The sky returned to its natural clear blue colour and the freezing cold disappeared along with the fog. Daisuke stood facing Nikko, between her and where the monster hovered just a few moments ago. He wore a black inner shirt wrapped within a white, sleeveless coat with a turquoise fur hood and black skinny pants. His silver hair flowed with the subtle breeze of the wind.

“Koduro… Daisuke,” Nikko’s mouth gaped wide as she took his hand to help herself off the ground.

Daisuke sheathed his blade, a thin guard-less katana, as Nikko leg go of his hand. “Looks like you are ok.”

“Y-Yeah,” Nikko replied. “W-What was that thing? Why do you have silver hair and eyes? Who exactly are you?”

“I’m Koduro Daisuke.”

“Not this again!” Nikko groaned. “Come on I nearly got killed by some ghastly creature, don’t give me that sh-t!”

“I am Koduro Daisuke,” he repeated, paused and continued. “I am the commander of the Mabaroshi SCS unit in the alternate realm, stationed here in the mortal realm to protect you, who possesses a spirit capacity that allows you to harness your own spirit’s powers.”

Nikko stared at Daisuke.

“Pretty cool right?” Daisuke half-smiled as he brushed down on his coat.

“Ok,” Nikko replied. “You’re the commander of the what? Mapo tofu SC-something unit?”

“Mabaroshi SCS unit.”

“What’s that?”

“Mabaroshi Spirit Chaser Squad unit, a special forces unit based in the Mabaroshi District that conducts missions for spirit chasers to defend the citizens of either the alternate or mortal world from the Vallista, that creature that just attacked you.”

“I’m lost,” Nikko said sheepishly.

“That’s ok, that’s what they all say at first,” Daisuke chuckled and reached to a circular panel that was attached to his belt, pressed and held onto it for a second. His attire suddenly changed to that of Kujo High’s school uniform, and his hair reverted to jet black and eyes turned brown. “Let’s head to a place that would be of more comfort before I continue explaining what’s going on.”

Nikko and Daisuke sat at a table outside a nearby café and ordered themselves some tea.

“Sugimura Nikko,” Daisuke began. “You’ve been having this one recurring dream ever since you returned to Kujo last year, haven’t you?”

“Y-Yes.”

“That is not a dream. That is a memory,” Daisuke said as he looked straight into Nikko’s eyes. “Exactly 10 years ago on your 6th birthday, you were attacked by a Vallista. The man you saw in that memory was me.”

“B-But,” Nikko spoke. “Wait, how old were you then? How old are you now?”

“In terms of age by years, I’ll be 32 this year,” Daisuke answered. “Age doesn’t matter for my kind. Those who are born in the alternate world are born immortal and do not die with age. We grow until we’re 18 years old, and from then on, we can choose to appear as whatever physical age we wish to as long as we’ve been lived till that age.”

“Wow,” Nikko looked at Daisuke, eyes widened. “That explains why you look the same now compared to in my memory.”

“Although we cannot die of old age, we can still be killed, the same way mortals can be killed,” he continued.

“That must suck,” Nikko said bluntly. “Don’t you guys get bored of living for so long?”

“As I said, we spirit chasers live to protect the people of the alternate and mortal world. For the normal citizens of the alternate realm, I cannot answer for them.”

“So, spirit chasers, huh?” Nikko opened a packet of sugar and tilted its contents into her cup. “How many of you are there?”

“In the Mabaroshi SCS, right now we have 9 members.”

“That’s less than I expected.”

“We used to have 263.”

“What happened to the rest?” Nikko asked as she took a sip of her tea.

“They’re dead.”

“Oh.”

The two sat in silence for a while.

“That’s not important for now,” Daisuke quickly said. “What you need to worry about is your own safety. The Vallista feed on the spirits of the living, and are only attracted to those who have a strong spirit capacity, like you. The Vallista that attacked you will not be the last to do so.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No I’m not. As long as your heart continues to beat, they will come for you. Usually, a mortal with a spirit capacity will only have their energy exposed when they turn 16 years old. Since you have an abnormally strong spirit capacity, yours began to show when you turned 6. Lucky for you, I was in the area when you were attacked, and I managed to save you. I gave you an energy suppression pill to conceal your spirit energy until it was supposed to show naturally, and wiped your memories of the attack, although it came back to you in the form of dreams. Now that you’ve turned 16, the Vallista will begin attacking you again, and they’ll appear more frequently because of your stronger capacity.”

Nikko took her time to absorb all the information she heard. “Uh… so in the case I get attacked and you’re not there and something happens to me… do I get insurance for that?”

“I’ll always be watching out for you,” Daisuke said immediately.

“That’s… reassuring.”

“My duty is to protect you, and only you. If the Vallista do manage to consume your spirit, I would have failed my duties.”

“Is there not a way to conceal my spirit energy again?” Nikko asked.

“No, the suppression pill has no effect on mortals once they turn 16.”

“That’s a shame.”

“However, there is one way to stop the Vallista from hunting you down permanently,” Daisuke said slowly. “It’s not a really pretty method, if I must say.”

“May I hear it anyway?”

Daisuke had a serious look on his face. “I’d have to kill you myself.”

“Ah,” Nikko said, placing her cup down. “Well, I guess there’s no spirit left to eat when it’s all gone.”

“It won’t be gone for long,” Daisuke said. “The spirit chasers follow a code for when a mortal is under our care. We will continue to defend you from the Vallista and keep you alive in your mortal state unless we feel the situation is dire and we have to kill you before the Vallista consume your spirit. Once we kill you, we are allowed to resurrect you back to life in the alternate realm.”

“You guys are able to do such a thing?” Nikko asked in a surprising tone.

“Yes,” Daisuke kept the serious expression on. “We are able to transfer particles of our own spirit into your body to bring back life into you, but only whilst we are in the alternate realm and only if you are killed by a spirit chaser. Mortals can request to be killed and resurrected if they wish.”

Nikko picked her cup back up and took another sip. “So by theory, you can just kill me now and resurrect me back into the alternate realm, right?”

“Correct, but there is a sacrifice you would have to make.”

“What kind of sacrifice?”

“Your existing life as a mortal in your world.”

“H-Huh?”

“You will have to forfeit your current life in the mortal realm as you will be reborn as one of us in the alternate realm,” Daisuke explained. “That does not mean you won’t be able to return to the mortal realm, however, your previous existence will be erased and the very memory of you will be deleted from everyone who ever knew you.”

“That’s… one hell of a sacrifice,” Nikko said, tightening her grip on her cup as she thought of her mother.

“It is a hard decision to make,” Daisuke agreed. “But it’s all up to you. I can kill you now and you can follow me back to the alternate realm. Or you can continue living as a mortal under my protection from the Vallista.”

“I…” Nikko looked into her half empty cup. “No, I can’t just leave my mother alone. I can trust you to protect me from the Vallista, yes?”

“Of course,” Daisuke smiled. “I will not allow such a strong spirit to be consumed.”

“Gee, is it just my spirit you care about?” Nikko laughed.

“The empty shell of a mortal whose spirit was consumed will transform into a Vallista, with its strength varying with the mortal’s spirit capacity. I’m not going to let that happen to you.”

“Oh lord, you better protect me then.”

“You have my word.”