Author's Note: A warning to all who come here. I am not really the romance type of writer, but rather one who prefers comedy, action, drama, more action, awesome plots and character stories, comedy again, and supernatural/suspenseful stuff. So dont expect any form of serious romance, or probably even semi-serious. If something like that ends up happening naturally then maybe, but I have no plans or intentions for it at this time. So I will do silly comedic stuff and just silly stuff sometimes, but there will be plot and story, and there will be some serious stuff as well. I like to have a mix.

For as long as time went on, there have been secrets in this world. Secrets and wonders, all of which went unknown to many. And that included the existence of Magic, which went hidden from the public eye for a long time now. Rumors and legends spread, but as the people advanced and grew wary of the idea of "witchcraft", it began to be hidden.

However, as technology has been expanding and advancing, it has now become difficult for magic to remain hidden. Magic is becoming revealed to the world, and people are learning about it. From the Six Primals, to the Spirit Force, to the complex Runecraft, and other such forms of magic. Derived from the form of energy called Mana, also known as the Lifespring of Energy, or the Godwater as others called it. A force of energy that defied standard definition, able to create something from nothing, if one was willing to put in the effort needed, and accept the risks. Also capable of summoning fire in the middle of the air, rewriting gravity, and creating pocket dimensions.

At first, everything seemed normal though. It was just whispers and rumors, at most. Maybe a video of a mage using magic. Not just of those who could use magic, but also factions and groups within them.

And then, The Marked happened. Across the world, people began to have a Mark appear somewhere on their bodies. Normal people and Mages alike. The normal people who were marked would develop some incredible magic, while those with magic already would have theirs enhanced to around the same level. And then, occasionally when two of the Marked would meet, and they were not already friends, they would be pulled into a place called "The Sanctum", and have to fight. The winner would get spoils, while the loser might suffer from bad luck, come down with a terrible sickness, or maybe nothing aside from getting the crap beat out of them.

BUt the spoils could come in all forms. Money, increased magical power, luck, increased physical ability in the real world. In The Sanctum, all abilities end up getting increased, but sometimes the winners got to bring some of that power back with them to the real world. They were definently able to bring their magic back, although any power given by Marks always is more powerful in The Sanctum. In The Sanctum, it was a place where battles would be carried out, and one side would end up in serious pain at the end. Any injury recieved in The Sanctum would be less severe and heal quicker in reality, but the feeling of pain would still sting.

However, there are many forms of magic that one can use, in the real world or in The Sanctum. First, The Six Primals. Those would be Fire, Water, Earth, Storm, Shadow, and Light. Often, a person was born with an affinity for only one, maybe two Primal Elements. That said, it could be said that the Primals are quite powerful, and more flexible then one might initially think, with incredible magic coming from them.

Next would be Spirit Force. It involves making a pact with a spirit. From that pact, you would gain certain magical abilities based on the spirit you made a pact with, which could provide some flexibility, but also some retrictions. It would allow you to summon that spirit, or forms of that spirit, into battle, and gives you a force to be reckoned with.

And then, there was Runecraft. It was the most complicated, but also the most flexible of Spellcraft. One had to arrange runes into formations, and based on how they were formed would determine what kind of magic was enacted. Difficult to learn, difficult to control, but also difficult to counter and predict. Not invincible, but not a pushover either.

There are other, lesser known forms of magic, but those are the big three. There are also other, basic laws, or facts, for mages. For one thing, Mage bodies understand that their bodies are mostly made of water, and to help heal and recover faster, submerging ones body in water, like in a bath or shower, accelerates healing. It works better if there is less interference though, and it takes more then just pouring a water bottle over the wound. However, it gave birth to legends such as the Waters of Life or the Fountain of Youth.

Another is that one should also protect their Grimoire, their Spellbook. The books are handed down through the generations, as new magic is added to them, and old magic is learned from them. Often there is over a dozen protection spells on new Grimoires alone, and old ones? There could be thousands, and are tough to crack.

And finally, and naturally...of course, you should always keep as much hidden as you can.

The day had started out like any other, a perfectly normal day. The sun was in the sky, and everything seemed peaceful enough. At least, that was how it was for the city of Azuma. Sunshine and blue skies, and no reports of violence and problems to sour the day so far. And this included the students of Razden Academy, one of the biggest schools in the city.

But sometimes, normal did not mean it was good. At least, that was what Cyrus Dayce thought. The eleven year old boy, who appeared scrawny and short and had girlish looks including long hair which he prefered despite that, was a relatively smart kid and a good study. He often ended up standing out somehow, and he also wanted to help people if he felt he could. Because of that, he ended up getting into a lot of trouble. Whether it was around town, at school, or especially with bullies.

And that was why currently, he was running down a path through the woods by the city and the academy, being chased by three other boys who were older and bigger then him. Then again, all of the boys his age were bigger then him. And, much to his dismay, they were also faster then him. Which meant, it took no time at all for them to tackle him to the ground. And once they did, they kept him pinned down as they stripped all of his clothes off, and tied him to a small tree.

"Hey! Come on!" Cyrus pleaded as he stood there, naked as the day he was born, his hands tied behind his back and the tree. The knot was sturdy, and he was completely incapable of escape.

"Serves you right for telling on us, shrimp!"

"Yeah! Maybe now you will think twice!"

"Good for nothing!"

The bullies said that as he was left there. Thankfully no one was around to see him, at least not yet.

As for why this was happening, a recap was probably needed. Essentially, it all started earlier when Cyrus saw the bullies doing something downright stupid. He saw them forcing some unknown substance into this one kid, and it did not really sit right with him. Of course, Cyrus ended up telling on them, without knowing just who their parents were...or how cold they could be like their kids.

Well, it was possible Cyrus also took some peanut butter...okay, a lot of peanut butter...and stuffed it into their lockers. But that was besides the point, and the cafeteria had plenty to spare!

Well, that was essentially what had happened. ANd so, they got out of trouble, while Cyrus got into trouble. Simple cause and effect.

"Well well, isn't this a rather unusual situation".

And then, a voice spoke to him. It was female, attractive, beautiful, and cute. Although Cyrus was not entirely sure why he heard this voice at this time.

"Looks like you need to escape".

And then, this outragously cute girl walked out from behind him. Clad in a pure white dress, she came around and kissed him on the cheek. Needless to say, Cyrus' face went so red he might as well have been a tomato.

"But you don't need help, do you? Its not like you will remember me anyways..."

And then, she kissed him on the lips.

"What the..." he started to say, when suddenly she just disappeared in front of him. Actually, he was not even sure what he remembered happening. However, he was still tied to the tree, naked. "...I have to get out of this before they get back and decide to take pictures..."

Cyrus tried to struggle loose and get his hands free. It didn't seem to have much effect then, and it didn't seem to now...except somehow, he managed to get it loose enough for a moment, at the right angle, to get his wrist free. And with one wrist free, it was relatively simple to get the other one free, and escape his capture.

Thankfully, the bullies had not bothered to take any of his belongings or clothes, and they were just scattered on the ground. Still, Cyrus found them annoyingly aggressive, and would have to be careful of them in the future.

That said, after he got dressed, he had no time to just stand around, and immediately ran off towards his job. In 2033, new labor laws were implimented that provided both freedom and protection of work, and in the process also ended up seeing the removal of Anti-Child labor laws. Of course, no child could be forced to work overly straining jobs, but for jobs that they could do, such as journalists, messengers, engineers, computer technicians and programmers if they had the skills, and so on. Some of the more talented ones became known as scientists, musicians, artists. Some became assistants, and other jobs like that. A few even became managers, overseeing adults and making sure things got done responsibly and dependably.

It probably also had something to do with the fallout of Stormfall. No one is still quite sure what caused it, but ten years ago, a lot of people lost their lives to an anomalous storm that ended up sweeping across the world. It was not quite end of the world doomtimes, nor was it severe or something that had never been seen before. The intensity had been seen before, but it had never lasted that long or been that large to cross multiple continents and not break up. However, it required a need for those jobs to be filled, and orphans needed jobs to earn money for themselves.

There are still conspiracy theories about what happened though, claiming it was magic, or advanced technology designed to go after those with magic.

Cyrus' parents were also killed by that storm, which resulted in him being taken in by his grandfather, who then died two years ago. After that, Cyrus has been on his own.

And as a result, he now worked at Heartspeed Deliveries. They are hired to go all around the city, delivering mail and packages, without the soulless nature of the post office. No, they go out of their way to make sure each letter and package is handed directly to the recipient with emotion and soul, racing across the city in opposition to "the soulless force of the post office".

He also did some odd jobs on the side, such as fixing pipes and other handyman stuff and so on.

He practically dashed all the way there, though he had to stop a few times for the street lights to turn red and stop traffic when he had to cross the street. He was still in his school uniform, though it was pretty messy and he was half covered in dirt due to earlier. His school uniform was green shorts and socks, a white shirt, and green blaiser. His Heartspeed Deliveries uniform meanwhile was a blue windbreaker jacket, blue shorts, blue boots, and a blue knit cap with the company logo on it.

"Come on come on come on".

"Jeese, you kids these days. Don't you ever just take time to enjoy yourselves?"

An old man mentioned this while he was waiting for the light to change, as he himself seemed to be operating a fortune telling booth.

"Maybe on days when interruptions dont risk me being late!" Cyrus replied, jogging in place as he waited for the light to turn green.

"Running will only get you into trouble today" the old man said, in a more fortune teller like voice.

"...I get into trouble any day regardless. I would have to coop up at home and eat ice cream all day to have a chance to avoid it..."

He muttered that to himself as he continued to run forward, heading right towards his workplace. It was a medium sized building, that could be mistaken as an apartment building if not for the sign, the special blue paint to make it more visible, and the fact it had a driveway and garage built into it unlike the other buildings around the area.

He was quick to rush in, and headed towards the front desk and the woman that was manning it.

"Cyrus Dayce, signing in!"

"Just made it in time. That said..."

She looked over at Cyrus, and scowled.

"Go into the back, throw the clothes in the wash, and shower before you go out. We want people to be pleased, not repulsed".

"R-right! Got it!" Cyrus replied. He wanted to argue, but the entire reason they had showers there, aside from potential exposure to possible hazardous packages that somehow bypassed vetting, was to ensure they were clean and presentable when they did their deliveries as they did them in person. Plus, she was his superior and that was a terrible idea. It was not the first time either, but after the bully incident, he was just a bit more shy about it.

He headed right into the back, employees only locker and shower room and got undressed, putting his dirty clothes into the wash while putting his shoes in his locker, and then he grabbed a towel and headed into the showers. As he stepped in, there were four others there. One boy around high school age, who looked a lot manlier then Cyrus ever could, two girls around his age, and a boy also around his age. Messengers was one of the most popular jobs for children who needed jobs would take, and as for the reason they were all there at the same time, school had just gotten out. The day had been hot, so it appeared everyone was freshening up with a shower.

As for why it was not gender segregated, it was partially to save money and space, and partially because of the ideal of equality between males and females to the point that it was perfectly fine to have this where people were meant to be professionals and on the job. It was far from what became known as the "Overly unfamiliar, afraid, and reserved" age as the history books called it of the early twenty first century.

Although supposedly, a lot of changes were made from before the Stormfall and after it, due to all the chaos.

Cyrus ended up taking a spot under an empty shower, inbetween the two girls, named Rebeca and Shion, and the boy, Kazuka.

"A bit late, Cyrus-kun".

"What took ya so long, Cy-kun?"

"Heyo, Cy-kun!"

Cyrus hung up his towel and turned on the water. There were no dividers, so after some awkwardness, even though Cyrus was still a bit embarrassed, he ended up getting used to conversing with the others in this situation. Even if culture was changing and advancing in this age, that did not mean everything changed overnight.

"H-hey!" he managed to say.

"Oh come on now Cyrus-kun. No need to be afraid and look away. We are coworkers and friends and family, for a long time now!" the tomboy Shion announced, moving over and joining Cyrus under the same showerhead. She was more of an exceptional case, holding absolutely no reserves about anything. "Besides, both me and Rebeca are still totally flat so there is nothing for us to be embarrassed about either!"

"Sh-Shi-chan!" Rebeca said, covering herself up on instinct from the embarrassment. She was the more reserved and shy of the two, but was able to stand there just fine normally due to experience. However, mentioning stuff like that caused her to have this reaction.

"Haha! I just find it fun seeing everyone's different reactions, although Cy-kun should man up and stop being so embarrassed. Come on, be proud to be a boy!"

Shion started to tickle Cyrus a little, reddening his face as he tried to control his laughter. "Sh-shion-chan!"

"Sorry, couldn't help it" she said, as she stood right in front of him. What she said was certainly true though, they were all kids. Although Cyrus could not help but notice she seems to have drawn a weird mark on her waist. He didn't even know what it was this time, but one time, she drew something different on everyone's bodies, and another time, she drew identical marks on them all. Using marker of course, but still it showed how she had zero reserve. The ultimate tomboy. "Anyways, come on! Touch my chest! Its clearly still flat!"

The trope about the girls being sensitive about that area did not happen though, even Rebeca who was shyer then Shion didn't seem fixated on it either. Shion even dared both Cyrus and Kazuka to touch her there as a test of courage. Kazuka did not hesitate at all though, being the energetic and carefree type. Shion then looked back at Cyrus, but pouted when she noticed something and put the marker away...wait...

"Where did you get that from?"

"Dont ask us" Rebeca said, shyly moving her hair and showing another...something...on the back of Rebeca's neck. "She got Kazuka too at some point".

Kazuka then showed his right hand, not the palm but the outside. And it was...

"...Shion? What even are these?"

"Hey, I might be an artist..."

"You four are noisy as always" the high schooler, Ezzo Kiyama interrupted. "Though with Cyrus-kun's looks it cant be helped. If I didn't see him in the showers so much, I might think he is a girl. His long blue hair doesn't help, and his face could totally go either way".

Cyrus sulked a little as he heard something he was still having difficulty accepting. It was true the fact he kept his hair long did not help, but...it was his own personal thing.

"You know, some people would find it creepy you always shower with us like this".

"We all get out of school at the same time" Ezzo pointed out as he finished up. "Don't take too long though. This is not a social club, we are getting cleaned up for work and I hear there is quite a haul today".

"Yeah yeah" Kazuka mentioned as Ezzo went towards the lockers and started to get dressed for work. He then turned towards the other three. "So, I hear I got the riverbank area today".

"I think I got one of the downtown areas..." Rebeca mentioned, calming down as her mind was distracted thanks to work. "I just hope I don't have to deal with that one guy again".

Cyrus started to pay a bit more attention as he washed the dirt off. "Wait, you dont mean the guy on the blacklist right? Did he get someone else to send one of us to him?"

"Sort of...he tried to intercept me during a delivery on fifth street".

Kazuka clicked his tongue as he heard that.

"He tried to get me to go into his van with an offer to drive me to my next stop. Like hell I will fall for that, right Cy-kun? Kicked him inbetween the legs for good measure. Besides, company policy. Dont use vehicles other then trains, subways, and skates while on the job. Boards or roller, but no bikes. Never quite got that rule though".

"Its an image thing. Skateboards are okay, but bikes are a different beast" Shion said, still next to Cyrus and making his face red, although the conversation was distracting him off of it as well. "Besides, most of the time we have to run anyways. The city layout only lets us switch between boards and on foot. And roller skates are technically on foot, though we gotta retract them and go on foot for the delivery so barely anyone uses them. Besides, no one wants a messenger that has unsteady feat".

"They ask us to remain on foot anyways. Thankfully they do let us use trains and subways though, or some would be impossible" Cyrus added.

"Well" Kazuka said, turning off his water and grabbing his towel to start to dry off. "Thats enough for now. We can talk after work".

With that, he jokingly snapped his towel twice and hit both Cyrus and Shion in the rear.

""Hey!"" they both replied, though only one was somewhat embarrassed by it. Rebeca meanwhile had already turned the water off and was joining him in the locker room.

"Well come on Cy-kun!" Shion said, slapping him on the rear as well. "We cant lose!"

"...sometimes, this feels almost unreal. Like playing way too much into the strange but friendly dysfunctional family trope".

The group of them entered the locker area. Ezzo had already left, so they just got dressed. Each of them knew well enough to have two to three pairs of dry underwear at the ready, in case they fell into a puddle or something else in the rain...or, when they were unlucky enough to deliver a breakup message while it was raining and ended up getting pushed from an emotionally upset boyfriend or girlfriend. Or husband/wife if it was a divorce message.

They also had to be careful to deal with pervents, pedophiles, and such, but the company made sure they knew what to do in those situations, and made sure to do research on those who were recieving packages. Sometimes, they would also have to work together on deliveries depending on the situation.

And as they were getting dressed and thinking about such things...

"I am just glad Valentines Day only comes once a year..."

"Even though we have to put up the act for a week. I definently prefer the Christmas outfits by comparison. And Easter".

During the week of Valentines Day, they had to dress up as cherubs/cupids, or lack of dress rather. And given how cold it could get, it was truly terrible. The most embarrassing holiday outfits of them all, and the worst week of them all in terms of deliveries as well. Half the packages ended with heartbreak for some reason, a lot of them were embarrassingly romantic messages, and sometimes their deliveries involved song and dance.

At least the Christmas outfits were warm, although the boys disliked how they were always described as cute. Well, Shion as well disliked that. And only Ezzo was spared of their group due to not having any in his size, though he still had to do the delivery parts.

In exchange for his age though, he was deemed old enough to be punched in the face a lot more.

Personally, Cyrus loved Halloween the most. They got to do deliveries in their Halloween Costumes, and they could get paid and trick or treat on the actual holiday. Their haul on that day was legendary, at least three to four times the size of a normal haul.

"Where are you headed by the way, Cy-kun?"

"Uptown" Cyrus said as he sat on the bench and pulled his shorts on, standing up to finish it. "Looks like I got the uptight and rich people. Or people who are getting deliveries while at work".

"Looks like we all got different areas again" Kazuka mentioned as they finished getting dressed, looking back at the delivery board. "Well at least you only got a few deliveries Cy-kun".

"I am just glad the uniforms have these stylish shorts. Aside from Reverse Day, girls always wear skirts for their school uniform. Seriously, get with the times".

The group then picked up their packages, and reviewed both the lists and the recipient information as they headed out.

"Alright! Good luck everyone!"

"Stay safe!"

"Remember what to do if you encounter a weirdo!"

"Thanks! You too guys!"

And so, the group split up and began running. And not just the running one might expect from children their age. The Cyrus in the woods was totally different from this one. In the woods, although his school uniform did not really restrict him from moving properly, he had to be careful not to mess it up too much so he had to go slower. But this uniform was like his gym uniform, only the shorts were longer with his Heartspeed Deliveries uniform by a bit. But they were durable, and this was the city, so he didn't have to worry about getting it torn on trees.

Thanks to that, and also without the fear of bullies chasing him, he was able to use his full speed. The kids at Heartspeed Deliveries were not just chosen at random or first come first serve. They had to beat certain distances in certain times, and requires a certain level of endurance, stubbornness, and agility. Each one of them was adept at city running, Parkour, climbing, map reading, counting, and directional sense. The reason they wore shorts and not long pants, even in the cold, was to prevent overheating and getting tired. The speed and amount of time they moved their lengths, they did not have time to get cold, and had a resistance to it. It was seen as a cute appearance choice, but it was actually strategic, making it easier to keep them cool through open air exposure.

The reason they wore windbreakers was because they moved their legs more then the rest of their bodies, but on hot days in the summer, they often would use a reduced lightweight upper body uniform, sometimes even just being a sleeveless shirt if needed. However, the boots were non-negotiable no matter what. Sandals and other light footwear was banned, as the footwear had to be sturdy, although one could run barefoot if they wished. The city was actually pretty clean, despite what people might think or be used to elsewhere.

Today was a windy day though, and was not too hot, so it was fine.

However, as Cyrus ran past a window, he found himself stopping for a moment to look in his reflection. That was because he saw a weird mark, on his left cheek directly under the eye.

"How did...when did...whatever! I can question Shion after the deliveries!" Cyrus decided, and started to run again.

Though Cyrus had no idea that he was not the only one who noticed. A man in a suit, and what appeared to be a young elementry school aged boy watched as he passed.

"Well now. Chiharo-kyun, looks like we have a new target" the man said as he watched Cyrus run off.

"Are we going to fight today?"

"It looks like it".

"Heartspeed Deliveries!" Cyrus announced as he stood next to desk number seven on floor eight. "I have a package for you!"

"Oh...why thank you...did you run all the way here? Well done, boy" the man said. He was truly impressed after all, because Cyrus was not gasping for breath or anything, even though the elevators did not work. That meant he had to run up eight stories. Furthermore, the delivery order clearly stated for it to be at this time specifically, so it wasn't like he could take his time. "Well, here you go. A tip then!"

It was always the sender that paid for the service, but Heartspeed Deliveries was fairly well known if you wanted a more personal and significant mail delivery rather then what they called "The Soulless Machine of the Post Office". Some people sometimes used them just to support them, even though they got plenty of business. Even though most of their messengers were kids, they were known to give good hours and good pay, and obeyed the laws in terms of the regulations required for child employees, so they were quite popular. They were famous for a lot of reasons.

"Well, gotta go for my next delivery!" Cyrus announced, as he ran off. With the delivery done, he re-activated his Navi. It was a special device, like an earpiece, but also projected a holographic heads up display for him. "That is another done for me!"

"Ahk! I wont let you beat me, Cy-kun!"

"Hey! Boss always tells you to pace yourself, Kazuka-kun! You boys are too competitive, right Shi-chan?"

"We gotta pick up the pace Rebeca! And remember, we need to save breath and energy during the job! No honorifics during deliveries!"

"You two Shi-ch...Shion? Okay then..."

"Good spirit, Shion! But this Kazuka wont let you win! Right Cyrus?"

Cyrus had some teary eyes as he ran down the stairs. Although he certainly did not want to lose, and could be quite stubborn when he got into something, he didn't want to compete every time they had a shift like those two muscle brains did. But they always pulled him into it for some reason, and Rebeca too.

"Well, I am on my last delivery!"

"Seriously?!"

"It cant be helped. Cyrus got a light schedule".

"Yeah, but I got Uptown as well, so everything is super far away" Cyrus complained. "While all your stops are closer together, I have to race halfway across the area because its like, three times as big".

"Hey! We should take a hot springs trip later when we have a few days off!"

All of them shared the same shift, because they tended to try and have the same people work at the same time, or even together, so they would be more comfortable with each other. Ezzo was a bit of an exception for their group, but there were seven other groups. For simplistic purposes, Shion labeled each of the groups with an English Letter, and made theirs A, while the others were B, C, D and so on.

The schedule was balanced so that everyone worked evenly, with some people getting a few days off in a row on occasion. They also swapped out weekends. A and C would cover one weekend, while B and D would cover the next one. The kids also only ever worked for a few hours a day, and if they worked several shifts in a row, they would often get more days off.

Of course, there was also a Day Shift and a Night Shift. The first four, including them, were usually during the day, and sometimes they were also at night. Sometimes they would also be sent on jobs other then deliveries depending on their skillsets. For instance, Rebeca was good at taking care of kids younger then them, and even their own age, so sometimes she was even a babysitter. Shion was known to be dispatched if someone or their pet got stuck up a tree, and other things like that. Kazuka provided support and back up for dealing with bullies, even if it did not always end well. And Cyrus was good with his hands, and was able to fix machines, plumbing, and so on. All of them were quite skilled.

Cyrus actually met the boss because he noticed the Auto-Pump he had for his car had a defective piece just from passing by, which was how he got hired in the first place.

"I agree! Everyone is going, no exceptions! And it has to be gender mixed so we can bathe together!"

"Shi-Shion!"

"Hah! Great idea! The more the merrier! We cant split the group in half!"

"Dont decide things for us!"

"Oh come on Cy. At least it would avoid all the usual trou..."

"Kazuka?"

Cyrus noticed the voice cut out as he approached his final delivery. It was on a side street, but it was still Uptown and people were passing by normally. That said, the communications failure was a bit concerning.

"I cant reach anyone...signal overload? Communications towers are filled up maybe? I am supposed to stay in a populated area in case of communications failure, but...the destination is right there..."

He was on the doorstep of the delivery point. It looked like an apartment building one would not expect Uptown, but it looked lavish and fancy enough. It was like a brownstone, but poshed up with white marble and such.

"Hmm...it looks like the communications system is still online, the other's signals are just not getting through..." Cyrus thought, but then he heard the loud sound of an airplane overhead. It was unusually low, since the residents of Uptown paid to keep that stuff and noise far away, however it explained the interference. If an airplane was flying too low, every broadcast tower would automatically disconnect all lines and become a relay to hack into the controls and forcibly make it go away from the city. "Guess it was just that".

Cyrus stepped up and headed towards the door. The recipient was supposed to be home according to intel.

"Hello! Heartspeed Deliveries!" Cyrus announced as he knocked on the door. It was quickly opened, and a gun was pointed in Cyrus' face.

"Inside now, little boya..." the man said, with an aura that gave Cyrus the creeper feeling. "You look hot with all those clothes on, so come inside and take them off. Now. Or I will...oug?!"

Cyrus reacted the moment he started letting his mind get overwhelmed with desire as he made demands, quickly ducking under and then biting the arm with the gun while simultainously kicking the man in...a very very unfortunate place. After that, he crunched down, and then jumped up, headbutting the man in the chin, and then elbow jammed him right in the gut and then hopping back, jumping backwards down the stairs and onto the sidewalk.

"Guess its another address to add to the blacklist. And to call the cops on. These guys never do give up, do they?"

"YOu brat! YOu will be mine!"

"He is coming at me in public now?" Cyrus said, shocked. He immediately pulled out his taser as the man charged at him. When he saw waht Cyrus was holding, he tried to stop himself, but momentum carried him forward as Cyrus created and electric shock and zapped the man with enough electricity to make him pass out for several hours. Cyrus stuck his tongue out at the man.

"Beatcha, fool!" Cyrus said...when suddenly, he noticed something odd. The man, and other people around, seemed to start to fade away. The light also seemed to change suddenly, not from a sun rising or setting or such, but a different shade altogether. And then, in the corner of his eye...he spotted several strange glowing things heading right towards him!

"Dodge!" A voice called out, and Cyrus was more then happy to oblige. Meanwhile, the only other two people that seemed visible in this strange...whatever...appeared and walked towards him. One was a finely dressed man, and the other was an elementry school aged boy holding a large sword he should not be capable of holding, and had a collar around his neck.

"Well now, it seems he has some good reaction time and agility. Chiharo, enhance mana use to Level 2 and increase attack intensity".

"Gotcha master!" he happily announced.

"You always gotta wonder why the Artificial Battle Familiars can only appear as children, but...their optimism, energy, and silliness is a nice reprieve" he muttered to himself, before looking at Cyrus. "Now, would you mind terribly if you died and we got huge amounts of rewards?"

It appeared he had gotten into another troublesome situation...

Chapter 1: New Day

Author's Note (AN): Ah, I was hoping to get into the first action scene as well, but I felt it was best to just have Chapter 1 end here on this cliffhanger. At first, I thought I might start with action, but I thought it fit better if we have the world building and story and some comedy stuff first, and then built up to the first action scene. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this random original idea I had! Kinda original anyways. I was inspired by Handshakers, a bit of Fairy Tail, and a few other things!