Avatar of the Styx.

Gaslights flicker, casting long, bony shadows across the bar. A woman in tattered bandages pounded the table with a clenched fist. The impact sent a shudder through the room, and the red wine clattered in the goblets.

"Kami….gone?" Her voice was a low growl, laced with disbelief.

A young man who covered his whole body in a black robe was sitting next to her. His face, permanently marked with a half-mocking smile, was unmoved.

"Consumed by the Styx. A fitting end, don't you think?"

The woman scoffed. "Fitting for a fool like you, perhaps. Kami may be arrogant, but her strength is undeniable. How did that….did that Avatar…appear there?"

"Kami," a shrill figure with skin like granite—Kyojin, slammed his fist down and pulled the table off its feet headfirst—the black-robed youth—wraith fully bathed in wine. "Dead. Like a shameless ragdall….by that Avatar," he snarled, his voice shaking the very foundations of the room.

The bandaged woman gritted her teeth, "She was supposed to eliminate Muichiro. Yanzaki, that damn Avatar…how did he find that?"

The Wraith let out a huge roar. "Sorry, sorry...we're talking about Yanzaki, the Avatar of the styx. Do you guys get it? Isn't it funny to ask how he found out? Isn't that right Ayumi?"

Kyojin growled. "Styx or not, our target was at hand, that damn Muichiro was within reach!"

The bandaged woman spat. "We can't let them win. We must get revenge! Kyojin!"

Kyojin studied Ayumi. "Ayumi is right. But we have to be strategic, Yanzaki is a strong opponent even for us."

The Wraith leaned forward, his voice an amused whimper. "Then we'll lure him out of his shell. Use Muichiro as bait."

Ayumi teased. "Don't forget, Muichiro is as slippery as an eel."

Kyojin raised a hand as if to silence bickering. He turned to Ayumi with a predatory glint in his eyes. "Gather our forces. We will attack tonight. Even Yanzaki doesn't think a re-attack will come so soon."

"What if he runs?" The Wraith asked, standing up.

"Let's hit a target close to his heart. Something that forces Yanzaki to show his hand, maybe like his precious little brother?"

A cruel smile twisted Ayumi's lip. "Sounds fun."

***

The rhythmic hum of the bullet train lulled Yanzaki into a rare moment of peace. The night sky, seen through the window, was like a canvas of a million twinkling stars. Beside him, his younger sister Miwa huddled further under her oversized hoodie. Haru, on the other hand, was staring at his phone as if ready to swallow it at any moment. A faint smile played on his lips.

"What are you doing?" Yanzaki asked, leaning Miwa's head on his shoulder, and giving Haru a soft smile. "Nii-Chan, this is-" Haru turned the cell phone over and showed it to Yanzaki with his eyes shining.

Yanzaki ".....???"

"Huh?"

Haru pout. "Nii-Chan, I meant to say that this is your future sister-in-law," Haru muttered looking at the beautiful image on his phone. Yanzaki smiled. "Well then, let her meet me one day."

Haru blushed like a red chili pod. "Ah, it's this…" he scratched the back of his head. Yanzaki was reminded of Muichiro by it. He and Haru were similar in many ways. "Not that Nii-Chan, that master from Nagoya, you never told us about it," Haru asked, changing his subject.

Before Yanzaki could answer, a shriek sounded over the speakers, forcing the passengers to cover their ears.

"Mic Test 1, Mic Test 2, ah yeh." A strange voice was flowing through the speakers.

"Attention passengers," the announcement began, but it did not appear to be the work of the train crew at all.

It was quiet for a while.

"Greetings, Yanzaki Nakajima," the voice boomed, "or should I say Avatar Extraordinary?" A collective gasp echoed through the train as passengers whipped their heads around to find the source. Haru, forgetting the phone, stared at the speaker in disbelief. "Huh?"

Yanzaki was calm on the outside, but there was a fiery look in his eyes.

"Nii-Chan," Haru turned to his older brother in shock. "It's okay Haru," Yanzaki said, smiling and patting Haru on the head.

"Surprised to hear from me?" The voice is constant, a taunt that echoes through the train. "Don't worry, everyone else is just part of the show...they're just...like special effects."

Yanzaki's gaze turned to the passengers. They were all whispering in horror.

"Look around you Yanzaki," the voice teased. "Look at those harmless passengers, oh I'm not sure if they're really harmless."

The lights on the train flickered. The passengers began to mutter in shock. The speaker continued to work.

"Aren't you obsessed with saving people? But Mr. Avatar extraordinary, who do you save first? The passengers or your siblings?"

Rage spread through Yanzaki's body. He didn't know why the evil ones were pulling him. But if something, anything dangerous was on the train, he would not have been able to use his full power to save people when they were around. Miwa awoke from her slumber, shivering in terror, as horrified wails rose from the other compartments. Yanzaki stood up with his hands in his pockets.

"Now now, shall we begin the game?" Kyojin's voice came out sarcastically with a chuckle. "Ah for your awareness, I unleashed monsters in every compartment. Now, show me Yanzaki! Show me your ability!"

"Nii-Chan! What's going on." Haru shouted as Miwa hugged him. But at the same time, the door of the compartment was opened and thrown out when the wind rushed into the compartment. Amidst its dim light, a creature stood erect, a grotesque fusion of man and beast. People screamed in fear of death, but this was not the only threat. The other compartments were also filling up with monsters. Kyojin's words haunted Yanzaki's mind as he took two buttons out of his pocket. 'Are you saving passengers or your siblings?'

The metal felt cool and familiar against his skin as the twin knobs in his hand flipped into twin whip-like swords. He quickly charged at the monster as his sword lashed out like a whip and split the monster's body. Yanzaki took a quick breath as he watched him evaporate into dust.

"Haru," he barked, his voice straining with urgency, "take this." He drew a dagger from his pocket, its blade glinting faintly, and threw it at Haru. "Stay with Miwa, don't move. Don't leave this compartment no matter what!"

Haru's eyes widened in confusion, and he struggled to hold the dagger. But Yanzaki had no time for explanations. With a swift movement, he leaped through the broken doorway into the other compartment, slashing with his twin swords.

The battle was a blur. He pulled through the monsters, using their own size and fury against them. He was unable to unleash his full power- the water of the Styx was too dangerous for human passengers trapped in the enclosed space. Running through the carriages with monster dust, he cut through the roof and climbed onto the roof of the train to avoid the dangers from above. Just as he had imagined, a fierce army of griffins was approaching them. A group of strixes, birdwomen with razor-like claws, screamed and charged at Yanzaki.

He concentrated and closed his eyes. A shock went through him, a ripple that resonated through the train. As he opened his eyes, the air exploded with an invisible energy as black ink erupted beneath his feet. It writhed and throbbed, an evil serpent of liquid darkness, and the water of the Styx responded to his call.

I can't save everyone! His thoughts screamed. But I will save as much as possible! I'm very sorry!

Griffins shouted, sounding like a nail-biting slate, as they felt the power rise. The Strix army froze in mid-air. Yanzaki, no longer holding back, attacked. Styx's tendrils obeyed, swirling around the griffin's feet with unnatural speed. Griffin's screams were cut short before being engulfed in black smoke, replaced by a sickening chill. Seeing the incident, the Strixes panicked and frantically flapped their wings in an attempt to escape.

But Yanzaki was not willing to allow it. He attacked with another wave and quickly engulfed one strix after another, wrapping around them. Within a minute, the sky army turned into smoke and disappeared.

Yanzaki took a long sigh. Obviously, they planned this. But at the same time, a deafening explosion ripped through the engine violently throughout the train, knocking Yanzaki off balance. All the compartments were exploding one after another as he narrowly escaped falling. The train was jumping the tracks and twisting unnaturally. One horrible thought dominated his mind - Miwa and Haru.

Adrenaline surging, he sprinted across the roof to his compartment ahead, ignoring the horrified screams of the compartments behind him. Speed up! Speed up Yanzaki!

Fear gripped him. The front of the train was separating, pulling away at an alarming rate. He knew what to do. In a desperate gamble, covering his celestial bronze swords with Styx water, he leaped down from the roof, severing the metal frame that connected the front of the train to the carriage with one blow.

In that split second, the remainder lurched forward and exploded, and the few other compartments that had lost their balance tumbled aside with a rapid thud. Fortunately, it was an uninhabited barren plain. Although the train overturned, it was not strong enough to kill anyone.

As the wind lashed his face, he ran forward through broken glass and twisted seats to meet them. "Miwa, Haru!" His voice was full of fear and when he saw Miwa huddled on the side of the compartment, he ran to her and hugged her tightly. "Thank you!" he whispered. But....where is Haru?

Miwa's eyes widened with fear, and she could barely speak. Yanzaki frantically searched for Haru, but he was nowhere to be found. Huddled in the wrecked compartment, Miwa pointed her trembling finger at the broken window.

"T-they g-got, Ha-ru."