*It was a bright and sunny summer day in the kingdom of Brister. About a month and a half had gone by since the battle of Orion city. A few days after the battle, Hargus officially admitted defeat and Brister received full ownership of Orion. Hargus would have to pay a hefty fine for the damages done to the city and their soldiers who were captured would remain political prisoners in Brister for a year. With Orion now under Brister’s control, plans for rebuilding the city soon got under way. It would take a while before the city would officially reopen, but people were happy to see Brister take the initiative to restore the city back to normal. Returning to the present time, in one of the residential areas of Brister, in a big apartment complex we see Dust waking up. It was mid-morning at this point and he jumped out of his queen-size bed shirtless and wearing black shorts. The apartment floor was mahogany wood and Dust looked out the window to see the clear skies and down below to see the streets bustling with people. Letting out a yawn and stretching, he walked over to his bathroom to take a quick shower and brush his teeth. After about fifteen minutes, Dust exited the bathroom with a towel around his waist and walked over to his dresser to get dressed. Dropping the towel, he pulled out some boxer briefs to put on and then put on some black pants and a t-shirt. He exited his bedroom and made his way to the kitchen. Despite what many people would believe, Dust’s apartment was surprisingly neat and organized. He cleaned up the place on a weekly basis and always made sure his trash never overflowed. In his living room area was a black couch, a black love chair, and a table stand to put drinks and bowls on. They were all in front of a 72-inch plasma screen TV that was hanging on the red wall with a window on each side of it. The one thing that was off about his apartment was that he didn’t have any pictures of himself or anyone hung or lying around. Instead, his shelves were filled up with discs and records of music. One thing that people didn’t know about Dust was that he was a big fan of music. He liked all kinds of genres and was a collector as well. He even had a record player and CD player by the shelves to play the discs and records on. Going into the kitchen which had a stove, microwave, refrigerator, toaster and table to sit at, Dust went over to the cabinet and pulled out a loaf of bread. Grabbing a slice of bread, Dust popped it into the toaster and went over to the refrigerator to pull out a container of orange juice. After opening up another cabinet, Dust pulled out a clear glass cup and checked his cellphone which was charging on the kitchen counter to see he had no missed calls. After turning on the TV, Dust sat down at the kitchen table where he could see the TV perfectly from his spot and began to pour a glass of orange juice for himself*
(News Anchorman): We interrupted your current program to bring you this breaking news. Moments ago White Tiger knights were on their way to apprehend Ivo Wicker, CEO of Wicker Motors. A few months earlier, Ivo’s son Adrian was arrested for operating an illegal gambling ring here in the city. Ivo claimed he had no knowledge of the gambling ring and no evidence could be found showing his involvement. However, White Tiger knights conducted a secret investigation into his company for the past month where they discovered tax evasion, poor working conditions for employees, and counterfeiting money to pay for parts. A warrant for his arrest was issued earlier this morning and once knights arrived to apprehend him at Wicker Motors HQ, shots were fired at knights by Ivo’s private security personnel and Ivo was seen fleeing the scene with them. The White Tiger Knights being led by vice-commander Leon Helios are now in pursuit of Ivo. We advise everyone within the Gridheart area to clear the streets and vicinity.
*As Dust heard all of this and watched the TV to see the chase, he saw a large metallic semi-truck speeding down the road with black vans driving beside it and firing guns at white and black cars being driven by the White Tiger knights who were in pursuit of the truck*
(Dust): *Sigh* Can’t even enjoy a nice glass of orange juice.
*Dust gets up from his seat and grabs his trench coat that was hanging by the front door, puts on his black gloves and then heads toward the kitchen window. He opens the window and gets prepared to jump from the fourth floor when all of sudden his toast pops up. Using one of his wires, he grabs the toast and jumps out the window. Using his free hand he fires off another wire to attach to the ledge of a nearby building and begins to swing through the air. After Dust jumps out of his apartment, his cellphone begins to ring and the name Hibana appears on the caller ID. Putting the toast in his mouth to free up his other hand, Dust shoots off another wire to attach to another building and continues to swing through the air. As Dust is swinging through the air and eating his toast, the locals down below wave at him saying good morning to him. As Dust swings past the roof of a building, an elderly dark elf lady with long grey hair and yellow eyes sitting at a table and enjoying some tea sees Dust swinging by*
(Elderly dark elf): Good morning, Dust.
(Dust): Good morning Mrs. Chi.
(Mrs. Chi): Be sure not to eat that toast too fast.
*After Dust gets done swinging past the building he lands on the ground and begins to run all while finishing up his toast. As he runs he comes across some kids playing on the side of the streets. The kids are a mix of humans, demihumans, and elves*
(Dust): Morning kids.
(Elf girl): Hey Dust! Come play with us.
(Dust): Maybe next time. I’m in the middle of work right now. Be sure to stay off the streets.
*Dust turns the corner and continues running down the street where he comes across a street vendor run by a middle age tubby man who is a cat demihuman. He had light brown hair under his hairnet, black eyes and had on a white apron covering his white shirt and wore blue pants*
(Dust): Rocco! Juice me!
*The cat demihuman heard and saw Dust running towards him and smiled*
(Rocco): You got it.
*Rocco quickly walked over to his cooler and pulled out a bottle of orange juice. He tossed it to Dust who caught it and continued running*
(Dust): Thanks Rocco!
*Dust guzzles down the juice and jumps over a human girl with orange hair that looked like a mini afro with a pair of sunglasses in it and red eyes taking a picture of a cat with her cellphone. While in mid-air, Dust fires off a wire which attaches to a building and he begins to swing through the air. The girl saw Dust swinging through the air and quickly snapped a picture of him*
(Human girl): Looking cool, Dust.
*Dust swung for a few more minutes before arriving in the Girdheart area and landing on a roof to see where the chase is. He soon saw the chase coming down the road as cars were struggling to get out of the way. Gunfire shots could be heard as well as sirens. A news helicopter could be heard flying over Dust and heading towards the road to get an overview shot of the chase scene. Inside the helicopter, a human news anchorwoman with brown hair tied in a bun and wearing a light blue long sleeved buttoned shirt with beige pants gets ready to report*
(Anchorwoman): We’re coming to you live over the Clover Highway. White Tiger knights are still in pursuit of Ivo Wicker. Multiple rounds of gunfire have been heard and-
*Before the anchorwoman could continue, the helicopter lost a little altitude due to some extra weight. Dust soon enters the helicopter scaring the anchorwoman and causing her to scream*
(Dust): A good morning to you too.
*Dust soon turns his attention to the pilot*
(Dust): Hey you, fly down low towards the highway.
*At first, the pilot was hesitant to do what Dust said, but after looking into his eyes for a few seconds and seeing how serious he was, he knew for the safety of himself and everyone in the helicopter he had to comply. Back on the highway, White Tiger knights were being shot at by Ivo’s men. The car that was in front of Leon’s car took the blunt of many bullets overheating the engine and causing the car to spiral out of control into a guard rail. Leon, who was in the passenger seat of his car got on the radio*
(Leon): Unit 21, check on 38 to make sure they’re okay! Everyone else continue pursuit and return fire!
(All units): Roger!
*The driver in Leon’s car dodged an attack by steering to the left and then avoided a magic blast by steering to the right only for Leon to see that they were directly in the sight of a gunman and his gun was aiming at him. Before the gunman could fire, his rifle was yanked from him by a wire. Shocked by this, the gunman looked up to see what happened to his gun and was soon struck by Dust who hit him with a closed fist across the face before he landed on top of the van. Dust grabbed the gunman tying one end of a wire around his Kevlar vest and then shooting off the other end to a light pole. The gunman soon goes flying out of the van and towards the light pole screaming his head off in terror. Dust then propels himself feet first into the van to deliver a dropkick to the driver which propels him out of the driver’s door and he falls to the ground rolling a few times before stopping. Dust exits the van through the passenger’s window to climb onto the roof and then jumps off the roof onto the roof of Leon’s car just as the van swerves to the left and into the guard rail*
(Dust): Morning, Leon.
(Leon): Good morning, Dust.
(Dust): So, how’s your morning been so far?
(Leon): Oh you know, hectic. It’s gotten a little better now that you’ve arrived.
(Dust): How’d he know you guys were coming for him?
(Leon): He had a rat in the department. Told him everything. Soon as we walked into the doors shots were fired at us. Next thing you know we’re having a chase scene on the highway and making the news.
(Dust): Wow, it has been a hectic morning. So what’s the next move?
(Leon): Lead him to the blockade, but personally I’d rather take down his goons before they cause more damage.
(Dust): I think I can help with that. Keep the car steady.
*Dust finds his balance on the roof of Leon’s car and fires a wire at Ivo’s freight*
(Dust): Talk to you in a little bit. Watch out for road hazards.
*Dust soon propels himself to the freight*
(White Tiger Knight): Sir, we’re getting a strange signal from the radio.
(Amarti): Red Lion, this is Elf Merchant, over.
(Leon): This is Red Lion. What can I do for you, over?
(Amarti): Requesting your cars to hang back while we provide support, over.
(Leon): Understood. You’re help is much appreciated. Try not to cause too much damage, over.
(Amarti): Copy that. We’ll do our best, over.
*Amarti ends call*
(White Tiger Knight): Who was that sir?
(Leon): Reliable backup. Hang back a little. You’re about to see an interesting show.
*Dust pulls himself on top of the freight and begins walking towards the right. Ivo was sitting in the passenger’s seat and could hear Dust’s footsteps. He began to sweat with a frightened look in his eyes and quickly grabbed the radio*
(Ivo): What are you idiots doing!? Get up there and stop him!
(Driver): Sir, shouldn’t we keep the other knights at bay?
(Ivo): Don’t worry about them! This elf is way more dangerous! Now shut up and drive! The rest of you, kill that elf!
*The four drivers of the vans hearing Ivo’s orders loud and clear drove up to the sides of the freight and allowed their passengers to climb through the windows and attach themselves to the freight. The four men who worked under Ivo climbed up to the top of the freight to stop Dust in his tracks and pulled out a weapon each. The one who was the closest unsheathed a dagger from his back. The second one unhooked a chain from his waist that caught fire and began swinging it around. The third one got out some brass knuckles from his pockets that were emitting electricity. The final one readied a pair of batons. Each man was human and had on black ski masks to hide their identities*
(Dust): All right. Who wants to fly first?
*The man with the dagger came charging at Dust swinging wildly at him. Dust managed to dodge all of the attacks with what limited room he had. Dust managed to hit him with a jab to the throat which caused the man to stop attacking as he was struggling to breathe. Dust followed up by grabbing the dagger arm of the man and punching him in the stomach. This caused him to drop the dagger. Dust then threw him off to the side of the freight where he hit the side of the road hard before rolling into a ditch. The man with the brass knuckles charged at Dust where he jumped over him to avoid his attack only to get caught by the man with the fire chain who managed to wrap the chain around Dust’s right arm. Dust could feel the fire trying to burn through his coat and quickly yanked the chain to pull the man towards him. Dust delivered a clothesline to the man to drop him on his back and then picked him up quickly. After pulling him up, Dust put the man in front of him to absorb the attack of the man with brass knuckles. The man who had the chain was punched in the chest where bolts of electricity ran through his body as he screamed out in pain. Dust tossed the man over the edge of the freight, but the man grabbed on to the edge and hung there trying to pull himself up. Dust then attacked the man with the brass knuckles with a monkey flip attack. The man with the brass knuckles slightly spun in the air and landed on his back. Dust attached a wire around his ankle and then fired off the other end of the wire to a light pole. The man was dragged off the freight and then hung upside down on the pole. Dust then turned his attention to the man with the batons where he was hit with a gust of wind that pushed him back. The gust of wind came from the man with the batons who banged them together two times which lit up the batons in a green color. The man then slammed the batons on the freight and unleashed a gust of wind that made its way to Dust. Once again Dust was pushed back only this time he was at the edge of the freight. The man with the batons quickly banged his batons together once again and fired off another gust of wind which pushed Dust off the freight. Dust quickly fired off a wire to the side of the freight and swung in the air before running along the side of the freight to get behind the man with the batons. Dust jumped into the air and fired off another wire on top of the freight past the man with the batons. The man with the batons turned around to see where Dust was, but the sun was in his eyes and he couldn’t see clearly. Using the momentum of the wire to pull himself down, Dust delivered a hard left hook to the jaw of the man with the batons before landing safely on top of the freight. Dust followed up with a roundhouse kick to the head of the man who staggered to the right side of the freight and fell over. He landed on top of the roof of one of the vans before bouncing off and landing on the side of the road. While this was going on, the man who previously had the chain was able to pull himself back up and tried to attack Dust from behind. Dust could sense his attack coming and did a back flip to escape the attack. He landed safely on the freight and crouched down*
(Dust): Look out behind you!
(Man who had the chain): Nice try.
*As the man was about to attack, he got hit from behind with an overhead sign on the highway. This causes him to fall off the freight and land on the hood of Leon’s car where he bounces off to the side*
(Leon): Well that’s going to leave a dent.
*After safely passing over the sign, Dust rises back to his feet and starts to make his way to the front of the freight before he gets stopped by gunfire coming from the vans. Dust quickly ducks to avoid the gunfire. One of the vans moves in on the right to get a better shot at Dust when all of a sudden the engine gets hit with a lightning bullet. The engine quickly catches on fire and the driver begins to panic as he steers out of control and off the road. Dust smiles to himself knowing who fired the shot*
(Dust): Nothing less from the kingdom’s best sniper.
*On top of a building overlooking the highway, Raika wearing a buttoned down blue collared shirt, blue pants, and brown shoes was holding a sniper rifle and aiming it at the highway. Amarti was standing right next to her wearing a short-sleeved purple shirt with black pants and shoes while holding binoculars*
(Amarti): Impressive shot as always Raika.
(Raika): Even more impressive at the fact that this is a 100-meter rifle and the target is 120 meters away and moving.
(Amarti): Sorry. I miscalculated the distance.
(Raika): Don’t be. I like the challenge.
*Raika looks through the scope of the rifle and prepares to take out the second van on the right. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Raika fires off another bullet where it hits the tire of the van causing it to swerve out of control and spin to a complete stop without crashing. With the right side clear that just left the vans on the left side of the freight. As the vans on the left side were speeding down the road with the semi-truck, they passed through an overpass where Morgan was waiting for them. Focusing his magic, he froze up the tires of the first van which caused it to stop on the road and the second van ran into the back of it. With the vans gone, Dust rose back to his feet and continued to make his way to the front of the freight. Seeing this from the rearview mirror, Ivo pushed a button to detach the freight from the semi. The freight hits the road hard where Dust could barely maintain his footing. Dust quickly jumped off the freight and landed back on the top of Leon’s car. As the semi continued to drive down the road, Sanada walked out into the middle of the road wearing his green samurai kimono and carrying his sword. Ryuuji, Jade, Jin, and Zia could be seen on the side of the road with members of the White Tiger knights who had set up a blockade to stop Ivo from escaping. Closing his eyes and taking up a stance by bending his right leg and putting his left leg behind him, Sanada prepared for the right moment to strike. The driver of the semi saw the blockade up ahead as well as Sanada and had no intentions of stopping. He was prepared to run over Sanada and break through the blockade, but it would never come to pass. Sensing the semi close to him, Sanada opened his eyes and unleashed his attack*
(Sanada): Cyclone stance: Velocity Slash!
*As fast as the wind, Sanada unsheathes his sword and slashes right down the middle of the semi splitting it in two. All of the knights aside from the members of Shadow Eye stood there in amazement at what they just witnessed with their jaws wide open. The split semi missed Sanada who stood in the middle of the road and continued to move forward. Ryuuji and Jade were quick to act as they each ran out and stopped one side of the split semi with their bare hands. Both of them got a solid grip of their respected semis and managed to bring them to a halt after sliding back a little. The driver of the semi quickly jumped out and attempted to shoot Ryuuji with a rifle but was stopped by Zia who quickly came in and delivered an elbow to the stomach of the driver followed by an upward palm strike to the chin which knocked out the driver. Ivo also attempted to escape but was stopped by Jin. As Ivo was attempting to run away, Jin flattened him with a clothesline knocking Ivo on his back barely conscious and allowing the White Tiger knights to apprehend him. Leon, Dust and the others soon arrived and Dust jumped off the top of the car to meet up with the others*
(Jin): So, how was that for a takedown?
(Dust): It’s okay.
(Jin): Okay!? Look at him, I practically knocked that sucker out.
*As Dust and Jin were talking to each other, a white oval drone was in the sky and in the claws of the drone was Dust’s cellphone. The camera of the drone was focusing on Dust. In an unknown dark room, a girl could be seen staring at a computer monitor looking at Dust. By her side was a bag of chips*
(Mysterious girl): Ignore my calls will you?
Author’s Note: And we’re back! Welcome everyone to the second volume of Shadow Eye. Thank you all for your patience and support. I have a lot of exciting and action-packed moments for everyone in this volume. When I sat down and started volume 2 I knew I wanted to start off with an action sequence to get everyone excited. However, the stuff with Dust at the beginning was my favorite part of this chapter. He’s a character that you the reader don’t know that much about, so to see these subtle looks into his life helps you get an idea of who he is and what likes to do. But who was the mysterious girl at the end and what’s her connection to Dust. Tune in next week to find out. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time. Also, look forward to the next Records of Rein. They’ll be a new one coming out each Monday during the run of the second volume.