Path of Lightning: Origins

Chapter 2: Family

Nosaru walked in a long empty corridor, wary of the long corridors and the wide empty space between the walls. The more she walked, the more she felt like she was about to suffocate.

She hated this place more than anything, but she had no choice but to come back to it.

It was her own decision that led her to this life.

She stopped in front of a door guarded by two men.

"Miss Nosaru, the boss is waiting for you." One of them said, waiting for her to answer so he could open the door for her.

She took a deep breath and walked inside. Her chest felt heavy and her shoulder felt numb because of the painkillers and as much as she wanted to leave, she had to speak with him.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself and collect her thoughts, she signed to the guard to open it.

There was a man sitting by an office, signing some papers. His hair was raven with the exception of a white strand. He lifted his eyes to her, and she felt herself freezing. His expression softened for a second, then he nodded towards the seat across him.

She sat there, waiting for him to speak. She did not wish to be the one to start the conversation, so she looked down.

"How was your mission?" He asked as he looked back to his papers and continued signing.

"I took care of the mercenaries." She answered immediately, hoping that he wouldn't see through her lie.

"What about your wounds?" He asked again, not bothering to look up from his work.

"I treated them." She said. She started feeling anxious the more she stayed there. She didn't know what he had in mind, but whatever it was, she knew she wouldn't like it.

He never made good decisions, at least, not ones for his family.

"Good." He stopped writing, put away his pen, and looked at her. "I need to speak to you about Ryu."

"What about him?" She asked in urgency.

"I'd like to see if he has potential." He answered. "If he's anything like or Aiko, he should be able to unlock his Penergy in no time."

Her whole body started to shake as she tried to protest. "He's too young for this!"

"In war there is no difference between a child or an adult." He said as his tone became firmer. "We are supposed to keep the balance between the Penergy users and the nonusers. Our job is to make sure that our gifts would not be used to hurt others." He explained, but none of the words would get through his daughter "Thousands of years ago, there was a war between all the creatures. They all fought for the flower of life, the source of all magic." The man started his story, much to the girl's dismay.

"I already know the story." She stated

"Then you will hear it again." He silenced her. "There was a demon who was punished by his own kind, and was forced to live with the humans because of his appearance. He was a demon with a human body and they gave him the title Spartan. He stopped the war by taking all the magic from the source and spreading it. That was how humans acquired what we call Penergy. The world was at peace for few years, until it split into multiple ones, locking away the other creatures."

"Do you have a point or not?" Nosaru asked. She was impatient at this point.

"My point is that the Penergy users are now in darkness. It has been so long that people forgot it existed, and the ones who still do, and are able to unlock it, are spreading the chaos. They get to do whatever they want. At some point, they might try to open the other world's doors, and that means another war." He explained as leaned back into his chair. "We are here to keep the peace and we need as much power as we can. It is our duty."