A few days went by without any noteworthy events. I kept my head down the best I could. Most people went out of my way on their own. Either because they heard of my so-called “vicious” duels or they didn’t want to be seen with a loser. Having negative merits is not entirely unheard of. Some first years were fined for sleeping in class, others for petty violations like graffitis. But no newcomer ever got in debt over a thousand merits, not to mention on their first day. At least that's what Rose told me. Though I am not sure if I can trust everything she says.

She is a mystery to me. She wouldn’t say how many years she studied at the academy. Every time I asked about her age she would laugh and say: “Don't worry about it”. But one thing was for sure. You could always find her fermenting chaos. She was always at the forefront of any conflict. Enjoying the spectacle but never participating directly in it. As if people forget about her existence. Well, no matter, everyone has their secrets.

Anyway, we planned to get together soon. I asked her if she could recommend a place to work part-time. She responded with a simple ‘sure’ and told me to meet her at an arcade in Sympathy. It was located only a few blocks from the dorms I live in. I thought it would be a good opportunity to roam the city and explore new places. The dorms, the campus, and a nearby noodle house were all I’ve seen up to this point. Maybe I arrived at Heaven’s Gate just at a bad time. With terrorists running around, the coppers are sure to be in high tension. Yes, I thought this time would be different but…

Oh boy! The place already looks and reeks of trouble. The Taiji Arcades sign had a few missing lights. The ones that still worked were flickering, desperate for attention like they’re saying: “Help me!”, but they were left alone to shiver in misery until their spark would fade and they join their siblings in their eternal slumber. Delightful. Sutra husks lay in front of the entrance and led the way to a smoky wonderland, where boys were eager to prove themselves in front of their peers. Indistinguishable noises and excited screams were escaping the poster plastered entrance hall. After walking by a tag with the profound inscription ‘fuck the Martial Alliance’, I finally saw the mayhem of fun that attracted Rose. Old-school arcade machines, crane games with creepy-cute looking plushies in them, a bar full of sweet and probably toxic beverages, and even a Karaoke stage, were promising a night full of adolescent debauchery.

“Now kick him. Not there! There! Ugh! You are so bad at this! Why are you so darn bad at this!?”

A pixie eyed girl, who looked my age, was screaming her heart out. The poor recipient of her fury was a large, but timid looking guy, with hair cut to the scalp and round glasses. He sat in front of a blinking video game machine titled Street Fighter 3000 Ultimate. His tightly buttoned black school uniform indicated that he was one of the Shaolin acolytes.

“Another win for me, Rose. Now, pay up!” A boy, looking no older than twelve emerged from the other side of the machine and was grinning triumphantly.

“Ugh! Fine! Only because your lil’ brother here is unteachable! I'm getting my credits at our next duel back! So don’t spend them on candy or whatever yet!”

The boy ignored her last comment and counted the money while whistling. Rose wanted to storm off but stopped in her tracks when she saw me.

She instantly brightened: “Song, there you are!”

“Hello Rose, I never saw you so agitated.”

I thought that I heard Rose click her tongue, but she smiled at me like always: “Don’t worry about it. It’s good that you came. But don’t you have, ehm, casual clothes? The school uniform is kinda, well, conspicuous in a place like this.”

I took a deep breath. “I would’ve changed if you told me where we were going.”

“Well, don’t worry about it”, Rose laughed, “What could possibly go wrong?”

As if she jinxed us. Two men in their twenties were approaching us. A broadly built monster of a man and an ordinary-looking fellow with cunning eyes. Both were wearing worn-out, but durable leather jackets. They had two swords crossing each other embroidered onto them. One was an elegant looking white longsword, the other was a fiery black Katana. Underneath them was written in blue and bold letters: “Wudang”. Both men also wore a goatee. ‘Men in goatees were always trouble’, my father said.

“An Eimei-girl at our humble abode? What an honor, eh, big brother?” said the common-looking man to his bigger counterpart. He answered with a nod: “En.”

“Believe me, I hate this uniform as much as you do. I’d argue I hate it even more than you fine gentlemen”, I tried to appease them, “so we are going to leave now to burn it or something. I notched Rose to leave. Did I spot amusement in her eyes? Damnit! That girl will one day be the death of me.

“Hold on, ladies! Who said that you can go? You are on the turf of the Wudang. We make the rules here,” cunning goatee’s smile was full of menace. “You can either ‘drop’ all your credits or you give my big bro here a kiss. How about it? It's your choice.”

I looked at the bigger guy. He stared back with not so well-hidden bloodlust. He is strong! We have to bolt! I grabbed Rose at her wrist and activated the basic movements of the wind. I sprinted across the room. Only a few steps until we were outside. Suddenly the big brother appeared right in front of the colorful entrance. He blocked the fading sunlight with his huge body. Damn it! So close to freedom.

“Not so fast!” he grabbed my left arm. I punched him the way I punched the security robot at the gates to the school. But he didn’t crumble, he didn’t budge at all! I tried to kick his groin but he easily dodged.

“That one has spunk!” He threw me one-handedly. The room was spinning and then I hit the hard ground. Yepp, men with goatees were trouble. I yelped for air. My whole body hurt and I think he dislocated my left shoulder. Fuck! I should’ve fought from the beginning. I invoked my spirit. A green aura was pouring out of me. Even my raven black hair turned verdant at the tip. Grass was sprouting sparsely on the cold ground. My broken body started to heal.

The huge man began to laugh: “HAHAHA! A paltry bio-spirit! Even better, it’s grass! I never saw such a meager spirit in my life!” He rubbed the tears out of his eyes and looked again. He realized what I was doing, “Wait! Are you healing?! Now I want you even more.” He cracked his knuckles and approached me.