The Seven Demon's Tamer

**DING!**

Mia slammed the ancient bronze bell with a metallic rod she had been holding. The sound that erupted from the massive instrument was more than mere noise; it was a declaration of war that reverberated for miles.

**DING! DING! DING!**

She continued, not even waiting for the echo from the previous ringing to fade before striking again. The rhythm was deliberate, calculated—three strikes, pause, three strikes, pause. It was the ancient battle call of the Falcon Guild, a signal that had not been used in over two decades. A signal that was more of a call for battle.

Below, the transformation of the guild base from peaceful vicinity to war machine was immediate and terrifying to behold. Footsteps could be heard echoing through the courtyard as the army chosen for the assault rushed toward the tower to assemble, surrounding it as Mia had instructed them earlier in the evening.

Their boots made clacking sounds as they traversed through various streets as more came from the residential area until they all eventually reached the tower and assembled.

Up above, in the high structure of the watchtower, only two figures could be seen against the star-filled sky—shadowy figures that seemed to command the very night itself.

One of them was Mia, her elegant form just as formal as ever. Despite her role as a double agent working with various FSG bases across several countries, tonight she was going to spend it on her real guild.

Her black hair, typically worn in her usual hairstyle, was now secured in a tight bun that emphasized the sharp angles of her face. Her dark clothing allowed her to blend seamlessly with the shadows, making her appear almost ghostlike as she continued to strike the bell.

The second figure was the one who commanded the attention of every soul present, even without speaking a word. Yuki Nakamura stood at the edge of the tower's platform, his red predatory eyes gleaming from the top of the structure where he observed his assembled forces with a cold, malicious gaze.

His long black hair flowed in the wind that whipped through the open tower, the strands seemed to move and billow without the presence of the breeze.

Tonight, he had abandoned his usual meditation robes, replacing them with his battle attire—baggy red clothes not containing any design to brag about.

"I bet they may have believed they truly have twenty-four hours!" Mia began again, her voice still managing to cut through the heavy, noisy wind.

"Your deception is brilliant, Master Yuki!" she continued, her words carried away by the wind so that she couldn't even hear herself.

Without even turning around, without so much as a glance in her direction, Yuki Nakamura replied casually, claiming that he heard her. "It is no deception."

A pause stretched between them, filled only by the continuing sounds of the army below completing their preparations.

"I already know how this is going to unfold right from the beginning," he continued, his words carrying the finality of a judge pronouncing sentence. "The Red Eastern Guild leader wouldn't be letting go of those allies. I know their leader quite well—perhaps better than he knows himself."

"He is not the type to back down and allow others to override him," Yuki continued. "He will put up a fight. He always does. It's both his greatest strength and his most exploitable weakness."

"How are you so sure, Master?" Mia screamed back, her voice struggling against the wind that seemed to grow stronger for some strange reason.

Yuki replied almost immediately. "They clearly know they are completely overpowered by us! The difference in hierarchy ranking is solid evidence of their disadvantage!"

The Falcon Guild stood over twenty-five ranks above the Red Eastern Guild in the official hierarchy, a gap that represented superiority in every aspect.

"If the leader of the Red Eastern Guild wanted to hand over his recent allies," Yuki explained with finality, right about to end the conversation, "he would have done so shortly after he received the letter. The threat contained in that brief message was enough to alert him of the urgency of the situation. The fact that he has not responded tells me everything I need to know."

"My dear brother has always been predictably stubborn," Yuki added, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he spoke. "Even as children, it was quite apparent. That particular character trait has not changed with age."

He always wants things to go his way, but not this time.

"Now," Yuki said, his voice dropping to a whisper that somehow carried more menace than it would have if he shouted, "let's charge to their guild and strip them of the assets that should rightfully be mine. They must not forget their place in the natural order of things."

***

Meanwhile, in the Red Eastern base, the difference between the two was like the difference between night and day. Where the Falcon Guild buzzed with the activity of an army preparing for war, the Red Eastern Guild rested in the peaceful quiet of a summer night, assuming they still had time.

The Sen district, with its rolling hills and scattered dojos, looked like something from a dreamlike painting under the light of the full moon. The grass swayed gently in the breeze, dancing across the landscape in a coordinated pattern.

It was the kind of night that would make even an illiterate want to compose a poem, delivering hard verses about the beauty of nature.

In one of the simple dojos, four figures lay on sleeping mats, their breathing slow and steady. Or at least, three of them breathed steadily. The fourth—Ryder—couldn't stop tossing and turning on the mat where he had been trying unsuccessfully to find sleep for the past two hours.

Every time he closed his eyes, images flashed through his mind—images that he forgot the moment he opened his eyes, making it discomforting for him to keep his eyes closed.

Turning to his left side, he could see Brok snoring with the volume of a contented pig. The larger man had fallen asleep almost immediately after lying down, his massive frame sprawled across his mat in a position that looked uncomfortable but clearly wasn't bothering him in the slightest.

To his right lay Leo, so stagnant and unmoving that Ryder couldn't tell if he was awake or asleep. The former Summoner Slayer lay perfectly still, his breathing so controlled and quiet. His hands were folded across his chest in a position that seemed more suited to a corpse than a sleeping person.

Ryder came to a conclusion the moment he glanced at Leo. He was in a state of conscious rest that allowed his body to recover while keeping his mind alert. Because he is simply too organized.

When one is asleep, he becomes disconnected from his body, but Leo isn't.

Ryder smiled gently. If something ever goes south, I guess I can count on him even in the depth of the night.

Mara was sleeping peacefully above his head, and...

"What is the matter?" Luxy's voice suddenly filled his mind, the familiar mental communication startling him after days of relative silence from his contracted familiar.

For a moment, Ryder was so startled that he almost took a defensive stance, his muscles tensing as his hand moved instinctively to take a fighting stance.

It took him several seconds to realize it was just Luxy speaking to him and not some external threat. He had almost forgotten about how his familiar communicated with him during the intensity of recent events.

"Oh, Luxy," Ryder breathed, his voice barely above a whisper so as not to wake his companions. "I... I don't know exactly what's wrong. I just feel uncomfortable for some strange reason. Like something is about to happen, but I can't put my finger on what it might be."

"You're in my head, aren't you?" Ryder asked rhetorically. "Why don't you see if you can tell me what's going on up there? Maybe you can get a better view of what's causing this feeling."

It was a reasonable request, given that Luxy existed partially within his consciousness. If there was something his subconscious mind was picking up on, then maybe his familiar would be able to identify it. But the thought was thrown out the window at Luxy's reply.

"Nahhh," Luxy responded dismissively. "It doesn't work like that, unfortunately. I can access your thoughts, but I can't analyze your subconscious feelings any better than you can. We're connected, but we're still separate entities, honestly."

The explanation was disappointing but not entirely unexpected. Ryder had some idea what Luxy's section of his mind may be—an endless dark room. He was once taken into it by a demon monarch during the time he spent at the astral shadow plain.

"I'll personally recommend you take a little stroll to blow off some steam," Luxy suggested. "The landscape of this district is rather peaceful and enjoyable. Anyone would be craving a night stroll in this district under the moonlight to drown his sorrow."

"You're right," Ryder agreed, sitting up with a swift motion. "A little stroll isn't a bad idea. Maybe some fresh air will help clear my head."

He stood up carefully, taking care not to disturb his sleeping companions. The wooden floor of the dojo creaked slightly as he moved, but not enough to wake anyone.

The night air hit him immediately as he stepped outside, carrying with it the scents of grass and wildflowers that seemed to grow freely throughout the Sen district.

"Ahhhhhh." Ryder moaned gently, stretching his arms, allowing the breeze to traverse through his body.

"Luxy," Ryder called out as a wave of wind swept through his white hair. He had reached the top of a small hill that provided an excellent view of the surrounding district, and he paused to take in the sight before him.

"You heard everything, right?" Ryder continued, his voice carrying a note of uncertainty. "I mean, you can hear everything that I hear, experience everything that I experience."

"Yes, of course," Luxy responded. "Are you worried about the Falcon Guild coming for you?"

Ryder remained silent, causing Luxy to smile softly—it was rather odd because Ryder couldn't see the smile, but he could feel it.

"You're almost acting comical if I am to judge from my point of view," Luxy finally said, his tone carrying amusement.

"There's nothing funny from the point of view of a sane person," Ryder responded sharply before quickly calming himself with a sigh.

"I came to this guild with the sole purpose of finding my father," he said. "But since then, I keep straying from my initial mission. Every day that passes is another day that he might be in danger."

"Training with the capable members of the Red Eastern Guild isn't necessarily bad," he admitted, his voice becoming more thoughtful. "I evolved in strength within just hours. But now it feels like I was wasting the precious time I was supposed to spend finding my father."

"Now look at what I have attracted to myself by staying away," Ryder said, his voice breaking as he fell backward onto the grassy hilltop, the soft grass cushioning his fall.

"I have attracted the attention of the unwanted," he continued, his voice heavy with frustration. "Instead of being able to focus on my search, I'm now being hunted by a guild that's far more powerful than anything I've ever faced."

"Is this how I am going to live my life from now on?" he asked. "Moving from one crisis to another, being held back by situations beyond my control?"

Silence stretched between them for a while, the only sounds being the gentle whisper of wind through the grass.

Finally, Ryder added in resignation, "What should I do, Luxy? What can I do?"

Luxy did not reply instantly, as if contemplating what to respond with, and eventually, he said the absolute truth.

"Then you need to stop regretting your evolution and embrace it," Luxy said. "The time you spent training in this Red Eastern Guild isn't wasted—in fact, you aren't spending enough time on it."

"Are you wondering if the training you had with Akira that lasted only hours was a waste of time?" Luxy continued. "Don't even think about it. My best advice to you right now, given your situation, is to evolve to the very top of your potential."

"You have no reason to hurry to your father; you need proper preparation," Luxy admitted. "Whoever took your father instead of killing him like he did to your mother wants him alive."

"We thought you were the strongest, but now we know you aren't, so you have a new goal to become it, Ryder."

"If you become truly the strongest," Luxy explained, "then you wouldn't have any more threats to worry about. You could search for your father without anyone being capable of holding you back."

At that moment, as if the universe was responding to their conversation, a slow-moving flash streaked into the sky above them. The light was gentle and ethereal like a golden flash, moving with a dreamlike gentleness that seemed almost too perfect to be real.

"A shooting star," Ryder muttered, his voice soft with wonder as he felt a droplet of tears forming at the corner of his eye. The sight brought back a flood of memories that he had been trying to keep buried.

"I should make a wish, shouldn't I?" he continued, his voice becoming thick with emotion. "I remember when I used to lay down with my parents like this, under the open sky. They would always hurry me to make a wish whenever we saw a shooting star."

"They believed the wish would come true," he whispered in emotional pain. "Such superstition."

Ryder sniffed, trying to hold back tears from falling. "This shooting star is taking quite a long time," he observed. "It's moving much slower than it should, as if it's buying time for me to make my wish."

He closed his eyes tightly and began to make his wish, not in his mind like the usual way, but openly. "I wish..."

For some reason, he just couldn't complete his wish and opened his eyes to continue watching the shooting star. His blood ran cold. What he saw defied any possible explanation or excuses he could have come up with.

"What the hell!" Ryder voiced aloud, his voice cracking as he scrambled to his feet. The object he had assumed to be a single shooting star had quickly multiplied into a series of what would be more appropriately referred to as meteors, all heading directly toward him and the guild base, growing bigger and bigger as they closed in.

With his gamma sense, Ryder knew better what this was. It was no ordinary meteor; there was a strong presence of gamma energy present in each of them, so strong Ryder could feel it from such a far distance.

"The Falcon Guild..." he whispered, his voice barely audible over the sound of his own racing heartbeat. "The Falcon Guild is attacking."