Chapter 6: Disposable Heroes

The first rays of the sun illuminated the cold pine forest on the outskirts of the "La ciudad Blanca*". A flock of crows was flying around the smoking crater left by the previous night's battle, filled with wailing and lightning. Between squawks, Asim Nasr opened his coal-black eyes and brought his trembling hands to his feathered hair, which had grown at least four centimeters longer.

— What's going on? — He shuddered as he felt the breeze against his back, his clothes completely gone. — What the hell! — He covered himself with his hands, quickly checking everywhere to make sure no one saw him like this. He had a reputation to uphold. When he saw he was alone, a fight between his little feathered colleagues caught his attention. He approached a pile of ashes and burnt rags, where he saw a bracelet exactly like the one they'd put on him when they locked him in the shelter. — The damn bracelet? — He picked it up amidst the sparks with a stick from the ground, realizing his own was gone. He had tried to remove the odious electroshock band before, but it was impossible. Unable to analyze it further, a familiar hiss called out to him.

— That's not going to cover anything for you, Booty Chan —. A crane covered in ash smiled, limping towards him.

— Vanessa! — He rushed to her the moment he saw her lose her balance, sheltering the girl in his chest.

— Sōdesu ka*... You didn't grow up around here —, she mocked her friend, her eyelids closed, blushing and fragile.

— Shut up, you goof! — Nazz was startled by the severity of the burn on her back. — Seriously. Are you okay, babe?

Without letting Nasr wallow in guilt over what his outburst had caused, a sooty sheet landed on the two of them.

— That's not cool! — Someone shouted at them to separate them. — You'll never be able to get married like this, Van Chan.

— Oniisan! — Vanessa exclaimed, her falcon intact, descending from a tree.

— Hawk! How the hell did you pull that off, dude? — Nazz cheered, putting the piece of cloth on like a Greek toga.

— I think... — He smiled proudly, raising his fist. — Somehow, I managed to use the "Shunkanido*".

Hours earlier, as Hawk crossed his talons with the massive mountain lion's claws, the Chimera's deadly lightning, about to roast him, triggered his Awakening. Covering his feathered body in gold, he vanished in a flash, leaving only his tan tactical vest as a trace of his presence.He reappeared at dawn, asleep in a tree.

— But... I still have a lot to learn —, he shook the pine needles tangled around his head.

— Instant Movement? Yeah, I like it! — Nazz made a pair of horns with his right hand, excited by the translation of the Falcon's Awakening skill. — But, didn't he tell you that you couldn't name them anymore? — He asked, remembering his master's scolding.

— Just because your screams gave us away! — The crane hit him on the back of the head. — Aieee! — He fell to the ground, feeling his back hurt more as he stretched.

— Van Chan —. The falcon ran towards her, searching for the medicine in his sister's pockets.

— It... It's okay, Oniisan —. She endured sharp pangs as he handed her a syringe and a vial from his vest. — We mustn't stop... That fat bastard won't get away!

— Forget about that bullshit... She's going to bleed to death! — Nazz knelt beside him.

— No! The mission comes first —. Hawk made it clear with his predatory amber eyes.

— No, brother... Vanessa comes first! —, he pushed him aside. — I'm not going to let her die on us over some shit like this —, Nazz declared, earning the judging looks of the Hinotori. — Oh shit. And it's because of this attitude that my parents kicked me out of your damn cult —. He stood up and turned his back on them, scratching the back of his neck. His mission was more valuable than his life, just as theSensei.

— But, what about the victims? — Hawk followed to confront him. — Do you think your parents cared about them?... If we were all that cowardly, no one would survive these beasts!

— Co... Cowards? — The crow tried to hit him in the face. — What do you know about my parents, asshole!

— The only thing I know, Asim, is that your people will suffer greatly if you don't do something! — He caught her blow effortlessly.

— So what! Leave that to the freaking police —, he snatched his arm. — I owe shit to the morons who locked me up —, he said, when he felt Vanessa lean against his back.

— Hundreds of children have died because of this —, she formed a trembling fist on the crow's shoulder blade. — That puma hybrid was just the beginning. Their leader, "El Elfo*", is much worse. You have to go back, Asim... The six of us have to work together!

— Six?... What do you mean six?

— That's right: Six—, someone immediately told him, from the trees surrounding the crater he had made.

The witch, the fire fox Nazz's friends had encountered the night before, emerged from the bushes, thanks to the holographic map on her console bracelet, similar to the brothers'. Jim leaned on her with his right arm; his shattered wrists now bore two black gems shaped like inverted teardrops, encrusted with blood. Angelafollowed somesteps, worried that he wouldn't die with his high temperature. The fear left by the violent viper kept her at a distance, but attentive to her badly wounded savior.