The shock of the bloody scene caused Yuki to forget caution and he shoved the door open with a loud bang. The killer turned to look at him with cold eyes that could be seen through the slits of the black mask that covered the murderer's face. And if those were cold eyes then the ones that Yuki gave the killer could only be described as frozen.

 

The person clad in black ignored Yuki and turned toward the window before jumping out without a sound. Yuki raced forward, trying to spy where the man had ran off to but not a trace of him could be found. He looked back at his room and his eyes fell onto the lifeless form of his aunt.

 

He fell to his knees beside her and sat there trying to understand the situation.

 

‘Not again,’ he thought. 'Why? Why, why, why?'

 

Ancient memories that Yuki had buried deep within the catacombs of his mind resurfaced. The time when he became an orphan at the age of five, when he woke up to the screams of his mother as she was being killed and his father already dead. That time when he felt as if he had died along with his parents. Every since then he could never feel the slightest emotion stir within him, not a drop of happiness or joy or love.

 

But at the sight of his aunt and the memories of his parents he felt something akin to anger stir within him for a second. A fleeting feeling that dissipated as quickly as it had came. It left behind a hollow emptiness that made Yuki cold and lifeless, a familiar sensation. A sensation similar to that he felt as he watched the dying forms of his parents ten years ago.

 

The sound of shoes running on hardwood roused him from his trance. At the entrance to Yuki’s room stood Moyasu with a gun drawn¹Guns are banned in Japan. and a serious face.

 

“Grab what’s important to you, we have to go,” he said. "Right now."

 

“Why did this happen?” Yuki asked in a small voice. “What’s going on…”

 

Moyasu looked at him with a face full pity.

 

“We don’t have time for that right now. Just take what you need and we can talk in the car,” he said gently.

 

He left the room leaving Yuki to himself. With the promise of answers, Yuki grabbed a duffel bag and began to shove various items inside of it. He brought his laptop, phone, and some trinkets with sentimental value as well as some clothes.

 

Before leaving the room, he went to his closet. He opened it and behind the sweaters and the jackets were a couple of items that a boy normally wouldn’t have. There was a sheathed katana and a pair of daggers hidden in the back of the closet, both of which he placed in the bag. The two things his father left for Yuki.

 

With one last look around his old room and the body of his aunt, he left and closed the door with a sigh.

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Moyasu explained the situation as best as he could during the drive to the Aether headquarters. They had to leave because Yuki was in danger and so they would go directly to the facility so that Yuki can get protection. When Yuki asked about what happened at his home, Moyasu said that the person that killed his aunt was from Shikaku²Literally means assassin in Japanese.. But Moyasu didn’t tell Yuki who the Shikaku were, saying that someone else was more qualified to explain this to Yuki.

 

“That person was probably sent to find and eliminate you but killed you aunt because she was a liability,” Moyasu said. “The reason the assassin ran away after seeing you was because it could sense me outside and didn’t want to fight.”

 

“What did I just get myself into?” Yuki asked exasperated. "Why are they coming after me?"

 

“Some of this will be explained at the facility. More information will given if you are approved to become a recruit. Not that I don’t think you will,” Moyasu said. “But you probably could tell by now that we aren’t your normal group of people.”

 

“Really? I thought running into sword wielding assassins was a normal thing,” Yuki replied dryly.

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It took them an hour before they arrived at a mountain side in the rural areas of Tokyo. Moyasu got out and went to the rock walls searching for something with intense concentration. His expression relaxed when he found it and he quickly pushed what seemed to be a button before returning to the car. To Yuki’s amazement the mountain side seemed to lift up and it reveal a large entrance blocked by two metal doors that opened up noiselessly to let them in. What was past the doors was a hanger that spanned two football fields and filled with various vehicles and equipment. Doors could be seen throughout the place, connected it to unknown areas.

 

Moyasu parked in an empty area of the hangar and told Yuki to get out and follow him.

 

Yuki was then guided to an elevator that took them up a floor where he was then led down a hall before entering a spacious office. He was told to sit by Moyasu and that someone will come by to give him the explanation the Yuki was promised.

 

As instructed, Yuki sat down on a comfy couch that seemed to have cushions made from memory foam. Placing his duffel bag besides him, he observed his surroundings while he waited but found nothing in particular that interested him. It was a very boring room; a shelf filled with books, a plain desk covered with various files, a water cooler.

 

Five minutes later a tall white man who seemed to be in his fifties walked in and sat in a chair behind the plain looking desk. The name tag on the desk introduced the man as Robert Weber and also conveniently stated that Robert was the director in large bold letters that read “THE BOSS”.

 

Robert leaned on his seat while he observed Yuki for a few seconds before he opened his mouth to speak.

 

“I’m sorry to hear about your aunt. You have my condolences,” Robert said in English. “I am Robert Weber, the head of this facility and branch of Aether.” He pointed at the nameplate. “I know that this says that I’m the boss, but I function more as a manager and representative. So I’m here to answer any questions you may have.”

 

Yuki looked at Robert, trying to figure out what exactly to ask. He wanted to know so much; where was he, why was he tested, is magic real, what does Aether do? But he decided to ask the questions that he needed the answers to the most.

 

“Weber-san, who killed my aunt?” Yuki asked in English. “And why?”

 

Robert let out a long sigh and looked at Yuki, considering his how he should reply.

 

“Straight to the heavy stuff,” he grumbled to himself, dropping his gaze.

 

“That person was a member of the Shikaku. They are an organization that assassinates people, whether for their own gain or on commission from other people. I don’t know why your aunt was killed. But I can offer a guess.”

 

Robert looked down and began to rub his forehead as he continued.

 

“I don’t want you to blame yourself, but I believe the target wasn’t your aunt but rather you. Someone might have requested their services or the guild themselves deemed you a threat. There still too many unknowns for us to know for sure.”

 

He looked at Yuki again. “All I know is that they will come back to finish their work. Because of this I recommend that you stay here with us. We can protect you. I hope that answered your questions.”

 

Yuki slowly absorbed the information he was just given with no reaction. Apparently he was the one that was being targeted but his aunt was got caught in the crossfire. There at the wrong place at the wrong time. 

 

But something didn’t make any sense. If this Shikaku was in anyway competent, then they should have done their research on their targets. They should have known that he would be at school at that time. So why were they at his home? On top of that it seemed as if they were in search of something. The room was almost entirely destroyed which is something an assassin wouldn't normally do. Yuki did agree, however, that they would come back to finish what they started and that staying with Aether would be the safest course of action. The problem was that he doesn’t know who these people are.

 

“If you don’t mind, Weber-san, I have another question,” Yuki said.

 

When he saw Robert nod his head he went on and asked, “Who are you?”

 

Robert smile, his eyes wrinkling.

 

“Who we are will be covered in the orientation. You can decide if you want to stay after that,” he replied. Pointing at the door, he said, “Moyasu will guide you to where the orientation is will be taking place. Just follow him. I do hope that you will be joining us.”  

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When Yuki exited the office, Moyasu, who was waiting outside for him, took him back to the elevator. It took them up two more levels and opened up to reveal an open space that resembled a lounge, complete with couches, televisions, beanbags, and even a kitchen filled with snacks. There four people in the room already and they turned to look at the new arrivals. They were a unique mix of people, two were white, the other looked African, and the last one was Japanese like Yuki.

 

Yuki groaned inwardly but also felt a sense of relief when he recognized the last person. Kaede was right, there was someone from his school that came here as well.

 

“YUKI-CHAN!” she yelled out when she recognized him.

“Hello, Nagisa-san.”