Chapter 15 – Looks like I've got company

This afternoon is shaping up to be a very uneventful one, and I can't say I'm not disappointed by it. I have been wandering around this city for nearly an hour now, with rock music blasting from my headphones into my ears. Every street I pass by, every block I cross, they are all devoid of people. Places that you'd expect to be teeming with activity are empty. The local park, which is pretty large compared to the one back in my town, is so barren you could probably mistake it for a cemetery. The city's shopping precinct, with its rows of stalls along the street and its humongous mall, doesn't look any better.

Looking at these stalls and how their respective wares have just been left there on display, I'd assume that they were evacuated…

'Evacuated'. That could be it.

All of the citizens must have gotten wind of my impending arrival. This immense emptiness and pervasive cold air tell me that. Naturally, they chose the most logical course of action: escape.

Who could blame them? If they were to stay, it would only end poorly for them. I've made one hell of a reputation for myself, one that will disseminate from one settlement to another. From one part of the world to the next.

Even now, I can see my face in a breaking news bulletin on a television set that's been left on in one of the shops. The asshole anchorman is painting me in as harsh a light as he can, so as to let the public know what a menace I am to society. So as to inculcate a fear of me into the minds of everyone watching at home.

Through the windowpane, I see my reflection affecting a smirk at me. I chuckle and continue on my path.

They can all say what they want about me. They can even call me a spawn of the devil himself, for all I care. And if these lowly, pathetic people want to run, they can run. But who's to say that I can't raise hell even if there's no one around to watch? If anything, it'll really draw up a crowd.

I make it to an old-looking building with a long staircase and a row of pillars at its entrance. Must be the City Hall. Perfect.

From behind my back, I draw my sword from its holster. The sheer weight of the weapon is no longer cumbersome to me. It has become nonexistent. I lift the thing into the sky, but just as I begin to bring it down in a slash, I'm stopped by a crawling feeling along my fur. It's a deeply-rooted feeling, like I'm not alone. Like I haven't been alone all along. As if it's been shadowing me, tracing my every step.

I gaze over my shoulder. Atop one of the buildings I had just passed is a figure made obscure by the sunlight above him. But it doesn't matter since I easily make out this silhouette's features. A long, wagging tail, a pair of pointed ears with erect tufts of fur and a coat blown by the hesitant breeze. Last but not least, it's carrying a weapon on its shoulder. Slimmer and smaller than mine, concealed in its sheath.

Now that I've discerned this supposed 'mysterious person', I'm not weary. Not at all.

I remove my headphones from my ears. I'm annoyed…

"Okay, I know you said that you're gonna be with me from now on, but damn it, this is ridiculous," I complain, gazing up to exchange looks with him. "Would it kill you to not make yourself too obvious?"

"Hmph. Don't mind me, I'm just your audience for today. It just so happens that I got myself the best seat in the house," Lupin remarks with a grin, sitting on the edge of a roof with one leg crossed over the other. "Oh, shoot. Where oh where may I get myself a nice hot bag of popcorn?"

"Ngh. If you're gonna be here, could you at least dial down the patronizing by a couple of notches." And by that, I mean stop patronizing me, period. "I don't like being thrown off my focus."

Lupin chuckles at me. "Temper, temper. I wonder where you pick up such bad behavior. If your focus is slipping from the smallest things, then that's not my problem, is it?"

Looks like he's not going to stop any time soon. It's like dealing with a mentally-impaired person, except worse. For the love of God… There doesn't appear to be anything I can do about that, so I just accept it and move on, fitting my headphones over my ears and cranking up the volume on my phone. That's the only thing I can do.

Continuing down my path, I spare a glimpse at my right glove. At the sword in its clutches and the glove that's fitted around it, snug as bug in a rug. The Woo Foo Grimoire. I've already made my decision about using this artifact. Yet ever since I donned it, a number of occurrences have happened upon me that persuade me to reconsider. To get rid of this glove before it's too late.

Pfft. Like that's really going to work. As if I'll change my mind now. As if I'll really go back on my word. On my warrior's pride.

To hell with that.

The Governor's Blade and the Grimoire aren't the only toys I've brought to the party. Inside the pockets of my jacket, a permeating glow emanates from both sides. I fish out the sources with both of my paws. On my right is a cardinal shine, on my left a yellow brilliance. Another set of treasures that Lupin has inexplicably kept to himself. Where does he keep all this stuff? More importantly, how has he been able to given his imprisonment in the pit?

The cardinal light emits an energy that burns in my palm, while the yellow light sends a sensation that tingles my skin. My nerves. My bones. I open my paws and see a pair of diamond-shaped stones wreathed in currents of fire and electricity.

These are two of the Twelve Woo Foo Crystals. Fire and Lightning.

Behind me, I sense Lupin's presence looking down with watchful eyes, as any dutiful teacher does.

"How are they coming along?" he asks. I don't turn around, believing him to be at the same spot he was, still.

"I don't know. I've yet to break them in," I respond, gazing at the crystals as if I were hypnotized. Entranced by their apparition.

"Can you feel their energy coursing in you? Fueling you with unspeakable power? It's exciting, isn't it? Makes you wanna go insane."

It does. This power. I feel it flowing in me. Ingraining itself in my mind. In my heart. Growing. Like a V8 engine filled with high octane gasoline. On top of this Grimoire that's already in my possession and the Governor's Blade, I can bring a mountain crumbling down into dust. Challenge a giant. Or better yet, challenge a god.

I'm more eager to cut loose now. More eager to give this power, this strength, a test drive. Just because there aren't any people to try this out on doesn't mean I can't try it out on something else.

Here's some good target practice: a bunch of trees in the park. Taking position, I point the Crystal of Fire at one tree. A rocket of flame shoots from the artifact, engulfing the tree in one fell swoop. Reducing it to ash. Another tree goes down after a torrent of electricity strikes it. The rest of the trees are disintegrated, turning the park into a worthless, ashen pile of land.

After I stand easy, Lupin claps at my efforts with a mocking stare in his eyes. "Good job, Yang. You just killed a bunch of perfectly healthy trees," he states plainly, his voice lacking in flavor. I roll my eyes, putting up with his teasing, when he turns his attention to the horizon. "What have we got here?"

"What is it?" I say, going into position.

"You're not alone. I'm seeing two—no, three. Actually, make that four. And they're coming your way. Alright, kid. Let's put what you've learned to the test."

"Way ahead of you." I draw my sword, twirling it by its hilt with relative ease. Resting it on top of my shoulders. That same arm I'm holding the sword with is howling – my Grimoire harmonious with my desire for battle. In my pockets, my two crystals are giving off their shine, also resonating with my fighting drive.

"Good luck. I'll be watching from the boxed seats." Lupin vanishes with a Foo-portation spell that takes him to another vantage point. I don't bother trying to find where he is, knowing that I'll still be in his sights regardless.

My feet carry me further into the town. Except for my sword, my weapons continue making their noises and giving off their glows. The Grimoire pulsates like a heart, at nearly the same pace as mine.

Relying on instinct is as good as relying on nothing but a specific skill. A true warrior depends on both it and their sound judgment. On impulse and logical reasoning. What my own reasoning is telling me is that these pulsations are the Grimoire egging me on to using it. After the last fiasco that I just went through, I think it won't hurt to exercise a little caution.

Actually, and I hate to admit it, but since the Grimoire threatened to take hold of my body, I have been cautious. I never showed it to Lupin, my reservations. The volatility of this object is not something to take lightly. Like a pet defying its master. I have to stay on top of this. Just a small fix would be nice, but I don't want anything like that happening ever again.

Eventually, I make it to a smaller part of the city where the streets are narrower and the buildings not as tall or grandiose. Just a bunch of small establishments – the business district, I'm assuming. I'm closing in on an intersection, when a hideous-looking pile of mush drops from the sky, as if God himself were taking a puke. It's a sickly green in color—because, why not agitate my gag reflexes?—and slowly rises from the ground.

"What the hell?" I mutter.

A portion of this…goop takes the shape of a head with a pair of long ears, those of a rabbit, and burning ruby eyes. Below the eyes and a brown spot that I guess is its nose is a wicked smile bearing a fang each on both sides. The face rings a bell.

This sure is an…interesting turn of events, but…

"Yuck?" I say, surprised in a way that I can't really say.

"Why, hello, little Yangy," greets Yuck, two streams of slime on either side solidifying into arms. "This is such a pleasant surprise."

Have you looked in a mirror lately, bro? Ain't nothing pleasant about it in the least, I think in the back of my head.

"I have no idea what the hell is going on here, but I'm not here for you. Now if you don't mind, scooch on over," I demand, planting the tip of my sword on the ground.

"Wait a minute, did I just hear you right? You expect me to scooch?" He exaggerates my command as if I were kidding. Bad news for him: I'm not. "What? Is the wittle Woo Foo bunny wabbit, who supposedly leveled one town and city after another, too scared for a fight? Now that I've hit the jackpot, you think I'm just gonna walk away? That's where you're wrong, buddy. I have a score to settle with you and your sister. Speaking of which, where is the bitch?"

Like I have any obligation to answer that. Again, too bad for him, I'm not going to. And 'bunny'? Is he for real? I really hate being called that. With all of my toys at my disposal, that's a certified death wish.

But I play it cool and force my anger into passive-aggressive laughter.

"Call me a bunny again. I dare you. Call me that, one more time." I sheathe my sword behind my back and raise my Grimoire at him so that he can see it. "See where it gets you with me, big guy." As I deliver my warning to him, I drop any vestige of small talk and glower at him.

"That's what I'm talking about. Let's dance, bunny." He transforms his arms into two separate weapons. The left arm is now a sword, and the other a shotgun.

My sister can wait…

"Yang!" Or maybe she won't have to…

Speak of the she-devil.

I look to where her voice came from. Five silhouettes—a dog, an ogre, a chicken, a tree stump and a rabbit—all poised before me, with the sun behind their backs.

First, Yuck, then these people, these kids my age, who I often called my friends. At least, I used to.

What a clusterfuck this whole affair is quickly becoming.

I was banking on my sister and friends to show up, what with news of my raids on multiple settlements spreading like wildfire, but all of us together at the same place, at the same time, is too specific for my liking.

The five of them race into the scene, armed to the teeth. Lina in particular is carrying one hell of a weapon on her shoulders – an enormous boomerang named The Spark of Nature: Silent Dragonfly. Shizuka Tonbō. A Woo Foo Talisman attuned to Nature.

A power as great as this isn't so easily put into anyone's hands. This boomerang appointing Lina as a worthy wielder is a sick joke. It has to be.

"And Yuck?" asks Yin as the guy comes into her view. "What is going on here?"

Yuck has no answer to give her. What he does, though, is widen his piercing smile, bearing his full set of fangs at what has unfolded.

"Oh, this day keeps getting better and better," he remarks, his appendages reverting back to arms. He rubs his paws together and then punches a fist in his palm, cracking his neck, except without any sound of bones. Just the constant dripping of the liquid substance he's composed of.

"You just can't keep away, can you?" I say, ignoring what Yuck's just said. Raising my sword at Yin and our—her friends.

"You know me very well by now, Yang," is Yin's answer. "I'm taking you back home. We're taking you back home."

Right now, the only people in this world are me and Yin. The world itself has been emptied out. Stripped of everything that has given it appearance. Life. Until it is but a hollow, pitch black space.

Facing her down, looking her in the eye like this. I can't ask for anything more.

It would be easy to impale her with this sword. To roast her with these Crystals in my possession. To leave her a bloody heap with the use of my Grimoire. But that would be too easy. I want to make the most of this. To make her own faults as a person more pronounced, just like she did with me every chance she got.

"Poor Yin," I say after several seconds of silence. "Poor, stupid Yin. For a genius, it's amazing how little you really know about me."

"Yang…" says my sister, my words cutting her to the bone.

"My home's no longer with you. I've got a new one, now. Does it suck? Well, maybe for you, but damn straight not for me." I walk in small circles and shrug as the words fly from my mouth and burrow into Yin's skin. "But hey, look on the bright side. You're free to be the obnoxious know-it-all you always wanted to be. Because we all know that that's what you really are. Am I right, or am I right?"

"Stop…" Yin utters barely, folding her arms defensively, obviously hurt.

"What? Isn't it true? Aren't you an obnoxious know-it-all? I thought you are. I thought you love putting yourself on a pedestal. Don't you?"

"That's not true!" She draws Snow Flower from its sheath out of reflex, her voice breaking.

"Okay, that's enough!" shouts Roger Jr., taking a step forward. His knuckles cracking, itching for some action. As he interjects into our conversation, the rest of the world is restored to its original state. "Dude, I don't know who you think you are, but you are being a total douchebag. Well, even more than you already are…"

"You need to come to your senses, Yang. We're here to help you," says Lina, putting one paw over her chest. Over her beating heart. "But we won't be able to do that unless you start helping yourself."

Like hell, they are… Like hell any of these so-called friends actually give a damn about me. Like hell things will be better if I just drop everything I've gained so far and comply with them. Who do they think they are, deciding what's best for me? What I should do?

I pull out my sword from my holster and point it at the five of them. In turn, the Crystals in my pockets glow brighter than they have. Currents of heat and electricity surge around me in a blanket of red and blue.

"Those are fighting words, Roger," I say in response to the skelewog's challenge. "So y'know what? I'm going to break each and every single one of you." The envelope that surrounds me grows thicker, reaching beyond my body. Sending off tiny sparks and embers haphazardly.

"Is it me, or did it just go up to fifty degrees?" says Coop, putting up his stance. Trying to keep his fright from getting the better of him. Sweltering like a dampened towel.

"Is this what you were warning us about, Yin?" Dave joins in, trembling in his branches and small stumps.

Saying nothing, my sister shuffles a foot behind her and gets into position. Snow Flower glitters in her hands, and both her grip on the hilt and her complexion harden.

"Charge!" she yells, racing down the pavement alongside my former group of friends. Hell-bent on taking me down.

Yuck makes his move too and dashes at me at equal speed, a pair of sickle-shaped protrusions forming on both sides. His bloodlust is profound, plastered all over his fanged glower. Though his motivation and Yin's are nothing alike, they are equally powerful.

As if it will make a difference.

My own surges of energy reach a zenith, the streams of electricity more wild, and the shroud of flame more violent. Some residual sparks and embers find their way on the ground. It doesn't stop my enemies from advancing.

Once they're within the range I'm hoping for, I throw my head up and hands out, unleashing it all in an elemental shockwave. The earth shakes before the display of power, and everyone is flung a hundred-odd feet away from me, their landing unsightly.

Everywhere I look is a picture of decimation. Buildings, roads, vehicles, trees and whatnot ravaged. Overturned. Where a fire hydrant used to be, a geyser of water takes its place. Every building in this block must have had their windows shattered. I'm willing to bet that the effect of my spell extends farther than where I stand.

I hold my poise for a moment before nearly losing my footing. My breathing temporarily robs me of the ability to speak. The yellow and cardinal lights continue to glow on my person.

So this is the strength of the Crystals. Those Woo Foo archives weren't lying. Only one amplified magic spell has caused me to break a sweat, making strands of my fur cling together. If these stones are known to bring Woo Foo Masters to their limits, then they've definitely done a number on me, someone whose preference is the Might discipline. My insides feel like a hole has been torn open in them.

But I've seen worse.

I've endured worse.

It's going to take more than that to put me out of my misery.

Back to this block of the city, Yin, Roger, Lina and Dave are still sprawled on the asphalt, drained from the blast themselves. Yuck, on the other hand, is nowhere to be seen. I don't care enough to wonder where he's run off to. They groan away the pain, traces of fire and electricity circling their bodies. My sister forces herself back up, even using Snow Flower's sheath as a cane to assist her.

Resilient, driven and just plain stubborn. That is me and my sister, in a nutshell. I guess it wouldn't be her if she were to just lay there.

But, man. If her posture and the desperation in her eyes aren't a sign of masochism, then I don't know what is.

"Wow, really?" I say, unbelieving. Brushing off my own pain. "After what you just took?"

"We can go about this however way you want, bro," Yin rasps, grunting in small bursts as she flattens the heels of her feet on the floor. "But one way or another, we will take you back."

Soon, the rest of her crew is up on their feet as well, as determined as she is, wounds and all.

Sis and I draw our swords, pointing them at the other. She makes the first move and goes for another lunge with Snow Flower outstretched. We trade blow after blow, shifting between offense and defense. Might and Magic. Going in for an attack and parrying appropriately. Finding an opening that's never going to present itself.

When the distance between us is sufficiently wide, she forms a volley of ice shards that then fly to where I am. The cold projectiles shatter from a single fierce swing of my sword.

It gives her an opening to continue her attack. Her sword in tow, she brings it down on me and begins slashing. I regain my momentum and defend right on time, going on the offensive myself.

Our blades then meet, the two of us pushing against the other with every ounce of energy.

"Someone's picked up a thing or two lately," I comment snidely, smirking at her efforts to best me. Her futile attempt to actually win. "Fat load of good that'll do you."

We break off from our struggle, finding ourselves several feet apart. Yin tries her best to keep her cool, putting her paw over her chest. The tip of her sword touching the ground behind her, doing the crystal-like finish of the weapon a huge injustice.

Picking up on this, she fixes her posture and returns Snow Flower to its holster.

"Take a look around you, Yang," she says to me. "I know for a fact that you don't want this. All this bloodshed, all this chaos, this isn't you. I don't want this, either. None of us do. I don't want to have to raise a sword and point it at you." And yet here you are, doing exactly that. "Look, I haven't been 'sister of the year' material lately, but I don't mean all of that horrible stuff I say or do to you. If you're really pissed off at me, if that's really what all this is about, then let's sit down and talk about it. Anything but this."

As Yin blabs on, Lina, Dave, Roger and Coop line up next to her, looking worse for wear. In spite of their battered state, they stand their ground with unfaltering resolve.

"Just listen to her, man," says the skelewog, fists clenched and ready for a fight if need be.

Lina then takes a step forward, the giant boomerang slung across her shoulder. "Yang, please. It's not too late. This is for your own good."

"We're not making choices for you, bro," says Yin, also moving forward. Trying to be as inviting as she can be. But that's automatically out the window given that they're all armed to the teeth. "We're helping you pick the right one. We're telling you how boneheaded the one you made is. As your sister, I'm telling that to you."

She didn't just…

But she did, a voice in my mind urges.

As I expected. This isn't for my sake, but for theirs. Who are they trying to fool with their pretenses? Not me, that's for sure. The nerve of them to pull the wool over my eyes. The nerve of them to hold me back. How dare they?

How. Dare. THEY?!

My blood boiling in anger, I twirl my sword by its hilt and point its tip at them. I look them dead in the eye, channeling that anger that bubbles in me for them to see. Their foundation wobbles slightly.

"And as your brother and your 'friend', I'm telling all of you that you're so full of it," I say to them, my low voice putting me in command of the situation. "So I'll tell you what. Take your 'brother and sister' bullshit and shove it up right where the sun don't shine. As far as I'm concerned, I've made my decision. Since you're all being a pain in my neck today, why don't I return the favor a thousand times over?"

In one quick move, I put my paw in my pocket, pull it back out and punch the ground beneath my feet. A torrent of blue lightning trails along the road and sets off an explosion underneath my foes. They manage to avoid getting caught in the blast by jumping back far enough, but the dust and smoke give me ample time to attack.

Gripping the hilt of my sword tightly, I lunge at them and prepare to bring the weapon across them in a horizontal swipe. Amidst the thick bank of dirt, I hit something. The silhouette before me is that of a person, but whatever my blade has struck doesn't feel like flesh or bone.

The dust dissipates, revealing the shadow to be Yuck, or the amorphous being known as Yuck. And the object that my sword has collided with is a sword-like appendage that is seemingly attached to his body. He allowed a part of himself to take this shape. Assuming control over it, he lifts it up and points the tip at my head.

He bears his teeth at me in a grin that is befitting of him. He's out for blood. My blood. He has the power to stake his claim on me. On my life.

"Neat trick, no?" says Yuck boldly, swatting away my sword. "There's plenty more where that came from."

Another part of his body shapes into a scythe. He leaps at me with his two 'arms', hacking away in a frenzy. Aiming to land even the smallest blow to instill a fear in me. Our battle, carrying us from one corner of the city to another.

But I can more than keep up with his savagery. Fear is one of those emotions that every living creature is subject to. There are no exceptions. I'd be lying if I said I'm not the least bit wary about Yuck's newfound capabilities. But my near-endless Woo Foo training has enabled me to cast these feelings aside. And the more rigorous regime that Lupin has put me through has only made me better at it.

If I wanted to, I'd jump headfirst into the eye of a tornado and brave the storm, so to speak.

With Yuck, it's only a matter of time. One of us will be walking away from this battle in one piece. It won't be him. As soon as I find that opening, it's game, set and match.

My adversary does not let up for even one second. The weapons he uses change throughout the course of the fight. When the distance between us is wide, he resorts to crossbows, arrows and even guns while trying to bridge the gap. That's when he really cuts loose. Swords, lances, scythes, if anything is of remote use to him, he will use it. His seamless adaptation to any given situation make him a bigger deal than he leads on.

Still and all, the two of us are nip and tuck. Every move he makes is met with a slash of my sword, a spell enhanced by the Crystals in my person or a swift evasive jump. The battle never tips to either of our favors.

Although it just might. It took time, but this fight might have just been decided.

Yuck stumbles to the ground, rasping for air as his weapons retract into him. I had a hunch that his gooey state could only be the cause of one thing.

There's an urban legend circulating around about a place where the vilest of creatures are said to reside. A place located in the off-skirts of my town, more specifically the wasteland where the lair of the Night Master once stood. The Pit is what it's called. Some people naturally draw conclusions that he and this place have something to do with each other, while other people are of the belief that it's related to Woo Foo. There is no concrete explanation as to what the Pit really is…

…except that Lupin has been in there once. For a hundred years, it was his prison. And the one who banished him there, his former mentor, Yo. As if I don't already have enough reasons to hate the old fart.

And even still, Lupin has no idea of the Pit's true nature. The only thing he knows of it is that it changes a person forever. He is living proof of it.

And apparently, so is Yuck. Though Lupin has been in the Pit for so long, for the most part he is still of a sound heart, mind and body, if not for his bitterness. I can't say the same for this pitiful little wretch in front of me.

Now he's going to pay dearly for his mistake, if he hasn't already. I find myself swarmed by vicious thoughts, by all sorts of ideas of drawing out his suffering further. I don't even attempt to hide the grin on my face.

Twirling my sword by the hilt, I relax into a more casual posture and chuckle.

"Talk about a fascinating turn of events," I say with sadistic merriment. "I had a feeling you were desperate to settle the score with me, but to actually go that far? You've sunken so low."

Yuck flashes his fangs in anger, triggered by the fact that I've just told him the cold hard truth. Yelling a throat-piercing yell, he dashes at me with a pair of claymores and brings them at me in a haphazard sequence. He's more unfocused compared to a while ago, his attacks missing their mark badly.

Why should I waste my good arm on him? I can just put away my sword, which is what I end up doing. Resorting to just evading him, knowing full well that he is never going to hit me.

One heavy slash of his leaves him caught in the ground, and he struggles to pry his arm out. I perch my paw on the flat of his and lift his head by his chin.

"What do you think, Yuck? How does it feel, knowing that you're slowly disintegrating?" I ask him with total condescension. "That at any time, you could be reduced to nothing? Well, less than nothing, since you're literally nothing already."

He doesn't take kindly to my mockery and, eventually freeing himself, lashes out at me. Like a stray feather in a gentle breeze, I weave away from his slice and chuckle some more. I palm my face and shake my head, deriving comedy in his pettiness. In the futility of his struggle.

Yet again, he continues his offense, his efforts draining him by the second. He refuses to properly angle his attacks so that they even come close to hitting me.

I draw my sword and block the next slash, relishing in his misery. I lean closer to his face, his troubled breathing washing over mine.

"Actually, what I should have asked is: is it really worth it? Is it?" I continue taunting him, gripping the hilt with both paws. "I'm curious to know. I am, honest. Perhaps you can enlighten me."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" screams Yuck, pushing with enough force to repel me. He creates a pair of arms and clutches his chest. A thick veil of perspiration surfaces on his brow. I'm surprised that he's still able to do things like breathe, sweat and feel anything even with this body. I wonder how much pain he can take.

Guess I'm about to find out. I enter my fighting stance and say, "I've wasted enough time. I'll make this quick."

I pull out the Crystals of Fire and Lightning from my pockets and close my fists over them. Their power swells within them and then surges into my body. Currents of flame and electricity dance around me in a cloak of red and blue. I continue to draw power from these two sacred stones, and they won't be running out of fuel any time soon.

Hunching forward to prepare myself, I observe my pathetic adversary and size him up. I'm the hunter with his eyes on his prey. My heart races. As do I.

Like a flash of thunder, I bolt towards him. My paws are around his neck. I lift him above the ground as he gags and spews tiny pellets of blood, and drops of slime fall to my feet. The bravado he once had is gone, terror taking its place.

"Woo Foo Secret Technique," I whisper. My voice soars to the sky afterwards. "Hands of Ruin!"

Fire and lightning erupt beneath me in a diagonal stream, engulfing the helpless Yuck whole. The flow continues until it sets off an explosion that propels him away from me.

I recoil just a little from the explosion without actually losing ground. I take a moment to regain my composure. Artifacts such as these Crystals and this sword don't feel as though they're part of this world at all. When I use them, it's like I'm being taken past the skies above. To some far off place fit only for a deity. They're not to be taken for granted, that's for sure.

I wonder how I'm still in one piece after cutting loose the way I just did. Woo Foo legend told of unworthy people meeting an untimely demise when they attempt to use a Talisman or Crystal for themselves. Though I'm probably in no position to complain; this is the power I've sought for. If anything, I'm among the one percent of Woo Foo Knights who've had a taste of such immense power and can live to tell of such a tale.

And that's just it; this is but a sample of the Crystals' and Talismans' strengths. There are twelve of each, but for the time being, these two are more than enough.

Now that that's out of the way, that still leaves Yuck. Should I put an end to him? Or leave him there to die of his own choosing? The answer isn't there like I hoped it would be. I'm too tired to decide. These Crystals have knocked more wind out of me than I thought, my head damp in a haze.

My legs give way, bringing me to my knees. From the distance, I can hear them. My sister and company. They've been doing their best to keep up with us. They behold the aftermath of the most recent battle.

"Oh my God," murmurs Lina, wandering her eyes everywhere, fraught by the carnage. The onslaught.

"This can't be happening," Dave trembles.

"At least no one got hurt," Coop adds calmly. It changes when they set their sights on Yuck. "Guess I spoke too soon."

"Yuck!" Yin cries out with the pretense that she cares about him, running to his aid. Crouching and feeling his face with the heel of her paw. "Hey, hang in there."

Looking a little worse for wear, the best that Yuck can respond with is coughing five times, spitting out more drops of blood on the fourth and fifth.

"Damn! This isn't good. He's barely holding on, but there's no telling what could happen."

"What in the hell are you?" states Roger, stunned and horrified.

My strength comes back to me, and I get up on my feet. "I thought you knew. Or maybe you never did?"

"How… How could you do this?" cracks Lina, on the verge of tears. Taken by disbelief.

"No. No, no, no. You're not the Yang we know. The Yang we know would never act like this," Dave rationalizes, and it's about time that one of these idiots grows a brain between their shoulders.

"Took you long enough," I say without even half a damn. "What's it to ya, park bench?"

Her back towards me, Yin rises slowly and with a trembling fist. She turns to me, showing watery eyes and a fanged glower – a primal expression that wants only to rend asunder.

"You monster!" she growls, drawing her sword in a frigid mist. She dashes at me with her weapon primed and goes for the attack. The two of us clash as she tells her friends, "You guys go ahead to the dojo. Take Yuck with you!"

"But what about you?" Lina objects as the others hurry to Yuck's aid.

"Leave this one to me! Just go! That's an order!"

Roger carries the unconscious Yuck in his arms, but falters from the drops of slime staining him and falling off his person. They eventually hightail it out of here, leaving me and my sister to deal with each other.

I fend her off, and she leaps up high and dives at me with her sword pointed outwards. She misses me, and we go right back at it, trading slashes, punches, kicks and spells. She pulls out a few new tricks, such as a volley of ice shards, a water-based whip and a crystalline skateboard deck that she rides on at a breakneck speed.

Yin's gotten so much better since our last encounter, I'll give her that. She's coming at me with harsher, more resolute intentions, too. To be honest, it took me by surprise, how much she's improved. But it won't be enough to put me down. I have an answer for everything she can dish out.

She refuses to lose, but so do I. From that alone, it's almost like this skirmish will be continuing for quite some time.

During a short but welcome respite, I affect as calm a pose and air as I can, fascinated by her sharpened skills. She's breathing in all the air she can, but I merely smirk at her.

"Pretty good, sis," I say, clapping in a demeaning way. "You had me going there for a second. Keep it up, and you might actually land your first hit."

My sister doesn't take any of my patronizing, brushing it off with a swipe of her arm. "I hope you're proud of yourself, Yang."

Just when I'm about to make the next move, he leaps into the fray. Literally. His entrance could not be any more dramatic or impeccably timed. He lands right between us, unmoving for the longest time before standing up. Tail wagging left and right and duster blown by a breeze – a cool and composed air, compared to mine.

"Stand down, dear student," says Lupin, holding me back with his one paw. Humbling me in the process.

"You!" lashes Yin, pointing a finger at me. And I feel as every bit willing to snap it off of her after showing my master such undue disrespect.

"Is that all you have to say to me? 'You'? That old geezer probably never taught you any manners. Not surprising, seeing as he doesn't know any."

"Spare me your crap. Just because you're the only Woo Foo Grandmaster doesn't mean I'm going to back off. Either you give Yang back to me, or I'll be wiping your blood off this sword by the time I'm done with you."

Lupin could not help but chuckle at my sister's temerity. He folds his arms casually and says, "Recklessness does run in your family. That's very adorable of you, but it's also foolish. Don't even try coming at me, you'll only regret it. Besides, my issue is with that godforsaken panda, not you. For now, I'm calling this little brouhaha off. We're calling it a day for now, kiddo."

Out of reflex, Yin launches a spike of ice at Lupin. It barely hits him, slicing off a small patch of his fur from his face. She has several more locked and loaded. "You're not going anywhere. I'm here for my brother, and either I'm leaving with him or I drop dead trying."

Annoyed, Lupin groans and rolls his eyes. He keeps his cool as best as he can, but the most patient man in the world can crack at some point. "Don't be in such a hurry for that. You still have an entire life waiting for you and all. For the time being, you might want to consider getting ready."

"For what?"

"Something big. Something that no one can escape from. Something that will change our lives forever. And I get the feeling that all of us will be seeing each other very soon. And by then, we can resolve this little mess that we have in our hands."

That's when I remember that Lupin really did mean for this to be another exercise. He must have seen the evacuation of this town coming. He didn't really want me to finish anyone off. Not today, anyway. This was just him gauging a number of things. The progress of my training, the strength of the Crystals, whether I could use them to full capacity, and such.

This is basically it. An evaluation. Nothing more, nothing less.

Lupin walks past Yin and looks over his shoulder. "Yang, we're outta here."

"Yes, sir," I answer diligently, joining him.

He gazes at my sister and tells her, "Your dear Master Yo might have already caught on with what's going on. When that time comes, I'll be expecting all four of us to be present and accounted for. Until then, take care of yourself, Yin."

And he and I then make our exit, leaping high into the sunlit distance, from roof to roof. Leaving a bewildered Yin behind us. Bewildered just as I am.

I reflect on Lupin's little diatribe a while ago. About this huge, life-changing event that's to come soon. I have no regrets about the decisions I've made so far. I came into this knowing of the hardships and suffering I would have to endure, and they are far from over. But this situation might probably be two-fold. A means to an end.

For me, this is about becoming a stronger, better Woo Foo Knight. For Lupin, this could also be fulfilling his own agenda of letting the world know of the greatness of this art. Yet there could be more to him that just spreading the word about Woo Foo.

Whatever he has in store may be, I don't want him to see me as just a means to an end. Without him, I wouldn't know how to navigate this winding and turning road. I would have been even more lost than I already was. My sister would have surpassed me, and all my faults would be put out there for everyone to point out and deride me for.

I know for sure that I have a similar degree of significance to him. But…

Lupin… Once in a while, I wish I could get inside your head. See the world the way you do. Being told about your life, what you've been through, your joy, your sorrow, sometimes just isn't enough. I know this is as important to you as it is for me, but I want to know.

What will happen after everything is said and done?