Seven Sins -The X Series.

Chapter 6 - Lurking Shadow (Yusei)

I was walking in that forest once again, there were firs all around me with no end on the horizon. There was no more smell, it was hailing and the amount of snow on the ground grew taller. He was no longer there, no one was. I was walking all alone in the cold night of winter looking for someone, anyone. I walked for hours until I tripped and fell to the ground. When I got back up there were now the corpses of my friends on the ground, covered by red snow. Clothes thorn apart, some of them had many open claw-like wounds on them while others were completely dismembered. Hikaru, Marjane, Mira, Alex, Che...all of them...dead. I started panicking, they were all dead, and I couldn't do anything about it, all I could do is gaze in horror as my body was completely paralyzed. I then feel someone put their hands on my shoulder, I turn around and stare in horror at the person standing behind me.

- " NOOOOOOOOOOOOO "

I then wake up on the bus which is on the way to the camp, It looks like I startled everyone with that yell. Everyone is currently looking at me, wondering what's happening. My face is pale, my palms sweaty. I take a deep breath and apologize to everyone else. Lia, who's in the seat in front of me gets up and turns towards my direction.

- " You ok? " She asks with concern.

- " Yeah, I'm alright, just a silly nightmare. ", I answer. I try my best to brush it off. However, she's persistent.

- " Didn't sound like your typical nightmare. ", she insists.

- " Wait so nightmares aren't typically scary? Who knew! " I sarcastically respond.

- " Roh! You know what I mean! ", she says.

Hikaru then joins the sit where Lia was standing on, looks like she invited herself to the conversation.

- " Don't worry Lia, he probably just noticed his reflection in the window for the first time. ", she says while smiling.

- " Tsk, asshole. ", I reply, laughing.

She then turns around and makes sure the rest of the student aren't paying attention to our conversion.  Luckily the bus isn't filled to maximum capacity and most of the other students who aren't in the initiative are distracted. Once she's sure we're in the clear, she adds discretely.

- " You might want to be careful with your language Yusei, especially since I'll be the one training you. ", Hikaru adds all cocky.

- " Actually? ", I ask.

- " Yep. ", she answers. " Me and Lia we'll teach you the basics of close combat and how to use your powers properly. "

- " Well... I think we can skip the basics when it comes to close combat. I actually know how to fight. ", I respond.

- " True, he's a martial artist.", Lia says while seeming thinking at the same time. " But, I still don't get how you would know sword fighting. ".

- " My friend Faes, the one in class 405, we know each other since this school year started. He does a lot of medieval events that involve fighting with foam swords and stuff. I went to see him after I got better from the raid and requested him to teach me. We've been training every day until now after school after I told him I got attacked by sins. "

They both look at me in shock and horror. Lia looked scared and Hikaru gave me a death stare.

- "JUST KIDDING! ",  I started laughing. " I didn't tell him about the initiative don't worry. I just pretended I was interested in joining him from time to time to his events. "

The look of relief on their faces was priceless.

- " So Lia remind me why we're having this leadership camp again? ", I then ask.

- " Leadership camp is pretty much the opportunity for everybody in AVSEC to train their leadership and teamwork through day camp activities. It's also a great way to meet new people and make friends. Even for members of the initiative, it's a great opportunity to train our powers since they grow stronger proportionally to our leadership skills. ", Lia gently says.

So leadership is what fuels AVSEC powers? That might explain why AVSEC students are chosen in the initiative.

- " And what happens if the Seven Deadly Sins raid the school again? ", I discretely ask.

Lia and Hikaru stare at each other and hesitate before giving me an answer. Something's up. They just dismiss it.

- " Don't worry, another school's initiative will take over our sector if a threat appears. AVSEC doesn't run only in our institution. Though we are the most effective group. ", Hikaru whispers.

My eyes are wide open, other schools are part of the initiative? There's a lot of stuff I still need to know.

- " Were we the only ones that were raided, or other schools were targeted too? "

Lia and Hikaru are staring at each other again, this time in uncertainty. Hikaru raises her shoulders. The look on her face says " Don't look at me, I don't know. ". 

- " We don't know yet, in fact we barely know anything about the Seven Sins motivation so far. ", Lia discretely responds.

- " I just hope we'll be able to protect everyone. Not gonna lie, I feel nervous about all of this. ", I say, visibly concerned.

- " You think you're up for it? ", Hikaru asks.

My mind starts running a thousand miles an hour. There's so little I know about AVSEC, about the Seven Sins, and this world. Everything's a mystery for me. But I intend on seeing this through. I'll train hard during this camp and become stronger. That way, I'll be able to protect my friends no matter what. 

- "  I am, don't worry. I'll train hard during this camp. Then when we come back, we'll find the Seven Sins whereabouts and beat them! Then, one day, I'll catch up with you Hikaru. So, watch your back!  ", I say with a hopeful look on my face.

Hikaru rolls her eyes while Lia starts laughing...a bit too loudly, which is starting to attract a few people's attention. We then decide to switch the subject. For the rest of the trip, we talked about our school life and what our aspirations were for the camp, making jokes all while smiling and laughing.

Looks like it's going to be an eventful week. I look forward to it, even with darkness catching up to me, I'll keep looking forward towards the light. I'm not alone, and I'll never be alone again, because I know that no matter what happens, I have my friends that I can count on.

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(End of the Raid Aftermath Arc)

Thank you, dear reader, for making it this far in my story. I hope you enjoyed your lecture so far. If you did, don't forget to vote for this story! 

Up next will be the Leadership Camp Arc, where Yusei and his friends learn to master their power to face the Seven Deadly Sins. However, this day camp isn't going to go as smoothly as they expect. Expect a bumpy road ahead!