Mink's Lore
A peculiar and magical opossum appears and transports Mink into another universe. Not knowing the purpose, she goes through each new world discovering more about herself, finding her life companion, and enjoying endless adventures.
Chapter 1
Mink was bored. She lay on her nest, consisting of the softest periwinkle silk threads exchanged using but a smidge of the mountainous jewels and rare ores stored in her treasury--all of it gifted by her father. He was nothing short of extraordinary. While her mother focused on raising Mink and her sisters (a feat in and of itself), her father set out across the galaxy using his business savvy mind and physical suave to create an enormous trading empire. As their empire grew, he knew he needed to protect it so he lead the fortification of the Celestial Tree. There were many who were envious of how the celestial beings lived, carefree and happy. The Celestial Tree was a small planet on its own, home to thousands of millions. It appeared to be a never-ending forest as every root and branch was connected. The leaves shined with a golden hue and never fell quite right, always floating off into the great abyss of space.Mink had the means to obtain anything she wanted in this universe and yet she felt that something was missing. While she was easily considered a home-body, enjoying the comforts of her fantastical tree mansion, inside her was a continuous tugging feeling. It had been pestering her for months now, leaving her restless. She sat up and opened the door to one of her many balconies. The city lay below her. Lights shown brightly in all types of colors, reflecting off the floating golden leaves not so secretly attempting their great escape out of the planet's orbit. The tugging strengthened within her.Frustrated, Mink closed her eyes "What am I supposed to do?"Letting the breeze whip through her hair, Mink was hoping to calm the feeling until a loud popping sound forced her eyes to fluttered back open. A grey rodent was falling from the sky right at her. Mink squealed and instinctively jumped back but it was too late. With nothing else to do but catch the animal, it now clutched to her chest.Unsure on what to do, Mink held onto it before slowly peeling away to take a look. It was an opossum. Mink's tail swished with curiosity, taking in the peculiar appearance. Unlike the opossums she had seen in books, this one had pink, shimmering translucent fairy wings. And unlike a normal carrot-looking tail, this one had a small split at the end into two separate points. It was definitely weird but the galaxy had so many creatures that this wasn't the first time an unexpected wanderer appeared on the Celestial Tree through one of the many trading portals. The Celestial Tree was unique in that it powered the portals with a magic supply of its own, unlike many other planets. The magic from the Celestial Tree's core flowed through the ground into the plants, water, and even the animals, giving them special qualities. Such qualities are what turned the humanoid creatures, like Mink, into celestial beings."What brought you here little one?" Mink asked the opossum as it stared her down.A flash of sparkles and a blink later, she was no longer on her balcony. Or in her mansion. Nor her city. Actually she didn't seem to be on the Celestial Tree at all. Slowly putting the opossum down, Mink took a wide-eyed look around at her new surroundings. A bare grass field lay all around her. In a minor panic, Mink took inventory of her body to make sure she still had all her limbs after the space jump and calmed once she was satisfied that she appeared to be in one piece.Mink, now mesmerized by the change in scenery, admired the expanse that lay before her while asking the opossum, "Where did you take me?"The opossum looked back at her before disappearing with another POP. Mink was alone. While the soft breeze gently ran over her skin and ruffled the fur of her tail, she realized the tugging in her chest had stopped.
Chapter 2
With nothing else to do, Mink slowly walked through the field. The breeze softly brushed against Mink's long brown braids behind her. The sun felt soft against her skin. Mink closed her eyes and took a deep breath in as she walked. While she would normally freak out over such an unexpected change of plans (plans of relaxing on her sofa with a good book in hand) Mink felt right being here. Opening her eyes, Mink thought, "If I wanted to go back, I couldn't away. The magical creature is gone so my best chance of even having that option is probably to find civilization, other people." Slight tingles of excitement and anticipation poked at her fingertips. She continued walking, her footsteps strengthening as she moved through the field and towards a nearby structure.Getting closer, Mink realized the structure was a house. For what type of creature, she wasn't sure. This world, this universe she was in could have any type of creature alien to her. Realizing this fact, Mink slowed and attempted to hide herself among the plentiful bushes and trees. Chatter floated to her ears and Mink followed the noise. Poking her head around a large trunk, Mink saw an older woman happily patting the hand of a teenager wearing a pink long sleeved blouse, black skirt, tall black socks, and shiny brown shoes. Mink observed their interaction. They seemed very familiar with each other. Looking past them, Mink realized the small houses were few and far between with open lands of grass or crops. She must have landed in the country side. Feeling more comfortable, Mink was going to step out from behind the tree until she realized, neither the teen nor the old woman exuded any magical energy. Maybe she was in a world with no magic? No. Mink could feel some sort of hidden energy she was unfamiliar with, something different from the magic used back home.Indicators of Mink's Celestial power were very obvious. Two starry manifestations of condensed magic in the shape of butterflies floated above her head, surrounded by three intertwined halos each. The magic held the halos in place, slowly and endlessly rotating like atoms. For Mink, it was like a fashion statement. Both long braids had the same magic butterflies holding the ends in place in addition to two more floating halos near the tip of each braid. Knowing these artifacts, her halos, and magic would easily be noticed and likely appear out of place, Mink tapped into her magic to change her appearance, not wanting to be the victim of a witch hunt later. Starting from the hair's roots, the long brown braids became deep blues and purples. Stars sparkled between the hair strands. The braids became undone and loosened into thick fluffy waves. Wanting to add her own touch, Mink made two space buns on the top of her head. The magic butterflies disappeared and the halos sat, floating around her, waiting. Mink looked at them for a moment. Where would be a good place to hide them but keep them with her? In thought, Mink ran her fingers through her hair, giving her an idea. Aiming to hide the magic artifacts in plain sight, Mink made one smaller braid in front of her left shoulder and condensed the artifacts into a butterfly clip that held the end of the braid. The bright gold color matched her belt buckle. Lastly, Mink used magic to hide away with her fluffy squirrel tail which held the appearance of a starry galaxy. Doing a quick spin, Mink declared in her head, "Light weight and fashionable. It's perfect!"Mink looked down at her clothing, wanting to update it too but felt it was useless until she saw more people to give her a better idea of this world's attire. Giving herself a firm head nod for motivation, Mink stepped out from behind the tree and walked up to the teenager who was coming down the dirt path in the direction of Mink's hiding place. Making a pleasant smile and a small wave Mink thought, "Hopefully she doesn't freak out!"The teen hesitated for a second after spotting Mink, "Hi" she stated with suspicion, looking Mink up and down likely noticing Mink wasn't from the area."Hi," Mink tried to keep the nervousness out of her voice, "I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of a city, or a town maybe.""You're not from here," the teen responded, squinting her eyes."Nope! I'm just traveling and got a bit lost," Mink kept up a big smile.The teen sighed with relief, the confirmation putting her at ease. "Must be an American showing her stomach off like that", the teen thought."Takasaki Town is nearby. I'm headed there right now. You can come with me if you want," she shrugged."That'd be very helpful, thank you," Mink grinned and followed the girl."Takasaki Town...I've never heard of it." The name only confirmed that she wasn't on the Celestial Tree anymore. Having no reason to dwell on it, Mink made small talk with the teen who she discovered was named Yuki. Yuki complimented Mink's baby blue heels, especially loving the little bows on the back."Personal touch," Mink shared with a wink."You designed your outfit? That's so cool!" Yuki's eyes widened with awe.Trying not to blush, Mink thanked her for the compliment. She was proud of her designs even though she rarely left the house with them. It was more of a casual hobby than anything else. "I guess I won't need to change my outfit after all," Mink thought. The two boarded a train while passionately discussing fashion and art. As they chatted, the sun's rays slowly disappeared, covered by dark clouds rolling in from the nearing town. Rain drops danced across the windows as street lights turned on, making the droplets glow.Once they were off the train, Yuki offered to help Mink find where she was looking to go. Not knowing where that was herself, Mink politely declined telling Yuki that she actually would be waiting for someone. Yuki looked a little disappointed but went on her way after Mink thanked her for the help. Now by herself at the train station, Mink looked around at the bright lights. Beginning to feel a little uncomfortable, Mink picked a direction and walked, attempting to avoid minor puddles along the way. Once she got to the edge of the station, she had a choice: leave the platform's overhead and walk in the rain or wait for the rain to stop. While pondering her next move, a kindle gentleman thrust an umbrella into her hands.Mink was shocked and tried to politely decline but the older gentleman cut her off."Don't worry, I won't need it where I'm going. Welcome to Takasaki!" The gentleman cheered, hurriedly going into the train station.
"Either he's going to a sunny vacation or I stand out like a sore thumb," Mink said aloud to herself.She stepped off the platform without looking where she was going first and almost bumped into another stranger. With catlike reflexes, the man ducked, easily avoiding the collision with the umbrella but ending up face to face with Mink. He then looked at her while pointing at the umbrella, "Apologies. I didn't want to get poked in the eye."Mink's cheeks flushed, feeling embarrassed for being so careless, "I'm so sorry!"Peering up at him, she noticed his jacket was damp and raindrops were sliding down his silver hair. A few drops even sat on his glasses. Strangely enough, he wasn't wearing his jacket properly. It was over his shoulders like a coat. After a closer look, she noticed the buttons that held it in place and the tall collar that fashionably sat high around his neck. Mink turned her gaze up to his eyes and when she looked past the glasses, she saw beautiful electric blue. Her heart beat fluttered for a moment. Without thinking twice, Mink offered her umbrella to him, "You can have the umbrella if you need it. I'll be fine."He raised an eyebrow, "It's alright. I'm already soaked. It's better that you keep it."The gentle fluttering moved down to her stomach, Mink spoke quickly with nervousness, "Exactly! You need the umbrella so you don't get any more wet!"When he hesitated, Mink awkwardly continued to blabber, "I mean, I guess we can both fit under it. I can take you wherever you need to go if you don't want to keep it."He looked into her eyes and Mink could feel her cheeks turning pink again."Alright. I'll take you up on your offer. I'm Slayer, nice to meet you..." Slayer paused, waiting for Mink to share her name.The fluttering intensified, leaving Mink blushing at an embarrassing level, "Mink! They call me Mink.""I've never heard of that name before," Slayer nodded slowly, eyeing her suspiciously.Mink furrowed her brows. Not wanting to blow her cover, she retorted, "I've never heard of Slayer! That's an odd name don't you think?""Touché," Slayer responded casually as he slowly walked past her, expecting Mink to follow.
Chapter 3
After a heartbeat, Mink hurried over with the gifted umbrella."So...where are we going?" Mink asked."The place I'm staying" Slayer responded nonchalantly.Mink looked up at his face, "You don't have a permanent residence here?""Not exactly," Slayer responded without looking over.Mink squinted her eyes."Okay then", she thought, "It seems like he isn't a chatter."Without saying anything else, they walked in silence. The rain drops pitter pattered above their heads onto the umbrella. The city lights lessened as they walked upwards towards a more residential area. The silence felt very awkward after her bright-faced display but Mink didn't know what to say as her head annoyingly replayed the embarrassing interaction in her head over and over as they moved down the road. To get her mind off of it, she tried focusing on the nearby houses. They were simple and appeared to be made of wood. Many were two storied with white walls and clay tile roofs. Thinking about her mansion back home, these homes were dwarfed in comparison. But Mink envied the soft, peaceful appearance.Slayer suddenly stopped and turned to walk behind Mink towards the nearest home, "This is my stop."Mink turned her head to see which house it was. It was nothing special, the same as the others she had observed."Thanks again. I'll be headed in now," Slayer said as he backed up quickly.Mink, feeling awkward again, stuttered, "R-right! No problem!"Not knowing where she herself was headed, hesitated before scurrying in a random direction, waving towards Slayer. She was alone again.Running her hands through her hair to comfort herself, Mink had moved past the encounter to focus on her next steps, "Where do I even go? I don't have any money here or any idea of where to rent a room for the night. Maybe I should have asked Slayer where a good spot to stay is...or maybe I could have asked to stay with him?"Her face turned red again. NOPE Mink shook her head to get rid of the intrusive thoughts. Still contemplating what to do, Mink felt a shiver crawl down her spine. There was a creepy, heavy pressure reaching towards her. Looking around, there was nothing. Mink kept walking but was no longer able to think about what to do next. The feeling persisted, growing stronger with every step. Her body pestered her to run.For the first time in her life, Mink fought her instincts and tried to keep herself calm by keeping pace and running her hands through her long wavy hair. She didn't want to make a spectacle if anyone was watching and bring attention to herself. But her heartbeat quickened and the pressure moved from behind her to above her. Mink couldn't handle it anymore. Dropping the umbrella, Mink ran for it. She may have screamed from the feelings and fear overtaking her but she wasn't sure. All she knew was that she had to get the hell out of there. Fortunately the rain decreased to a sprinkle as she ran through puddles in her platform heels. While the current shoes were not ideal, she was very good at moving in them having practiced relentlessly as an adolescent.Mink slowed down to turn a corner and stopped behind it, steadying her breathing. The pressure decreased a little. Popping her head around the stone wall, she saw nothing on the pathway she came from. Clenching her chest, Mink closed her eyes, still breathing hard trying to calm down."It was nothing," she repeated to herself aloud, "It had to be nothing."But she didn't feel like it was nothing. She wanted to feel silly, stupid even, for getting scared walking alone at night. But deep down, Mink knew what she felt was real. While she was confident the magic she knew was not in this world, she was starting to feel that something else unfamiliar to her was.Without thinking or opening her eyes, Mink's instincts kicked in and she ducked. A massive thud slammed into the wall where she was just standing. The debris sprayed against her backside. Now on her knees, Mink whipped her head up in time to see a huge tentacle retracting towards the main body--a being with a skeleton mask and numerous tentacles on it's back. The creature stood on all fours, containing hoof like feet. The main body was akin to a malnourished bull. Before it could lash out again, Mink jumped to her feet and was off running through the narrow street. While she was relatively knowledgeable in martial arts at her father's request due to his concern for their family's safety, she wasn't sure she could do any damage against a creature half a story tall. A tentacle lashed out again. Sensing the rapid motion behind her, Mink dodged with a roll to her left. Her heart pounded in her chest, "What the hell is going on?! Can I even outrun it?" Mink waivered in her ability to escape until the golden hair clip she used to hide her artifacts sparkled. The familiar feeling of Celestial magic flowed through her. A singular halo popped out and into her open hand. Though, when she touched it, the halo grew and the edges sharpened into a chakram. Afraid she would hurt herself, Mink dropped it until she realized the blade didn't cut her hands. The creature was closing in and with no other ideas, Mink flung the chakram at the outstretched tentacle. As the chakram flew, the street lights reflected off the golden metallic surface, making it appear as a shooting star."RAWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR" the creature bellowed, telling Mink that the chakram hit it's mark.The circular blade sliced through the tentacle and then flew right back to her. Without touching the blade, Mink caught it with her index finger outstretched. While she had no idea her halos could turn into weapons, they were still her halos. These magical artifacts were gifted to Mink by her father. He always told her to keep them close and maybe this was why. All Celestial beings wielded powerful magic, gifted by the Celestial Tree. Mink's magic was spatial control. She was fortunate as most of the people on the Celestial Tree did not obtain the height of magical power that Mink did which classifies her a Celestial being.During her pampered life on the Celestial Tree, Mink never used her magic for combat but she did practice it often on the gifted halos because they were fun to use with the way they sored through the air.Surely using spatial control on the artifacts in the shape of chakrams would be no different than in their base form. Feeling a little hope, Mink stood up with the floating chakram centered above her finger. She held her ground until the next attack. A tentacle sored at her and she threw the chakram, making a clean cut. But she didn't account for the two other tentacles that attacked in succession. While she was able to dodge the second, the third tentacle sent Mink flying all the way to the end of the street. She hit the adjacent wall with a thud before her body fell limp to the floor.The creature stopped its attacks but continued moving towards her. Mink was screaming in her head to get up. Tears welled in her eyes as she tried to sit up, her body shaking with the effort. Only able to lift onto her elbows, Mink watched the massive creature come closer. "Am I going to die?" Her brain yelled "GET UP!" But Mink was sure she had at least one broken bone and the pain was blinding. A tear fell and Mink blinked. By the time she opened her eyes, the creature was upon her. Or so she thought. Mink could barely keep up with the movement. A sword came down on the creature's head and it was gone with another thundering bellow and black mist. Standing before her now was a dark figure. Even though she couldn't make out who it was, Mink could sense that she was safe. The comforting feeling allowed her to relax into unconsciousness.
Chapter 4
Mink's eyes flew open with an internal gasp. She stared up at a white ceiling. Still feeling the strong fight or flight, Mink desperately sat up and looked around for the creature. She was in a near empty bedroom. The window to her right let in strong beams of light. It must be morning. There was a small dresser pressed against the opposite side of the wall and a simple standing light in the corner. Mink could sense that there was no present danger but she was still warry. How did she get here and away from the creature? Laying back down, Mink felt soreness throughout her body now remembering the powerful blow the creature gave her. At least she wasn't dead. Mink laid back down and closed her eyes, opting to get more sleep until there was a knock on the door. Not sure what to do, Mink kept her eyes closed, pretending she was still asleep. Whoever it was walked into the room and right up to the bedside."Good Morning," said a familiar voice.Mink peeped with one eye. It was Slayer."Hi," Mink responded awkwardly, having no idea how he knew she was awake.Slayer stood there for a moment, appearing to debate with himself on what he should say next. Mink being the straight-forward person that she is, outright asked, "What happened?""You tell me," Slayer crossed his arms.Mink thought back to her most recent memories. Should she share the truth? Would he believe her? If this was a normal occurrence on this planet, he would of warned her surely...Sensing her apprehension, Slayer uncrossed his arms and said in a gentle tone, "Don't worry, you're safe here."Mink didn't know what to feel but her intuition told her she could trust him so she went for it: "There was this creature. I don't know if it's normal here. But it was massive. Half a story tall!" Mink motioned with her hands having sat up again, "It looked like a malnourished bull with long tentacles. It attacked me with them and I think it broke-," feeling for her broken rib but coming up short and confused Mink hesitated, "...a wall. It did a lot of damage."When Mink finished, she looked at Slayer warily. Despite trusting him, she found it hard to believe anyone would accept the notion of such a being in a world lacking obvious magic.Slayer ran a hand through his hair and chuckled, "Not sure if a seven-foot tall bull-looking creature with tentacles is normal here? Have you seen other grotesque creatures where you're from?"Mink was silent, not catching that Slayer was making a joke. She now believed she had foolishly given her position away.Because of her blank face, Slayer grew suspicious, "Where are you from anyway?"Mink didn't respond and held her breath.--Slayer--Slayer looked at her intently before opting to leave the room. If she wasn't going to talk, there was no use pressing her right now especially after she narrowly made it out of a Faceless attack. "Faceless", they were creatures that adorned a skeleton-like mask to cover the flat skin beneath it. Hence, faceless. They were unstable souls who were once living beings. Once someone dies, their soul typically travels on its own to what a mortal would call Heaven or Hell. For some reason, a soul might not move on. This is why people began to believe in ghosts since the general public has no inkling of the truth. In reality, normal people are unable to see the true appearance of the Faceless. After a human becomes a Soul Reaper, they can see the Faceless' true form. While gaining Soul Reaper abilities is oftentimes common in specific bloodlines, it could happen to anyone. Even people who had no idea what Soul Reapers were prior to awakening their power. They would soon discover their purpose was to kill the Faceless. It was an obvious deduction of suddenly being able to see the creatures who were out to kill their fellow humans. Faceless feed on people's spirits like leeches. The stronger the Faceless, the stronger the spirit they search to feed on which can lead to a full on attack rather than slowly eating away at someone's life force.This begs the question. "Why did a Faceless attack Mink? Is she a new Soul Reaper and just doesn't know?" Slayer shook his head. If she was a Soup Reaper, he would be able to tell the difference in her spirit. Now standing outside of the bedroom with the door closed, Slayer did feel something from her. But her spirit was different from a Soul Reaper and human. What was she?Slayer strode down the hallway and pulled out his phone. It was time he made a call.--Mink--Mink didn't know what to do. Did she make a mistake? Slayer definitely look shady just leaving the room like that. Deciding to get up and get out, Mink slid off the bed with a groan."Uuuuggggggggh. Everywhere hurts," she grumbled and winced.
It wasn't until she stood up that she realize she was wearing an man's t-shirt with no pants on. It was oversized on her, just long enough to cover everything important Her cheeks flushed. "I'm not even going to consider how I got into this shirt," Mink thought to herself. She checked out her body and realized the few scratches she actually sustained had been dressed and covered. Mink ran her hand down her side where she was sure there was cracked rib from taking the full force of the creature's blow. Mink felt her magic felt a little strained. It must have instinctively assisted in healing her rib since it was a major injury. Celestial beings could do more than just wield a powerful magic. Not all of it was understood as the Celestial Tree worked in mysterious ways. Mink furrowed her eyebrows. To heal a broken bone, even with passive magic, would take at least two days. How long was she knocked out?"I probably stink," Mink mumbled aloud.She didn't want to test the theory. Instead, Mink looked for her clothes determined to leave before Slayer came back. Unfortunately, there was a knock at the door and it slowly creaked open. Mink stood, motionless and uncertain next to the bed. Slayer walked into the room casually, putting a rectangular device into his pocket."Good news, I can explain in more detail once we head out. I know a place that can help."Mink, still consciously aware that she was only in a T-shirt and panties, tried to remain normal, "Okay...Where? And help with what exactly?"Mink slowly moved to sit on the bed and cover herself with a blanket. Slayer, having noticed her discomfort, turned around.He began to head out of the room again and only hesitated to say, "You can take a shower in the bathroom down the hall. It has everything you may need. I had your clothes cleaned too. You'll find them in there."Before Mink could ask anything else, he was gone. It seemed she wouldn't have to worry for now. Deciding there was nothing else to do, Mink took the blanket from the bed with her as she scurried down the hallway to get ready.
Chapter 5
Two butterflies lazily followed each other as Mink looked out the window. Slayer was driving through a beautiful area covered in flora and fauna. From what Mink gathered, they had left the city entirely and were headed somewhere pretty remote. She wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing. At a minimum, her instincts told her she was safe for now. While Mink tried to ask a few questions in the beginning, Slayer supplied short answers or dodged them entirely by saying he could explain better once they got there. Mink quickly gave up and decided to just enjoyed the ride. The silence was surprisingly comforting. She didn't expect to be comfortable with someone she barely knew.At last, the car neared a large structure after two hours. Mink scanned the area and noticed there were tall brick walls, painted white, surrounding the building. As they got closer, she could see that the walls, which were greatly covered by the forest before, expanded far on each side of the road. The premises had to be relatively large. Mink's eyes widened, looking out the window on her left. The forest fell away as the car drove right up to two massive wooden doors connected to the outer wall. She could see the horizon over a massive expanse of water. "It must be the ocean," she thought. Because the sun was overhead, she could see the light sparkle across the water's surface like fairies. The massive wooden doors opened a few moments later, slowly making way for the car to pass. Mink continued to look around, taking in the scenery. While the land seemed to be as large as her mansion, the structure itself was definitely more humble. She took mental notes of the architecture even though she knew she couldn't make any changes to the mansion even if she wanted to. While it may be where she lived, it wasn't technically hers to change. Not yet, an intrusive thought popped into her head. "No, not ever," Mink told herself, "Kat will take over when the time comes, not me." Mink thought of her little sister, a dragon humanoid. The celestial tree blessed her with the powers of the fiery beast, turning any weapon in her hands into an inferno of metal and starry flames. The tree's magic always took its own shape for every would-be-human that lived there. Because of the magic, everyone on the Celestial Tree was a humanoid of some kind even if the traits of their animal counterpoint never physically showed. The manifestation could be as minor as an increase in speed or heightened hearing. For those humanoids, it isn't always possible to know what creature their magic takes after but it isn't considered important. You take what the tree is willing to give and you use the magic with appreciation. Unfortunately, it was just another reason for other planets in our galaxy to be envious.The dragon's prowess was shown in the scales that slightly covered sections of Kat's skin and in the horns atop her head (that she oftentimes hid). They were beautiful and radiated brightly under any light. Mink's little sister was fast, strong--a seasoned warrior and a natural leader built to take over the family business. Mink, as the middle child, was sandwiched a few years apart between an older sister and a younger sister. It wasn't until the magic manifested in Kat, did their father determine who would be the successor to his empire. Mink wasn't hurt by not being selected. Her parents, both with no physical humanoid traits, were very proud of their daughters. Each of them were gifted vast arsenals of magic by the Celestial Tree. Mink's hand reached back to brush her tail that was not currently there, forgetting that she temporarily hid it with magic. To her surprise, it did not reappear on its own so far. The last time she went this long hiding her tail was when her insecurities ran wild in grade school. Most of the children didn't have any physical animal traits and she hated standing out or being the center attention.The car finally slowed to a stop in front of the main building that was maybe a hundred meters from the entrance they had passed through. Slayer signaled for Mink to get out of the car. Still not used to door handles, Mink struggled to open the door until Slayer walked around and opened it for her. Mink sheepishly smiled a thanks and stepped down. Her heels landed on gravel. Because of her squirrel-like balance, she had no issues following Slayer. Weirdly, instead of walking inside, Slayer lead her for several minutes through gravel and grass until they were at the back of the property. There was a large dirt field, an assortment of objects assumably used for exercises facing the field, and an old man. His long silver hair was tied back into a ponytail that reached his shoulders. He wore what appeared to be a traditional black kimono. Mink, having an interest in fashion, knew the style since she had several books on fashion that exists on other planets. Surprisingly, styles tend to be very similar across the galaxy, especially as information continues to be shared. Though, she still wasn't sure if she was in the same universe as her home.As Slayer and Mink reached the old man, he gave a friendly smile and clapped his hands, "Let me have a look at you.""Typical old people," Mink laughed in her head, remembering her own grandfather always asking to take a look at her whenever she visited to see how much she had grown."Hmmmm," he mumbled thoughtfully, "Are you going to be able to train in those?" he asked referring to Mink's heels."Oh! I didn't know we were going to be doing any exercise. I didn't bring a change of clothes," Mink awkwardly responded while thinking, "Not like I have anything other than the clothes on my back anyway."The old man glanced over at Slayer, "Did he not tell you anything? This boy! I apologize on his behalf."Mink looked at Slayer and raised an eyebrow. In response, he huffed and crossed his arms."I'm assuming he didn't even tell you who I am then. You can call me Old Man Yami," Old Man Yami said, reaching out his hand.Mink took the handshake, intrigued in his request to be called Old Man before his name. "To each their own," Mink shrugged internally."You can take a seat over there," Old Man Yami gestures towards a nearby wooden bench, "while I have a quick talk with Slayer. Teach him some manners!"Old Man Yami smacked Slayer on the back with considerable force as they walked out of earshot.--Slayer--"You need to be more polite or you'll never get a girlfriend," Old Man Yami laughed, "I know I taught you better than that!"Slayer shrugged, "The situation is complicated. I didn't know what to say.""That girl," Old Man Yami got serious, "There's something about her spirit that I can't put my finger on but it feels...unearthly.""You mean to say she's alien?" Slayer asked, confused."Anything is possible," Old Man Yami continued, "You remember when you couldn't believe that Soul Reapers existed. And here you are. She might not be from this world. I suggest you find out what you can. There's a reason a Faceless attacked her and it's not because she's a Soul Reaper."Slayer stopped in his tracks as Old Man Yami walked back into the house, "Based on our earlier conversation and now, it seems like the old man still wants me to train her to see what she's made of. She hurt the Faceless somehow and I'm supposed to figure it out. Will she be an asset for us or a problem?" Slayer thought as he walked back to Mink. She was swinging her legs as she sat on the bench. Hearing his approach, she turned her head to look at him. Catching her eyes, Slayer noticed a yellow crescent moon laying on it's back facing skyward at the bottom of her eyes. He blinked, confused. Her eyes were violet with star-like sparkles reflecting the sunlight. How had he never noticed the way the stars seemed to swim in her eyes? What was he getting himself into?