The Chauvin trial is over, and the man was convicted for what the world saw him do. (Ironic how the day of the verdict also came with a weird cold snap for my hometown, but I digress).

It's hard to celebrate something like this because a man is still dead at the end of the day, and America still has a racism and police brutality problem. Still, at least this case has accountability, and the verdict also gives hope that things can change. We just have to hope that the right people hear the calls to action.

Anyway, here is chapter four.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Yu-Gi-Oh GX or Night World. I only own the idea and any characters I make up.

Let's begin.

Jesse was cold.

Who wouldn't be? The icy March air would give the impression that it was still winter.

He was nowhere near dressed for the weather, wearing a lightweight, sky blue hoodie over a white t-shirt, black jeans, and white running shoes. The breeze ruffled his blue hair lightly. He blinked his green eyes a few times, the wind causing them to sting a bit.

He stood looking at the bay and the thriving city across it. Boston by starlight.

It had taken him a long time to come back after… what happened.

He'd lived there once when his parents were still alive. Though, where he had lived was more in the suburbs with the white picket fences and little birdhouses.

Boston had changed a bit, but Jesse hadn't.

He was still the young man who loved sunny days and the clear blue water of the bay. Who had lived simply, felt grateful there was enough food on the table and dreamed of doing something with animals someday.

Until everything changed.

He had always thought that their kind was always on the same side, that they were united.

He was wrong.

Jesse frowned, his eyes misting over for a moment. Well, that was in the past now. His parents had been dead for years, and if the night they died still haunted his nightmares, no one knew but him.

"There you are!" Called a voice from behind him.

Jesse turned to see a girl about eleven years old with long raven-blue hair and brown eyes running up to him. She was actually dressed for the weather. She wore a black skirt with matching leggings, red buckle boots, and a yellow turtleneck under a maroon-colored jacket.

Her name was Blair Flannigan. She was also a witch and a member of the Circle he was in.

Circles were groups of witches. They went by names like Midnight, Twilight, etc.

Jesse and Blair were part of a Circle called Eclipse. They were the outliers of the magical community since they welcomed NMPs, non-magical people, into the group, which is a gray area in the rules.

After the Witch Hunts, the Magic World had passed various laws to protect themselves, including not telling the NMPs about magic or doing any magic in front of them. The area was gray because the NMPs in the group had learned of the Magic World independently.

Circle Eclipse was also the enforcer group of the Magic World. If a witch broke one of the harsher laws, such as killing an NMP or a fellow witch, they track them down and bring them before the Magic Council for trial and punishment. That punishment often being a death sentence.

Blair wasn't a fighter. Her magic was healing and support-based. There was no heart-wrenching backstory for why Blair joined Eclipse. She needed to pick a circle and felt she could make a difference here. Jesse thinks it had more to do with an old crush on him, but that's unimportant.

"We were looking for you!" Blair huffed. "Come on, we have a job to do!"

Jesse nodded. "Right!"

They walked for a while until they reached the docks.

It was deserted, given the weather. Jesse was sure even the homeless had moved on.

Their group was already there.

The first was a short kid with sky blue hair and glasses. Despite his height, he was fifteen. He was still shivering despite wearing a yellow turtleneck, a dark blue parka with matching boots, and gloves.

His name was Syrus Truesdale. He was a lost witch originally, someone who didn't know of their ancestry but could still access the magic. His powers came about towards the end of middle school, causing his family to get neglectful and abusive with him. Jesse and another group member, Bastion, had found him after his father threw him out of the house, the former allowing him to stay at his place.

The guy next to him was the second tallest and fourth oldest of the group, eighteen. He had long brown hair, matching brown eyes, and an infectious smile. He was probably the only person who could take a simple windbreaker, scarf, and jeans and look like a model. He wasn't even bothered by the cold air.

His name was Atticus Rhodes, the group's pretty-boy heartthrob. Atticus was a human who learned of the magic world after his then-girlfriend tried to get him involved with a Dark Circle.

To quickly explain, Dark Circles operated outside the law of the Magic Council. They do rituals that conjure natural disasters, plagues, famines, or they use their magic to kill. Hurricane Katrina was actually called up by a Dark Circle, a fact only known to the magic community.

Atticus refused, not liking their intentions, and sought Circle Eclipse out for help, sticking around once it was over. Fearing another Dark Circle would come after his family, he asked to learn magic and surprisingly excelled at it. Two short years later, he was a strong witch in his own right.

Blair walked over to another boy about Syrus' height. He had short, well-brushed brown hair and was just as bundled up as Syrus and still shivering.

His name was Marcel Bonaparte. Like Syrus, Marcel was a lost witch who discovered his powers, which caused an upheaval in his life. While he wasn't abused, his parents started arguing, and eventually, his father left. Marcel knew Blair from school and confided in her what was happening, leading to her inviting him to the group.

The next one was a young man about two inches shorter than Atticus and sixteen. He had brushed back black hair and stormy gray eyes. He was dressed like a CEO in winter with a long black coat.

His name was Bastion Misawa, the other member who found Syrus. He discovered their world by accident when he stumbled across a solstice ritual. Curious, he started digging and eventually found Circle Eclipse. Their leader was impressed by his agile mind, offering him a place in the group.

The last group member who was present was a muscled African teen with long black dreadlocks under a dinosaur bandana. He was the most thinly dressed, in just a vest over a t-shirt, cargo pants, and combat boots, and he didn't even feel the cold.

His name was Kenzan Hassleberry, the group's military brat and dinosaur enthusiast. Like Syrus and Marcel, Hassleberry was a lost witch. His powers awakened during an avalanche that nearly killed him while at an archeology dig. Bastion had been at the same dig and had seen what happened, introducing him to the Circle to help with learning to control his new abilities.

"Hey, guys," Jesse greeted them. "What do ya think of my hometown?"

"I-it's c-c-cold!" Syrus shivered.

"C-c-covenu!" Marcel agreed, his voice revealing his French origins.

"Doesn't feel bad to me," Hassleberry said, oblivious to the cold.

"That's because you're full of hot air." Atticus cracked with a smile.

"I wouldn't talk if I were you, Atty," Blair remarked, trying to warm her hands.

"Even so, I'd have never guessed you were from Boston, Jesse," Bastion pointed out. "What with your Southern accent and all."

"Well, living in Georgia for eleven years will do that to you." The bluenette reminded him.

"Anyway, where's the boss?" Atticus spoke up.

"Right here." Came a voice from behind them.

They all turned to see a tall man, taller than Atticus, emerging from the shadows. He had short dark brown hair and green eyes behind a pair of glasses. He had on a black coat with a long red scarf.

His name was Alik Harman, the leader of Circle Eclipse and a member of the most powerful witch families in the magic world. The Harmans are considered royalty since they are direct descendants of Hellewise, the mother of all witches.

"What's going on, sir?" Blair asked.

"You remember the witch we've been chasing for some time?" When the group nodded, he turned to Blair. "Blair, use your aura sense. What do you see?"

Blair closed her eyes, focusing. Behind her eyes, the world changed. She could see in vibrant colors, representing the essence of all that was around her.

She noticed something off, though. There were splotches of aura leading off the edge of the harbor.

This meant only one thing. "Something was dragged into the bay. Something that was either dead or dying."

Alik nodded. "Where's it coming from?"

She pointed to the warehouses.

"Jesse, go look."

Jesse nodded before activating his magic.

In a single fluid movement, Jesse transformed into a panther. Hands and feet became paws as fur spread all over his body. Dropping down on all fours, the only thing that seemed to remain human-like were his eyes.

Stalking over to where Blair pointed, he realized they found the witch's lair. He sniffed the air before turning to the others, shifting back. "This is or was his most hideout. And he wasn't alone; there's another scent here. It's still fresh, so it couldn't have been more than an hour ago."

Harman then turned to Marcel. "Think you can look back."

"Oui." He nodded before looking through his bag.

He pulled out an ornate-looking bottle with a white liquid inside. Carefully unscrewing the top, he took a sip of the drink and handed the glass to Blair.

Barely two seconds later, Marcel's eyes became completely white.

Getting his bearings, Marcel saw he was inside their target's lair. The place was a mess, and it smelled just as bad, maybe worse.

He turned to the entrance when he heard footsteps. Someone entered the lair, but it wasn't their target.

A male dressed in all black with a scarf wrapped around his head, a sword in his hand.

'A hunter!' Marcel gasped mentally.

He moved some of the clutter on the floor around with his foot before coming inside. He then slowly walked forward, watching his surroundings closely. When he was near the center of the room, he stopped.

Looking past him, Marcel saw someone moving in the shadows behind him.

It looked like a homeless man until he looked closer at his face. That was when he realized it was their fugitive.

He must have made a sound the hunter heard even if Marcel didn't because he acted before the other could. The hunter pivoted his left foot, drawing his katana in the same motion. Without breaking his movement, he stabbed the witch square in the chest.

"Too slow." He heard the hunter taunt.

Marcel could only watch as the fugitive struggled for life while stuck on the blade. He could see him try to fight back but was losing.

"Good luck with that," The hunter said.

Eventually, the struggle stopped.

Grimacing, Marcel watched the hunter pull his sword out of the now-dead fugitive's chest. He pulled a cloth out of his pocket and carefully cleaned the blade. The weapon was then slipped back into its sheath with a swift clink.

The hunter then turned back to the body. Marcel watched as he bent over the corpse and reached into his back pocket, retrieving a switchblade knife.

Moving closer, the young witch observed the other boy carefully carved a capital 'H' onto the witch's forehead. When Marcel saw that, he almost stopped breathing himself.

He knew that mark, and he knew the phrase that was said next.

"Not all heroes play by the rules."

After the Hellhound said his piece, the vision ended.

Blinking, Marcel found himself back on the docks, the rest of the group watching him expectantly.

"What did you see?" Blair asked, giving back the potion.

"Our target is dead," Marcel explained, visibly shaken. "The Hellhound got to him first."

"Again?!" Hassleberry asked, exasperated.

"Are you sure?" Jesse asked.

"Oui," Marcel nodded. "I saw him leave the mark."

"He probably dumped the body off the pier." Blair speculated.

"What is this, the third time?" Atticus ranted. "How is he able to get to them before we do?"

"Probably because he doesn't have to wait for the Magic Council's orders." Bastion reminded the older boy.

"Since the target is dead, we'll move on to the next item of business," Harman spoke up, getting everyone back on track.

"What's that?" Syrus asked.

"The Council's gotten wind of some young girls going missing from the area. They wouldn't tell me any other details, but they were definitely shaken."

"The Council was scared?" Jesse asked, not quite believing it.

"This must be quite serious." Bastion stated.

"They've had some sightings of the missing girls near some old warehouses," Alik continued. "Jesse, do you know the area?"

"Probably the old housing area."

"Lead the way."

As they left, Atticus asked, "We're not waiting for Sartorius?"

"No," Alik answered. "I told the siblings to stay at the base tonight."

(Eclipse Base)

A young man was sitting at a small table, reading tarot cards. He has long raven hair and purple eyes.

This was Sartorius Saiou, another member of Circle Eclipse as a fortune teller and seer. He and his sister, Sarina, lost their parents to a witch hunter and lived on the streets for a long time before being taken in by a kind man.

The siblings had their own place now, but his son often visited.

He felt a jolt through his body and intense pain as he looked through his cards. He struggled to get up, losing his balance and falling to the floor.

The thud he made didn't go unheard. A few moments later, a young woman, Sarina, came rushing in.

She had hair the same color as Sartorius, only much longer, nearly reaching the floor. She also had the same eye color and was dressed like a Shinto priestess.

Like her brother, she was also part of Circle Eclipse, except her specialty was exorcism.

When she saw her brother trembling on the floor, she immediately rushed to his side. "Brother, are you okay?"

Sartorius continued to shake as his sister tried to help him sit up. The moment he was upright, his eyes snapped open and began to glow.

His sister almost jumped back when that happened. Would have, too, if she didn't know what was going on.

This happened whenever Sartorius had a vision.

Though he was staring at the floor, that wasn't what he was seeing. Cities were crumbling, the skies were dark, and no sign of life. In his mind's eye, he was witnessing an apocalypse.

As he was watching this, he heard a voice speaking. Subconsciously, he began repeating the words aloud without knowing it.

From the bond of maiden and phoenix

A warrior is born

The elements give their blessing

Binding fighter and shifter

Only together can they win

And through fire, they will heal

Then, just as quickly as it had begun, it was over.

Sartorius' eyes stopped glowing, and he slumped forward, unconscious. He would have fallen on his face if his sister hadn't held him up.

Sarina managed to half carry, half drag her brother over to a bed in the room, and lay him down. She was worried and had every right to be.

Sartorius had had visions like this before.

And they had all come true.

And that is that.

I had to change a few things since I cut some details from the original story, but now this chapter is finished.

Anyway, read, review, and stay tuned.