POWER: A Tale of Greatness

CHAPTER 43

For hours, James followed Rikka, without having any idea how much time would still be consumed before the dawn breaks. Doubt fills his heart as an anomaly occurs with his intuition and his Sixth Sense—it detects no emotion with the woman he is following. The Atlantian felt blind, he could not see what he must do because for him, his entire reliance on his innate power to survive remained crucial, even in the place he grew up in.

"The first human I trusted wasn't my sister, but that terrorist I healed..." James remembers as they dash through the gravel-patched path. "But I felt his sincerity, the truth of which his heart believes... but this ninja, I can't see through her."

The ninja leaped over a cliff and landed on a roof, as quiet as a feather falling. Mesmerized by the view that is right before his eyes, James is stunned by the beauty of the lively city. Bright light, colorful banners, crowded streets below. James hesitated to jump, digging his heels into the dirt and gravel. Rikka stared at him, emotionless before continuing once more.

James breathed in and did his best to land the same way that she did. Successful, yet not as quiet as she did. His eyes immediately searched for her, and she had already leaped over several roofs. Following her trail, the darkness of the moonless night inside the cave-like land made their run no easier. He did his best to catch up but on a steep roof, his balance betrayed him, causing him to slide down after a clumsy misstep. The Atlantian panicked but a pale, cold hand reached for him. Sweaty and calloused, the grip is strong comparable to its small size. He looked up, "Focus, quiet." Rikka whispered before pulling him back up.

"I was distracted, okay?" He admitted. "How can this small girl run over these incredibly high places without feeling any fear? I just can't stop noticing how agile she is!"

"You're doubtful." She came toward him with her expressionless eyes.

"I don't remember agreeing on this!" James whispered in exclamations. "What will happen if anyone sees us?"

"Dead."

James gulped, "What?! Are you serious?" He looks around nervously.

"I'm joking," Rikka's eyes gave a hint of a glimmer that shone over her masked face.

Annoyed, James suppressed an outrageous complaint, breathing out loudly. But with this encounter, James felt at ease. "My sense isn't failing, it's just not detecting any... but her eyes, I was it through... a faint joy from an innocent heart." He fixed his composure. "That's oddly surprising for a lethal ninja."

The ninja took out a mask and passed it on to James, "Wear that." The Atlantian almost dropped it when he saw its red, scary details.

"Onimen, disguise." She grabbed herself another mask—a white, elegant, fox-like mask—and wore it. Rikka pulled her clothing outward and in an instant, the clothes beneath them revealed a blue yukata. "This night... is the Festival of the Serpent Dragon."

"How?" James asked, confused after she switched outfits in the blink of an eye.

"Blend in or be identified." Rikka dropped herself down in a dark alleyway, James followed. "Why did you jump?"

"I don't know? Maybe you told me to follow and never told me not to." James gestures with his confused and frustrated look. "If you are going out in the open without me, how will you hide your weapon, huh?"

She took two of her katana and shoved them at James' arms, "Remain in here."

"Why give me a mask if I'll stay in this place?"

"Because I don't trust you following my command."

"Yeah, I don't do that."

Rikka pressed James against a wall, aiming her kunai at his neck, "Intervene and I will slice your neck open."