"W-wait, are you serious? I was just running for my life, and you just saved me by taking down those soldiers like a bad ass!" Kou was hoping some praise might make him less pissed off, but nothing seemed to be working.

"Yes, I did. Now that there's no one chasing you, you can leave. So kindly leave out the way you came. I don't like trespassers." Kei's voice was still filled with malice, but Kou felt more at ease now that the tall shadowy figure was gone. Still, those red eyes were always on him, urging him to turn around and leave.

"Now, hold on. I can't just leave. Those guys are still out there in that camp. I'll probably just get snatched again the moment I go back out into the open. Please, could you at least have a bit of compassion?" Kou gulped as he stood his ground even with the unnerving feeling that the shadowy thing was still around.

"Don't try my patience. Stick around here any longer, and you'll get torn apart like those soldiers," Kei said, his words filled with venom.

"Uh, well, you can, but I'll just get up again. I keep telling you that I'm an Ajin. I can't permanently die," Kou said, backing up slightly when he saw it again.

"What a pain…" it whispered.

Before Kou could get another word in, it suddenly lunged forward. One of its clawed hands jutted forward and pierced right through Kou's chest. There was a split second where everything stood still, drops of blood dripping from the end of the claws.

"Not again," Kou choked out followed by a gurgled cough that sent blood running down his chin. He dropped to the ground the instant the figure pulled its claws out of him before disappearing again.

"Good riddance," Kei huffed and was starting to walk away when he heard a rustling and pained groan from the boy he just watched die. In amazement, he watched as he got back onto his feet, a dark substance pouring out from his wounds.

"See? I told that I'm an Ajin, like you. You can hate me all you want, but you can't get rid of me that way. I just need a place to hide for a little while, and then I'll be out of here," he said, breathing heavily as his body repaired itself.

"So, you are an Ajin. Tough luck because I'm still not letting you stay here. What happens out there is not my problem." Kei waved him off as he turned and walked the other way. "I'm guessing you're clueless when it comes to controlling your ghost otherwise you would've defended yourself."

"It's your problem too, you know!" With a look of determination, Kou followed after him. "Once they start going into these mountains, they'll get you too. I hear rumors that Satou himself is an Ajin, but he wants control over all the other Ajins. I'm sure it won't be long until he has soldiers moving into this area. What will you do then? Continue to ignore them?"

"I'll do what I must if it comes to that. For now, it's not my problem, so leave before I have to kill you again."

Kou stopped when he heard the distinct sound of footsteps a little ways behind them. He assumed it had to be more soldiers. Maybe they were finally starting to make their way into these mountains. When he turned around, he saw a small crowd of people. Many of them were bruised and looked like they had been in the fight of their lives. They must've been other Ajins that escaped. They probably followed him into this area for safety.

"Oh great, you brought more. Hey! All of you need to leave. I'm not taking visitors. Not now, not ever," Kei shouted over to them. They cowered when his ghost appeared again but stood their ground.

"Please, young man, we have nowhere else to go. We need a safe place to hide. They'll capture us if we go back," an elderly woman spoke up. She kept her hands out to show that she wasn't a threat.

Kei sighed loudly as he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Dealing with another kid was one thing, but this was a whole crowd of people, very stubborn people apparently. His ghost was what kept people from coming into this area, but they seemed unafraid of what it could do.

"You know what? Fine, I don't have the time or patience to kick you all out right now. Follow me if you want. I don't care."

Kou smiled happily and signaled to the others to follow as Kei trudged forward.

"Oh, my name is Kou by the way."

"Kei. And it is far from being a pleasure. Don't expect to stay here for very long."

Tanaka wore his usual scowl as he walked through the halls of the palace. Today had been going great until that Ajin kid escaped along with a good portion of the Ajin they had captured. Satou certainly wouldn't be happy, but he wondered why he was suddenly called to the palace. The messenger had mentioned something about a new discovery that Satou was excited about it. Maybe he could use that to keep the events that happened today a secret. They could confront the Ajin in the mountains later.

"Tanaka! Welcome back!" Satou greeted him as soon as he entered the throne room. He saw that he was the final one to arrive. Everyone else was gathered in front of some big object covered by a sheet.

"My king," Tanaka said with a courteous bow. He stood next to Okuyama who looked to the covered object with some interest.

"Any idea on what that thing is?" Tanaka asked.

"Satou says it's some kind of magical object. Other than that, I got nothing."

"Gentlemen, now that we're all here. It's time for the big reveal!" They watched as Satou walked right in front of the object and pulled the sheet down. It billowed with the sudden motion before slowly fluttering down to reveal a giant mirror.

"Well, it's certainly a grand decoration," Gen whispered to Takahashi.

"So, why a mirror?" Tanaka asked. What could they possibly use this mirror for?

"It's not just some regular old mirror, Tanaka. This is a magical mirror. Observe."

The four of them gave each other odd looks before looking back over to Satou and the mirror. It looked like he was saying something to it. The air around it seemed to change, and a masked face appeared in the mirror.

"You have awakened me. What is it you ask of me?" the voice was deep and seemed to penetrate Tanaka's very core. He found himself backing away from it slowly.

"Reveal to me the threat to my kingdom. I know it's out there. I just need to know who or what it is," Satou said to it. He wore his usual smile, unperturbed by the mirror.

"Ah, yes, I see a young prince who could be the undoing of your rule here. Whether he is Ajin or human is still unknown. He seeks to unite the two. Humans and Ajins working together will certainly be your undoing."

"Reveal him to me, then."

The mask in the mirror disappeared into a puff of smoke and was soon replaced by an image. It was of a young man sitting in a tower surrounded by a lake of lava.

"The volcanic mountains to the south," Tanaka murmured, recognizing the location.

"But beware for this prince is guarded by a fearsome beast who lurks in the Keep. I'd suggest bringing your best champion."

"I'm sure we'll figure something out. Now, I have no further need for you. Goodbye." Satou waved off the mirror. "Put it away in the dungeon or somewhere of the like." A pair of guards walked in and began to drag the mirror away as Satou thought about everything the mirror said.

"I can go after the prince. There's no need to go through the trouble of finding a champion," Tanaka spoke up, approaching Satou with some caution.

"Now, now, there's no need to rush into this, Tanaka. I think holding a tournament would be fun, don't you think?"

"Oh, o-of course, sir. We will get started right away with the preparations."

Once they were dismissed, Tanaka's frown only increased. What was the point in holding a tournament when they could go after the prince right now? It was only a waste of time, but he knew better than to get inbetween Satou and his games. He'd put up with it for now.