Reinforced heels clicked against the marble floor as three men stormed down the halls of that sacred pce. The sound resohrough the space, warning any who were thinking of stepping out to think twice. Two guards walked at either side of a man in a suit and tie. They both wore white robes fitted with hoods, sheer bck masks lined with polished steel covered their heads. He himself wore no such mask, preferring a simple silver-and-bck metal hanpo desigo look like the sneer of a demon. His long bck hair hung down his back, a single white streak tied with silver bands hanging over his shoulder and across his chest. A chime rang in his ear aouched his earpiece.

  “On my way,” He growled, dark eyes narrowed.

  That man was back yet again. He came more and more often these days. He came to the sacred doors and stood there, shouting his fury at the sacred temple and demanding an audience. Every time he was sent away. He was a troublesome person who didn’t know how to keep his of busihat did not him, that was above him. Shuta strode down the hall as the guards oher side of him readied their ons while he clutched at the saya of his own tool of death. A on he had earned in the dungeon. His head tilted forward as they drew closer to the front door of the temple, his lips f a thin line.

  “Do not engage uhreatened,” He hissed and the two masked men nodded.

  Shuta pushed the doors open and stepped out into the beautiful courtyard. White flowers bloomed in a green garden dotted with small ponds. The solitary stohway leading to the ates was empty save for a solitary figure that stood on the wrong side of the gates. Shuta clicked his tongue, Despoiler, how dare you.

  He crossed the distance quickly, the ly cut wn nothing but a blur in his periphery as he stalked indignantly towards the man who dared stand there with impunity. He came to a stop only a few meters away, tilting his head up and looking the hulking man in the eyes. Tanned skin, tattoos showih a suit that was just a little too tight. Graying hair on his head and an unfiving stare, “Hero Sapporo,” Shuta said, keeping his tone as steady as he could even as rage boiled beh his skin. The iional hero offered him no greeting. He only scowled. “You are trespassing in a sacred pce, leave now,” Shuta clipped out into the sileween them.

  Sapporo tilted his head up and looked down at Shuta, “Kato Shuta. Yanization openly worships a wanted criminal and praises her as,” He said stoically, “The only reason I am not leveling this building in search of your so-called leader right this instant is that officially you have not itted any acts of viliny and my own shortening patience.”

  Shuta took a step forward and tilted his head, looking into the man’s face, “You have nht to ehis pce, you have been banned from the premises and a formal request put forward to the Pandora ittee demanding that you cease this harassment,” He said, “Again, I ask you to leave. The people here want to be left alone and I will protect them from you.”

  Sapporo raised an eyebrow, “A request that was denied, a ban that was tered,” The big man growled, “You are vilins, I have no doubt, and I will defend this nation from the iion of Ishtar’s followers. We have suspis that she has already made tad it will be firmed.”

  “The savior has made no such tact,” Shuta insisted, “Now begone.”

  Sapporo’s eyes glowed for a moment and he leaned forward, “Savior?” He growled, his voice dropping a full octave, “Move me, then, I will see your leader. She has to answer for poisoning the minds of Japanese people.”

  “We have a right to practice our faith-” Shuta began but a faint wave of power cut him off. He ched his hand around his on and steadied himself as Sapporo seemed to grow just a fra bigger before his eyes. Soured down his back, the mighty mythid warrior that had faced the beast A in single bat loomed over him with a pitiless stare. Shuta felt his guts turn to id could sense his men trembling behind him. He set his jaw anyway and firmed every ounce of resolve he could, “-until you have proof. You may not e in. Even if I die I will not allow you to pass.”

  All Shuta could see for a moment air of glowing eyes and smelled the faint st of alcohol in the air. It burned his nose, even through the mask, “You worship a mass-murderer and terrorist. Step aside.”

  “No,” Shuta bit out even as he felt his knuckles creak around his on, a madness ing into his mind, telling him to sh out, strike first. He shook his head and glowered at the man before leaping bad striking his two guards in the back of the neck. The two men who were on the verge of drawing their ons crumpled to the ground, “I will not strike first.”

  Sapporhtened and the pressure vanished as if it had never been there. The sweat on Shuta’s brow increased and he felt his muscles tremble uhe strain they had been put under, “You put our homend in danger,” Sapprowled, “Unfivable. I will return again and again until your leader sees me. They ot escape justice even if the w protects them, for now,” He snarled and turned away, “I will be watg.”

  With that the mighty hero vanished, leaping into the sky with such force that the air had to rush to repce the space he had vacated. Shuta coughed and watched after him before looking down at the two men who were starting to get to their feet. They rubbed the back of their heads and looked up at him, “Your fear almost pushed you to strike first,” He expined and turned away, marg towards the doors, “I did what I had to do.”

  They hurried to follow him, apologies that he barely heard. He was fuming. It was a dirty trick the man had tried to use on them. He knew nothing about what happened in this pce, what it’s true purpose was. Nor would he ever know if Shuta had his say in it. He passed by those who had awakened with the fsh, their bodies altered by physiological abilities, their minds struggling uhe weight of their new powers, their lives ged forever. Families had turhem out before abilities had bee normalized, jobs lost, livelihoods destroyed in acts. From muo even heroic, they hid under his prote.

  If that makes me a vilin, so be it. He thought bitterly as he made his way through the halls to the elevator. He summo aured for the guards to take their positions oher side, “Call security and-” He paused when a chime came to his ear again and he frowned, “-Uood,” He murmured and g them, “Nevermind, just remain here.”

  “Yes sir,” They both said in unison as the elevator opened aepped inside.

  Moments ter he was deep beh the ground, aper, wood, and stone floors repced by metal halls. He rounded a er, passih security cameras that followed him until he arrived at a rge circur door. There ause before the door opened arode quickly inside, passing through a faint cloud of smoke before dropping to a knee, his hair falling over his head, “Lady Setsuna,” He rasped, “I am here.”

  “At look me, dear,” A gentle voice called out to him.

  He looked up and into the ter of the room. There, sitting on a dais, was an enormous circur cushion surrounded by nearly-transparent silk drapes. A silhouette hid behind it, that of a woman sitting and looking down at him. He couldn’t see her face, but he could feel the gentle smile. He retur from beh his mask before his expression fell a little, “He-”

  “Unimportant,” She corrected him, “He gone is, well did you, you thank, little Shuta.”

  His lip twitched and he had the sudden urge to rub his neck a little. He held his posture at one khough, his fist on the ground until she gestured for him to stand. He rose and when she gestured for him to approach he did without question. She reached through the drapes and delicate haeo touch his cheek, “Busy soon, be he will, not worry, ease at, ease at,” She whispered.

  He let out a breath and nodded, rexing his shoulders, “Yes, mother.”

  “A vision soon es,” She said, “Listen.”

  He nodded again, “I am here.”

  She pulled her hand away a her hands in her p. For a moment there was stillness as her head lulled back behind the curtains. Then the smoke in the air began to gather, a cloudy mist that g to his nose and made him feel a little dizzy. He shook it off and trated, not daring to miss a single word as a sound like a death rattle escaped his mother’s lips.

  Kato Setsuna, the Oracle, the leader of Hope’s Disciples, spoke, her voice echoed in the room with a powerful resonance. Every word oken with a different tone, a different at, a different voice, yet not a single sylble could be lost:

  “The terrible pendragon grows mighty, the seas shall boil with the madness of a king, storms fall from above and the shadows dahe enemy at st is revealed, reveling in the praise of the ignorant. The hammer of vengeance falls. The Savior’s mask is ed, forever ged. Her eye shall open, her wrath will fill the sky. We will see her soon, in this pce, behind the mask of an enemy.”