Son of the Storm

Arc 1: Arrival of the Storm

Chapter 1

Enter Ryo Keno! Electro and the Vampire

Hope and dreams, two ideas that converge into a double helix within the lives of all intelligent creatures; both humans and monsters. But, how much control do we truly have over our own destinies? From birth to death, the universe seemed hellbent on keeping us on a singular path, as to not upset the balance of nature. However, there are some who've freed themselves from such constraints and lives their lives the way they saw fit. The Dark Lords being a few, but there is another; one of whom only seeks salvation from himself and the beast within. Such a journey would lead him to a place built by and for monsters. The story of a student turned legends begins now.

A clear sky, a calm breeze that rustled the trees outside his window and the chirping of birds along the way, a good omen of what would come of his first day at Yokai Academy. The journey had been long, around 3 hours in total, but at long last his home away from home was within walking distance. An academy known for its studies of human culture, many like himself would take the same plunge into unknown territory as well. But as the bus came to a stop aside the dirt pathway, a small grin appeared. The time had come to get off and venture out.

"You ready, kid?" the creepy bus driver asked persistently, the cap having obscured most of his face. "This is your stop."

"Yep." He uttered, while shoving the MP3 player into his left pocket. Grabbing his book bag, he brushed aside a few locks of medium length purple hair away from his equally as purple eyes. Proceeding to the front, he was met with an ominous grin from his chauffeur. "Thanks for the ride."

"No trouble, but I'd keep an eye out, kid. You never know who's watching from the shadows." He warned, while casting a grin of his own. "Watch your back."

"Oh, no worries, I'm used to that. I'll still keep my eyes peeled for any creeps, though." He assured, an uneasy feeling having come from the stranger's simple grin. Still, he seemed nice enough while jumping off.

"I'm sure you will." He hauntingly replied, as the doors closed shut.

Strange man. Kind, but very strange. Whether his words rang true, only time would tell, but getting to class and settling in was top priority First impressions were everything and he wouldn't want his teachers to think of him as a slacker. So, with a deep breath and positive thoughts he took his first step towards a new tomorrow, or in this case, towards the campus. A gentle breeze continued through the surrounding forest, messing with his hair in the process. Several gravestones lined the path, causing his stomach to sink a bit.

"They're fake, they're fake, they're fake." He kept telling himself over and over, hoping his assumption was correct.

Though eerie, the sun's rays helped illuminate the surrounding area. If anyone were dumb enough to jump out, they'd be in for a rude awakening. Like most Yokai, he too had ways of fending off potential threats. Best not to worry about it, though.

"It comes down the final moment, my whole soul in motion. Let them know who we are, the beat inside comes alive. Transcend past my limitation, a champion of this dimension. Keep on raising the odds-" He sung to himself, until a loud, masculine cry broke through from the forest. "What was that?" He nervously pondered, eyes drawn to his left.

Whether of pain or desperation, it did not pertain to him. Yet, an urge to help bubbled up inside. Why, though? Perhaps it lined up with his family's moto. Protect those whom could not to so themselves, a pretty simple rule which lead to several fights throughout the centuries. Fear hadn't stopped him, but rather a need to keep appearances up; the last thing he needed was for a bunch of punks breathing down his neck. But, if he were to take up the title of a warrior down the line, such situations were inevitable.

"Hmmm…Just my luck." He sighed, before glancing back at the forest. If someone were in trouble, what would his dad do? Run in head first and resolve the situation in a peaceful manner. "Screw it." He said, dashing off towards the sound.

Be it a sense of duty or sheer stupidity, his legs carried him forth. The clapping of his shoes and rustling of branches followed him along the way, as did a feeling of nervousness. The shadows around him seemed to swallow up the area, with only enough light to see the way. Both eyes and ears were on high alert, when a sudden vibration of a nearby tree caught his attention; as if something large had hit it. Using the very same tree as cover, he kept quiet while peering over at the altercation in progress.

"Jeez. What's going on here?" He thought to himself, glancing around at the nearby trees, their trunks nearly broken in half, with two masculine figures resting against them. Such power. "Whoever did this must have some insane power behind them. I wonder…A troll? Or maybe a giant? Or perhaps a…girl?"

Confused and surprised, he gazed upon who he could only describe as a violent angel. The long, white hair fell down her back, bound by a red ribbon into a long poneytail, those bright, those bright, red eyes, and that familiar form-fitting uniform which allowed for a nice view of her hourglass figure; such beauty must have attracted some unwanted attention. The green blazer and white dress shirt couldn't hide her impressive chest, while the khaki, pinstriped skirt helped hide the good underneath, somewhat, while black stockings and shoes covered her legs and feet. Whoever or whatever she was had instilled fear in these two beefy gentlemen, their trembling bodies displaying their innate fear in their mysterious assailant.

"What's your deal? All this over some crummy, broken cross?" the boy groaned, his back pressed up against the tree's rough surface. "Lighten up a bit."

As if set of by the mere statement, her expression changed from frustration to pure anger, as she swung her left leg hard to the right, attacking his only bit of support. Now, each and every monster possessed varying degrees of strength, from physical to non-physical, but only a few could enact what he'd just witnessed. This 5"9 girl had managed to not only damage the tree's trunk, but topple it with a single kick; her foot having left a large gash along its surface. Coming down hard, dust filled the air. It wouldn't take long for him to connect the dots.

"Wait a second…White hair, red eyes, narrow pupils, and incredible strength? Let's see, that's…a vampire." He speculated, feeling quite proud that he'd figured it out. Only for his expression to change from curious to frightened in a mere second. "A vampire?! No-no, I've gotta be seeing things. No way they'd come here." He told himself, shaking his head in disbelief.

Vampires were among some the rarest and most prideful beings in existence, according to legends. Ruthless and powerful, their actions across the millennia had earned them a spot at the top as an S class race. He'd just wandered into a conflict involving an S class monster! Unfortunately, his luck hadn't been so great. Because of the attack, she'd brought him into view for everyone to see, and it wouldn't take but a second for them to realize that as she caught a glimpse after spinning back around.

"Oh crap!" He internally explained, both eyes and mouth wide open with fright. "Screw my luck, screw my lucky, screw my luck!"

Silence fell over the crowd, with nothing but the sounds of nature to break it. The look she gave retained the same harsh glare, with a hint of confusion. Confusion about who he was and why he'd shown up. With a nervous gulp, he took a step back, however, this only caused her to move towards him, her arm outstretched.

"Ooo…I've gotta go…" He said, trying to maintain a straight face in the process. But inside, the rhythmic beating of his heart had skyrocketed, especially with her sudden approach. "Like now!"

Yeah, no way he'd stick around to find out what she wanted. The nervous feeling he'd felt before, her presence alone had caused that. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead while pushing past any and all branches in his way before bursting from the brush and onto his previous path. But his legs refused to stop moving, drawing close to his original destination.

"Alright, stay calm, Ryo. Just find campus security and they'll sort this out. This is none of your business anyways" He told himself.

Simple enough, find those who could help and tell them about it. Yet, fate would find a way to throw a wrench in said plan. For as confident as he was, the moment he looked back all color drained from his face. Not only had she followed him out but was quickly gaining on him. And, for some reason she'd returned to her human form; a strict rule both students and teachers had to adhere to. The sound of her loud footsteps grew ever so closer as he picked up the pace.

"Tsk. You think that pink hair and those green eyes will fool me? You still have the ponytail, that's a dead giveaway." He thought to himself, while searching his mind for a plan. She may have been fast, but was she as fast as he? Why not find out? "I guess a bit wouldn't hurt."

She wasn't the only one with a secret. Rolling up his right sleeve would reveal a metal cuff wrapped around his wrist, and in its center, a blue gem with a dial like device encompassing it. Around the small, metal, circular symbol were four tiny bars, each of which seemed to indicate a different level. But while reaching for it, a slight tremble ran down his spine.

"Stay calm. It's just one level, nothing'll happen" He said, giving it a slight turn until hearing the first click.

In that moment, the center jewel lit up, as sparks of electricity began radiating from around his body; the veins along his arms, legs, and torso having lit up in a similar way. Wasn't much, but it would help. It felt good, the power of electricity which flowed through every fiber of his being and now he'd give her a little demonstration of its potential. Giving the ground a good kick, he'd suddenly disappear up ahead in no time, accelerating at nearly 60 miles per hour while leaving a blue streak of electrical energy behind.

"Wow." She gasped, astonished by the sudden display of speed.

Indeed. Very few could match the speed of an Electro, even someone like himself could reach speeds upwards of 200 miles per hour if he tried long enough, but that would have to wait. With a dust cloud following behind, his goal remained the same. Up ahead, the image a single student building appeared, giving hope towards salvation.

"Whew. I've made it, finally." He said.

Now to stop before he tripped over or ran into someone. Slowing down to normal running speeds, the dust trail dissipated as he slowed to a walk. Slinging his bag back over his shoulder, he proceeded with a calm and collected demeanor. Seeing it in person felt surreal, though. Between his parents and siblings, he'd only seen a few pictures of it. It far surpassed the size of the smaller schools from his past. Students littered the grounds, conversing amongst themselves. The main building stuck out the most, with a large pool hidden off to the left and the track and field, to the right. Dorm rooms weren't too far off, allowing for shorter walking distances. Overall, a lot better than the school he use to attend.

"Wow. Now this is more like it. So large and spacious." He said, happy to have made it.

And with nineteen minutes to spare, too. Not bad, but it mattered very little. With her incoming approach, his attention returned to the objective at hand. Security members weren't difficult to spot if you knew what to look for. Their red and white arm bands help separate them from the typical student, located on their upper left arm; the red being symbolic of Justice and the white, of Peace. Those chosen for the job were given the privilege of returning to their true forms if a situation arose in which they need to.

"Where are they? There's gotta be at least one around." He kept telling himself, eyes scanning over anyone and everyone, searching the area in desperation. It became more difficult with the dozens of fellow students standing around, but rewards were often given to those with enough patients. After coming to a stop, a sign of salvation revealed itself; a boy with the band he'd been looking for! "Oh, thank god." He sighed with relief, running over to greet him.

Said boy stood but only an inch taller than himself, at 6"1, with a dark red headband covered by his medium length, dark green hair. Same uniform, nothing special, but his face and form helped define him even further. With toned arms, legs and torso, this was one guy you wouldn't want to mess with, and the default expression on his face only extenuate that. Serious and focused, that about summed it up.

"Excuse me, I need some help." He said post-haste, while quickly walking to meet with him.

"Hm? Are you would be?" He questioned, those dark green eyes focused only on him.

"Ryo Keno, I'm a first year here and I think there's something you should know about." He replied in a worried tone. "You are a part of the Security Council, right?"

"Yes. Diashiro Minawa. What's the problem?" he asked, his expression having yet to change.

"Okay, so I was walking here when I heard a yell. I went to investigate only to find this chick who'd beaten the crap out of these two other guys. She saw me and now she's after me." He tried saying with quickness, knowing she wasn't far behind.

"That's not exactly uncommon around here. Do you know where these two guys are"

"In the forest, somewhere. I don't know, it wasn't exactly bright."

"And you said this girl was following you?"

"Yes. She was running after me, but I managed to escape."

"And what does she look like?"

"Pink hair tied up in a ponytail, green eyes, really cute." He answered.

Their conversation came to an end, however, when a feminine voice called out to them. A very soft and gentle voice. Turning to his right to check, though, yielded unsavory results. She'd caught up with him and was approaching, fast. Her appearance entranced many male students, but she seemed to disregard them without a second thought.

"Hold it! Don't listen to him!" She called out in a hurry, coming to a stop in front of them.

"See? She keeps following me." He said in frustration.

"Only because you ran off like that." She rebutted.

"With you reaching out like that after pummeling those guys into the dirt? Yeah, I'm gonna run."

"Without letting me explain?"

"Considering the look you gave me, yeah!"

"Enough, the both of you. Miss, what's your name?" Diashiro pressed.

"Minami Aono, but I swear-."

"Did you or did you or did you not attack anyone?"

"…Yes, but I only did it because-"

"Very well. You'll need to come with me, there's a few questions we'd like to ask." He explained, before turning to Ryo. "As for you, we'll send a search out to look for those boys. In the meantime, I suggest you get to class and make a good first impression."

"Right, and thanks."

"I'm only upholding my duties, nothing or and nothing less." He said, while guiding Ms. Aono towards the main building.

But while watching them walk off, he could have sworn her eyes turned back to him with a saddened glance. Had he misjudged her actions? If he recalled, one of them had said something about a cross? He hadn't seen it himself, but if so, perhaps that's what caused her violent outburst. Only time would tell. For the time being, class beckoned as a fresh start began for the young Yokai.

Note: Hey guys, hope you're all having a happy holiday. I've decided to reboot my Son of the Storm series due to a couple of reasons. 1. After re-reading through the originals, I realized they're not that great and could be improved on. and 2. There were some inconsistencies I wished to overwrite. The stories themselves may change, as will some character traits. All in all, I only wish to make the overall story as enjoyable as I can without having to retcon certain plot points. Hope you understand.