13 Kale Pluto

'Scarlet Strings Of Destiny.'

Night Thirteen...

"My desire... I want to live up to all their expectations... I want to make them stop crying... I want to kill that man... No matter what..."

The Imps...

Food for the Mares...

The Wakes...

The one who hunt the Mares down...

A Deadly dance of fire, and ice, forever tangled together.

Paradise City...

Five Years Ago...

Paradise...

That's what they called it.

The kids.

The Imps trapped in the human world. The ones who weren't lucky to be found by a Wake. They all craved to find Paradise. As if it had been built into them or something...

"M... My God..." A young woman said. She was dressed in the same suit, Williams wore. Though she didn't have the sunglasses and instead of a sword at her hip what seemed to be a large golden bo staff rested. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the scene in front of her. She had blonde hair tied into a pony tail and snake like yellow eyes.

"Nah... No God here..." The man next to her said grimly. "Come on Yuma... We should head in..." He had dark skin and black hair tied into a pony tail as well as forest green eyes.

"R... Right... I'm right behind you Bao..." The woman who was apparently named Yuma said nodding her head.

In front of them something they'd never want to see in a million years rested...

A large run down orphanage. An orphanage that just a few days ago had been filled with many, many, many Imps... New Bloods, Common Bloods, and even a few Steel Bloods... An Orphanage that less than an hour ago reported a Mare attack...

The sounds the pools of blood made as they stepped into the building sent shivers down their spines. There was so much death...

This Mare...

It didn't even bother eating most of the bodies. It looked like it just ripped them apart rather than eat them. Some twisted game it had been playing.

The Two Wakes stopped when they heard a voice from up ahead.

"You almost made it through the night running around... Almost..."

Yuma, and Bao, stopped when they heard the voice. It was an old elderly voice. Off to the side was a door that seemed to be leading down stairs... That was where the voice came from...

"This aura feels like a Mare..." Yuma murmured.

"We need to hurry up. Someone could be in trouble." Bao said in a panic.

Yuma and Bao kicked the door down and rolled down the steps Yuma whipping out her staff. Bao meanwhile flicked his hands as large wooden branches seemed to rise off of his arm. Both stopped when they saw it.

It was an old man who seemed to be dressed in what looked like a clown uniform. He slowly turned to look at both the Wakes and they saw his face. His jaw was wide open. Far, far, far larger than should be possible going to his gut. And within his massive mouth a pair of legs was sticking out as he swallowed someone whole... Black liquid dripping down his face.

The Mare had been in the middle of eating someone...

Sometime after the battle...

"What the hell happened here..." Harrison Black stood in the Orphanage now as he looked around. In front of him Yuma and Bao both stood.

"Sir..." Yuma gave a small wince as she folded her arms. "We arrived to late.. By the time we showed up Paradise had already be slaughtered... All the children were..."

"They died..." Bao said blankly.

Harrison bit his lip as he nodded his head. "I... I see... Okay... Well... We're there any survivors?" He asked.

"One sir-"

"Take me to them now then." Harrison said pushing past them.

"W... Well the thing is the child is-"

"Now."

They marched down the steps leading to the downstairs basement in which they had, had their battle with the Mare that was devouring the child. Somehow the kid that had been getting eaten survived. He rested at the very bottom of the room in a sitting position. But that wasn't what made Harrison Black pause when he saw them.

"Wait..." Harrison felt a frown cover his face as he stared at the child. "I thought you said there was only one survivor?"

At the very bottom of the one was two kids. The first was a young boy who couldn't be older than eight years old. The boy had light yellow eyes as well as messy black hair. His skin was pale and covered in cuts and bruises and he was covered in the slobber of the Mare a blanket placed over him. His eyes were blank and his arms were wrapped protectively around the second child. She was younger than him. Only five at the most. She had long red hair and light grey eyes. She rested in the boys lap his arms keeping her safe.

Brother and sister?

"W... Where did she come from?" Yuma and Bao both seemed in shock when they saw the girl.

Harrison however gave a small smile. "Sir?" Bao asked when he saw the Professors smile. "What should we do?"

"Call Ms. Aka..." Harrison hummed. "Tell her we can end World War Two."

***

Present Day...

Two bodyguards stood outside of a large metal building as loud music echoed from the inside.

"Geez..." One of the guards muttered as he gave a large frown. His body shook slightly as he zipped up the heavy jacket he was wearing. "When do you think they're gonna fix up the heaters?" One said shivering slightly.

"No clue..." The second one said through clattering teeth. "Hopefully soon though... I joined a City to get away from the cold after all... If I wanted to live in the snow I'd move out to one of those damn villages. Cities are suppose to have built in Heaters and walls to fight off the damn cold of the outside world..."

"Right. Like. How do those places stay intact? Those Villages I mean?" The first man asked as he shrugged? "I mean... All alone out in the snowy wasteland. No technology. No plant life. Just a small group of people. Must freaking suck..."

"I feel sorry for the poor bastards who live near the Great Wall that blocks out the New World."

"Nah, man. The people who really have it rough are the guys who live near the Black Depth. Those poor guys must have it rough. Giant sea monsters coming out of the water. God help whatever poor bastard has to live near there."

"I guess I can see-" Both guards stopped suddenly as they stared out to the dark streets ahead of them.

"Who's there?" One of them asked as they raised a gun up.

"Hello!" A child like voice announced in joy as a young red haired ten year old girl with light grey eyes jumped out of the shadows waving her arms. She was in a simple grey coat jacket and had a cute grin on her face. "Hi! I'm Mary!"

"A... A kid?"

"Well lower the guns idiot." The other guard said quickly setting his weapon down. He cleared his throat when he saw the girl. "Little miss. I'm sorry but you need to head back home. This street is reserved for Don Von, leader of the Bow Mafia Gang. You should head back quickly before-"

"You two are gonna get beat up." She announced smugly.

"What-"

Several knives flew out of the darkness all of them stabbing into the mens arms and legs and pinning them into the wall behind them as they yelled in pain. Thankfully many of their vitals were missed either on purpose or accident.

One of the guards hissed in pain as he was pinned up unable to move due to the blades. "W... Wait wait wait! We uh... We're not that strong... We don't know how to use aura... Boss just hired us for the looks... Please don't hurt us?"

"What do you think Mary?" The voice asked. Stepping out of the darkness was the one who threw the knives. The Mafia members were in shock when they saw that it was actually a kid. He had messy black hair and coal black eyes. Just like the girl he was in a grey coat but in his hands he held several throwing knives which he tossed into the air and caught. "Live or die?"

"Hmm..." The girl who was named Mary hummed as she seemed to think it over making the two men scared for a moment. "They can live Kale!"

"Well okay you're the boss." Kale smirked showing he had jagged teeth in his mouth that were all fang like. "You guys really lucked out. I'll call an ambulance for your wounds before I leave. And Mary will watch you two to make sure you don't leave."

"But big brother I want too meet the mob boss also!" Mary pouted.

Kale gave a small chuckle as he placed his hand on her head. "I need you to stay here though Mary. So that if I get in trouble you can jump in and save me."

Mary's cheeks puffed out as she folded her arms. "Fine I guess..."

Meanwhile...

Inside the building, a large rave was currently going on... Several people were partying like there was no tomorrow as loud music blared throughout the colorful room.

"I'm doomed!" The man who owned this building yelled out as he placed his head in his hands. He was seated at the bar and was currently growing his sorrows away. "Doomed I say!"

"What is it this time?" The man who worked the bar said as he gave a sarcastic eye roll.

"It's that damn Organization!" The owner sighed out. "That little group is costing me millions. Even with a fully packed building, I can't afford the cost of 'protection' or the amount it cost to keep it up..."

"I thought that with your daughters power you could-"

"Yeah for a while... But thats getting harder to keep up with the prices... Damn that group. Damn them..." He sighed biting his lip. "I'm getting real sick and tired of all these surprises-"

There was a loud boom as the doors to the room were blown open.

"God damn it! Man... I hate today."

Everyone stopped what they were doing as they turned to the entrance. The music slowly came to a stop as quiet footsteps echoed from the dark hallway outside and Kale stepped into the dance room giving a small wave.

Slowly the music kicked back in as everyone got back to what they were doing.

This really wasn't that strange compared to most of the stuff that happened in here...

They lived in a world where people had superpowers after all.

The thirteen year old slowly walked towards the bar as he took a seat next to the owner. Neither of them actually said anything as they set there quietly. A silence passed between them before finally, the kid spoke finally the need to have his question answered out weighing his need to look cool...

"I hear you know stuff..." The kid asked.

"That depends..." The boss said. "Who's asking?"

"Kale Pluto..." The boy introduced. "You've heard of me right?"

"Ahh... A Pluto. Here that Harrison." The boss slowly took a puff on a cigar he had. "He's one of them survivors. You're one of the only people who survived the paradise massacre aren't ya... I've heard the stories... They say they found you being swallowed by the Mare... And if I recall..." The man reached out grabbing Kale's face. Kale didn't seem to react as the man placed his thumbs on Kale's lips and moved them showing off rows of razor and fanged teeth. "You're a Steel Blood."

"So I assume you know stuff," Kale asked raising an eyebrow as he moved the hands away from his mouth . It was hard controlling his urges to bite them. "Not many people knew about me being a Steel Blood. The papers wanted that to be covered up. Local boy is the last alive, is much more hopeful than, Wakes discover monster voring other monster, debates on if they should kill both still pending."

"What exactly do you want to know..."

Kale slipped a picture as well as a few coins out of his pocket and placed them down slowly sliding them over. "I'm looking for that man..." Kale said casually.

The owner turned the picture over as he frowned. "Count Pluto... A Mare... He ran an Orphanage called Paradise that took on several lost Imps giving them a home. However little did anyone know before it was to late, he was a Mare, and he than went and devoured everyone in the building, but one person named Kale Pluto. Sorry kid but he's also dead. You ain't going to find him."

"He isn't. And that's the issue."

"Died while he was attempting to eat you if I recall-"

"Died in this very city in fact-"

"That asshole isn't dead! Not yet anyways." Kale said through gritted teeth. "They never found his body."

"Kid. You realize Mares dissolve when killed... It would be far weirder if they found a body..."

"He isn't dead!" Kale yelled loudly as a small spark of aura came out of his hands, and his grip around the bar handle tightened to the point they snapped off.

"Hey now..." Don Von said frowning. "I'm a normal human. Can't see aura but I can feel my hairs standing up. Listen now don't get any ideas that you can take us all. I got some aura users hired as well."

"Yeah right-" Kale was rendered silent as the bar tender was suddenly covered in white aura as well.

"He isn't lying." The bar tender said flatly. "Sorry kid but you're a bit out of your dept. Imp battles are battles of Aura. Your body is to young and your aura is untrained. On top of that you don't even have an Affinity. You're a couple years to young to be fighting someone like me."

Kale eyed the man up for a moment before he was reached down to his pocket grabbing for his knife and ripping it out but in a single motion the bar tender was gone now standing behind Kale his finger at Kales throat.

"Move again and I'll cut off your head..." A tiny drop of blood dripped down Kales neck as the bar tenders finger left a tiny cut into it.

Kale stopped as he gritted his teeth. He knew the man was right. He was still a young Imp. He couldn't even turn his aura on without moments to focus. On top of that his aura was untamed and raw. It was like compering a cup of water to a small lake. Their skills were night in day. As he was now he'd never reach this mans level with his aura without having to train.

Of course that was just Aura...

Kale closed his eyes for a moment as his body went slack.

"See kid." The bar tender hummed. "You're not that dumb. You're smart enough to see that fighting would be-" Kale opened his eyes the yellow in them having changed into a red as he whipped around and kicked up with his leg raising it above his head. "The hell-" The bar tender grabbing Kale's foot just in time but Kale used that to flip himself up as he twirled his knife and stabbed out with it. The mans aura flared to its max as he cocked his head to the side just in time as the knife sliced into his cheek. "H... He harmed me even with my aura on? He doesn't even have aura. Still though. You're not near my level."

Before Kale could even react the bar tender gripped down on Kale's ankle and then literally slammed him into the ground hard enough to explode the wooden floor.

Kale rolled across the floor nearly slipping due to the pain that coursed through him. He stood back up crouched down and holding his knife looking like a wounded beast backed into a corner.

"Those eyes are..." The bar tender stared at Kale with wide eyes. Kales eyes were both a scarlet red now shining brightly and actually seemed to almost glow through the very dark around him. "Their so pretty and yet... So sad-"

"Big Brother!"

Kale nearly slipped as from out of nowhere Mary jumped onto his back wrapping her arms around him. "M... Mary?"

"Sorry." An elderly voice hummed. Walking into the room was an old tiny man only about three feet tall. He wore bright pink robes and had a long grey beard which was wrapped around his body almost like a belt. "I'm so sorry my student caused you any trouble." The old man said giving a bow to the bar tender.

"S... Son Sigmore to?" Kale frowned.

"He came to get you!" Mary announced resting in Kales arms.

Kale sighed rolling his eyes as the iris within them reverted back to normal. "Guess the jig is up. If old man Sigs came to get me then I don't have a choice but to go back I guess."

The old man turned back to look at Kale and Mary as he began to walk towards them. "Come along Kale. We need to head back. After all you'll be taking your test soon."

"Right." Kale sighed turning around and walking ahead of the old man.

"Hey kid..." Kale stopped looking back to the bartender whos arms were folded. "Names Row Vil. You ever need a job hit me up. You're interesting..."

Kale didn't say anything as him and Mary followed after Sigmore and they exited the building. "Did you have fun Mr. Williams?" The tiny little man hummed.

"I guess."

Sigmore let out a small laugh. "You're just like my son Defiance..." He hummed. "Come along Mr., and Ms. Williams. We should head back before Ms. Aka notices you're gone... She did mention she wanted to train you for the one month before the test begins after all."

Kale gulped a little. "M... Ms. Aka wanted to train me..."

"Thats right. I suspect you'll have that aura down in no time."

Kale sighed slumping his head in defeat. "I'm a goner for sure..."