Ichiro was lying in the snow till someone had been passing by so they dragged them to their camp. Ichiro woke in a tent in the middle of the night, he looks around and sees medical tape around his mid sections and his left arm. He forces himself to his feet only seeing the night sky around the encampment and as he looks into the sky he sees soldiers from the capital eyeing his presences. He wonders around till he gets to a tent which looks like the captain’s tent.

Ichiro: Hey anyone here?

The man in gold armor doesn’t even pay any mind to him and goes on his work behind his desk.

Ichiro: I need a way out of here, horses and weapons.

Ichiro’s request was ignored by the captain as he did his work and Ichiro kept getting angrier by the minute.

Ichiro: My sister is in trouble!

The captain starts going to get a drink and goes to the desk again, till Ichiro flips the table in anger.

Ichiro: Listen to me damn it! My sister is in trouble and don’t care how I do it but I have to save her!

The man gets from his chair and unsheathes his weapon as Ichiro does the same. They lock gazes and Ichiro rushes him with a flurry of slashes. The captain blocks each one of them with ease, as Ichiro knees him in the stomach and with the pummel of his sword hits him in the head hard. The captain then tackles him out from the tent, where everyone gathered in a circle to watch. Ichiro gets on his feet as the captain does and they clash back and forth with fury none has seen, Ichiro was keeping with his movements like a shadow mimicking it’s master.

Ichiro: Stop mocking me!

Ichiro struck his sword and yet it shattered into pieces as the captain knocked him to the sand with a shoulder tackle. The captain dusted himself off and walked back into the tent as Ichiro was taken to the medical tent. Ichiro again woke in the cot and then in burst of rage confronted the captain who was waiting for him. Instead of waiting he rushed him again they clashed for a while till he knocked Ichiro out. Ichiro tried many times each time, Ichiro stood longer on his feet. Ichiro got from the battlefield the last time he tried against the captain, storming off into the desert. Ichiro wasn’t going down so easily, so he trained in the heat of the desert and trying to get faster, and stronger by carrying supplies in the shifting sands, dodging scorpions and wolves till he was able to predict their movements before they even moved against him. He was able to carry crates of weapons while running barefooted on hot sand climbing sand dunes with no resistance. All the while the captain watched him in secret day in and day out for two months, till Ichiro was able to beat the captain head on. On the last day of the second month Ichiro one last time stood against the captain. Yet this time the captain took a sword from a chest and gave it to Ichiro, it was a special made sword for his fighting style. Ichiro smiled and they again clashed, this time Ichiro was keeping with the captains attacks and was even able to dodge every attack the captain attacked him with. Ichiro then was able to fling their weapons into the sand and he then attacked with his fists and so the captain accommodated this advance with the same. The clashing of fists and blows done by both of them till both were worn down and with one final blow to both their fists they were both flung to the sand and Ichiro had finally beaten the captain. He stood on his feet and took his new sword and sheathed it as he looked on a red headed women with fair skin laying in the sand with her helmet shattered into pieces. She had gotten to her feet as well and smiled.

Woman: Now let’s talk.

She was out of breath and yet was happy she lost for some reason she wanted him to beat her, yet to teach him how to fight properly. She went into her tent and jestered him into the tent.

Woman: I am sorry, but I cannot grant your request for my soldier must fight here but I do have some mercenaries happy to grant your wish, don’t worry I have paid them in advanced as well, call it a gift.

Ichiro: Thank you. I won’t forget this.

Woman: I am coming with you as well, I want to see this man who took your sister, he maybe the person I’m after as well.

Ichiro: Thank you.

The pair exited the tent and hailed two horses and they rode of south toward springtide to meet these mercenaries and finally start the mission to save Sopheal. The team of two had to cross the plains and dead forest which is a forest that is sealed in a perpetual winter, it was said the humans trapped inside had done some very inhuman crimes over the years so nature punished them with icy cold winds and eternal snow. They made it to the edge of the mist where the dead forest had said to begin at.

Ichiro: The dead forest, no one leaves without being challenged by the spirits.

Rena: Yeah, it’s the first roadblock to get to Springtide.

Ichiro: Let’s go.

They headed forward yet something in the mist was watching them closely. As Ichiro and Rena rode on they watched to the forest closely. The snow started as the temperature dropped suddenly. It was like knives on the skin, ripple through their hands and feet, it was so cold their horses died long ago yet their movement kept them going till they dropped in the middle of the forest, the mist was so thick it was zero visibility, there was barely anything frozen, yet it did not kill anyone who was human for the curse kept humans alive in this cold mist. Ichiro got their things and got Rena who was shivering and then smashed their horses into fragments for their blood was frozen by then. Ichiro moving slowly in the mist got to a cave and took shelter there, his spirit magic was casted to create a flame yet it was like standing in the middle of winter even if he stood next to the flames. The night fell and he looked at Rena’s shivering body so he did the sensible thing, he stripped to his underwear and dressed Rena in his clothing on top of their extra clothes that stopped her shivering at least, yet that was one of the problems solved, the presence was still there. Ichiro built a shelter with a wooden makeshift door to block the snow, yet he awaited outside the shelter for the presence was coming close. A man with a white cloth mask with two torn eyeholes and a fur coat and chains around his hands.

Man: I am the first of the Death Knights sent to kill that woman. We are the best assassins in the world, no stand aside or die.

Ichiro: Sorry, but I won’t let you.

Ichiro releases his sword from its sheath and the two locked eyes what was about to go down was a fight not like any other.

Ichiro leaped into the air and slashed the man’s cloak, yet it seems that his clothing was alive, like it was made of skin. The man hopped back and held his hands together and blasted a wave of cold air at Ichiro, as he did Ichiro hid behind a rock as he did the rock became smaller from the raw air pressure. The man held his palm and strengthened the air force. Ichiro leaped into the air grabbing a tree limb and flipped onto his feet watching as the air obliterated the rock into nothing. The man looked onto him and held his hands again to create air flow then again released it, Ichiro hop from tree limb to tree limb trying to dodge the air streams while staying around Rena. Ichiro drew his pistols and fired rapidly at the man yet the bullets only phased through his clothing. It was as Ichiro suspected the man was already dead and the clothing was possessed by his spirit still clinging onto this earthly realm. Ichiro drew his hands into a magic sign for Trine.

Ichiro: Magnum Flames, come to my call! Spirit Flame!

Ichiro’s left hand had caught on fire, and his right hand released it like a grenade pin as he threw it into the air and it struck the earth exploding into a whirlwind of fire.

Ichiro: Spirit Burst! Death Flame!

The Flames wrapped the area into a sudden heatwave as the flames were strong enough to make a dent in the blizzard. Ichiro took this opportunity to flee with Rena on his back. The man with one hand blew away the fire as if it was nothing at all.

Man: Call Away From Ice, Sudden Sweeping Cold!

He drew a magic sign with his hands and called forth the power of his spirit.

Man: Spirit Burst! Eternal Diamond Wave ~ Cold Air Palm!

In an instant Ichiro was being chased by a giant vortex of ice and snow. Ichiro dropped down into a cave nearby and had no other choice but to close them into the cave below as the blizzard outside became fiercer. Ichiro and Rena spent that night sleeping on the earth with no warmth, nor anyway to escape the caves. Yet that morning, Ichiro woke with a sudden light flickering to keep him warm and a man with white hair and a grey beard sitting next to the flames, he wore a straw hat and a white kimono with a katana sitting next to him.

Samurai: So now, that was a close one indeed. My name Velamen, I was once a master of the ancient arts of Bushido around in this town before it was taken over by the Death Knights. I am here to take back this town and save whomever is involved, meaning the two of you. When your strength comes forth again, we shall start your training to learn you Spirit Magic.

They then started Ichiro’s training, having Ichiro try to break solid adamantine with his fists, to doing push-ups with two tons of gold strapped on his back. To going shirtless into the cold air till he couldn’t feel the cold, To fight blind folded, by the time of the first week he was able to do the training with little force. By the morning of the third week, Ichiro was ready to learn a new power.

Samurai: Now you’ll have to fight me with the training you’ve done so far, this will allow you to activate Phantom Step. The power to increase your speed, and agility at almost instant speed.

Ichiro: Fine.

They stood in the cavern with weapon drew. Ichiro attacked first and was able to keep with the man yet he was still being beaten. Ichiro tried everything yet he countered it with one strike. Ichiro was on the earth bloodied and injured. Ichiro had lost again, and yet he still wasn’t going down so easily. Ichiro that night tried every type of combat training to try and activate this Phantom Step spell. Ichiro trained for two days trying to get it right, while trying to stay hidden from the man. The samurai who was training Ichiro had finally told him that it was now or never. He had to face the hooded man alone. Ichiro agreed and set forth for the center of the forest where the frozen town was. The man sat there on a frozen bench and eyed Ichiro, and drew his weapon. Ichiro drew his weapon and longed into action against the hooded man. He started with a slash to the man’s weapon so he wouldn’t get a chance to attack with it, then his kneed the man in the mid-section and round housed him into the earth. The man stood on his feet and blasted Ichiro back away with his wind magic, as Ichiro was able to recover from being flung into the air he flipped three times to avoid the earth for the man had called spikes of ice on the earth. Ichiro got on his feet as he landed onto the snow, he quickly gained his balance again and ran straight for the man while trying to dodge near instant forming ice spikes and blasts of wind. Ichiro leaped into the air and fired a barrage of shots at the enemy which he was able to tank with the heavy ballistic armor he was wearing, yet Ichiro wasn’t done he slashed downward the man clean in half. The man dropped to the earth and only clothing remained. Ichiro was shocked by this.

Ichiro: “How can this be? He wasn’t there?”

Man: “Oh I was there, but I am not of the living. I’m a spirit of hate and pain formed by the will of the Death Knights. Made to deal with small fries like yourself, so the others can focus on more pressing matters.”

Ichiro: “Then come on and show yourself!”

At that moment the air turned colder than ever before as the snow and ice formed the shape of a demon in front of Ichiro. The spirit of ice and snow was cackling as Ichiro realized his attacks did nothing at all and spirit froze Ichiro in place by the ankles. Ichiro tried to struggle yet all was for not, for the spirit engulfed Ichiro’s body in solid ice.

Ichiro: “Is this it…. Will I die….. I can’t die….”

Sopheal: “Ichiro…Please…Don’t die…”

Ichiro: “Sopheal….NO I WILL NOT LET THIS HAPPEN!”

At that moment Ichiro’s body became hotter than normal, his body was swirling with heat, his strength was enough to shatter the ice around him and the wind was twisting all around like a tornado around him. As the Samurai came to him with Rena on his back, he saw what was about to happen.

Samurai: “No way, no mortal can achieve that state.”

Ichiro looked at the spirit and then back at his fists. He looks at the spirit and as the spirit strikes him, in a moment the image of Ichiro vanishes and Ichiro appears in an instant behind him.

Spirit: Phantom Step? No, It can’t be!

Ichiro: It is, the strongest spirit attack yet, Spirit Force: Wraith Cloak!

Spirit: The ability to gain the perfect possession over not only his own body but the conscious of the spirits dwelling inside him. The power to move with conscious and subconscious actions.

Ichiro: Now die!

Ichiro swings his sword at the spirit sending it flying into a nearby home, as Ichiro lands he charges an attack and leaps into the air and finally slashes the being in half with such strength and speed his sword catches a flame and the blizzard and cold air become warm spring air. The spirit explodes releasing all trapped inside the spell. Ichiro weary of the battle feints as his clothing is ripped and his body is red from the heat.