Sunny's breathing was still as he eyed the shadows of the alleys that erected from the road. Without wasting a moment he fired energy from his gate throughout his body. Definitely a phantom. Sunny felt tension from the angry entity somewhere beyond his sight.
"Be careful," he said. "It's coming Stella…and it's angry."
These lights are bright, wait no… It's daytime, how unfortunate. The idea of fighting in broad daylight wasn't his favourite. Too many people are at risk here and the cover up will be a nightmare. Sunny's eyes finally caught a glimpse of his foe. The phantom materialized from his left by a side street. An ugly thing with hands aflame and long sharp teeth pushing out from its mouth. Like a giant flaming city rat. Sunny's observation couldn't have been more spot on. It's once white fur was set ablaze with hatred. It inspected Sunny and Stella with its beady red eyes. It tightened the muscles in its legs before launching itself towards them.
"Duck!" Sunny threw himself to the ground spinning out of the way.
No motion was wasted, as he sprang back to his feet two bladed tonfas materialized in his hands. They were based entirely on his chromium set but made entirely from Sunny's magik. I was going to do something flashier but I need to conserve my mana. It's still early. Sunny calculated how much of his Magik this ability used months ago and deemed it trivial enough to use them whenever the need arose. He spun his tonfas expertly, glancing around to find a suitable place to lure the phantom into. He spied the alley beside The Fool's Remedy where the phantom came from and decided that was where he would make his stand.
He took one last look at the coffee shop. It would be super bad if someone saw me fighting something they couldn't see. Well…it would be worse if I did nothing and they got themselves killed. Sunny shifted his weight forward.
"Stella, we need to get it off the streets." His eyes were on the phantom but he knew Stella was behind him.
Her gate was humming in response and he smiled tightly despite the situation. I can feel it. She wants to fight too. His phone buzzed from within his right pocket. Tsk. Those nerds better make something quickly so we can communicate easier. Sunny looked over his shoulder.
"I can't check my phone, Stella." Sunny yelled back. "We're going to have to improvise." He felt Stella float past him and his eyes widened in alarm as he saw where she was heading to.
"Stella! What the hell are you thinking?" Panic shook his voice.
She floated before the phantom, it responded with a blood curdling shriek. A fireball formed at its flaming hands and it pressed it together condensing it into a supercharged sphere of guaranteed death. With a whip of its tail the beast rolled forward gaining momentum to launch the orb at Stella. She smoothly slipped to the side allowing the fireball to soar by her. Because they were grouped so tightly Sunny was also in the line of fire. Only a moment was provided to him but he was able to change directions easily smothering himself against the nearest lamp post. The searing orb blazed by him singing his tie before it crashed into a white SUV parked on the side of the main road. The initial impact of the spell caused a massive shockwave followed by an explosion sending bits of the car in every direction.
"Holy shit, Stella," Sunny said.
We have to get off the streets now! Sunny's brow began to sweat due to the intense heat from the vehicle's destruction. Stella seemed to be thinking the same thing because she got up in the phantom's face. Taunting it by weaving in and out of its striking distance. Fortunately for her it was simple minded and she successfully brought it to the dark mouth of the alley Sunny had been eyeing.
She had turned the corner with the ratlike phantom moments before the doors of The Fool's Remedy swung open. Yuna came out of the shop with several customers, their faces a mix of worry and curiosity. They stared at the burning car in shock, Sunny had been wise enough to preemptively dematerialize his tonfas.
"Yuna! Call 911! Someone should probably put that out." He sprinted towards the alley, leaving the burning car and the crowd that had gathered at the door.
"Stella!" Sunny breath was ragged as he reached the entrance to the alley.
The walls extended upwards and the sun's rays striking them only served to create shadows in the alley. The rat positioned itself on its hindlegs to appear more menacing. If anything the heightened glow from its claw-like hands in the darkened shadows added to its terrifying nature. Sunny could still make out its hulking form, but Stella was nowhere to be seen. She's close. He could feel her gate pulsing from behind a dumpster beyond the phantom. It must have felt her trying to reach out to Sunny because it quickly turned and began pelting her iron shelter with a quick succession of weaker fireballs.
"Hey ugly!" he formed the tonfas from his Magik again. "Why don't you get over here and pick on someone your own size?"
Sunny was noticeably several feet shorter than the phantom when it stood upright.
I really have to stop with the cheap one liners. No wonder I can't write anything, Sunny cringed.
Regardless, the phantom took the bait. It loomed over Sunny, completely obstructing his vision. It was as though he was looking at a dark spot on the sun that pulled him in. While twin pillars of heat burned brightly at the sides of his head. Pillars that seemed to be closing the distance to his head at a rapid pace.
"Didn't mean to hurt your feelings, big guy," He muttered darkly.
He leaned back just in time, ducking under the phantom's hands. They sizzled through the air where his head had been moments prior causing the air to look distorted. Sunny struck upwards from the awkward angle with his right tonfa and sliced through the phantom's torso. It shrieked, piercing the otherwise calm morning air. In a blind rage it began to slam its fists into the ground. It clearly had hoped to toast Sunny but he had already relocated. Sunny rolled past it and saw Stella come out from behind the dumpster.
"Are you okay?" he was finally able to steady his breathing. Stella nodded and hovered beside him.
He could feel a slight burn where the phantom's fire must have singed him. He could smell something on fire and he lifted a hand and ran it over his hair. Nope. It's just too damn hot. Sunny stood proudly in defiance behind the rampaging phantom. I've wasted too much time. He had to end it now. He had struck the phantom with his tonfa, but the blow had been too shallow. Sunny's efforts had only caused the phantom to become more dangerous. He had to move faster and strike deeper. I should have been completely healed from my bout with Enna. Guess I was wrong. Sunny grimaced as he looked down at the form of his tonfas. Anything less than my best won't do right now. Sunny's blue eyes sparked with determination.
He opened his gate, flooding Magik through his magic circuits. He conjured seven energy balls forcing them to rotate around him. They seemed to have large chunks of his mana imbued with them as they caused his hair to rise and clothes to move towards them as they passed.
"I. the Unseen Tyrant, Sunny Alldust I call a War Consuel— I command you…"
He shot towards the phantom, sending two of the energy balls towards the middle of its chest. They crashed into the phantom simultaneously causing it to keel over.
"...to stand up and defend yourself," Sunny muttered under his breath.
The phantom bellowed and dragged itself back to its feet. Too easy. Now you're going to swing with your right arm followed by a left slash. Sunny was in a trance-like state. Everything slowed down around him and it seemed as though he could hear the thoughts of the phantom.
"I, the Unseen Tyrant, Sunny Alldust accept your Parting Gift— I command you to swing your right arm at me followed by your left." Sunny's voice was confident as he walked slowly towards the phantom.
It had swung its right arm just as he finished speaking. Sunny raised the third and fourth orb of light to block the phantom's attack and positioned another one to stop the incoming strike from the phantom's left. The phantom's strikes collided with his orbs just as Sunny predicted and the beast squealed. Giant holes appeared in its arms where the orbs had repelled its attacks. Sunny's gate surged with power but the phantom seemed to struggle to hold its form.
"I command you to back away from me," Sunny muttered, finally his eyes no longer filled with his usual kindness. The phantom's body quivered in his presence and Stella felt herself shake slightly as well. What… Is this? She watched as the phantom took a step back away from Sunny's advance.
"Checkmate." Sunny's look of disgust was foreign to Stella.
Frozen in its tracks the phantom waited. After a short moment it no longer shook but instead posed similarly to a knight kneeling before their king.
Sunny's voice was cold as he addressed the hunched over mass before him. "Be gone, phantom. Rest easy now."
The phantom screamed out loud one last time, its fire waned as its form grew smaller. Right before it completely disappeared a peculiar light blue light resonated from the phantom's gate in rhythm with Sunny's. Sunny's tonfas disappeared as he dropped to his knees clasping his chest with both hands. He tried his best to gasp for air for a few moments. Stella hesitantly approached him and by the time he stood up the phantom had faded away completely.
He beat the smoke and ash from his clothing trying to avoid looking in Stella's eyes. Memories of allies shunning him flooded his mind as he worked up the courage to speak.
"I'm okay, Stella," he tried dictating the course of the conversation. "Some slight burns here and there, nothing too serious. I could have used some help though," he teased gently.
Stella smiled and rolled her eyes. Sunny pulled out his phone and scrolled to the most recent text.
"Ha-ha, funny. I thought it was going to incinerate me. I wanted to lure it into the alley, I'm sorry the fireball almost got you."
"Don't worry about it. You did good leading it here," Sunny reassured her.
"What was it you said, Sunny? Checkmate? It reminded me of your fight with Gilgamesh."
Sunny blushed at her curiosity. "Yeah, it's my power I guess. What you saw was the third stage of Unseen Tyrant. If my opponent does what I command three times there is nothing they can do against me. I'm glad it didn't go that far with Enna."
"Impressive. Locke kinda explained it to me that day, but I didn't realize how potent it was. No wonder Gilgamesh lost."
Sunny chuckled and said, "I'll be honest, it takes a lot out of…"
He was interrupted by the sound of sirens coming from the direction of the coffee shop. He walked to the mouth of the alley and peeked out.
A fire truck and a cop car screeched to a halt and the fireman surrounded what was left of the smoking car. Yuna stood to the side with a fire extinguisher in her hands, waiting for the police officer that waltzed toward her with a small notebook in his hands.
They talked for a moment while the fireman hosed down the car until smoke no longer rose from it.
"What's happening?"
"It's the cops, I think they're questioning Yuna about the fire."
"You think she'll…" Sunny didn't finish reading the text as he was too busy gauging the situation.
"We'll have to wait and see. Depending on what she said, we may not be able to easily cover this up."
They watched as Yuna conversed with the cop until the policeman began to walk away from her, moving towards the firemen where they stood waiting for him. Sunny couldn't hear what was being said, but he guessed the cop was asking the source of the fire.
A short while later, the cop and the firemen drove out from the lot and Sunny breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let's go," he said to Stella.
She nodded happily and they left the alley to approach Yuna. She eyed them carefully, still clenching the fire extinguisher tightly in her hands. Her face had ash smothered on it and she was dirty. Sunny wasn't able to get a good read on her but Stella waved to Yuna.
"What the fuck, Sunny—"
Sunny frowned. Guess I'm going to have to find a new place to eat.
"—You look scorched." She moved closer to sniff him before continuing, "AND you smell terrible."
Sunny's shoulders relaxed. He lifted his collar to sniff his clothes. "Haha. Yeah, longish story."
"Don't tell me, you're in the dragon business?" Yuna ventured, the fear in her eyes fast turning into excitement.
"Sure if dragons come from the sewers," Sunny chuckled. "Close enough actually. Listen, what did you tell the cop?"
"Nothing," Yuna said dryly. "I didn't see anything. I was in the shop preparing an order and I heard a loud bang. Only to come out to witness a car burning."
"Good, thanks for not ratting us out," Sunny sighed.
Yuna looked from Sunny to Stella.
"What would I have said if I wanted to? I saw a fireball come from nowhere, crash into a car and set it on fire. My friend and his ghost buddy chased some giant flaming rat thing into an alley? I'd like to keep my room as it is, not all white and padded thank you."
"Yeah, fair point," Sunny smiled at Yuna knowingly.
"Right. Your friend doesn't talk much does she?"
Stella's realized Yuna was talking about her and waved again, mouthing "I can't" at Yuna.
"Oh, hi there," Yuna said with a small smile giving a small two finger wave in return.
"Thanks again, Yuna. I'll be back soon. With Locke next time though, okay?"
Yuna nodded, "Okay. Bye Sunny, Stella."
Stella waved again and followed Sunny as he made his way back to Dullahan.
"I don't get how she's so okay with this," Sunny said. "I expected her to be freaking out. It's not everyday you come across a phantom. And Yuna has seen two today."
"Maybe she's tougher than you give her credit for."
"Maybe everyone is…" Sunny eyed Stella.
"I didn't catch that."
"It's nothing." He got on his bike. "I smell like burnt food and…"
He sniffed himself once more and recoiled from the scent.
"Whatever that is. I need to freshen up, Stella."
"Are we going back to HQ?"
Sunny read the text quickly before stuffing his phone back in his pocket.
"No, home this time. I almost forgot with all this craziness I just moved in. I want to get settled in a bit ya know? Pretty sure I have a spare garb somewhere there."
He started the motorbike and revved it up for a moment before blasting off to head back for Oldhaven.
Sunny sped home and the tires ate up the distance between the coffee shop and Sunny's new apartment. He felt Stella with him throughout the drive and he wished she were holding him physically as she did when they were driving to the shop that morning. He would call Dr. Rose when they got home. There had to be some sort of breakthrough already. Licht and his band of talent didn't waste much time creating weapons of war. Unlocking Stella's capabilities should be child's play for the likes of them.
He stopped the motor bike in front of the entrance and got off it. He ran his eyes over the building and marveled that a few days ago, he had exercised a phantom not long after unboxing his belongings.
He lowered his gaze and glanced around the area. It was almost noon and there were still people shambling around the area. Their blank gazes flitted briefly with Sunny's stronger one and they looked away almost immediately.
His phone dinged from his pocket and he rushed to pull it out, almost dropping it in the process.
"Feels really strange to be here again. I know better but it seems like ages since I left here. It's only been a handful of days."
"Same," Sunny said. "A lot has happened since I met you."
Sunny led the way and soon they were on the stairs, making their way up towards Sunny's floor. It was still dark and damp like Sunny remembered. Sounds reached Sunny's ears through the thin walls and he realized that there were other occupants in the building. Why had it seemed empty the first time he had been there?
"I think there's people living here now. If I remember correctly some of the tenants of the previous owner had left for a short amount of time."
"That's odd. Why did they leave only to come back?" The light from Sunny's phone was sufficient for him to navigate the stairs.
"Do you think Glenda was the reason why most people shunned the building? I know the rent was very cheap here so maybe they came back from wherever they went?"
Sunny spied on the area that had been destroyed during the battle with Glenda. The damaged hallway and flooring had been expertly replaced. It didn't look as if a large-scale battle had taken place a short while ago.
"That's probably the case. But we'll never know for sure. I'm going to have to find whoever did the repairs here and thank them. We're here."
They got to Sunny's door and he slotted in his key, turned the lock and pushed the door open. The musty smell of the living room rose to his nostrils and it wasn't entirely unpleasant. His shelves of cutesy collectibles awaited him as he stepped in and shut the door behind him. He walked a few steps in when he noticed that Stella was still at the door; her upper body phased through the door.
"Stella? What's wrong?" Sunny asked.
"I just realized that I haven't made any sort of progress finding my killer."
Oh, Sunny thought. "I know I said I was going to help, Stella."
"I understand completely, Sunny. We've been busy. I don't blame you. It's just… as soon as I stepped on here, it all came rushing back. It's not like I made any progress on my own either."
"Listen, I can promise you this. We'll find him. I'm certain there's word going around in the streets. He's a psychopath and someone must have heard something about him."
"Okay, Sunny. What do you think happens when we find him?"
Sunny looked up from his phone and glanced at Stella. He figured there was depth to her question. Her aura had darkened and her eyes held violence and danger in their amber depths.
His phone chimed again.
"He's a monster, Sunny. Prison is too good for him."
"I understand," Sunny said softly. "I'll be right back."
Sunny left for his bedroom and while he searched for a spare uniform he thought over Stella's comment. Vanguards were only mandated to take out phantoms and other supernatural things that threatened mankind. A serial killer wasn't one of them. I have no training for this either. Sunny toiled with the idea. It's just blatant murder right?
But the murderer had killed several women, and Stella was one of them. If what he's done doesn't constitute him as a monster or evil then what does? He wanted to avenge Stella, and that would involve him taking a civilian's life. There were no strict rules concerning that. Civilians lost their lives sometimes during the course of battling the phantoms. But to deliberately take a civilian's life. That was something else entirely.
Tell me I left the damn thing at HQ. Sunny's annoyance was short-lived. Wouldn't be the first time I operate without chromium protection. He settled for a black t-shirt with pink writing that read "Abibas" on the left breast. It had streaks of pink shower the top. He neatly laid that next to a pair of matching joggers on his bed along with some underwear and socks. After undressing and folding his dirty clothes to place them in his laundry basket he walked quietly into the master bathroom. He quickly glanced at his chiseled body in the mirror admiring some newly acquired mass in his lats and delts. He scoffed when he saw how dirty he was and jumped into the shower turning the water as cold as possible.
After finishing up, he got out and dressed slowly, still deep in thought. I can't get rid of those terrible bags. Sunny placed his fingers gently under his eyes. He heard a door slam shut and he immediately reached over to his foot board to slap a secret switch. It opened up into a small compartment producing a small black box. He picked up the palm sized chromium square from within. With the push of a button it whirred, turning into a baton the size of a short sword.
He stepped out into the hallway and made his way to the living room, treading lightly.
"Stella?" He called out.
There was no response. Sunny casted his senses out and searched for Stella. He found her just as Locke stepped out from the corner and held Sunny's arm tightly, which held the baton that was on its way to Locke's belly.
"Dammit, Locke!" Sunny swore. "I could have killed you."
Locke scoffed and released Sunny's hand, "Not in a million years kid. That duel with Gilgamesh go to your head?"
"Right," Sunny grumbled. "What are you doing around here, anyway? I thought you had Vanguard business to take care of."
"Do I look like a fucking amateur to you lately?" Locke laughed before pausing to sniff the air.
"Why does it smell like burnt toast in here, Sunny? Have you been doing some cooking?"
"Very funny. We faced off against an elemental phantom earlier. They were kind enough to let us finish our meal from The Fool's Remedy. Oh, speaking of, Yuna is an esper, thought you'd like to know," Sunny rambled, sniffing himself again.
"Hold on, that's too much information at once. You faced a fire phantom?" Locke was bewildered.
"Yes, walk in the park. Exorcized it in a couple minutes."
"Proud of you, and Yuna is an Esper? What the hell? How didn't we notice before now?"
"Beats me. She's talking to me one minute and she's asking about my ghost friend the next."
"Well, this is a surprise," Locke said. "I don't know if it's a pleasant one."
"We'll have to bring her in, I think. Make her one of us," Sunny reasoned.
Locke chuckled and shook his head. He crashed into Sunny's couch and lifted both feet up on a nearby box.
"The council is going to shit bricks. How strange is it that we get two new Vanguards in such a short span of time?"
"I don't know, Locke. But help is help right?"
Locke chuckled, "Got that right, kiddo."
Should I tell him about what Stella said? Locke was able to instantly detect the change in Sunny's demeanor.
"Something on your mind son?" Locke's face was concerned.
Sunny shook his head softly and turned away.
"That was all. I was wondering if Dr. Rose had something for us. I think Stella was frustrated earlier when she couldn't communicate with me during the battle."
"That's part of the reason I'm here, Sunny," Locke said. He had a goofy grin on his face and Sunny couldn't help the smile blooming on his.
"What, Locke? What's got you smiling like the cat that got the milk?"
"So, Licht might be a sonofabitch, bitch. But he and Dr. Rose have come up with amazing stuff. They want to see Stella. They've got something for her."
Stella peaked her head out from the ceiling between Sunny and Locke. Sunny was unphased but Locke jumped slightly. He tried to play it off by changing positions on the couch but Stella already had a huge smirk on her face. Locke waved his hand at her in a dismissive manner.
"Yeah, yeah, you got me," he said.
Sunny's phone buzzed and he pulled it out once more.
"I guess wearing the suit was a good idea. What do you think they've got in store?"
"It's always a surprise with the R&D, Stella," Sunny said with a mischievous smile. "We'll have to see. Should we leave now?"
"Yes, why? You got somewhere else you want to be, Sunny?" Locke raised a brow at him.
"I thought we could get Yuna while we're on our way."
Locke thought over it for a second and then shook his head.
"We'll come back for her. Garland, Yelena and the others are still salty from the recent events. To avoid any more heat, I say we sort out Stella first then bring Yuna in. I'll assign someone to keep an eye on her."
"Okay Locke."
The drive to HQ was short, but Sunny was lost in thought the entire way. He rode on his motorbike beside Locke's Musbang, weaving in and out of traffic. Stella was close. He had gotten accustomed to her gate being almost attached to his. Lately, he had begun to feel as though they could hear each other's thoughts, if only they tried harder. It was thrilling to imagine. Ironically, he had mixed feelings about someone being in his head.
They pulled over at the church garage and Locke led them inside. Licht and Dr. Rose were waiting for them in the room Stella had been brought to the first time she came to the HQ.
"Hello, Stella." Licht said, beaming brightly. "I trust the suit has been to your liking."
Typical. Sunny rolled his eyes at Licht. He then shared a look with Locke and they both shook their heads. All Licht saw was an opportunity to further his research, and Stella was exactly that. Sunny and Locke were furniture as long as Stella was present.
Stella nodded and Licht continued. "Well, I hope you haven't gotten too attached. You're getting an upgrade. I'm going to need you to go with Dr. Rose. She'll guide you on what to do and help you put on the suit."
Stella grinned at Sunny and he gave her a thumbs up. She seemingly danced in the air and followed Dr. Rose into a sealed off room.
All three men watched her leave and Licht finally turned to Sunny and Locke. "Gentlemen! I'm sorry, I got carried away."
"Shove it, Licht," Locke said good-naturedly. He turned to a sallow Sunny and gave him a long stare. "So, want to tell me what's been eating you? Or do I need to get Enna to beat it out of you?"
Sunny laughed at Locke. I can never get one past him. His tone changed to a more serious one. He stuck his thumb in the air towards the exit.
"Let's go somewhere."