Ghouls.

I feel so sorry for the poor creatures, changed from humans into bloodthirsty killers through the good intentions of a youkai gone wrong. The blood of our kin running wild through the veins of the human bodies, causing the corrosion and slow decline of the poor fools as they mind, body and soul; leaving only the primal instinct for killing and feeding. Once that stage has been reached, there is only one option left. Extermination.

That's where we come in.

"Target confirmed."

"Good...let's get this over with, alright?"

Keichi Sendo sighed slowly as he watched his Uncle and Father walk past him, their cloaks billowing out behind them as they crossed the torn and scarred landscape. The teen hated helping with the 'family business', though he knew he had no choice. What they did needed to be done.

And the traveling wasn't all that bad either, seeing as they had traveled from Japan all the way to Iraq. The plane rides had been entertaining, though the fact that Keichi's Uncle got air sick so easily had been a pain. That and explaining to the flight crew about the large broom and tennis racket cases containing strange looking wands.

In the World of Monsters, the magical people had always been treated with the raw end of the stick, hated by the youkai and hunted by the humans. But that was not the time to dwell on how life outside of work was. They had been searching for their target for over a week since arriving in Iraq. Word was that an American soldier had been injured in combat and one of his fellow soldiers, being a youkai, had tried infusing him with his blood to save his life.

The following evening had found the whole base camp slaughtered.

Ahead, Keichi saw his elders draw out their wands as they continued forward on the barren battlefield. Spitting into the dirt, the teen reached into his jacket and drew out his 'wand', a rune encrusted 0.9 mm handgun.

Keichi had never gotten into the whole 'wand' use for harnessing nature's energy for using his magic. Instead he channeled the power through a human made piece of metal. Why? He loved the bang of the magic leaving the gun. Though he also wore a memento from his Grandfather, a silver ring with a fire-ray cut gem set in its center. When he got bored, or angry, Keichi would channel his magic through the ring. As a result of this, most people referred to him as a Warlock instead of a Wizard...except his little sister, Yukari. She always called him Onii-sama, and he hated it.

"Keichi! Heads up!"

The teen snapped his attention back into the moment as he saw two glowing blood-red eyes come flying towards him.

"Shit," he muttered as he leapt back and held his left arm forward, harnessing the wind into the ring on his middle finger. The ghoul slammed into the invisible wall he created, freezing in the air before dropping to the ground with a loud shriek as Keichi's arm dropped to his side, lifeless. "Damn it," he cursed as he realized that the ghoul had struck him with so much force that his shoulder had been dislocated. Seizing the moment he raised his gun and pulled the trigger, grinning as the bang echoed across the landscape.

The chamber contained no bullet; only air. Air that, when combined with Keichi's magic became a slug of pure pressure that could shattered boulders. Though to the ghoul, the 'bullet' only punched a fair sized hole through its chest... and pissed it off. A lot.

Letting out a loud roar of rage the ghoul leapt on Keichi, swatting the gun out of his hand and knocking him onto his back.

Keichi raised his hand to try and defend himself as the ghoul's claws started to tear away at his body, ripping his clothes and opening wounds all across his chest. Out of desperation Keichi launched a punch into the monster's face, momentarily pausing its movement. It's response was its claws crossing his face, tearing two large wounds across his right eye and upper cheek.

"Ah, fuck me!" Keichi yelled as his right eye's vision filled with blood, half blinding him.

"Keichi!"

The ghoul flew off of Keichi as his father's voice cut into his mind. Rolling onto his hands and knees Keichi spat out a mouth full of blood, relief washing through his body.

"Get up and help, Now!" his Uncle shouted as he and his Father pointed their wands at the ghoul, causing it to burst into flames.

"Yeah, yeah," Keichi muttered as he got up and flexed his right arm as his hand burst into flame. "I've had enough of this vacation."

The ghoul shrieked as the flames devoured its body, leaving nothing but some charred bones and ash on the ground.

Keichi's Father turned to face his son as he stowed his wand into his robes, his eyes examining his son.

"Keichi, your eye is red..."

"It's blood Dad, don't worry."

"Alright," the older male said, sighing in relief before turning to his brother.

Keichi looked to his left arm and grunted in disgust before grabbing his bicep and snapping his shoulder back into its socket. Flexing his hand to make sure he had done it right, he paused at the sound of clinking metal. Pulling the jacket sleeve up to his elbow, Keichi narrowed his eyes at the Soul Chain and Spirit Lock on his left arm, the silver reflecting in the moonlight.

"Yeah...its only blood in my eye...this time.