me, his teammate? His eyes stay hard and strong and hold me under their spell until I hear small chatter coming from behind me. “Why are his eyes like that!?” a small voice speaks.
“I can’t move…” the other says.
I turn and see two young girls in lace white dresses and red combat boots, one a brunette and the other a blonde. “Foolish!” Shouts Ji-Yong shoving me to the side as he reaches for the girls making the brunette take a step back. She pulls on her friend as she realizes she can move, and they begin to take off down the street, Ji-Yong right behind them.
I pull myself together and follow them. We maneuver through busy streets and tight alleyways until we reach an enormous waterfall at the city’s edge. Ji-Yong has the girls cornered on the waterfall’s sightseeing platform. I can see they are visibly panicking as they begin to threaten that they will jump. However, I guess child-like innocence is one of the trickiest spells. I see Ji-Yong’s face soften for the first time as he gets down on one knee and removes his hat, breaking all types of codes. “Ji-” I start, but he throws his hands up to me, making his eyes red, even though we both knew they couldn’t hold me.
“It’s alright. We just need to speak with you. We have who you are looking for.” Says Ji-Yong to the girls, who remain silent as they start moving their heads back and forth like some type of pendulum as the air grows cold and a thick fog appears.
They begin to speak, but I am unable to hear the conversation. The soft melody of children singing can be heard through the air; was it coming from the girls? Were they putting Ji-Yong under some type of spell behind the fog?
“But what type of spell?” I whisper.
“The spell of death, my dear.” A voice hisses from behind, accompanied by the light clicking of heels. Then suddenly, the clicking of heels stops abruptly, and I feel the direction of the air changing as she kicks her leg high in the air, aiming for my side. However, bad news for her, I was ready. I grab her leg just as she throws it to my side, throwing her forward into the fog, dissipating it, and I can finally see Ji-Yong again.
I had thrown her right into him, knocking him over, just as the girls had drawn two small knives. They look up at me in shock. “Next time, purple hair, you might want to forgo the heels!” I yell, charging for the girls, but she jumps in front of me, stopping me as she stretches her hands high in the air.
She begins creating what looks like visible sound waves in the palm of her hands. Once the waves in her palms reach max capacity, she throws her hands down, hitting the ground. She repeatedly beats at the concrete so hard that the chains on the bedazzled patches of her all-black low-cut suit jingle rapidly, sounding like chimes.
She bounces me around, and no matter how hard I try to stand each time, my legs give way. The more ferocious her hits become, the more the ground starts to bend to her will, moving like a snake and wiggling unpredictably as visible shockwaves move toward me, knocking me off my feet. I reach for my unconscious partner, as purple hair gives the girls a nod, and they carry their knives back to Ji-Yong’s throat.
No matter how hard I stretched my arm, I knew I wouldn’t reach him in time. Sweat falls into my eyes, making them burn. I repeatedly squeeze my hand, grabbing onto nothingness as the cold chains on my hat continually hit my lips. “Just speak, Imani!” I groan in one breath, and in the next breath, I simply say the word, “wind.” I shoot through the air levitating above the wiggling ground, just in time, as the girls practically pierced their knives into Ji-Yong’s skin. I move between them and Ji-Yong, reaching for their arms, but they slip right under me, cutting free two locks of Ji-Yong’s hair.
I am officially confused. I turn slowly, the fog disappearing while purple hair smiles, winking at me and throwing her hand to her head as she says goodbye. The little girls do the same. And in unison, they leap over the fall’s railings, jumping into the waterfall. What had I just witnessed?
“Ahhhhhhh!” Ji-Yong hollers, snapping me out of my trance. I jump, turning back to him. I crouch down and frantically check if he has been hurt anywhere. “Are you okay, commander? Did they hurt you?” Ji-Yong lifts his head slowly, his eyes red as he waves two uneven pieces of hair in front of my face. “You let them cut my hair!” Ji-Yong screams, knocking me on top of my head and pulling free a blade hidden inside his coat pocket. “But it’s all good. That just means I have to return the favor.”
I jump to my feet and start running, but Ji-Yong is right on my heels as we run around in circles like little children. Then it becomes strange, as we both can’t stop running, giggling, and rolling on the ground uncontrollably, so much so that it becomes hard to breathe. I gasp for air as my sight becomes blurry, and I can barely raise my arms.
“Pick him up.” Says a man’s voice followed by what sounded like Ji-Yong putting up a drunken fight with the person who dared to try and pick him up. However, before reacting, my limp body is also lifted from the cold ground and cuddled into a firm chest as the clanking of heavy boots going up a metal ramp rings in my ears. I try to see my surroundings, but the last glimpse of light that enters my irises is so bright it takes me over, knocking me out.
The light around me is blinding, yet it doesn’t even take a moment before everything comes rushing back to me. My eyes shot open, letting in all the light and causing the most excruciating headache, but I had to ignore it for now. I pull out the I.V. in my arm and throw my heavy legs over the bed; finding my balance, I take a second to assess the room I am in. The walls that surround me are not made of wood but metal.
This must be one of our airships. I high-tail it for the door, practically beating the button to make it open. However, before I reach the door, I am stopped by the arm slamming in front of me like a railroad crossing gate. I fall into the arms embrace causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. But they fall at ease as the owner of the arm that has grabbed me is not trying to squeeze me to death.
“And where do you think you are going?” Says a soft but firm voice, and I finally feel myself relaxing. I stumble slightly, but he catches me. “Parker, have you seen Ji-Yong?”
“Yep, he is in the room right next to yours.”
“Eeep!” I jump diving under his arm and make my way down the corridor, the pictures of our commanding officers flying by my face. Then I see Parker’s and stop dead in my tracks. I smack my forehead and turn. He still stands in my room’s doorway. Parker leans on the door frame with a slight smirk as a single crochet loc falls slightly in his eyes. I already have one heaven level to worry about; I don’t need another. I slap my heels together and salute as he lightly waves his hand to tell me to run along. I mouth the word thank you and run off deep into the ship.
“Imani!” I turn my head in the crowded cafeteria, where I end up; sometimes hunger just gets the best of you, even over fear. “Omg! I heard you almost died!” Exclaims the thin blonde. I just smirk as I throw my hand to my head and put on my best damsel in distress routine. “Huh, it is true; Ji-Yong must not find me, for I will be tortured.”
“Ji-Yong? I was talking about those two weird girls.”
“Oh right, I forgot about them. Yeah, that was a handful.” I scoff as I get back to filling my plate.
“So what about Ji-Yong?”
I pause for a moment because everyone knows Jenave is a notorious gossiper, but foolishly I tell her anyway, in case I disappear mysteriously.
“I let the girls get close to him. They cut his hair.” Her eyes grow big, for she has just got a juicy scoop. “Well, that sounds like his problem. He is a bazillion ranks above you. He should be able to take care of himself.”
Everyone knows that if Ji-Yong is even touched while on a mission with a junior comrade, he will blame it on their lack of focus and training. He always says, “a comrade isn’t a comrade at all if he is clean while his partner is dirty.” Therefore I nod, agreeing as she flips her hair, returning to her table, both of us believing her lie.
“Well, if you know my ideology so well, then what happened?” Hisses Ji-Yong from behind me as he grabs me by my shoulders, swinging me around, causing the metal tray to fall from my hands. The lost tray echoes through the hall leading to a complete standstill. Jenave is going to get a kick out of this one.
He stares me down for a few seconds before reaching for one of the knives on the hot bar behind me, his eyes glowing red. I can only hear rustling and hushes as only a few people can approach him. “Now, as I was saying at the falls, a strand of hair for a strand of hair. Would you like a bob? Choppy? Or how about a buzzcut!?” He growls, throwing me on my knees, kneeling before me, cupping my face, and running his fingers through my hair.
There was no way I could take him. Therefore, I just shut my eyes and get ready for my punishment. “Ji-Yong!” A voice booms like thunder through the intense atmosphere. I find the courage to open my eyes as Ji’s grip on my face loosens. He has a perplexed expression before taking a deep gulp as he lets me go completely and helps me to my feet.
I was shaking senselessly; Ji-Yong’s eyes shifted desperately before wrapping his arms around me and laying his head on mine. I look over to Jenave, who darts her head to where the thundering voice came from earlier, and I can’t believe my eyes. I think fear might actually be able to kill you.
“Father, what are you doing here?” Ji-Yong speaks softly, rubbing my arm as if he were using a piece of sandpaper. “I think I should be the one asking the questions in this situation.”
“I know what it looks like, but I was just kidding. I love all of my subordinates and wouldn’t lay a hand on them, right?” He smiles at me, his rubbing getting faster on my arm.
I turn to his father and answer with a nervous chuckle, “right, I should have-” Ji’s father throws up his hand, his eyes glowing red. Now I see where he gets it from. Though the eyes of the dragon could not hold somebody, they know it is a symbol of their power, and only a fool would play with a dragon or, more foolishly, try to trick one.
“Let her go and come with me.” Ji-Yong ponders at me for a moment, but I fail to meet his gaze as his father’s gaze still has me startled. He was handsome just like Ji, dare I say even more. Though he had a scar across his face, his now brown eyes shined. His hair was perfectly slicked back and shaved underneath, a stylish look for someone his age.
Ji finally shuffles by his father’s side, his dad not even looking at him. Ji just drops his head and knows to keep walking. “Sorry about that, my young soldiers. Please forgive me for not teaching my son well. It seems he still has the old teachings of the Brigade in him. Probably my fault, but this new era will take time. Though, once the new mindset we are working towards becomes second nature, our faction will even rival that of the emperor’s elite force. I will see to it myself, for I have promised King Vernon. We will be stronger than fire! We are now more vicious than 10,000 burning suns!”
The cafeteria falls into an uproar, and honestly, though I was consumed by fear a second ago, I couldn’t help but smile. However, I didn’t expect to receive one in return. Ji-Yong’s father nods his head slightly, apologizing to me, as he continues to smile softly.
I return his feelings with a slight nod, my cheeks growing warm. He exits the fired-up cafeteria as smoothly as he came. And like clockwork Jenave and Sunny appear by my side, their cheeks hot as well.
“High General In-sung. The X-Brigades handsome leader” swoons Jenave.
“It’s not even fair he still looks like that at his age,” Sunny swoons.
“I heard he found some magical gem out in the ruins of Ren.”
“Really!?”
Though my two friends gossip around me, I still haven’t snapped out of my trance, but then I begin to feel the heat of two heads moving closer to mine and two eyeballs staring me down. “So, if he looks like that, what happened to Ji-Yong?” I say, staring back at them, making them laugh.
“Ji-Yong is handsome,” Sunny says while trying to hide her feelings everyone knows she has for him. But Jenave and I don’t say a word as we stare at each other shaking our heads, enticing her.
“Okay, he is slightly handsome, but he is just full of hot air.”
“That is true!” I say, sucking my teeth. “Personality can make even a prince a frog.”
“Well, here is to him hopefully deflating some of that hot air and turning into at least half of his father. So we can have something interesting to look at during training,” Jenave says, throwing out her pinky as we link ours to hers, laughing again like school girls with a crush on their substitute teacher.
