2. Thomas

By Yoru no Angel

The fingers of his right hand were clenched tightly around the handle belonging to the thin-bladed sword. His hands were trembling with trepidation yet he remained stanch; his challenger raised its muscular arms, preparing for an attack with its gigantic axe. The human-like monstrosity took an earth-shattering step forward and the ground shook with the force of the step.

The fifteen-year-old nearly lost his footing but inhaled deeply, closing his eyes for one mere moment; he lifted his shining metal weapon above his head.

Slowly, a radiating scarlet coloured light surrounded him as he channelled all of his energy into the point of the sharp blade. With one swift movement of his arm, he made three fleeting slashes in mid-air.

A trail of red light lingered from the gashes; a small blaze erupted in each cut and moments later, a burning symbol was airborne above the ground.

"SIX FLAMING DRAGON SLASH!!"

From each tip of the blazing lines, a dragon's head appeared. The fiery lizards each snarled with an almighty roar as they charged forward to the creature. Five of the serpents restrained the monster; the final of the six gave a hearty howl and dug itself deep within the monster's midriff.

The human-like fiend let out a terrible sound before it weakly fell forward to its knees with a loud crash.

The fifteen year old relaxed his shoulders with a great sigh.

The quiet sound of mock applauding reached his ears. He spun around, his sword drawn high for combat.

"Very well done…" The man with the cold brown eyes said. He lowered his hands, his lips curving upwards into a spiteful smirk, "You certainly show the skills of a great soldier, Thomas McPherson. But one wonders why he hasn't applied. Without a doubt you would give the military's Perfect Soldier a run for his money."

"Who are you?" The teenager, acknowledged as Thomas McPherson, demanded in a loud clear voice. He withdrew his sword but still remained alert and wary, "And how do you know my name?"

"Ah, it isn't the how but the who that matters most…" The man replied curtly. He inclined his head in a stiff nod, "I am Lieutenant General David Lloyd, if you haven't heard of me, I am the manager of the Royal Theatre in the centre of London."

"A lieutenant general in a theatre…?"

"I thought you'd be surprised. Never mind the details…" Lloyd said swiftly, "Do you know what you just fought?"

"One ruddy pain in the backside," Thomas replied in his least caustic sounding voice, "Here I am, just walking along the street and that…that thing just attacked me!"

Lloyd smirked inwardly to himself. His lip curled upwards into an even wide leer, "That thing is what the Japanese call a Wakiji. Cute little creature, isn't it?"

Thomas opened his mouth to speak but Lloyd cut off his words.

"You are to travel to London, board the military ship where you'll be escorted to Germany. You will discover more details there…" Lloyd turned on heel, preparing to leave, "Like I said before, Mr. McPherson, you certainly have a talent…indeed, our Perfect Soldier will have to brush up on his skills…"

---

The gentle breeze of the ocean blew his hair into his eyes, obscuring his eyesight as he gazed out at the huge azure sea. With one swift movement of his hand, his hair was swept out of his eyes and once again his wavy golden blonde locks fell neatly just above his shoulders.

The teenager of fifteen years sighed audibly to himself. His mind began to wander. Something was still weighing heavily on his mind; his thoughts felt foggy like the steam puffing out from the ship.

'You're an idiot, y'know Tom…' He cursed himself mentally, 'Of all the stupid, brainless things you've done…Bloody hell you're stupid Thomas McPherson…'

The fifteen-year-old promptly began to knock some sense into himself by hitting his head on the railing.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!!" He muttered furiously.

Indeed, for someone his age this was a very dangerous occupation but then again, in the United Kingdom, his original residence, there were children years younger than him already a part of the team.

Thomas sighed to himself once more; he hoped the boat ride would end soon. From where they were situated, they caught sight of the land of Germany edging closer and closer towards them. As soon as he stepped foot on that land, he would be an official recruit of the Anti-Demon Division.

He stepped off board a few hours later. It was still early in the morning, around eight or nine o'clock. He took a fleeting glance at the dock around him.

"Now…they said to look for a woman with short blonde hair…" He muttered to himself, carefully avoiding some stern looking military soldiers, "Hopefully she'll be noticeable among this lot…damn, why did I agree to this job in the first place??"

"Are you Thomas McPherson?" A smooth cool voice questioned from behind him.

Thomas jumped.

"Er, yes!" He yelped, his arm up in a very weak salute. He felt sweat beads form on his forehead as he stared into the woman's eyes. Her hair was blonde and cut short and as usual, her military cap was tilted at an angle as it sat neatly on her head.

For a moment, the woman seemed less stern, but she hastily regained her composure, "I am Colonel Lauranna Dornen," She extended her hand and Thomas gingerly shook it. Lauranna surveyed they younger man. She was mildly surprised at his age, after all they said 'a teenager from the United Kingdom,' not someone who was still a boy.

Thomas stood a good twenty-odd centimetres shorter than her with a scrawny sort of look about him, certainly not the build for a soldier. His sapphire blue eyes were filled with kindness and compassion, and his shoulder length wavy golden blonde hair was blowing in his eyes from the breeze.

Lauranna made not a sound but gestured for the fifteen year old to follow. Thomas carefully kept within metres of her as he attempted to keep up with her walking pace. After a few minutes of walking in silence, the two were standing in front of a sleek black car.

They both entered; Lauranna seated in front with a burly African-American man in the driver's seat she introduced as Captain Henry L. Glory. Thomas himself sat in the back and he couldn't help but wonder how a man of Henry's stature could fit in such a small car.

"So you are Mr. McPherson, eh?" The captain questioned, keeping his eyes on the road as they drove passed the wreckage and ruins of what used to be an active city, "I have one question for you…"

Thomas sighted Lauranna rolling her eyes in distress.

"Do you have any sort of musical talent? Any, whatsoever…"

"Er…" Thomas was highly taken aback by this query; he expected to be asked, 'Have you had experience with weapons?' or 'Are you familiar with the ways of the military?'

"Actually…I do play both the violin and the cello…" Thomas replied courteously.

"Excellent!" The burly man exclaimed happily.

Silence fell over the trio and the only sound heard was the quiet running of the car's engine. Thomas stared down at his hands, pondering about the future and what it may hold for him and this Anti-Demon Divison.

The fifteen-year-old sighed inside his mind, glancing out the window. He tried not to lock gazes with either Lauranna or Henry as the car ride persisted.

Thomas could admit that, for the first time in a very long while; he was frightened.

--End of Tom's chapter!--

Endnotes:

[1] Thomas McPherson created by Yoru no Angel

[2] Lieutenant General Davis Lloyd, commander of the Royal Aquatic Defence Force/Mizugumi.

[3] The Perfect Soldier refers to Michael Peterson, captain of the Mizugumi.

[4] The Royal Aquatic Defence Force, Lloyd, Michael created by Yoru no Angel.

---Anti-Demon Division Character Profile---

Name: Thomas McPherson

Age: 15

Nationality: French/Irish

Rank: Koubu Pilot

Previous Occupation: --

Height: 163cm

Weight: 58kg

Preferred Weapon: Short sword

Koubu Color: Scarlet red