Chapter 1-3: It Begins

"I consider myself many things, with a warrior being one of them. I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure that implies that I actually like fighting a good war. That doesn't mean I like the death that follows it. The best war is the one that doesn't involve someone losing their life because of some asshole's opinion."

-Mark Silv, Age 19

Mark is wearing a black hoodie with a white shirt underneath and dark blue pants for the fight. He is whistling happily on his way to the train station at five o' clock in the morning. Devil can't help but smile. "You are in quite a good mood, Survivor," he states.

"Of course, this is like a vacation for me. Sure I wasn't all that excited yesterday, but after thinking about it I realized that this is exactly my ideal situation."

"The Mercenary in you gets to fight in a war, the Pacifist likes that no one is in real danger, and you get to help your friends and reestablish your connections with them."

"It would only be better if Azumi and Margit showed up and asked me to take a bath together with them!"

"Heh, I would love to have Kazama and Naoe join me in that bath."

Mark is horrified by that thought. "Damn it, Devil! You just killed my mood!" Devil laughs sadistically. "And I was in such a good mood. Ugh!"

"Relax, you'll feel better on the field. How did you sleep yesterday?" Devil asks, concerned.

"I slept fine, why are you bothered?"

"Because I care about you, obviously."

Mark quickly smirks. "Thanks, but I'm fine."

"Good, you will lose if you go into this half-hearted."

This time Mark laughs. "You're such a pessimist!"

Devil decides to join in on the laughter. Once they reach the station they blink on top of it and wait for everyone to show up.

…

…

Several hours later, the station is now buzzing with activity. Mark hides his presence as he looks for Yamato. It takes him awhile but he eventually sees him in the crowd. He's with the Kazama Family, naturally, and they don't look at all worried that the friend in the center of them, Kawakami Momoyo, is going to be their enemy.

'So that's what true friendship is. I admire them for that dedication,' Mark thinks. He turns his gaze to Devil who is watching them without any emotion on his face. 'Does he still think that Momoyo is still in danger of losing herself?' Mark shakes his head to get rid of the depressing thoughts. 'This is a war, I should be enjoying this...I get the feeling that I shouldn't say that out loud.'

Mark decides to wait until Momoyo separates with the group before approaching them. He doesn't know if he is supposed to be a secret weapon or something. They enter the station together, but as Mark is about to blink down and follow them, a presence appears as quick as lightning. Mark has to stop himself in mid-flight from jumping off the building to avoid the person behind him. He ends up smashing his head into the nearby wall.

"What, exactly, are you doing?" the presence, an old man, asks as Mark's face grinds down the wall.

Mark sees Devil also look at him curiously before turning to the old man. "Calm down, Survivor, it is Grand Master Kawakami."

Grand Master Kawakami Tesshim, also the principal of the Kawakami High School, turns to Devil, who isn't using a physical shell. "It is nice to see you again, too."

"Just as I expected of you: you can see and hear me, as well," Devil says, completely unruffled.

Mark gets up and brushes himself off as Tesshim speaks, "I'm well-trained spiritually; detecting spirits or ghosts is easy."

"It's good to see you again, Tesshim," says Mark as they shake hands.

"You look better. Did you cure yourself?"

"Yep, I should live a lot longer now."

"That's good to hear. I take it you are here to join the Kawakami War?"

"Correct again. Yamato called me yesterday and asked for my help and I accepted…I guess I should have told you."

Tesshim laughs. "It's alright. Although, I can only allow just one person."

Mark looks at him curiously for several minutes before he gets the hint. "Is it okay for me to leave Devil with you so he can't help me?"

"I'm sorry; do I look like a babysitter?"

"I was just about to ask the same thing," Devil says dryly. Things start to tense up before the two laugh. "I would be honored to be in your company, Grand Master Kawakami."

"I don't suppose a fresh perspective would hurt me either."

Mark realizes how smooth this is going and gets suspicious. "I get the feeling you want me here," he says.

"Today is a special day. Enacting the Kawakami War is rare event!" he replies happily. That just makes Mark more suspicious. He takes a quick glance at Devil, who isn't bothered in the least.

'I guess Tesshim's attitude toward us is "irrelevant", as Devil would say. True, he is powerful and the principal of the school, but Yamato will say that he invited me and then he would have to let me join. Still, something is up and I am curious as to what it is. Tesshim isn't telling so I will need to get my information elsewhere.'

"Is there anything I need for the war?" Mark asks politely.

"Everything you need is being handed out before you get on the train. You need a red colored sash, so your allies and enemies know which side you are on, and you can choose a weapon provided by the school," Tesshim answers.

"Simple enough."

"The battle is won when the enemy commander is taken. However, you cannot use a weapon not provided by the school or lethal force. No guns allowed."

"…That is going to be a problem," Mark says with concern. "I can't really be separated from my sword."

Tesshim doesn't seem to care. "I will allow it. I believe that you can choose whether or not it can harm or kill, correct?"

"Yep, I don't plan on using it lethally. That being said…" Mark summons his father's pistol, which is covered in Topaz-colored light, and hands it to Tesshim. "This was my father's, but you said no guns and I'm willing to play by the rules, so can you take care of it?"

Tesshim eyes gleam when he sees it. "Ahh, a spiritual weapon…I haven't seen one of these in decades. Do you mind if I study it while I have it?" he requests while taking the pistol carefully.

"Not at all, but if you damage it, Devil will go completely ballistic."

Devil cracks his knuckles and laughs slowly. "And I LOVE being able to go all out with a reason behind it!" he says grimly with a sadistic smile on his face.

Tesshim ignores Devil. "Thank you. Now, you should go and get on the train before it leaves."

"Have fun, Survivor." Devil tells him.

Mark nods and blinks into the lobby below and puts the hood over his head. He tries to get a look above the crowd to find Yamato, but the mob is too dense. He doesn't want to send out a pulse since that may alert Momoyo so he just walks towards the trains. He makes sure to gauge the strength of the people surrounding him as he moves so he can get a feel of what he's dealing with and what his allies have.

It isn't long before he establishes a clear pattern in the group and he can differentiate between the armies. The weaker units have high morale and are raring to go, obviously 2-F. The others carry themselves as if they are above their fellow troops, but they are stronger, clearly 2-S.

'Even though we are outnumbered and outmatched, our will is strong,' Mark thinks. 'If we can keep up our spirits then we have a real chance of winning. If the enemy can be broken, then they might even join our side. But there are practically no 2-F soldiers here.'

Mark eventually comes at a fork in the road, one side of the crowd going to the right while the other goes towards the left, where teachers are handing out gear and sashes. He quickly thinks of a weapon he would want. 'I have short and mid range covered…anything that isn't long range will be useless.' He walks up to a 2-F 'vendor', a female teacher with a whip. He remembers seeing her in 2-F's class as the homeroom teacher.

"What weapon do you want?" She asks him.

"Long bow with arrows, please," he says as politely as he can.

"Oh, Naoe has another archer besides Shiina," she says as if relieved as she gets a bow and a quiver and gives it to him. He grabs the bow and puts his right arm and his head between the string and the limbs and lets the bow rest there, opposite of his sword. The arrow quiver comes with a a couple of hooks so he simply puts it on his waist. "The entire archery club joined 2-S, except for Shiina."

"I'm guessing by your tone that would prefer it if 2-F won?"

"I know we shouldn't pick favorites but I can't help myself."

There is no one waiting to get a weapon on 2-F's side so he continues talking to her. "I can understand that, aren't you their homeroom teacher?"

"Yes, but everyone agreed not to pick sides."

"It's harder than it looks. No doubt the other teachers are siding with 2-S."

She sighs, "I think you're right."

He smiles brightly and speaks in a reassuring and understanding voice. "You're watching them grow; there is nothing wrong for wanting to side with them."

"Thanks, I hope that's true…"

"It is true," Mark gives a small laugh. "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret. I'd be a fool to betray someone so beautiful."

She giggles. "Thanks."

On the other side of the station Tesshim and Devil are watching Mark and the teacher. "Who is that?" Devil asks Tesshin.

"Kojima Umeko, 2-F's homeroom teacher. Is he hitting on her?"

"I would like to believe he is trying to gain her favor if he needs it. But more likely, he is simply trying to console her. Survivor is a bit boring like that."

"You want him to manipulate people?"

"No, I want Survivor to be who he is."

"Why do you keep calling him 'Survivor' instead of 'Master'?" Tesshin asks curiously. "The last time you were here you kept calling him 'Master'."

"Survivor prefers that I refrain from referring to him as Master since he does not like the term."

Tesshim thinks about that for a bit before asking another question. "Then why don't you simply call him Mark, or Silv?"

"The same reason I put 'Grand Master' in front of your name, Grand Master Kawakami; Respect towards the title he has earned."

"Ah, so is this why you prefer to have yourself called 'Devil'?"

"Somewhat. A name alone means nothing."

"So you would call Momoyo Warrior Goddess?"

Devil scoffs. "No. She is neither a warrior nor a goddess and thus she does not deserve her name. If anything she is just a battle-hungry thug."

Tesshim responds with silence for several moments, but when Devil doesn't acknowledge it, he talks again. "…You do know that I'm her grandfather?"

"So?"

"Don't you think that your comment would offend me?"

"It would only offend you if you were blind to the fact. You know I speak the truth."

Tesshim is at a loss for words. No one has ever said that Momoyo was simply a thug so blatantly or surely. He knows he should be mad, but he isn't. He is simply saying what he believes is the truth. Begrudgingly, he accepts Devil's opinion but refuses to see it as anything more than that. He silently walks after he decides that.

Devil follows him silently, he knows what he said might have made Tesshim uncomfortable, but he feels that he needed to have said it for Mark's concern for Momoyo. 'Kawakami needs intervention,' Devil thinks. 'Survivor does not want her to become like me, nor I.'

Meanwhile, Mark is still talking to Umeko. No one else has shown up yet so he doesn't feel the need to hurry. "I thought I had recognized you!" she exclaims. "Why are you under that hood?"

"Me joining the army wasn't exactly shouted from the rooftops. I'm not sure if Yamato wanted my presence to be a secret."

"I think you made the right call. Naoe needs as many edges as he can get to outsmart Aoi."

"Is that the enemy tactician?"

"Aoi is one of the smartest students in the school. Beating him is no easy task."

"Yamato is pretty smart, this Aoi really must be clever to be a challenge to him," Umeko simply nods. "Well, I don't really see Hideo as a person who likes to be commanded."

"Kuki considers Aoi his only friend and respects him, but I expect that Kuki will ignore some of Aoi's suggestions."

Another teacher walks over to the two. "What are you talking about Kojima-sensei?"

"Nothing important."

Mark looks at the teacher, he looks old and has grey hair and a beard…and Mark suspects the teacher is threatened by him. "Oh well, I guess I should go. Can I have that red cloth, miss…"

"Oh, my name is Kojima Umeko, but everyone calls me Kojima-sensei," she hands him the red cloth he was indicating as she says her name. "Are you sure you don't want a sash?"

"Sashes aren't really my thing. Do you mind if I call you Umeko? I'm not your student so it feels kind of wrong if I call you sensei."

"Hmm…" she slightly blushes, "I guess its okay. Wait, what was your name again?"

"My name is Mark Silv, but you can call me Mark."

The other teacher tries to get a word in between the two. "Aren't you being a little friendly? How do I know you aren't trying to get an extra edge in the war?"

Mark pretends to look horrified. "Are you suggesting that Umeko would be willing to break the rules?"

"Uh, what?" Mark can see in his eyes that he knows where this is going.

"Do you really think of Umeko like that?"

Umeko is staring at him coldly. "No, of course not! I have the highest respect for Kojima-sensei!"

"…I guess I believe you," Mark says. He can practically see the sweat drops on his head; Kojima hasn't stopped the piercing stare. "Look I have a favor to ask. I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to keep my name a secret. Please don't tell 2-S."

"I won't! Seriously, I won't Kojima-sensei!"

"Okay, then. I'll see you later Umeko!" He waves to them as he makes his way to the 2-F train.

"Bye!" Umeko calls after him while waving. The other teacher also waves as a gesture of goodwill.

Mark looks from the front to the back of the train. It has several cars and it looks like the least important troops are in the latter cars. He goes into the second to last car and sits down in one of the seats close to the front while putting his bow in the seat next to him. He looks around the car and sees that he is surrounded by thugs that Yamato must have convinced to join 2-F.

Mark takes the red cloth and expertly ties it around the pommel of his sword with one hand and without looking. As he waits for the train to move he pulls out the Family Tome in his book bag and starts memorizing the specific entries of one of his ancestors.

The train starts to move. Mark looks outside the window and watches the station fade from view. The stalls, weapons, and teachers are gone now, along with most of the crowd. He closes the tome and puts it back in the bag before getting up, putting the bow back, and moving to the next car. Yamato isn't here either; he is probably in the front-most car.

He slowly makes his way through the cars while dodging moving weapons the users aren't handling properly. A spear very nearly pokes his eye. Luckily, as he moves further up he doesn't have to duck and dodge as many weapons; in fact the second to first car has no weapons at all. He can see two guys in this car that have expensive bags that probably hold cameras.

"3D girls suck, why are you so obsessed with taking pictures of them?" the pale one asks.

"It would be weirder if I didn't take pictures of them!"

"Hmph, and what's wrong with moe 2D girls?"

"I like pictures of them, too, but there is nothing like the real deal."

"As if you know what that is."

Mark is about to pass them when a big student stands up and gets in his way and barks at him. "FOOD!"

Mark jumps back in sheer surprise and very nearly draws his weapon. "Oookay?"

The student practically gets on his knees. "Please, I need food! I'm so hungry!"

The pervert talking with the pale student pulls him back up and calms him down. "Don't worry Kuma-chan, we'll feed you in a bit." 'Kuma' heads back into the couple of seats barely containing him and Mark squeezes through. 'What the hell was that about?!' Mark thinks as he goes exits the car.

Once he enters the next car he sees Yamato and the rest of the Kazama Family along with a few others Mark hasn't met yet. Yamato turns when he hears the door open and is about to wave when some guy gets in his way.

"Where do you think you're going?!" the man demands.

Mark looks him down head to toe before pulling him by the scruff of his shirt and giving him a stare that can kill. "Leave!" he says with a firm voice.

"Okay man, okay, sorry!" he sputters as he moves past Mark and leaves the car. Once the man leaves, Mark looks around the first class car and briskly walks into the far corner while acknowledging Yamato with a nod. Yamato nods back tentatively. Gakuto gets in his way, he doesn't know who Mark is with the hood on. Yamato signals to Gakuto and he reluctantly lets him pass. Once Mark reaches the corner he pulls out a bit a fake carpet and exposes a electronic bug made by the Kuki conglomerate. He quickly steps on it.

Mark turns to Yamato, with the phone that he had secretly pick-pocket from the guy and speaks, "You need to be more careful, that guy I kicked out was a spy."

"I know, I was purposely feeding him information," Yamato explains with a shrug. He gets up from his seat and they shake hands.

"You know him?" asks Capt.

"You all do," then Mark looks at the others he doesn't recognize. "Okay, most you know me."

"Do I know you?" asks the class president.

"A little. Yamato, did you want me to keep my identity hidden or you don't care?"

"Now that the spy is gone, you can go ahead and show your face."

Mark does as he's told and takes off the hood and straightens his back so everyone can see his face. "Mark!" the Kazama Family exclaim, except for Miyako.

The other person in the car, a muscular punk, asks Kazuko, "Is this the Mark from a month ago?"

"Uh-huh, this is Mark Silv! He helped me get more powerful!"

"You told me." The punk casually walks up to Mark, who looks at him quizzically, before being punching Mark hard in the face.

"Tacchan!" yells Kazuko while others just shout "Gen-san!" Mark spits out blood, but he doesn't go down even after staggering a bit. When he looks the punk is shaking his hand but isn't letting the pain show on his face. Mark slowly gets up.

"It's nice to meet you, too," he says casually as if nothing happened. "So what's your name?"

"Just call me Gen-san, everyone else does," Gen-san says as he puts his back on the wall.

"Why did you hit Mark, Tacchan?!" Kazuko asks.

"Because he pissed me off."

Mark lets it go and instead turns to everyone else. "It's good to see you guys again!"

"It's good to see you, too!" Capt welcomes him. Everyone else is a little more reserved though.

"Are you still dying?" Miyako asks indifferently. No doubt she is mad at him for last time. And especially for Devil. How can one forget seeing the person she cares the most about being taken away from her?

"No, I was able to cure myself."

"Pity, what about Devil?"

Mark hesitates for a few moments. "He's alive too." Nobody speaks for several seconds, so Mark decides to clarify. "I have control over him; he isn't going to hurt anyone again."

"…Is he here?" Moro hesitantly asks.

"No, he's with Tesshim. He wasn't allowed to come since you only had one slot available." Everyone gives a collective sigh of relief. "Switching topics, I would have thought that Cookie robot would have been here."

"He was forced to ride in the last car since we are pretending he's a toy," says Mayucchi.

In the last car…

"…I'm not a toy…"

Back to the first car…

"I suppose I can see that thread of logic. Anyway, I thought I should meet you before the battle starts so you can have some time to plan with some of the skills I brought."

"Besides being really hard to put down?" Yamato says jokingly.

"Yep, I have been studying the techniques of my ancestors," Mark pulls the Tome out of his bag to indicate where he learned said techniques. "For about three weeks I have been memorizing every page I can in this Tome, and I am confident in my ability to create a Sigil Trap."

"Sigil Trap?"

"That's what she named it. Hold on," He opens the Tome and reads out a passage. "The Sigil Trap a flexible trap made of soul energy and can create fire, lightning, explosions, earthquakes, and extreme cold. When placed down in the Spirit World (that's what they called it in her time) the trap waits until its commander shouts. Now armed, the commander can choose whether to activate the trap on command or to have the Sigil wait until an enemy enters its sight whereupon it will activate. Sigils have the power to destroy an entire army when used correctly and can be commanded to not kill so as the commander can take hostages."

"Whoa, that's amazing!" Kazuko says excitedly and quickly takes the Tome from Mark. "Let me see…huh? It's just a bunch of lines running down the page!"

Mark calmly grabs back the Tome. "It was made so that only users of the Aura Arts can read it," he explains. "It is also protected with countless barriers so it is nearly impossible to destroy or deface."

"It can destroy an entire army," Yamato thinks aloud. "That certainly can be useful."

"There has to be a catch to something so powerful," Chris states.

"Hahahah, oh there are so much more powerful things written in this Tome, but you are correct, there are a few of catches," Mark replies.

This time Gen-san talks angrily, which Mark suspects is a deflector of kinds, "Then tells us that first, damn it!"

"I'll tell you now. Catch number one is that while she indeed wrote down 'destroy an entire army' I'm not sure she means physically, but emotionally. While the Sigil Trap does pack a punch, it is mostly a morale crusher."

"So how big of an area does it affect?" asks Mayucchi.

"It can easily wipe out a unit. Second catch is the amount of energy I put in determines the strength, so if you want a really effective trap, I won't be able to use my powers for a few minutes after it detonates."

"That sounds reasonable," says Chris.

"Lastly…well this is less of a catch and more of a user thing: I haven't actually made a Sigil Trap before."

Only the sounds of the train can be heard in the car. Eventually Yamato speaks, "So…you have no idea if it actually works?"

"Oh, it'll work. But I'm not exactly sure if my personal take from it is one hundred percent accurate. It may actually kill us all!"

The class president practically shrieks, "WHAT?!"

Mark laughs impishly, "I may have been over exaggerating that last part." Mark becomes more serious. "I was hoping to try it out now."

"You can't be serious!" Moro almost shouts.

"Relax, I was just going to make a little one as a demonstration, with everyone's permission, obviously."

Everyone looks at Yamato, who nods, "Alright, but only on that side of the train."

"Don't worry, if it makes you feel better, my ass is the only one likely to get blown off," everyone looks at each other uneasily as Mark kneels down and clears a small area on the floor and even digs a bit to mark the spot. Then he steps back with the others. "Alright, now I am going to set it right where I marked. I'm going to choose the one called 'Beautiful Chaos'."

"And what does that one do?" Gakuto asks.

"No idea," Mark sets reaches out spiritually and places the Sigil as it said in the Tome. "Okay now to activate it, (switches to Chinese) Command!" a few sparks erupt from the marked point for a moment before disappearing. "(Still in Chinese) Attack!"

Loud sounds erupt from the point along with fires of many colors, with lightning jumping between the flames. And then the flames turn to ice instantly before exploding loudly, leaving nothing to indicate it existed.

"That was actually pretty!" Chris says while clapping her hands.

"It was kinda beautiful," the class president says shyly.

"Do it again!" demands Kazuko.

"Are you sure that can destroy armies?" Gen-san asks dubiously.

"Imagine it about a thousand times bigger and louder that came out of nowhere, decimated a fellow unit, and left nothing behind that can explain it. My ancestor was behind a great Chinese General. If she says it works then I'm siding with her," Mark defends.

Everyone looks at Yamato for the final opinion. "I have to see the battlefield first but it can come in handy," he explains. "I can definitely see it as a diversionary tactic, and if it wipes out a unit then their morale will plummet."

"Well, I figured I should let you know about it. You're the Tactician, not to mention my employer as well, so if you don't want to use it that's fine, too."

"Thanks for showing it to us. Now we know what the Sigil Trap is if we see it."

"I want to see it again! Bigger this time!" exclaims Capt.

"Not inside, sorry."

"Aww."

"Mostly though," Yamato begins, "I wanted you for when Nee-san becomes a threat. You are the only person I have seen that can successfully hold her off. Mayucchi is going to help you if possible along with our final trump card. You three are going to have to keep her occupied for at least several minutes since we have less troops than I had thought we would have. I don't have to mention how much of a secret this needs to be."

"I figured as much. Don't worry about her in that case, I can keep her off you for a few days if necessary!"

"That's a big boast!" Mayucchi replies.

"I'm now at full power. We will win this war."