Servants of the Dakkai

[sungoddess]

Uuu..liked this one very much...

[Crow]

Ep9 - Reason to fight

The next day, Josey and Terry slept in with Magnus watching over them. The wounds they received from their opponents had made them lose a lot of blood and they needed to rest.
Magnus had a sad look on his face as he looked at his two injured comrades.
"Any change?" Tanya asked entering the room.
"Not yet," Magnus said with a sigh.
"If only he had stayed and fought with them then..."
"What?" Magnus interrupted. "He would have ended up in a bed next to them... or worse. Josey made the right call trying to get him out of there because she knew there was no way the three of them could match Vincent and Gorgon."
"We can't be sure of that!" Tanya snapped.
"Can't we?" Maverick said entering the room. "Kid's got potential but he's a long way from being able to use it."
"He's right," Magnus agreed. "How is he anyway?"
"I was going to ask you the same question," Maverick replied.
"What do you mean? I thought you were supposed to keep an eye on him," Magnus said standing.
"Well he was asleep an hour ago when I last looked in on him. But when I went to check up on him a few minutes ago he was gone," Maverick explained.
"You're useless," Tanya leaving the room.
"Great! That's just what we needed right now," Magnus said walking to the window. "These two are injured, Casey's spirit's been broken... the Blades of Light are falling apart."
"You're crazy, old man," Maverick said walking to the door. "You just can't see what's coming."
"Where are you going?" Magnus asked.
"Where do you think? To look for the rookie," Maverick answered. "It looks like I'm the only one in this damn house that believes in him."
After he left Magnus sighed and said: "You're wrong, hotshot. I don't there's anyone in this house that doesn't believe in him."
Casey left alone to think about everything. As he walked down the street he couldn't help thinking about what Navaro told him. <Don't you have anything to fight for?>
'What am I fighting for?' he asked himself.
His path led him to three different places in town. First he went to a hospital where he saw doctors busy with a lot of patients. He even entered and saw how ardently surgeons worked to save their patients from death.
He managed to ask a doctor who looked very tired as he was taking a coffee brake: "Why do you push yourself so much?"
The doctor didn't look at him but said: "We have a duty to save our patients."
'Duty?'
Next he went to a construction site where he saw a man working even though he had a bandaged arm. It was obvious it still hurt by the way he was holding it.
He walked up to him and asked: "Why do you work in such a high risk place?"
The man smiled as he said:"I have a family to take care of."
'Family'
As evening approached he ended up in a park, next to a children's playground. There were a lot of kids there playing with their parents. A small boy jumped into his father's arms smiling and laughing. Behind him, a woman walked to them and said: "Shouldn't you be at the office? I thought you said you had a lot of work to do."
"I'd rather stay here than at the office," the man replied.
"But don't you risk losing your job?" Casey asked confused.
"Some things are more important," the man said then left with his family.
Suddenly Casey realised something he should have long ago: 'Important'
'I have a duty to my family too. And they're more important to me than anything else in the world.'
He sat down on a bench and looked at the sun setting in the horizon.
"Looks like someone's had an epiphany," Maverick said sitting next to him.
"Yeah, I guess I did," Casey replied smiling.
"So? What was it?"
"I have a reason to fight," Casey answered.
"Cool... now let's go home."

[Crow]

Ep10 - First Blow

One morning Maverick woke Casey up very early in the morning.
"What the hell is the matter with you?" Casey asked with an angry look on his face.
"Wake up junior! We have a mission!" Maverick said smiling.
"Yeah, to kill you," Casey said rubbing his eyes.
"He, he! You're a real comedian, now get dressed,” Maverick said leaving the room.
Casey woke up, washed his face and after getting dressed went downstairs where Maverick, Magnus and Josey were waiting for him. Josey also looked very sleepy but smiled when she saw him.
"So what's the big mission?" Casey asked yawning.
"We have to investigate reports of strange activity on the outskirts of the city," Magnus answered.
"If we're lucky, you might see your first demons," Maverick said putting his hand on Casey's shoulder.
Josey, however, did not look very enthusiastic about the idea of meeting demons.
On the way, she and Casey were guarding their backs while the other two walked in front of them. Casey noticed she looked worried and said: "Don't worry, Jos. This time I won't let anyone hurt you."
She smiled as a reply but she was still worried.
A few minutes later, they reached their destination. An old part of town few people ever went to. It was full of old apartment buildings and warehouses. They were watching a group of people talking in an alley.
"Is that them? They're something weird about them," Casey stated.
"Indeed there is and I'm glad you're able to notice that," Magnus said with a proud look on his face. "Take a closer look."
Casey looked at them, concentrating his energy into his eyes as he had been taught during training. Suddenly the true form of their foes was revealed. They had red skin, pointy ears and fangs.
"Wow!" Casey exclaimed.
He was so loud that the demons heard him and immediately charged them. Magnus and Maverick got in front of their younger companions, summoning their swords and retaliating. Out of instinct, Josey grabbed Casey by the arm and ran off with him.
"Damn it! There's too many of'm!" Maverick said slashing at them.
"Just keep them away from the kids!" Magnus ordered.
But a few demons managed to slip by them and catch up to the other two. They knocked Josey out just as they got out of the alley and surrounded Casey. He stopped for a moment and kneeled next to her to see if she was badly wounded. Then he immediately summoned Diamond Edge and faced them.
"So... this is the new addition we've been hearing about," one of the demons said. "Can't say I'm impressed."
"Why don't you come here and say that? Then we'll see how impressive I am!" Casey said with a mocking smile on his face.
"Cocky little mortal, isn't he?" said another.
"I'll soon put him back in his place!" the first shouted.
The demon ran towards him with his claws ready to strike. Casey stood his ground and watched his movement. He analysed him from head to toe, without moving an inch, waiting for the right moment. When the demon was close enough, he clenched his sword tightly and with a single blow, sliced his opponent in half, slicing through his waist. The two halves of the demon fell on the ground and Casey's sword was dripping with blood, seeing that, the other demons ran off.
When Magnus and Maverick turned to see what had happened they saw Casey kneeling next to Josey, with his blood covered sword still in his hand, holding the tip in the ground. When she woke up and saw the blood around them she screamed and started looking for wounds on his body.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. But I'm afraid I broke my promise," he said with a small smile.
"No, you kept your other promise," she replied with a real smile, unlike before.
On the way back, Casey and Josey were the ones walking ahead while Magnus and Maverick walked a few feet behind them, looking at Casey, still surprised by everything.
"How long have you been training him?" Maverick asked.
"Only about two months," Magnus replied.
"And that last battle was how long ago?"
"Five weeks ago," Magnus answered.
"He's obviously caught up to Terry and Josey. I haven't seen such rapid growth since...
"Yes, they're surprisingly similar," Magnus interrupted.

[sungoddess]

Ohooo..Cassey kicked their asses...nice!!

[Crow]

Ep11 – Ties of blood

A few days after that mission, Casey woke up later than usual and after taking a shower, went downstairs to look for Magnus. He found no one in the living room or the kitchen. He saw Navaro in the gardens but ignored him. He finally found Terry in the library.
“Hey, man! Have you seen the old geezer?” Casey asked entering the library.
“Good morning to you too and yes I have. He and Maverick left early this morning to make a special report to the boss.”
“Alright!” Casey exclaimed.
“But he said you have to train by yourself,” Terry added, keeping his eyes buried in the book he was reading.
“Ah crap!” Casey said disappointed and walked towards the door.
“Have fun,” Terry said waving his hand but without looking away from the book.
Casey walked towards the training room looking disappointed and summoning his weapon on the way. As he got closer, waving his sword from left to right, he heard noise coming from inside. The door was slightly open and he peeked inside. He saw Tanya and Josey in a sparring match, using their real swords. Tanya was attacking her relentlessly and Josey was having a hard time defending herself. When she was finally knocked to the floor, Tanya acted as if she was going to deliver the killing blow. She stopped only a few seconds and said: “You lose.”
Just as she was about to hit her opponent, Casey ran into the room and blocked her sword before she could stop it on her own.
“Are you crazy? What’s the matter with you? Are you trying to kill your own teammate?” Casey yelled at her.
Tanya was a bit shaken by his sudden appearance but managed to speak: “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said backing off. “We were simulating a real battle. If I were a real enemy, then she would be dead, wouldn’t she?”
“Not while I’m around,” Casey said helping Josey up.
Josey kept her look away from Tanya and hid her face behind her hair. After a few moments, Tanya left the room and as she was walking down the hall she looked at her sword with a confused look on her face.
‘How did he block my attack so easily?’ she asked herself.
After helping Josey walk to a bench, he went to the kitchen to get her a soda. When he returned she found her standing still, looking at the floor, with tears dripping from her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” he asked walking closer.
“N-nothing!” she said nervously wiping her tears.
“Right… your eyes just sprang a leek?” he asked sitting down next to her and handing her the drink.
She didn’t answer but only took the soda he had brought her and took a sip from it.
“There’s something going on between you two, isn’t there?” he asked looking out the window.
“It’s a long story. You’d be bored,” she said keeping her head down.
“Let me be the judge of that,” he replied smiling.
She stared at him for a few moments, than bowed her head, took a deep breath and said: “You’re right, there is something between us… she’s my older sister.”
Casey was shocked by her statement but continued to listen quietly.
“Throughout our family’s history, several women have been chosen by the Dakkai. Sometimes it doesn’t happen for centuries, other times it was several times in a row. But my sister and I are the first two to be chosen during the same time period.”
“So she’s pushing you because of your heritage?” he asked.
“Yes. She doesn’t think I’m strong enough. She thinks I’m a disgrace to all the other women before us who have been chosen,” she said, her eyes starting to show tears again.
“Ignore her,” Casey stated.
She turned to him but remained silent for a while. Seeing her silent, he explained what he meant: “Who is she to say you’re not strong enough? How much older than you is she?”
“Five years…”
“See? She’s been around longer and only wants you to give it your best. I’ll bet she just worries about you too much.”
“I guess you know what that’s like,” she said smiling.
His words calmed her down but he still felt that there was more to it than she had told him.
In room with white furniture, Jonas sat at a desk with his back to Magnus and Maverick.
“That strong already,” Jonas stated.
“It’s a remarkable growth but it’s not unique,” Magnus said.
“But you gotta give the kid credit. You put him through hell with that training of yours,” Maverick said with a bored look on his face.
“Times are dangerous, we need him to grow as fast as possible,” Magnus argued.
“But to be fair, my dear friend,” Jonas said turning around. “You never put the other two through such a harsh regime.”

[Crow]

Ep12 – A surprise mission

One late afternoon, Casey was closing the shop alone with an annoyed look on his face.
“After all the work I put into this place I should own it not that bastard,” he said to himself.
After locking the door he started for home but he only took a few steps when a strange feeling came over him. The same feeling he had had when he first saw demons. He looked around and saw a group of teenagers talking with three older men. Looking more carefully he saw past the image the three demons created and realised what was going on.
‘I’m gonna be late for diner,’ he said to himself.
He followed the group from afar but close enough to keep an eye on them. They stopped near an abandoned building where the teenagers were told to wait outside for a while. Casey seized the opportunity and went to talk to them.
“Hey!” he said smiling.
“Hey, to you too,” one of them answered.
“What are you guys doing in this dangerous part of town?” Casey said when he was near them.
“We were told there’s some new disco around here,” another said.
“Shut up! We’re not supposed to tell anyone!” the first scolded him.
“Who told you? Those guys?” Casey asked pointing at the door the demons went in through.
“So what if it was them?” a third asked.
“You guys seen the news about all those kidnappings lately?” he asked pretending to be weary about the demons seeing him.
“You don’t mean…” the second one said.
“I just talked to a few cops that told me to look out for guys who bring people in this part of town.”
“Man I don’t want to get into trouble around here,” the second said looking at the first.
“Me neither, let’s get out of here,” the third stated.
“Alright, let’s go. Thanks man,” the first said looking at Casey.
“No problem,” Casey said and was getting ready to leave as soon as they were gone when he heard the door opening.
When he turned around he saw the three demons that had come out of the building, each with a sword in their hand and looking angry.
“You should have minded your own business, Blade!” one of them said.
“Yeah, you guys are not supposed to interfere!” said another.
“Except when you’re told to, like good little doggies,” said the third.
“Oh but I was doing my job,” Casey replied smirking. “I was getting on your nerves.”
His reply angered them and they prepared to attack while he summoned his sword. They slowly surrounded him on all sides and he was starting to get worried.
“Looks like there’ll be one less Blade to worry about,” the first said smiling.
“That’s what you think!” Maverick shouted as he came out from behind a building followed by Navaro and Magnus.
The demons immediately ran off seeing that they no longer outnumbered him. Casey was able to sigh relieved that he didn’t have to face so many opponents on his own. As he looked at the others, he was confused to see Navaro there.
“Not that I’m complaining, but what are you guys doing here?” he asked once they stopped near him.
“Well we received an emergency mission related to a few demons that were attracting too much attention and we got here as soon as we could,” Magnus answered.
“But we didn’t expect the mission to be half over by the time we arrived,” Maverick said smiling.
“Half is right. I’ll go finish them off,” Navaro said and ran off after the demons.
Casey was a little ticked by his reaction but was relieved they had arrived in time to save his life. He let the sword disappear and walked home with the other two.
“You’re doing pretty well for yourself,” Magnus stated as they walked back.
“Eh, what can I say? I’m a natural,” Case y said smirking.
“Yeah…” Maverick replied. ‘We’ll see just how natural you are soon enough,’ he said to himself.

[Crow]

Ep13 – A sparring match

‘Alright kid, let’s see what you’re made of,’ Maverick said to himself looking at his sword.
Casey went to the training room as he did every morning but once he got there, he saw that Magnus, Terry and Josey were already there. The first two seemed to be waiting for something with smiles on their faces while Josey looked worried.
“Am I missing something here?” he asked confused.
“I hope not,” Magnus replied.
“Just so you know, my money’s on Red,” Terry stated smiling.
“Be careful not to hurt yourself, ok?” Josey said looking at the floor.
“Will one of you tell me what’s going on?” Casey demanded.
“Testosterone if you ask me,” Tanya answered as she entered the room. “I think it’s a waste of time,” she added as she walked over to the others and sat down.
“But you still came,” Maverick said walking up behind Casey.
It was obvious that everyone in the room knew something he didn’t and it was getting on Casey’s nerves.
“Right now I’m ready to think you’re the sane one,” Casey stated sitting down.
“Oh I don’t think you want to sit,” Maverick said taking a few steps in front of him with his back turned.
“And why not?” Casey asked puzzled.
“Because… it would be hard to parry this!” Maverick shouted as he turned around swinging his sword.
Casey blocked it out of instinct but he fell off the bench he was sitting on. Maverick didn’t waste any time and attacked again but Casey managed to roll out of the way and stood up.
“Have you finally gone completely insane?” Casey asked keeping his sword in a defensive position.
“Actually I wanted to see how much you’ve improved,” Maverick answered. “You’ve gone from bottom of the food chain to demon killer in a few months. Not bad for a rookie.”
“You could have given me a warning,” Casey complained.
“We don’t get warnings in real life!” Maverick shouted and attacked him again.
The two kept on fighting for a while and even though Casey was only blocking his attacks, he was doing a pretty good job. Josey couldn’t help smiling and look at him with big eyes, even Magnus and Terry were blown away by how well he was doing.
“He’s handling himself pretty well, don’t you think?” Magnus asked Terry while keeping his eyes on the two.
“Well, he’s lasted longer than I expected him to,” Terry answered.
“He’s the greatest,” Josey stated smiling.
“Well I wouldn’t go as far as to say that…” Terry replied. “What do you think Tanya?”
She didn’t answer and kept watching them but even though she was forcing herself to keep a straight face, she couldn’t hide the fact that she was impressed by Casey’s progress. As the fight went on, Casey was starting to look tired from all the effort but he did not back down. His determination started to leave all of them gazing at him surprised, even Tanya stopped hiding how shocked she was by his performance.
Outside in the garden, Navaro was watching them from behind a tree and starring at Casey even if only with the corner of his left eyes.
‘How can you be so much like him?’ he said to himself.
The fight had been going on for an hour and Casey was shaking and breathing very hard. Even Maverick looked tired from all the effort.
“OK… I think we can stop now,” Maverick said breathing a bit hard.
“Had enough?” Casey replied gasping for air.
“I’ll let that one slide since you did so well.”
“Who said I’m done?!” Casey shouted and attacked one last time.
He was surprisingly fast given how tired he was but Maverick had no trouble in knocking the sword out of his hands and him to the ground because of the force of his blow. Then he walked closer and pointed Lightning Strike at his neck.
“You’ve grown a lot but not that much, kiddo.” Maverick said looking more serious than usual.
He then helped him up and they all walked out of the training room, all but Tanya who walked over to the window and saw Navaro walking away.
‘You can see it too, can’t you?’ she said to herself.

[Crow]

Ep14 – A day off

The fight with Maverick had exhausted him and the following morning he slept till almost noon. When he woke up and saw the time he rushed downstairs but he met Josey on the way.
“Where’s the fire?” she asked smiling.
“You don’t know what that geriatric sadist does to me when I’m late for training,” he said trying to get passed her.
“Take it easy,” she said getting in front of him. “He said you could sleep in this morning and then take the rest of the day off.”
“He did?” Casey asked surprised.
“Yeah! And… I was thinking that… if you want to… we could go to the park together,” she said avoiding his eyes.
“I’d love to but once those three monsters find out I have a day off they’ll…”
“Oh don’t worry about them!” she interrupted. “Terry said he’d look after them.”
“Did you plan all of this?” he asked trying to look her in the eyes.
“W-why do you ask that?” she said starting to get nervous.
“No reason,” he said smiling. “Let me get some breakfast… or lunch then I’ll change and we can go.”
“OK! I’ll go get ready!” she said and rushed to her room.
Casey went to the kitchen and made a sandwich that he took upstairs to his room and ate while changing his clothes. A few minutes later he went back down and found Josey waiting for him at the front door. They left the mansion, Casey smiling because he had a day off and Josey looking at him with the corner of her eye.
At the park they first went to a café to get something to drink. Once they ordered Casey pair the waiter but Josey looked angry.
“Why did you pay for everything?” she complained.
“Well this is a date isn’t it?” he replied smiling.
“Uh… well, yeah,” she said blushing.
“Well, then! Isn’t the guy supposed to pay?” he added.
“I guess…” she said smiling.
After finishing their drinks they went for a walk around the lake often stopping to get pop corn or cotton candy. Both smiled a lot and were happy. Josey would often walk beside him just gazing at him, blushing.
As the sun started hen they stopped for a moment to rest before they went home. Casey closed his eyes and laid his head back. Josey sat next to him and looked at him for a few moments. Then she slowly moved closer and closer to him and then rested her head on his shoulder but without looking at him. Some people walking by giggled as they saw them and she immediately stood up and her face turned red.
“You’re pretty shy aren’t you?” Casey said smiling.
“I guess…” she said looking away.
“Come on! It think we should head home,” he said standing.
“Wait!” she said grabbing his arm. “Let’s stay a little longer.”
“Alright, what do you want to do?”
“I was thinking maybe we could go to the lake and sit for a while. I wanted to see the sunset,” she said letting go and hiding her face.
They walked back to the lake and when they were a few feet away she hastened her pace and sat down only a few feet from the water, on a patch of grass. Casey walked up behind her and sat next to her, leaning on his hands. Once he was next to her she moved closer to him and placed her head on his shoulder again. They stayed there until the sun went down, then walked home. On the way she had both her arms wrapped around his right arm.
When they got home no one asked any questions but Tanya gave her a cold look then left the room. Maverick smiled more than usual so was Magnus, which made Josey blush and forget about the way Tanya had looked at her.

[Crow]

Ep15 – An “old friend”

Another normal afternoon, Casey had just left the shop but didn’t close it because his boss was still there. He looked much more relaxed than he used to and smiled more. As he was a few hundred feet from the shop he started hearing footsteps behind him and was getting a feeling of déjà vu. He remained calm and kept walking but his face was more serious.
Suddenly he stopped and without turning around said: “You know, you shouldn’t repeat yourself.”
“Sometimes it’s the best way to surprise someone,” a voice replied.
“But not always,” Casey said turning around.
“Long time no see,” Vincent said smiling.
“You’re going to wish it had been longer,” Casey replied summoning Diamond Edge.
“Hmm, I heard you liked to boast,” Vincent stated circling him.
“Oh I’m not the same guy I was when we first met,” Casey said keeping an eye on him but staying still.
“We’ll just see about that,” Vincent said and summoned Silver Horror.
Casey didn’t wait for him to attack and charged him first. His surprise attack pushed Vincent back a few feet and left him dazzled.
“I warned you, I’ve changed,” Casey said and pushed him back even further.
Vincent was having a tough time holding his position so he slid to one side and let Casey go by him while he prepared to attack. But once Casey went passed him he twisted around and tried to strike at Vincent again so he couldn’t attack him instead.
Vincent was getting angry: “When did you get so strong?”
“It’s been a while since we last saw each other. What did you think? I’d just sit around all day long?” Casey said smiling.
“We have been hearing about a new Blade no one knew about that kept causing trouble. I wasn’t sure whether it was you or not.”
Vincent pushed him back and retreated a few steps to think of a new solution. Casey didn’t look like had exerted himself at all and kept calm but smiled at him.
“Don’t think I’ll lose so easily,” Vincent said with an angry look on his face.
“Oh I never thought it would be too easy,” Casey replied smirking.
His remark made Vincent angry and he attacked again and again but every attack he delivered was instantly blocked. Casey’s smile disappeared, which showed it was not as easy as it looked but neither one lost any ground. Sparks flew every time their swords collided and the noise they made was like two hammers on anvils. Luckily the streets were empty so no one noticed them.
Eventually, Vincent managed to wound his left arm, making him back down. A few drops of blood dripped down his blade while Casey took off his jacket and dropped it on the ground.
“You think you can beat me? You’re dreaming!” Vincent shouted smiling.
“You’re wrong. I have a reason to fight!” Casey replied and attacked.
His attacks were stronger than before and he started pushing him back more and more. Vincent started to look worried seeing how much ground he was losing and the fire in Casey eyes frightened him. After several blows Casey finally pushed him back when their swords met and with his next strike, threw the sword out of his hands. Then he pointed the tip of his sword an inch away from his neck.
“A word of advice, never underestimate me again,” Casey said and let him go.
Vincent ran after his sword then turned and said: “I have a piece of advice for you too! Next time don’t let your opponents live!” then ran off.
Casey let his sword disappear, grabbed his jacked and after using a handkerchief to bandage his arm, walked home. On the way he smiled again, proud of his victory. When he got home and the others saw his arm they asked what had happened.
“Oh nothing much. I just ran into an old friend,” he answered.
“Let’s go and take a better look at that,” Josey said and pulled him away.

[Crow]

Ep16 - The Hidden Power

One morning as he went downstairs to eat breakfast he ran into Tanya who cut him off.
“Eat quickly and meet me outside,” she said looking him in the eyes.
“What’s going on?”
“We have a mission, now get a move on,” she answered and walked away
Casey was left confused but he went to the kitchen and made a quick sandwich that he took with him up to his room. He changed in a hurry and ate at the same time. When he was done he ran downstairs and when he opened the front door he saw that Tanya was already waiting in her car. He got in and she drove off. On the way there neither one said anything, Casey looked at her with the corner of his eyes but then turned his gaze to the road.
They went to a shady part of town where everyone kept an eye on them. After parking the car, they went to a broken down motel and went straight to the second floor. There they stopped in front of apartment 23 and knocked. The door opened and after they went inside the door slammed and a demon locked it. Casey’s first reaction was to summon Diamond Edge but Tanya grabbed him by the arm and calmed him down.
“What’s the rookie doing here?!” the demons shouted.
“Relax, he’s here because he’s not as well known as the rest,” Tanya answered.
“I suppose you have a point,” the demon said and walked to a table where he poured himself a drink.
“Mind telling me what’s going?” Casey asked letting his sword fade away.
“I’m giving you guys info in exchange for protection, kid. Get with the program!” the demon replied.
“You said you had names, locations and dates?” Tanya asked.
“Yeah I have them over… oh no… they’re here!” the demon screamed.
The door was slammed open and several demons barged in with their weapons ready. They managed to hurt Casey in the left shoulder and Tanya in both her left thigh and her ribs on the right side. The demon they had met was killed immediately but Casey managed to run with Tanya down the fire escape. But they only got as far as the next alley where they were ambushed, with the demons that attacked them right behind them.
“I should have known they wouldn’t play fair,” he said looking at the large number of demons surrounding them.
“Get back! I can handle them,” she said taking a few steps but fell to her knees because of the pain.
“You can’t even stand,” he said stepping in front of her. “This time it’s my turn to take care of things.”
The demons were getting closer and closer and with Tanya injured there was no way they would survive against so many numbers. Casey looked left and right with a furious look on his face. His frustration made them giggle and they stopped to look at him.
‘I have to do something,’ he said to himself.
<If it is power you require, I shall grant it> a voice spoke to him.
‘I’ve heard this voice before,’ Casey thought.
<You have proven yourself worthy, my Swordsman>
Suddenly he started feeling full of energy and the sparkle returned to his eyes. His wounds healed in seconds and he started smiling. In his hands, Diamond Edge started vibrating and the blade started glowing bright blue.
“I don’t know what’s going on but I like it!” he shouted.
When he heard him yell Tanya raised her head and was shocked to see he had tapped into the hidden power. The demons were obviously frightened by the new power and started retreating.
“Oh no! You’re not getting away that easily!” Casey shouted and attacked them.
The blade of his sword was glowing bright blue and the light seemed to get even brighter. Casey was feeling like he was on drugs. Before he knew it, his body moved on its own and he swung the sword around, a flash of light left the blade and hit the each and every demon around them, killing them the moment it touched them.
When they were all dead he stopped and fell to his knees. The sword stopped glowing and he was gasping for air. The surge of energy had taken a toll on his body and he was exhausted.
“Wow!” he exclaimed. “What was that?”
“That was the hidden power of the Dakkai that few have been able to use,” she answered. ‘And even fewer so soon,’ she said to herself.
“I’m tired,” he said smiling.
“I should think so. Using the hidden power requires an immense amount of energy. I’m surprised you’re still conscious.”
“It was fun while it lasted…” Casey said and passed out.
“Well, I guess you’re not that incredible,” she said as she walked over to him. “But you are amazing… just like he was.”

[Crow]

Ep - 17 – School’s out

Casey was awakened by the sunlight that was shining on his face from behind the curtains. He got up and walked to the window rubbing his eyes. Then he looked at his muscles on his arms and chest.
‘Not bad,’ he said to himself smiling
He changed his clothes then went downstairs for breakfast. Afterwards he went to the training room where Magnus was waiting for him.
“Ready for a good work out?” Magnus asked summoning Thunder Hammer.
“Careful, old man,” Casey said smiling confidently. “I’m full of energy today.”
“Oh! Someone’s confident today,” Magnus stated. ‘But I have a feeling you might have a reason to be,’ he said to himself
Casey began with a few light exercises of swinging the blade from left to right or doing a few somersaults. He looked much natural with the sword than before and Magnus couldn’t help but look at him surprised.
“What’s wrong with you?” Casey asked when he saw him staring.
“Nothing… just show me what you got!”
Magnus charged him without warning but Casey was ready for him and blocked his attack with ease. He then pushed his opponent back and started attacking. Their sword clashed over and over again, sparks flying every time. The confident smile on Casey’s face did not disappear and neither the surprise in Magnus’ eyes. After only ten minutes, the younger of the two managed to hit hard enough to knock the sword out of his opponent’s hands and held the tip of his sword to his neck.
“Since when did you start holding back?” Casey asked.
“Kid, I never held back in my life… but I’m no longer fit to be your teacher.”
Casey lowered his sword and let it fade into thin air then sat down looking out the window. After a few moments, Magnus sat down next to him, smiling.
“It’s not that surprising in our world for someone to grow in strength so quickly.”
“Yeah but still… I actually beat you? When a few months ago you were wiping the floor with me,” Casey said, looking at the wooden sword in the corner.
“Kid, you’re only beginning to show what potential you have,” Magnus said putting his hand on Casey’s shoulder. “Believe me, you’ll be even stronger in the future.”
“Is this because I was able to use the hidden power?” Casey asked leaning against the wall behind him.
“Well that’s part of the reason but like I said when we started training, there are a lot of factors involved when it comes to the power of a Swordsman. The first known Swordsmen appeared over a thousand years ago and they had great power. I’ve read that they had incredible powers but a few centuries ago those powers disappeared and the Swordsman were left with what you’ve seen.”
“Could that power have been the hidden power?”
“Doubtfully,” Magnus answered. “I think they had an even greater power, a power that could change the world.”
Magnus left him alone in the training room after that but he didn’t stop. He was determined to get even further so he picked up one of the blunt practice swords that were heavier than his, and started swinging it around as he usually did in a fight.
By the time the sun was starting to set and the light in the room was dim, he was exhausted and his clothes drenched in sweat. On one of the tables he found a plate with a glass of lemonade and a few sandwiches. He remembered that Josey had been there at lunch and left that for him when she saw he was busy. The ice had melted but it was still good to feel something wet his throat and drank the first half in one gulp. He then turned to the sandwiches, sitting down on one of the benches.
Outside something caught his eye. Navaro was just walking away from behind a tree he could have watched him without being noticed. He smiled and said to himself: One day…one day…’
Then finished his dinner, which was supposed to be his lunch and went up to his room. His brothers and sisters were in their room, finishing their homework. They had got used to everything in just a few weeks and were commuting to and from a nearby school and didn’t ask too many questions about what their brother was doing.

[Crow]

Ep. 18 – A plot

One afternoon at the bike shop Casey was working at a bike when the phone suddenly rang. His boss picked it up and after talking for a few moments ran out of his office.
“Casey, my dear boy!” he said smiling.
“What now?” he asked wiping his hands on a stained rag.
“A client just called. I need you to take his bike back right away,” his boss said smiling but the look on his face was begging for his help.
“Fine… but I’m taking the rest of the day off,” he said getting up and walking towards the back room.
“No problem kid! Do whatever you want, just get the man his bike.”
After changing his clothes he got on the bike he was supposed to deliver and drove away. Minutes later, he arrived at his destination where the owner was waiting. As soon as he gave him the keys he went to the subway station, since it was pretty far away from home to walk back.
But just when the train arrived and he was going to get on he had the strange feeling again and looking around saw a few demons getting off not too far away from him. He waited for them to leave and discretely followed them outside.
They didn’t seem to take notice of him at all, even tough some of them kept looking behind from time to time to make sure they weren’t followed. Whenever they turned, Casey would duck inside a shop, behind a tree or in an alley and then waited a few moments before continuing his pursuit. They lead him the same shady part of town he had been to before, an obvious preferred location of all demons in that city.
He waited until they all went inside and made sure that no one else was going to come out before approaching and stealthily breaching their hideout. He had to walk for a few minutes before he heard a few voices not too far away. He hid behind a few large wooden boxes and listened to them.
“Are you sure we can trust this guy?” one of them asked with a squeaky voice.
“He has not given us a lot of details, only that we are to gather as many as we can,” said another with a Russian accent.
“I know he’s been telling that to everyone but there’s no backing down now,” answered a third that seemed to be the leader. “Any of you feel like telling him you’ve changed your minds?”
A silence followed and Casey understood that whoever they were talking about was very dangerous and whatever task he had given them, which had become a source of doubt and concern, they had to fulfil it lest face the consequences.
 ‘I’d take all of you on right now… but I have to tell the others,’ he said to himself and tried to walk away but stumbled over a box.
“What the?!” one of the demons shouted.
They all got up and ran after Casey who was running to the door but before he could reach it he was cut off. The demons had him surrounded but they weren’t as many as last time but they looked both fierce and afraid.
He held his sword tightly, smiled and said: “Let’s party!”
As the sun was setting on the mansion that was the headquarters for the Blades of Light, the front door opened and Casey entered the room looking a little beat up. His clothes were torn in a few places, his right eye was black and his nose was bleeding.
Seeing his condition, Josey let go a shriek of terror and ran to him to help him get to the couch. His battered state drew the attention of most of the house and he had to go over what had happened while Josey was trying to bandage him and wash the blood off his face as if he was on his deathbed.
“But that’s all I managed to hear and… thank you Josey!” he said grabbing her wrists. “I think I’m clean now, thanks.”
She pulled away looking resentful and sat down next to him, pouting. Everyone else smiled and made jokes about the way he looked but from time to time, Maverick, Magnus and Tanya exchanged a look of concern, some of which Casey manage to take notice of and realised they knew more than they were letting on.