Another chapter, still looking for beta readers to help me get these updates out faster. Enjoy, read and review. Special thanks to Mel for beta reading this one.
Forward: I don't own The Psychic Academy, though I wish to open one in the future. The wonderful Katsu Aki does. When her Characters do appear, they will be mentioned in the forward.
Psychic Academy: On the Other Side
Based on the popular manga series by Katsu Aki
By Darkensea
Chapter 23: Umbra
Xaioto sat in a relaxed position, one hand holding his drink which he was sipping from casually, his other was holding the little girl to his side. The Little girl was curled up at his side and appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Myria had her arms around his neck and was resting on his shoulder. She appeared to be in some sort of daze lulled motionless by the calming mist.
He gave them a slight smirk. "Jynn, Moon, How nice of you to join us."
"Xaioto, you're the one running everything?" Jynn asked.
"Why?" Moon continued.
"Why? Why did I disappear? Or why am I using the defenders?"
The brothers looked at each other. "Both."
Xaioto gave a dark laugh, "Cause... I was bored." He paused. "Wait, where are my manners, you really haven't meet me yet. To Xaioto, I'm called Umbra, but you know of me as…"
"The golem." Moon said.
Umbra gave another dark laugh, "And this is Yumira." He said motioning to the little girl sleeping at his side. He paused again "I guess you're going to have to tell Tami about this, but I'm not ready to go back yet. I'm sorry but tomorrow you won't remember tonight."
The brother's looked at each other. "You can't expect to fight us alone. We all know you don't have an offense."
"Who said I was alone?" He turned to Yumira, "Wake up little one. You're needed."
Yumira opened her eyes and looked at Umbra. "Jikei-sama." He kissed her on the cheek, then turned back to the brothers. "It will run up my tab if I damage the club so let's take it elsewhere. Meet us on the beach." With that they jumped leaving Myria looking around confused.
"Myria?" Jynn asked.
She looked at them then toward the floor before cursing loudly. "He did it again, I have known for a while but every time I come to confront him. He would put me in one of his mist embraces and I would black out."
"Don't worry, we're going to take care of him." Moon said as they both jumped following Umbra's directions.
The darkened beach was desolate. Umbra was standing at the water's edge with Yumira on his shoulders looking out towards the horizon. The sound of the tide coming in filled the air as the pitch black water consumed the moonlight dyed sands. "Are you ready, he asked as soon as they finished appearing."
"Sorry Xaioto, but we have to return you to your senses." Jynn said creating an wind sphere in his palm.
"Yumira. Where would you prefer to be?" Umbra asked the little girl in a soft soothing voice.
"By Jikei-sama's side." Umbra helped her down and embraced her as Jynn launched his wind blast. The attack hit a bubble that formed around Umbra and Yumira.
"Yumira is a really special girl," Umbra said running his fingers through her long hair. "Despite her young age she has one of the strongest guards known. Your attacks can't touch me as long as she is here. Sting of the Mist." Mist erupted from around him and spread out, shooting streams of mist at the brothers.
"Guard." They shouted in unison putting up their aura guard.
"Guarding is useless" Yumira said with a giggle. "Mist can penetrate anything, even my guard." The mist stream passed through their guards and knocked them into each other. The whips descended on them, and Jynn quickly blasted them away with a sharp wind blast.
Moon took the opening and launched a sonic blast at the pair. Once again a bubble formed around Umbra and Yumira completely shielding them from the attacks. Umbra formed new mist whips and launched new waves of attacks.
"I'm stronger," Jynn said. "Keep these off me while I try and break their shield." Moon nodded in agreement and took to blasting away any attack that came near him or Jynn. Jynn let a stream of wind blast at Umbra, followed with his cyclone wrapping the two in a massive twister. Moon jumped in letting a stream of blasts into Jynn cyclone. When his barrage of attacks cleared Umbra and Yumeri stood still surrounded by the bubble, unscratched. Umbra was right, Yumeri had a really strong guard.
"My turn." Moon said. "Jynn, how much do you pay attention in class?" Jynn cast a confused look as his brother. "Xaioto was missing today so he missed today lesson. Aura guards are energy, similar to the energy we use to attack. That's why it can defend against aura attacks; however it is useless against…" He took off charging at Umbra and Yumira.
Moon was right, guards are useless against physical attacks. Jynn started blasting away Umbra attacks allowing Moon to run right up to the bubble. Moon suddenly stopped as he collided heavily with the barrier. Yumeri giggled as a mist whip knocked Moon back up the beach. He landed at Jynn's feet.
"Guards are useless against physical attacks at low levels; Yumira's guard is far past that level." Umbra explained. "She really is special." Yumira affectionately buried her face in Umbra side and her stroked her hair. "Now where was I?" He paused. "Oh, right. Sting of the Mist. Umi Bermuta."
"We're not done." Jynn yelled. Blasting away the mist whips. "Moon two-pronged attack."
"Hey Jynn," Moon said. "Xaioto can't go on for long without replenishing his water level. So we just need to dry him out." Jynn nodded to show understanding, and then the two split up and took off running in opposite directions. As long as Umbra had Yumira next to him to protect him with her shield they couldn't make any direct attacks. To catch both of them they would have to split up as well making Umbra available for attacks.
Umbra and Yumira laughed in unison as they disappeared in a cloud of mist that began spreading across the beach. Just keep running Moon thought, Umbra has a limit to how far he could project without water. This is actually in their advantage. Umbra would dry out faster the more he had to project.
A mist whip shot out from the cloud and wrapped around Moon, he quickly blasted it away with a sound blast. He launched a few blast blindly into the mist.
Moon, get behind them and attack, I'm going to try a frontal assault. She should only be able to guard against one attack. Jynn's voice resounded in his head. They had spent so much time together training that they had developed a telepathic bond between each other. Moon turned and dashed back in an effort to make it back to Umbra. Several more mist whips bombarded him, landing a few hits before he could blow them away. He followed the waters edge until he reached Umbra and put a silence barrier around himself charging his next attack. "Ready?" Jynn asked.
"Let her rip" he replied. As both brothers unleashed their attacks. Umbra's mist vanished, as well as most of the beach. Their attack blowing away most of the loose dry sand on the beach's surface, leaving everything in between them hard wet sand. The sudden drop in land mass stared to cause the waves to rush in. Umbra and Yumira stood unphased by the double attack.
"Don't let the water reach Xaioto, we can't let it replenish him. We need to dry him out." Moon Yelled.
"On it." Jynn called back. "Keep him busy."
Moon jumped to Jynn and started defending his brother and throwing in the random frivolousness attack at Yumira's guard. Their strategy was pretty good. Umbra handled the offensive action while hiding behind Yumira guard. The problem with the strategy was Umbra's attacks weren't even close to the strength of either of the brothers, and both of them could blast them away easily. Also keeping Yumira on defense kept her from attacking as well.
Umbra seemed to focus on Moon, as Jynn dug a trench with his aura leading the ocean water back out to sea and away from Umbra. After the trench was finished, Jynn turned his attacks on Umbra again. Moon tried his physically attack again charging Yumira bubble as Jynn's wind blast collided with the other side. Both attacks collided against Yumira's guard without leaving a scratch.
"Enough of this." Umbra said. "Wings of Mist. Zarvei" The ground underneath Moon and Jynn erupted with streams of mist. Moon was flung into the air. He collided with Jynn and they fell to the ground in front of Umbra and Yumira.
"Finish them off little one." Umbra said with an endearing tone.
"Yumi" Yumira said, charging an attack. Moon knew he should move, but his body wouldn't respond. Yumira had switched over to offense which meant she had to drop her guard. Now was the best time to attack, the only chance they might get, so why couldn't he move. As he watched Yumira's attack growing, he felt surprising calm. He looked down and noticed a thin transparent layer of Umbra's calming mist snaking around him and Jynn, Soothing away his will to fight, his will to move. How could Umbra support so much mist without water? Sure he was drinking something at the club but he should have burned through it already.
"Tidal crush." Yumira said as her attack crashed down on the brothers. He had water with him, and infinite source, Yumira. Winning was impossible. As long as the two stayed together, Yumira provided Umbra with water and protection, and Umbra Healing mist restored her aura fatigue, so she could keep him hydrated and he healed any damage she would take. The last thoughts that ran though Moon's mind before he passed out was, "We were so out classed."