edelweiss - &team

10

By the time Yuma and Jo reached the city, evening had fallen. The streets of Japan at night were mesmerising, but Yuma was not enjoying it. Bright neon lights that buzzed mildly, searing into Yuma's retinas were all around, as though they were encased in a cocoon of bright artificial light.

"Not enjoying the view?" Jo joked, trying to lighten Yuma's obviously foul mood. Yuma sidestepped a drunk woman who practically threw herself at him and flicked his eyes to meet Jo's, wordlessly answering.

Jo chuckled under his breath, tilting his head up to take a deep breath of the chilly night air. Yuma took a sniff, then grimaced at the scent of alcohol and vomit. "Why did we get this location?" Yuma complained, and Jo replied with a smile, "Because none of the others wanted to come here."

They stopped in front of a tall building, with no bright lights or large signboards, just dark paint chipping off the walls. Yuma scrunched up his face in mild disgust as Jo fumbled with the crystal key, then prodded the front door open, and slipped in. In the lobby, there was only an elevator and a dying potted plant in the cramped, dark space.

"I love what Harua has done with the place," Yuma sarcastically drawled, and Jo, being the saint he was, stayed quiet with only a slightly bemused expression as he jabbed at the lift button. As the rickety lift ascended, Jo piped up, "Considering Harua is managing this place all on his own, I think he did a pretty good job." Just then, the lift shuddered and Yuma nearly lost his balance. The rest of the ride was dead silent.

Right before the lift approached the 30th level, Jo suddenly asked, "Did it get bad right after it escaped?"

Startled, Yuma fidgeted with the hem of his sweater, before saying, "No, It's been happening for a while. I just didn't want to alarm anyone."

"For how long?"

Wrinkling his nose, Yuma replied, "Maybe a few months? Could be a year. It's all fuzzy."

The elevator dinged cheerfully as they reached the 49th floor. "Weird number," Jo remarked, before he tensed as the door creakily slid open. They were greeted with darkness, Jo fumbled around for a light switch, and when a single, weak light bulb reluctantly offered a tiny glow of light, they were greeted with nothing but an empty, dusty studio space.

"Huh," Yuma mused, taking cautious steps around the place, once he turned a corner he caught sight of a crackling, warm amber fire.

"Damn, it's certainly a downgrade," Yuma scoffed, approaching the hearth swiftly and bending to peer into the flames. Jo, still with his guard up, slowly made his way to Yuma's side. The duo studied the flames for a bit, the bright fire barely managing to light up the entire studio space.

"He's not here," Jo stated the obvious after a few counts, "Should we be waiting for him?" Yuma frowned, pondering over something, before raising two fingers to his temple with a sigh, "I'm gonna try something I really hate."

Closing his eyes, Yuma cleared his head and sucked in a sharp breath, before he reached out with mind, searching and calling out. After a few minutes and trying, Yuma's eyes finally flew open. He hadn't noticed that he had sank to the floor and Jo's hand had snaked its way to support his side the whole while.

"I can't feel him at all," Yuma shakily turned to meet Jo's gentle eyes, "I can't find him."

Unsure what to do, Jo strode over to the window and gazed down at the streets. A fight had broken out, likely a drunken one.

"Let's not panic," Jo said with his back turned to Yuma, his voice very panicked, "Maybe we should call one of the others."

"Yeah, okay, okay," Yuma muttered as he pulled out his cellphone and shakily dialled.

-

When Euijoo, Yixiang and Harua opened their eyes, to their surprise, they were in a tight, dark alley.

As Yixiang cursed softly, Euijoo asked curiously, "Why didn't we teleport straight to the lake?' Harua sheepishly replied, "I wasn't really concentrating so I didn't get the exact location."

With that, the trio cautiously stepped out of the alley and into a bustling crowd. They were near a village it seemed, where apparently a celebration was being held.

Bright lanterns were strung up in rows, glowing with tender warmth. People were dressed elaborately, the women gorgeous in gleaming jewellery and patterned clothes, the men smart and handsome.

Euijoo slowed down to absorb the festivities, the amber lights shining on his face, lit up in joy. Yixiang gave him a look you would give an immature child, "Seriously? We've seen this so many times before."

Without taking his attention from the celebration, Euijoo replied, "And isn't it beautiful every single time?"

Yixiang was speechless, Harua too remained silent, slowly inhaling the sweet scent of sugar and perfume lingering in the air. Finally, Euijoo picked up his pace and gestured, "Come, let's go."

They walked a short distance into a forest, until the chatter and buzz of the crowded festival died down to silence. They were enveloped in darkness, peaceful and damp. Quickly, they reached the edge of a rippling lake, reflecting the brilliant moon above in its dark waters.

Euijoo's owl perched on his forearm, tilting its head as its owner scanned the sky. Deeming it a good time, Euijoo flicked his eyes to his owl wordlessly, and without wasting a second, the owl launched itself into the air with a screech.

"Alright, Breadcrumbs will warn me if he sees anything approaching or anything suspicious," Euijoo informed, dusting himself off with his eyes still fixed on the star-dusted sky, his owl long gone.

"You named that majestic bird Breadcrumbs?" Yixiang asked indignantly.

"Are you offended on the owl's behalf?" Harua had trouble holding back his laughter, while Euijoo looked perplexed at why Yixiang had so much issue with the name of his bird.

"What's your pigeon's name?" Harua asked between fits of giggles.

"Peanut Butter," Euijoo replied, with not an ounce of joke.

"Don't you have better names-" Yixiang was interrupted as Harua pulled himself together and coughed, "Okay, we need to get to work. Yixiang, do your thing."

"Me?"

"Well, I used to have a spell to transport me down, but it's so tedious to do, but for you, it'll be a piece of cake!" Harua had a devilish grin on his face, and Euijoo nodded along contentedly.

"Wait, why-"

"Hurry up," Harua pushed Yixiang towards the water, "Just poke your ass in, check if it's in there, and make sure the security system is all good."

Yixiang continued to make noises of protest but obliged regardless, taking in a deep breath before he gracefully dove into the water, his body turning translucent right before he entered the water.

"Honestly, this location won't be the first he'll come for," Harua confessed, tugging his jacket around him tighter as the chilly evening breeze serenaded their skin, "It's the newest, and smallest. He has no use for this. Plus, last I checked, the security is ample."

Euijoo blinked, then said, "So we sent Yixiang down there for nothing? He'll be mad."

"Well, your job is to protect me right?" Harua beamed, "So he can't kill me!"

As Euijoo struggled to come up with a response, Harua's phone began to vibrate. "Oh, it's Yuma. Hello?"