Sunday, July 26th

Schiphol Airport: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Shizuka walked out of the busy airport and stretched her arms in exhaustion. She'd been on planes before, but never for more than an hour or two. After her nine hour flight, she was absolutely beat. She really didn't know much about the world when she haphazardly booked her same-day flight. Due to this, she had a fourteen hour layover in Amsterdam. Fortunately she asked enough questions to figure out that she needed to exchange her currency. Joseph had around seven-hundred dollars in his wallet when she swiped it, leaving her with six-hundred twenty-two euros after conversion without using his card. She figured that would be enough to stay at a hotel. Holding her bag close, she walked through the strange city looking for a place to stay.

People looked at her with interest as they passed by. An unaccompanied foreign girl walking down the street certainly wasn't normal. They were quite used to tourists, but several adults seemed to be concerned by the tiny girl walking alone. She felt a little nervous, and bit her lip. Then, she reassured herself that she was fine. Her dad had to be exaggerating the dangers of traveling as a Stand User. She'd just get to her hotel and sleep. What could be complicated about that?

Eventually she found a hotel, walking inside and waiting in front of the desk. A disinterested lady looked down at her, clicking her nails against the counter.

"How may I help you?" She mumbled, looking up at the clock as she waited for a response.

Shizuka took a moment to find her voice. "I'd like to buy a room? Uh, I mean, I'd like to rent a room?" She questioned. Why was that a question? She meant to be assertive.

The woman looked at her for a moment, scanning her appearance. "Do you have an ID?" She mumbled, checking her nails.

"Uhm… Would a passport work?" Shizuka asked, fumbling with her bag.

"Mhmm…" The woman hummed dryly, taking the passport and looking at it. "We have a strict policy on unaccompanied minors. You'll need an adult to reserve the room. Sorry." She mumbled, handing Shizuka the passport.

The young girl's heart sank. She hadn't even thought of that. "B-But… I really need a room." She stammered. "It's important… I have a fourteen hour layover."

"Sorry, but you'll need your parents to do it. They can call, and pay over the phone?" The woman offered, picking up the phone and hovering her index finger over the keypad.

"No! I'm fine… I'm good. I'll just go." She sighed, turning around and walking away without another word.

She couldn't call her parents. They'd know she was in Amsterdam. Sure, they could probably track her flight, but that would take a little bit of time. She needed every minute she could get if she planned on making it to Morio. So, where to sleep then? She wandered around for a little while, entering a kaas shop. There was a large assortment of cheeses all on display, and tourists filled the delightful little shop taste testing to their heart's content.

Shizuka looked around, feeling a little hungry. She didn't want to chance a restaurant, having no idea if a child would be allowed to eat alone. She also didn't want to go back to the airport so soon. She decided it'd be best to snack on some cheese, and approached an interesting looking type. It was labeled "overjarig," and looked delicious. She just stared at it until an employee approached her.

"Goedemiddag, kleine meisje." The man smiled down at her.

Shizuka looked to be at a total loss. "Uhh… Hello." She smiled nervously.

He nodded in recognition, switching to English. He spoke in a thick accent, but had a wonderful understanding of the language. "I see you're looking at the overjarig? A lovely choice. It's aged two years, and has a wonderful firm texture. Would you like a small taste?" He offered, reaching over the counter and handing her a toothpick with a bit of cheese on the tip.

She took the cheese and tasted it. It was… odd, to say the least. But it wasn't necessarily bad, either. She cleared her throat, reaching into her bag.

"Can I have umm.. A serving of this? Y'know, just like… enough for a snack?" She asked, feeling rather silly.

The man smiled, nodding as he walked around the counter and readied a container. "Of course, dear."

Shizuka accepted the container, paid, and exited the shop.

"Tot ziens!" The man called out happily, placing her cash in the register.

A few hours later, Shizuka was sitting against the side of a building. Her container of cheese was empty, and she felt exhausted. She just needed to stay awake… She could sleep on the plane. It became harder and harder to keep her eyes open over time, however. She sighed, looking over and seeing an alley. There was a roof overhead to protect from any possible rain, and it wasn't too messy. She stood up, walking into the alley and leaning against the wall. Then, she slid down said wall, putting her bag on the ground and using it as a pillow. She slowly faded into invisibility, completely hidden from the world.

"Happy Birthday…" She mumbled to herself, fading into slumber.

Shizuka woke to the sound of voices. It was a little strange, so she decided to tilt her head and look for the source. Two men were huddled in the same alley, speaking softly to one another. One of the men seemed to be a little more urgent than the other.

"Three million?" He hissed, clearly annoyed. "We agreed over the phone that I'd pay one-point-five."

"Situation's changed. It's three million now. Or would you rather be weak in the new world?" The taller man mumbled in an apathetic tone.

The first man paused, looking down in defeat. "Okay, fine. Three million. And you promise this will make me stronger?"

The taller man shrugged, handing him a small envelope. "It'll bring out the strength inside you. Now pay up."

Shizuka was fascinated by the conversation. At first she thought it was a drug deal, but the way they were talking seemed off. New world? Inner strength? What in the world were they talking about? She could only watch as the sheepish man handed wrote a check, handing it over to the dealer.

"I'd recommend you prick your finger with it, but drawing any kind of blood works." The tall man explained.

"Of course… I'll just…" The rich man mumbled, getting something out of the envelope. "I'll just prick my finger… Just… Like this.." His breathing hitched, and he tried to will himself to do it.

"Any day now." The other man growled.

"This is a little embarrassing… but, could you do it? I'm just not good with pain." The rich man explained.

Without a word, the man took the little chip and drove it into the rich man's palm. The coward screamed, bleeding profusely from the force. Shizuka couldn't look away. What in the hell was happening? She stood up, being as silent as possible as she stepped closer. The injured man sank to his knees, gripping his bleeding hand and groaning.

"It feels horrible… It's not supposed to feel like this, is it?" He sobbed, tears running down his cheeks.

The tall man looked down without a hint of emotion. "It's because you lack a fighting spirit. You're weak. You couldn't even prick your finger for this power. You don't deserve it." He explained somberly.

"N-No! No! I paid you! I deserve this!" The bleeding man growled between whines. "You're going to give me my money back, now! And I want to speak to your boss!"

For the first time, a smile came on the criminal's face. "You deserve it? You deserve nothing." He stomped his foot down on the injured hand, driving it into the pavement. "You inherited your wealth from your hardworking, tenacious father. You never attended university, got terrible grades in primary school, and haven't worked a day in your life. When you caught wind of an easy ticket to strength, you had your personal assistant call me and set everything up. You're pathetic, and now you're finally facing something that can't be handed to you. Find that tenacity inside yourself, or die." He twisted his foot around, breaking the sobbing man's hand in the process.

"Die!?" The man cried out. "You never said I would die!? What kind of business are you running?"

The criminal spit on the lower man's face. "We're not a business. We're an idea. A concept. A dream of a world without people like you. So either rise to the challenge, or cleanse the planet of yourself."

Shizuka wanted to help. She had to help. But the man in front of her was enormous. Despite that, she had something. Her Stand was an advantage over anyone. She could protect this cowering man from his fate.

"Hey!" She shouted, turning visible right before their eyes.

The coward shrieked in surprise, while the tall man nearly narrowed his eyes.

"Leave him alone, now." She growled, taking a step forward. "Whatever you think is happening here is over. Get lost, or else." She stood tall, or as tall as she could, glaring at the monster.

The tall man just smirked. "Little girl, you appeared out of nowhere. That's a pretty neat trick. I must have been distracted… That, or you're one of our customers." He lifted a hand, his open palm directed at Shizuka. "Killing a little kid would really bug me. So I'm giving you one chance to walk away."

Shizuka stood firm, looking down at the groveling man. "Will he die if I leave?" She questioned.

"He'll die if he's weak. It's entirely up to him now. You'll die if you stay. Everyone's fate is in their own hands tonight." He explained in a neutral tone.

"Who are you? And what did you prick him with?" Shizuka demanded.

He sighed. "So you're choosing to die.. I can respect that. I'm Wagner. This man is Neil Archer, an English millionaire who wanted power from my organization. There's a catch to such a power though. The weak spirited can't endure it. It will devour him, and eventually, it will kill him, cleansing the Earth of a weak soul."

Shizuka gritted her teeth. "So the weak don't deserve to live, then?"

"Look around you. We've created a world where Darwinism is irrelevant. The weak get to be carried on the backs of hard workers. In our purest form, the strong thrived, and their bloodline thrived. We're polluting the human race with scum like Neil." He began to have passion in his tone for the first time, truly believing these ideals.

Shizuka was a little young to fully grasp these concepts. All she knew was Wagner planned on killing a lot of good people. She couldn't have that. Morio could wait. She needed to stop him. "I won't let you." Is all she said.

Wagner smirked. "I like you, kid. How old are you?" He asked.

"Ten. And I'm still gonna kick your ass." She growled, taking another step forward. "So either run, or test your theory. Let's see if the strong one wins."

Wagner chuckled, lifting his arms slowly. A blurry, transparent figure emerges from his body, hovering behind him. The image is a man with rotting flesh, missing teeth, and a big smile. He was dressed in old fashioned clothes, torn and stretched by father time. He was missing an eyeball, the vacant socket disturbing Shizuka.

"Can you see him, kid? My Flying Dutchman?" Wagner asked, the same big grin appearing on his face.

Shizuka wanted to step away, but she couldn't. She had to stay strong. This man had a stand too… For a moment she questioned the odds, but quickly remembered what her father had warned her about. Stand Users really were attracted to one another by fate. Was it her fate to stop Wagner then and there? She balled a fist, manifesting her Achtung Baby. Her stand was small, just like her. It glowed in the dark alley, hair flowing as it hovered behind Shizuka. Its skin was ghostly pale, with a distinct marble texture all along it. Its hair was white, and nearly reached its feet. It's eyes were a piercing orange, and its willowy limbs had a gradient of colors throughout. Her stand slumped over her back, protectively resting its hands on her body and glaring at Wagner. He smirked.

"So you do have one… At your age? Incredible." He marveled.

"I've been using it since I was a baby." She growled, pointing at him, her stand still sprawled over her.

Wagner nearly refused to believe such a thing. He was truly enamoured by this young girl. "Well then, let's see what it can do." The Flying Dutchman threw its hands out, emitting a purple light from its palms. "Do you know how many dead things are all around us? Too many to count… Death has a firm grip on us all. It's the most powerful force in the world…"

Shizuka watched in horror as a small army of dead creatures poured into the alley behind Wagner. Dead bugs, grey herons, a single fox, and grass snakes obediently stopped right in front of him, waiting for orders.

"To control the dead… Isn't that the most terrifying power? I should add you to my arsenal…" He chuckled.

Shizuka trembled at the sight of the rotting creatures rallied in front of their monstrous leader. She'd never been in a real fight before. Sure, she had used Achtung Baby to deal with bullies, and assholes who disrespected the elderly, but she had no idea how strong she was compared to other stands. "You really are sick." She mumbled, taking a step back and thinking of a plan.

"Exanimates, kill her." He pointed toward Shizuka.

The creatures sprinted toward her. She didn't have time. She didn't know what to do. Her only power was to make things invisible. But she didn't have time to get away. She couldn't fight. That's when Achtung Baby flew in front of her, pointing at the ground. The ground vanished, revealing the sewer system beneath. The animals all stopped, nearly falling into the "hole" created by Shizuka's stand.

"Did you.. Act on your own?" She mumbled to Achtung Baby.

There wasn't time though. The undead creatures thought the invisible ground was a hole. Shizuka had to take advantage of that. She focused on Neil, turning him invisible as well.

"Sorry, Wagner. But I figured out how I'm going to win." She smirked.

Wagner raised a brow. "Oh? How's that?" He questioned.

"I'm going to run away!"

Then, she vanished herself, sprinting forward. She jumped over the creatures, using Achtung Baby to kick hard off the ground. She rolled in front of Neil, lifting him with a combination of her own strength, and the assistance of her stand. Then, she ran as fast as she could past Wagner, creating another "hole" on his side to trap him in the alley.

After a block or two, she turned visible, grunting as she dragged the grown man. He had passed out during all the commotion. She reached into his coat pocket and found his cell phone. She dialed 911. Luckily, calls to 911 are automatically redirected to the Netherland's emergency number, 112.

"I have an injured man with me… I found him knocked out in an alley…" She panted, looking at a street sign. It read as Zwanenburgwal. She had absolutely no idea how to pronounce such a thing. "I'm on… Zane…. Zanewanburg…. Uh…" She panicked, knowing Wagner had to be getting close. "Zwanenburgwal? Is that it? Just please, bring an ambulance…"

She hung up, looking down the road she came from. Nothing to be seen yet… The man in her arms was getting very pale. The wound on his palm was bleeding so profusely. In fact, it seemed to be bleeding too much. What kind of wound was that? She felt his forehead and found that he was burning up. She just had to wait for the ambulance. Then she could get on her plane, right?

"Just stay kicking for a few more minutes." She mumbled to Neil, standing up.

Achtung Baby manifested, and Shizuka looked around cautiously. Where could Wagner be? She nearly jumped when Neil's cell phone began to ring. Who could that be? Her naive side thought maybe it could be the ambulance's number. She picked up, waiting for a voice. Unfortunately, it was one she recognized.

"That man, dead or alive, is the property of my organization. I might be inclined to let you escape, but not him." Wagner growled over the line.

What would Wagner want with Neil's dead body? She wracked her brain. What of value is on him? Then, it hit her. The chip! The thing shoved in his palm. It was apparently valued at three million dollars! She used Achtung baby to pluck it out, analyzing it. It was bronze, with little designs going through. It was only the size of a penny, though, so she couldn't make anything out too well. She pocketed the chip, lifting the phone back to her ear. "You'll never find us." Is all she said, hanging up.

She turned the phone to silent, and focused her energy. Shizuka and Neil both turned invisible once again. Now all she needed to do was remain totally silent until the ambulance arrived. It was quiet for about two minutes. Then, she heard growling in the distance. She narrowed her eyes, leaning forward a bit. Down the road she could see creatures on all fours pattering along with their noses to the pavement. As they grew closer, she realized what they were. Reanimated dogs. They were rotting, flesh dripping from them as they trudged along. She was disgusted, before becoming horrified shortly after. Those Hellhounds were sniffing. They were looking for her. Or for Neil. She couldn't be sure. Either way, it was unlikely that they could just wait peacefully for the ambulance. What was she supposed to do? Go toe-to-toe with feral undead Hellhounds? Her only power was invisibility. If they could pinpoint her location via smell, she was useless.

"What are they smelling?" She mumbled, sinking lower into anxiety. Did she drop something? Did Wagner have something of Neil's? Where did the Hellhounds get the scent? What did they have on them that Wagner would be able to track? That's when it hit her. "The chip…" She mumbled. She saw a manhole about ten feet away. Desperately, she fumbled for it, using Achtung Baby to lift it up. Then, she tossed the chip into the running water, stumbling back. Within thirty seconds the Hellhounds jumped head-first into the sewer. She sighed with relief, resting her hand on her heart. It was beating so hard she thought it might blast out of her chest. She just flopped onto her back, panting. She really thought she was going to die. Wagner's Flying Dutchman was terrifying. She never even tried to fight it head on, just its minions.

Shizuka crawled over to Neil, rubbing his forehead and sighing. "It's gonna be alright." She mumbled, collapsing onto him and turning visible once more. An ambulance siren could be heard in the distance. Soon, it arrived, picking up Shizuka and Neil and driving away. She allowed herself to sleep, feeling a little safe for the time being.

Wagner exited the alley, looking down the road and growling. His Hellhounds would find the arrow shard, and Neil. He just needed to find that girl. He had a feeling his boss would love to speak to her.