Hello everyone! I just wanted to say that this is my first story that I have written in a LONG time (4 years to be exact oO), so please bear with the er … shakiness, for lack of a better word XD. Now, please enjoy.

Act One: Notorious Stranger

The air was thick with the coppery smell of blood, tainting the usual pleasant aroma of Amatsu's cherry blossoms. I watched the scene unfold before my golden eyes. Another fight had erupted. The land was unrecognizable. Large cracks were everywhere, dying bodies were strewn all around and the earth was tainted with crimson blood. Only a handful of warriors were left. Most of them were wounded to various degrees.

I finally snapped out of my reverie when I heard a sharp crackling sound. I carefully peered out from behind the tree which I was hiding behind to locate the source of the sound. My eyes squinted at a male Ninja in the distance who seemed to be creating the noise. His back was turned to me but I could see his long green hair and maroon scarf clashing in contrast as it swayed in the wind. His stance seemed to suggest that he was casting a spell.

My lips curled into a smirk. He wasn't casting a Ninja spell; instead, it was Jupitel Thunder, the distinctive colour and crackling sounds giving it away. So, he can do it too. Then my eyes widened as I noticed a hazy bluish figure standing beside the Ninja. It was semi-transparent but I could see that it looked like the Ninja, casting the same spell as well.

I really had to rub my eyes before I could believe what I was seeing was true. The blue figure beside the Ninja must have been his Mirror Image. But the amazing thing was that the Mirror Image was also casting Jupitel Thunder. How…?

My yellow eyes narrowed as I activated my Owl's Eye skill to get a clearer picture of the scene. My eyes found itself upon the Ninja's opponent. But before I could properly see who it was, the Jupitel Thunder hit him. The force was amazing. A harsh wind broke out from the impact and piercing, blue-white light erupted from the strength of the great ball of lightning and blinded my vision. But I could hear the impact of the Jupitel Thunder striking at its opponent. I was even more surprised when I counted the number of hits I heard as my hair flew wildly around me. 48 times. I did the math in my head as I kept my eyes shut, avoiding the bright light that had still not faded.

A normal, mastered Jupitel Thunder should be 12 hits. If his clone also did 12 hits, that should be 24. But 48 hits…? It was double. My mind whirred. Perhaps he knows Double Cast too? I frowned inwardly. No, that's impossible. It was already extremely rare and hard for a person to learn abilities from different classes, let alone seeing that his Mirror Image also knew how to use the same skills. The Ninja skill, Mirror Image, was essentially supposed to serve as a shield to receive the attacks, not be used to do an attack. It was crazy and unheard of. Furthermore, the Mirror Image only causes the user to have a dark blue aura; it does not actually have a separate form from the caster's body, despite the skill name, Mirror Image. And yet, the Ninja's Mirror Image was clearly standingbeside him and not 'in' his body and creating the blue aura. It was absurd, but there seemed to be no other reason...

I felt the whiteness of the light disappeared and I slowly opened my eyes and stared. It was over.

The Ninja was panting. His legs seemed to have given away from the amount of power he had used. He was pushing on his knee to support himself up as his eyes were closed. His opponent had no chance in the beginning. He was now utterly destroyed. Pieces of his body were brutally scattered around. But what was most amazing was the huge crater created from the impact of the Jupitel Thunder. The earth lumped downwards and the already small amount of grass that should have been there was gone.

As I was still hidden in the trees, I gaped in a combination of awe and horror as some of the Ninja's guild members rushed in to help him get up. There seemed to be no one left on the opposing side. The Ninja and his guild had won this battle.

Who is he…? I once again put my Owl's Eye skill into use and focused my eyes closely at the guild members. A simple, green cherry blossom emblem decorated the clothing of every member in the guild…

"Stop it! Let go of me now!" shaking her silver hair frantically as she tried to struggle away from her captors, glaring at them.

Her captors suddenly stopped dragging her away. "Good evening, Rage," they bowed.

She looked up and saw the Ninja standing tall before her. His emerald-green hair was tied in a high ponytail and his long bangs spilled in front. He wore navy-blue ninja clothes lined and armoured with brilliant gold. She couldn't tell if he was angry because his face was hidden behind a goblin mask. Only his steel-gray eyes were shown through the eyeholes of the mask. Nonetheless, her struggling faltered and she seemed to cower away from him. She hadn't forgotten his monstrous power, which his name seemed to suggest.

"Who is she?" Rage spoke in a surprisingly gentle, curious tone.

One of her captors spoke. "She was hiding in the trees; apparently watching the battle. She could be a spy, Rage."

Rage's eyes seemed to narrow slightly as he stared at her. The numerous gold bangles on her arm jingled softly as she wringed her hands nervously. Her short silver hair was clean and silky, just as neat as her bluish-white dancer clothing.

She was about to retort when Rage held up a hand and spoke to her politely. "I am Rage, leader of the Jade Sakura guild." He paused for a moment before asking her gently, "What's your name?"

It was hard to decide whether it was wise or not to answer, especially when Rage's mask hid many so much. She searched his eyes for any sign of emotion, before answering.

"Angel."

"You are sure it was wise to let her in, Rage?"

"I trust her, Spring. Besides, she poses no threat to us," Rage said calmly, gazing at the pink-haired Champion beside him while he sipped at a chalice of red wine. The Champion seemed to love red; a red back ribbon was tied to her hair that matched her additional pair of twin ribbons in front of the same shade. Indeed, this colour symbolized her well. She was a fierce fervor; a roaring fire.

She looked at him incredulously. She thought she knew him. But still, after 17 years, she still could not predict what he would do next. "How would you know that? You don't know how powerful she could be!" The candles on the wall caused her shadow to flicker eerily on the wooden table as she shook her head resignedly when Rage did not answer.

He finally spoke after a pregnant pause, as if he were deciding on the best way to respond to her question. "If she were strong, she could have easily escaped from being 'captured'," he replied, more firmly this time.

Spring sighed in frustration. "Don't you get it? She could be taking advantage of your softness! It'd be an easy infiltration of our guild to her!"

"You're afraid of another betrayal." He said it as a statement, not a question as he finally looked her in the eyes.

Tears formed quickly in Spring's violet orbs. "I just don't want it to happen again," she whispered. Her eyes reflected her sorrow fittingly, as with her quivering lips.

"Spring, you worry too much." he said softly.

Though she had admitted that she deemed him unpredictable, she knew he was smiling under his goblin mask; it could not hide the twinkle in his eyes. "You should know that I will do my best to prevent the same thing happening again." He paused for a moment, watching Spring for a reaction, before continuing. "She will be tested. You know what to do, Spring."

Spring looked at him with her brows furrowed before responding. "Yes."

I frowned at the Sniper in front of me. She looked nervous as she kept fingering her long bangs. The rest of her hair was tied in one large braid at the back of her head. She had a similar white-tinted hair to mine. She, like Rage, seemed to like to wear facial accessories; hers was a white masquerade. She also had a Smokie Hat perched atop her head that was kept sliding jerkily as she kept fumbling with her hair.

"G-Good morning, Angel," she said timidly, looking down at her boots.

I merely stared at her blankly. To be frank, I was quite annoyed. This Sniper had woken me up at the crack of dawn by constantly nudging me and whispering 'breakfast' much too softly for me to hear. Then she had thrust a tray of breakfast at the foot of my bed before hurriedly rushing out with her face pink.

"Um, I … I'm supposed to s-show you around," she mumbled.

"… What's your name?" I said, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice.

"Ah, everyone c-calls me Serene," she blushed.

I scowled. "Alright, show me around then."

Serene was about to say something when her eyes widened at something behind me. I could sense something coming fast towards me. I glanced at Serene's wide eyes, insanely just noticing that her eyes were white even though it was not an appropriate time to do so, as they reflected an arrow approaching quickly towards me. I smirked inwardly. They're testing me, hm?Looks like it's time to act. I turned my head slowly towards the arrow. This is going to hurt.

I was saved from the pain of getting pierced by the sharp arrow when Serene pushed me out of the way roughly. The arrow penetrated the guild hall's stone wall deeply with a dull thud, moments where I had been standing. I smirked silently again. Thanks.

"Spiral!"

I twirled around to see Serene reprimanding a man who had a bow in his hand. He looked very similar to Serene. They were both white-haired snipers with the same gentle-looking face, though identical glowers were plastered onto their lips. I could only assume that he had the same white eyes as Serene as his eyes were covered by a blinker. He tilted his head and faced me.

"Who are you?" he asked bluntly.

My eyes narrowed as I kept silent.

"What are you doing, Spiral? Serene tugged on his arm, urging him to stop.

Spiral ignored her. "I said, who are you?" he asked again, more sharply, as his eyes burned into mine.

I decided that the silent treatment would not work any longer. Though before I could speak, I was interrupted for the second time since I was captured. One of the guards whom I recognized from before had rushed into the guild hall. He knelt down before us anxiously.

"Spiral! Serene! The guild master asks that you assemble in the meeting room!"

Spiral brushed a stray strand of white hair from his eyes as he looked down at the guard and frowned. "I thought the next meeting was a week later?"

"Ah yes, but this is an emergency! Rage asks that you meet him urgently!" the guard replied nervously.

"Emergency?"

"Yes," the guard answered solemnly. "Morroc is under attack."

I'm sure you noticed that I've written in two different views/perspectives. I think it seems a bit awkward, but I'm still not sure how I want to write it (Yes I know, it's kinda unprofessional XD). First person? Third person? Both? I'd be really grateful if you could please review and give your opinion on this. ; Thanks! I'll be updating as soon as possible. 3