Chapter 7

Uesugi Kotetsu nodded approvingly and Lory clapped in excitement. "Very good Kyoko-chan. Very good." The elderly man praised. "Your next series of tests will lead up to level 10. Impressive for one your age." He told her.

Lory froze, and a look of concern fell over his face. He silenced the intercom and turned to the Master. "Is it really necessary to send her?" His voice was almost a plea.

Kotetsu sighed, and shook his head. "Lory, you know that once the testing begins, it cannot be halted. Her capabilities need to be documented. There is no allowance for it to cease before it's completed. She's well within the age limits. I'm very sorry."

Lory sighed. "Then I suppose I should clear her schedule for the next month and make her parents aware of her existence." He looked up at Kotetsu. "They are required to be there for the initial phase, correct?"

Kotetsu shook his head. "It's not really required. Actually, I would prefer they not attend until she completes her final testing. She has been away from her kind for far too long, and they may not accept her as she is now."

Lory's brow furrowed. "How can that be? Why would they refuse their own daughter?"

Kotetsu sighed in frustration. "It's very tricky. She was raised without love, Lory. What you see here is what happens to her kind when that is the case. Certainly she is still the crown princess; however, unless she finds a mate to balance her out, things could go badly for the rest of us. She needs to find someone that truly loves her, while knowing what she is and accepts her."

Lory looked out through the one-way window sadly. "How much longer?" He asked while watching her call back her minions, causing the soldiers she had created from bones to collapse.

Kotetsu pondered. "Hmm, I suppose before I test her for anything beyond level 15. If she's able to reach past that. I'll give you six months. Next March, maybe? It should be enough time." He told him as he pressed in the code to unseal the room and let Kyoko leave. He leaned into the intercom and smiled. "Kyoko, you're finished for the week. You may go to the spa. The girls are waiting for you."

She smiled brightly and bowed elegantly. The spa at the end of testing was her favorite. There she would wash, soak, be massaged and pampered. She wasn't aware that this treatment was only afforded to the highest members of the elite. She didn't need to know that the new ID card she had been issued was the color reserved for only a few, twelve to be exact. She certainly didn't need to know that the little symbol that was holographically stamped on the ID, was identical to two others. No, she would learn all of this in due time.

Why did they always ask him about the evil angel? Why couldn't they just listen to his music and leave her out of it? It was almost as if the only reason they had even watched the damned PV was because of her. It was infuriating. What made it worse, was the majority of the questions came from men. At first he was happy that he had gained a few male followers. He needed as many fans as he could get and let's face it, the demographic he was attracting was a very narrow one. He needed them all. Instead they were asking about that plain, boring, unattractive, freakish maid-servant, that was no better than the lowest dregs of society. To top it all off, she was some kind of soul-sucking monster.

The last one, Shoko had to drag him away from the interview before he finished with a response that would surely ruin him. A large part of his fans were "commoners" as he liked to put it, and would be deeply offended had they heard him. She had to call the CEO and arrange for Koga Hiromune to take the interview, just so the caustic words about Kyoko wouldn't be released to the public. She saw that glint in the interviewer's eyes when he let it slip, and knew he was heading into dangerous territory.

She turned to her charge in the car as their driver took them back to Akatoki. "Sho... You cannot say things like that about her, publicly. Do you have any idea how popular she's gotten? You can't afford to have a stain like that on your record after losing your standing to Akuma-chan." (Kyoko's music identity).

"What do I care? It's not like anyone will listen to her music. She's just another common elf. Their music is a dime a dozen. It's not like it will last or anything." He scoffed as he propped his boots up on the seat's headrest in front of him and crossed his arms.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that Sho. You didn't think Kyoko-chan would take up your challenge either and I just heard from Haruki-chan that Director Ogata Hiroaki recently signed her on for his new drama." She warned.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, it's probably a bit part. Like one of the servants or something."

Shoko shook her head. No, no it wasn't. It was actually one of the lead antagonists. When is he ever going to stop underestimating her? She sighed and pulled out a cigarette. "Mark my words Sho, you will regret your actions towards her." She rolled down a window and lit her cigarette.

Sho just stared out his window and watched the scenery go by. Yeah, sure whatever. He shook his head again and rolled his eyes.

"Your next exam will be a little more difficult for you. Whereas you were fighting golems before, you will be sent to a special region. The beings and creatures there, are real. They have volunteered themselves in lieu of an execution. They are murderers and criminals fighting for their lives and release, they will try to kill you. For them, you will have a price on your head, Kyoko-sama. You will have to use your abilities effectively to navigate your way to the exit and protect yourself. They will not play around, you need to be completely prepared to live off the land for that week. It will not matter how, as long as you survive, you will not be judged on your decisions. There will be no assistance offered. Are you willing to undergo this test, and accept the consequences?" Uesugi-dono asked her in a serious tone. "Do you have any questions?"

She looked at him nervously. "Why such a serious test?"

He smiled softly. "You need this in order to protect yourself and gain the proper respect. This will give you the hard experience that you need. Just because you are able to kill a golem, doesn't mean you will have the ability to protect yourself from a living being." He explained. "Once you are revealed, and it is inevitable, your life will be at risk."

"So... If I want to survive, I need to do this..." She commented quietly, remembering that Sho had already seen what she was, and it was only a matter of time before he or Shoko-san revealed that information. It would only take one careless little slip, and she knew that he was the type that couldn't resist boasting about what a freak she was to anyone who would listen, he did that when they were children, and she didn't display her talents then. He had always bragged to every girl he met that his family owned a "pet human". She nodded to Uesugi-dono and sighed. "I need to do this. I have no choice Sensei. I leave myself in your care." She bowed respectfully. "Thank you."

Kotetsu nodded and gave her a soft smile. "Go change, and we will begin the next phase of your training."

Almost like badges of accomplishment, with each test she passed and each new talent she honed, she earned a golden rune marking on her body. Eleven, she now had eleven full runes. She was working on number twelve. She sighed a little when she noticed where this new one would mark. It was starting to look like some kind of vine creeping up her neck, and to the left side of her face. She would soon need to cover it with makeup when she was doing her scenes or maybe the spell Uesugi-dono taught her would be able to camouflage it. She'd have to test that theory later. It really hadn't occurred to her until that moment.

She wasn't ashamed of them, it was just that most people didn't understand what they meant to her or to her superiors. Lory kept telling her over and over that she was special, but she only saw what she had heard from Sho so many times in the past... She was a freak. Although, she was beginning to become very proud of her "freakishness". Her friends were proud to know her, and even Tsuruga-san stopped hating her. It had taken her many months to cultivate her friendships along with her talents. Even her wings were starting to change from what they were.

She smiled ferally as she soared above the vast battlefield in the Forbidden Zone. Her four large, silver-feathered, clawed wings were at their full expanse, and her gold runes glowed with a molten intensity, like her slitted, demonic eyes. Her once black hair, now flowed around her as white as snow and billowed behind her like spun silk. For maximum mobility and a bit of protection, she was now wearing a very light, bone-plate armor that covered her breasts, shins, forearms and hips. A tattered, light silk loincloth in black, covered the rest for modesty. Protecting her face was a skeletal mask she had created from one of her attackers after crushing its skull.

She had been there for the full week, and she was euphoric for the freedom to use her power to its fullest extent. Her runes were multiplying exponentially and with each battle she fought, she discovered a new thing about herself. With each soldier she resurrected, and creature she tamed, she discovered that she no longer needed a piece of armor. It had been replaced by a naturally occurring piece of bone plate that was close to impervious on her most vital points, her heart, her reproductive organs and her limbs. Although her feathers looked light, downy and soft, that is where the deception would end. They were flexible, yet as sharp as the finest surgical tool. They could slice through anything that they hit with ease.

"Kyoko-chan, you must return. You need to rest. Takarada-san tells me your filming for Dark Moon starts next week. If you wish to continue with both, you must return before nightfall." His voice echoed in her mind.

"Yes, Sensei." She sighed, and flew toward the compound where she had been training. She would make it before nightfall. It was only 160 km away. She would be there in less than an hour.