Yukiko felt as if her whole body was packed in between balls of cotton. Her fingers tried to find her blanket, but she didn’t even feel it. She couldn’t see it either, her sight was extremely blurred and to top it all off, her ears were permanently ringing. When she got something to eat, everything tasted the same … bland and bad and her sense of smell had left her a while ago.

How many days has it been since her uncle came into her room with that blue stone? She had given up on wanting to flee, every time she was held back by the words and the light from the stone, forcing her to follow him.

She could hear the door opening despite the constant ringing in her ears. Fear gripped her hand like a cold hand. She felt already as if her body was wrapped in ice, as always when that stone was activated. Thought her hands were moving, despite her wanting not to move at all, saw the ice shooting forth from her body, drilling into the target bodies.

“So, this is where you keep your newest secret weapon?” It was a man, another stranger and he seemed curious.

“I am sure you will be surprised.” The voice of that man alone seemed to take every warmth out of the room.

“What is with the scene and this strange suspense? Reveal it already!”

Yukiko pulled her blanket closer to her body. She wanted to somehow protect herself, to not hear the words. Bradley just jerked the blanket off of her. She kept her eyes closed, waited.

“A … child?” Silence. For one moment, then another … “Have you …” Another moment of silence ensued. “No, that is not her. She looks completely different. What are you playing here, Bradley? I hope for you that this is some kind of joke.”

“A joke? Oh no, this is far from a joke. It is just that this weapon seems very harmless … without the remote.”

Yukiko used her hands to block out every sound. She didn’t want to hear them, not from him!

She couldn’t do anything, she heard his voice directly within her head, noticed how he enjoyed speaking every word, savoring the moment on his tongue, making her a mere doll: “In kagis et seris infinis chikara kaiho!”

The invisible shackles embraced her body softly. Then she opened her eyes, her body no longer shivering. She looked around, taking in the scenery, noticing the smile on Bradleys face. Normally it would have caused a ripple of fear to run down her spine.

“So? I have to admit that she looks less afraid now, but I do not see how it will help us with the war.” The one man closest to her put a hat on his head and turned around, nodding to the other stranger. “Our Boss hates jokes, especially bad ones.”

Yukikos right hand raised, a spear of ice formed in front of her head and drilled itself through the body of that man.

“As I told you before, this is not a joke.” Bradley looked to the other man. “Do you want more proof?”

The other one gulped. “I am inclined to hear you out”, he answered and used a tissue to wipe the blood from his face. “I suppose you have prepared something to demonstrate her power?”

“But of course, if you want to follow me?” He left the room first and the stranger followed him. Yukiko was the last to leave.

In front of the house there were some dummies made out of hay and even a tank. Yukiko set foot on the demonstration field.

“I hope you brought warm clothing”, Bradley commented and pulled a hood over his head.

Yukiko felt the ice running through her veins, leaving her body and dropping down onto the dirt. The floor cracked open to reveal a pale blue light, those cracks rapidly finding their targets. About fifty of them were speared by ice shooting out of the ground, the ice immobilizing the tanks, covering them within a thick layer of frozen water.

The sky became black, the upcoming wind only helped to cool down the field even more. Lightning struck, it began to rain and the rain quickly became a hailstorm.

Yukiko could see the stranger out of the corner of her eye. His eyes were opened in fear and he clutched his hat in one hand.

The weather calmed down as fast as it got back, leaving the demonstration battlefield in a frozen mess. “Not even ten seconds”, the black man whispered. A moment later he seemed to find his posture again, removing sweat from his forehead with a tissue. He looked over to Bradley. “How many of these weapons can you procure?”

“For now only this one”, he answered and removed his grip from Yukiko. She felt the shackles fell off of her, making her fall over onto the cold ground. Every ounce of power had vanished from her body.

“I can conclude that there are more than one of these weapons? How likely is it that one of our enemies has one?” The stranger got closer to her and put a hand to her forehead. It was rough and big but also warm.

“It is very unlikely. They might find one component, but they will never find all three parts necessary to operate it.”

“Very good.” The stranger left her and went back to Bradley. “Would you kindly hand me the remote? I will talk to the Al to have you join our circle.”

“I am awaiting a positive answer”, Bradley said as he handed her stone to him.

“I am very sure that the answer will please you.” The stranger now recited the words that made her into his slave. Power cursed once gain through her body and she stood up, going to a black Limousine. She hopped into the back seat and a moment later the shackles were removed from her once again. She fell to the site, exhausted. The stranger put his black jacket onto her upper body and sat next to her in the car.

She could still see Bradleys cold eyes on her and then on the stranger next to her. He turned as the driver started the car. Yukiko hoped she wouldn’t see him ever again.

◊

“Come with me!” The gruff voice of the man woke her. She had a headache and there was no time to recover at all.

The blue gem hung before her eyes as a warning, just outside her reach. She reached out desperately, wanting to get it back, but the man didn’t let her get it. She looked at him angry, but he just signaled her with his hand that she had to get out of the car.

She had no choice. For now she could only hope that he would treat her better than Bradley, if she followed his orders.

As he held a hand out to her, she took it, and followed him, not without stepping into a puddle. They slowly went around the car.

“You want us to negotiate with a child this time?” A man in grey clothing looked at her.

“Maybe he wants to turn and brought his daughter with him?” Another man whispered to the first one – loud enough that everyone could hear it.

“The Al gave me every right to negotiate with you”, Yukikos jailer spoke. “You may call me Olsen, general Ruhn.”

“What is it you want to do with that child, Mister Olsen?”

“You will see later, General. First I want to negotiate the conditions of your capitulation.”

“You are kidding.”

Olsen didn’t answer.

“You sent us a message that you wanted to negotiate the conditions of capitulation!”

“Yes. But we never mentioned who is to waive the white flag, is that not correct General?”

“I see. The Al has gotten crazy and wants to see his land die.” He turned. “What a waste of time.”

“Don’t be so harsh, please wait a moment.” Yukiko saw him grabbing harder on to her gem. “You should know already that we tend to be serious.”

“My secretary is more capable of bluffing than you, even if he whispers his comments too loud to even be able to bluff.” The other man opened the door to a car for the general.

“In kagis et seris infinis chikara kaiho!” Olsen let go of Yukikos hand as blue flames started to envelop her body.

The general hesitated while sitting down, looking at the girl that made a few steps towards him, a bit of fear now visible in his eyes.

“Have you ever thought of the possibility that this is a bad bluff, because I never bluffed in the first place?”

The blue flames crept across the floor like a carpet of water, spilling where Yukiko was standing. The tires of the general’s car lit up with flames. He jumped out, only to see the car burning with flames a moment later.

“I see, that girl is a new weapon.” The general managed to smile, despite all his sweat on his forehead. “I just need to destroy it.”

“Then, my dear general”, Yukiko made a few steps towards him, “let us see if I am faster or your tanks.” Yukiko shuddered deep inside. Olsen could even speak through her.

“Fire!” The general called, turned and ran, jumping over some of the blue flames. His car burned into a block of ice. The earth began to quake, ripping apart, the cracks glowing blue. The general stopped in his steps just before ice shot from the ground, creating a prison with bars of frozen water.

“You are the guest of honor for this small demonstration. We can’t let you leave just yet.” Olsen was grinning broadly, holding Yukikos makeshift necklace into the air above him, it was glowing a bright blue.

“Fire already”, the other man shouted.

Several detonations made them flinch as their cannons burst, a thunderstorm on the ground. Only a few shells made it towards Olsen, crashing into a thick wall of ice before they even travelled half their way.

More ice broke out of the ground, spearing through several tanks. Ice grew around that other man, enclosing his feet and slowly his legs and the rest of his body. As his heart was enclosed in ice, Yukiko was sure that he would die soon.

The blue glow finally faded, the general’s army was defeated. Only the general himself was still alone, shaking from both fear and cold, probably. The snow below him slowly turned yellow.

Yukiko stepped towards him. “Now, to get back to negotiating your capitulation”, she said and touched one of the ice bars. It burst, making a hole big enough for him to climb out – or her to get in. “I trust you will accept us making all the rules?”

The general nodded. Smiling she returned to the Car and got back in on the backseat. The shackles fell off of her. Olsen came back to her a few minutes later. He looked at her and stroke over her head, without saying a word.

Exhausted she drifted to sleep as the car started up once again.

◊

Her hand was burning, a deep pain that seemed to extend to her whole body, it seemed to be everywhere, as if every limb and organ of her body hurt.

The eye was still punishing her after all that. She hadn’t had any choice in the matter!

She awoke to her own scream. Her body was hot and she sweated. A dream. She slowly got up and looked at her right hand and the sign there. It glowed red and gave some light within the deep darkness.

She had been locked away once again. At least her body didn’t feel numb anymore. For how long had she been asleep? Maybe she was getting used to it?

She put the blanket aside and got up, her feet feeling every nook and cranny of the uneven wood below her. She heard the wind blowing and steps from before the door. She could see everything despite the darkness. She looked back at her hand, the red glow had vanished. She started to wonder if this all was only a cruel joke or if she had really been presented with a chance to escape.

Yukiko pulled her hairpins from her hair hidden just before her ponytail. She sneaked towards the door and used them to unlock it. Her heart was beating fast as she slowly opened the door.

No one stood there. Her new guard had left, probably thinking that she wouldn’t wake up and escape, not knowing that she had been a thief in her past.

She felt like the luck of her star shone once again upon her. Her star! Where was her star? Was it still with Olsen? Should she risk searching for it?

Whatever she decided on, she couldn’t stay where she was. She closed the door behind her and ran down the dark corridor. She could only hope to not be somewhere below the ground anymore. It would more than complicate her escape. Around the corner she suddenly saw a window. A bit of light shone through it, but it was an indicator that she was above ground. She went to it and looked outside, standing up on her toes to see the ground below. She was almost triumphing deep inside.

On the other side of that window was her freedom! She only needed to get her star, she couldn’t flee without it, couldn’t let it stay with any of these men. She had to find Olsen and take her star back. But where was he? She had no other choice than to search for him.

She took a deep breath and another, before she ran and started to search the house. Most of the rooms of the upper floor were empty, but lined with expensive interior and none of them had her star. She guessed that it was very likely that Olsen still had it with him.

After an hour of searching she found a door guarded by two men. Two see inside that room, she had to find another entrance. Perhaps she could get in through a window? But maybe that one wasn’t Olsen’s room. Maybe someone waited inside there?

She thought about leaving her star back where it was. It was not only the last thing she had from her once happy family, but it was also the one thing that had tortured her. A part of her couldn’t leave it.

She went back and entered one of the rooms next to that one. It only took a few moments and she was outside that window, climbing over the sill to the next room. The window was opened slightly, but not far enough to let her get into it.

There was someone sleeping in that room. The person seemed … bigger than Olsen. Not in height, but in width. She concluded that he wasn’t the one she was looking for. But where was Olsen? She had almost searched every room and the sun was coming up at the horizon. Her time was growing short, too short.

She resigned and decided to leave without it for now. She could come back later and steal it then, for now she would enjoy her freedom. She jumped down from the sill towards the ground below and ran through the grass to the nearby woods.

She leaned against a tree, catching her breath. Looking back she decided to try and find it once again in the next night. They probably would start searching for her and she had just to avoid them until they were past her. They never would think of her coming back and stealing her star the next night.

Maybe she should climb the tree and escape from there to another one, to mask her trail. For now she took in the silence around her and smiled.

“In Kagis”, someone said directly within her head. “Et Seris Infinis”, she started running again. She was nowhere near it, why did she hear them? “Chikara Kaiho!” Her limbs got heavy in an instant, the magical shackles taking hold of her and she stopped.

She turned like a puppet and went back towards the house. Why couldn’t she escape this prison?

Soon she stood before Olsen once again. He didn’t say a word, but she could see that he was angry. “Come with me”, he ordered her, but set her free again.

Maybe if she was fast she could steal her star from him and run again. But what would happen if she didn’t succeed?

He looked again at her. His gaze almost let her blood turn to stone. For now she would have to follow his words and not make him angrier. She had to wait, even if it was hard. She nodded and followed him back into the house.

“Ah, Mister Olsen”, a broad, tall man with a mustache and several rings came down the stairs. “You were outside at this time in the morning?”

“It was necessary. It seems as if she had an urge … to run.” He took is hat off and smiled towards the stranger.

“A weapon with an urge to run?” He lifted an eyebrow. “You had warned me that she is very unusual, but running?”

“Yes, Al.” Olsen took a step to the side, pushing Yukiko forwards. “This is her.”

“You jest, don’t you?” The Al looked her up and down. “Does she have a name?”

Silence. Olsen couldn’t answer the question. Yukiko looked down. He was nicer than Bradley, but for him she also was just a weapon, a thing.

“Tell the Al your name”, Olsen said and put his hands on her shoulder, squeezing them.

“Yu…” she gulped. Her voice was a bit raw. “Yukiko.”

“That is a girl”, the Al observed. “Out of flesh and blood!” He looked back and forth between her and Olsen. “What is this trickery?”

Olsen held out her star once again. “She becomes a weapon with this artefact and when she does, nothing can stop her. General Ruhn capitulated before her, letting us choose the conditions.”

“General Ruhn? Very interesting.” The Al began to smile himself. “I got the message from Portras already. The next country on our list should be Sanzein. After she rested, you should go to the west and end this war there.”

“As you wish, my Al.” Olsen put the hat back on and stepped aside, taking Yukiko with him. The Al went by them without saying a word, vanishing outside. Only after he was long out of earshot, Olsen bowed down to Yukiko. “What do you think of breakfast?”

Yukiko looked up to him. What was he trying to do? She nodded, testing the waters. Maybe he wasn’t that bad. But maybe he just wanted to earn her trust, not wanting a repeat of what happened tonight. She looked at his back while following him.

“Don’t disappear on me again. It will cause trouble for us both”, he said. So she was right. He wanted to earn her trust to protect himself. She wasn’t that important to him. Trouble for them both … she couldn’t be in more trouble as she already were. She would try to flee again, but this time not without her star. That much was certain.

◊

On the way back from the front the mark on her right hand started to glow again, taking the rest of her power. But this was the first time she didn’t feel any pain. Instead her hand just vanished from in front of her eyes.

She muffled a cry. The eye wanted to punish her further, to let her vanish without trace.

Olsen looked back at her and slowed the car. “What is happening to you?” Somehow he showed sorrow in his voice and turned back to her. He put a hand to her forehead. It felt a lot warmer than her. “Hey, stay with me”, he shouted and grabbed her shoulders.

To vanish was a very strange sensation. It didn’t hurt at all, just a strange tingling on her strange. A nice tingling.

“Come back this instant, young lady”, he hit her with his hand. The tingling vanished instantly as the pain shoved every other sensation aside. She started to cry. “I am sorry”, he said and caressed her head. “I can’t let you vanish.”

Yukiko looked back at her hand. It had reappeared. Had he just saved her life? Or was there something else? She tried to remember that nice tingling feeling, the soft touch to her skin.

The mark on her hand reacted and started to glow again. Her hand vanished once again before her eyes. She let go of the feeling and it returned instantly. She looked back to Olsen, who was still very concerned. Had she just learned to turn invisible? Had destiny provided her with a new opportunity to escape?

“Thank you, I am fine now”, she answered and started to smile.

◊

The Al waited in front of his house as they came back. “Very good, Mister Olsen. We are making very good progress. Our goddess of destruction is working hard towards our goal.”

Someone opened the door for her and she left the car. She had to wait until the night before implementing her plan. Maybe she could use the time to find out where Olsen was sleeping.

“Come with me, we have important things to discuss, one of them being which country we will conquer next. They will regret, ever messing with me!” The Al’s voice changed to a menacing one, like sandpaper being rubbed over a rough stone.

Yukiko followed them, listening intently on everything they were saying. It might help her to find her target the next night.

“We need to be alone”, the Al suddenly told his guards. They looked at him questioningly, took a hold of Yukiko and turned to leave.

“The girl will be staying at my side”, Olsen said, authority in his voice. The guards looked again towards the Al and as he nodded, let her go.

“Explain this, Olsen”, the Al wanted to know as the guards were out of the room.

“The girl has the tendency to vanish. I want to keep her in sight.”

The Al looked on and lifted an eyebrow. “Very well. I think it unlikely that she is the spy.”

“A spy?” With this the Al had both of their attention.

“There are some rumors about Yukiko here, and the problem is that most of them are true.”

“So we have a traitor amidst our most trusted men.”

“Our neighbors want to keep peace all of a sudden, but I know from my own spies, that they sent agents to steal that stone. Their secondary objective is to assassinate either me or her.” The Al nodded towards Yukiko.

Yukiko gulped again. Now she was targeted by some strangers that wanted to kill her. She had to flee with her star and couldn’t waste any more time.

“I see”, Olsen answered. “I propose that we should not meet again in person. If an assassin strikes at least one target should be safe for a while.”

The Al nodded. “Maybe you are right, if we were together and one of them would get hold of the blue gem, he could easily kill me as well. Olsen, you are one of my best men, I trust you to do the right thing. You know what we are trying to accomplish.”

“Yes, sir”, Olsen nodded and turned. He took Yukikos hand and led her out of the room and up to her own. Soon she found herself waiting for the night again. Sighing she sat down on the bed and was startled by a strange sound. She put the blanket to the side and found a piece of paper. It was an exact plan of the building’s interior, depicting all rooms and who was staying where. Could she trust this plan? Was there really someone out there that wanted to help her escape?

She looked at it again, comparing the layout with her memory. The plan seemed accurate. She could only hope that it was right on where Olsen’s room was, and with that, her star.

◊

Finally, after a long period of waiting, the lights in the corridor outside died. Yukiko waited about an hour longer, before unlocking the lock and sneaking through the house again, the plan committed to her memory. She took the most direct route to Olsen’s room, using her new skill to sneak by the guards that were posted outside the Al’s room.

Two more corners later and she stood before her target. The door was locked as well, but that didn’t stop her. She kneeled down and worked on unlocking it.

Suddenly she heard steps. Taking a step back she let her tools vanish in her hand and concentrated on staying invisible.

A moment later of the guards stood in the corridor behind her, looking straight through her at the door. With a puzzled look he kept staring, then shrugged and returned to where he was. Yukiko went back on unlocking the door, opening it and slipping inside, just before the guard returned to check on the corridor once again.

She looked around in the room, hoping that Olsen wouldn’t wear her star around his neck. Then she saw it, sparkling in the moonlight. It just lay there on the small table besides his bed. She sneked closer and closer, one more step … only one grab.

She hesitated. Somehow this all was easy, much too easy. But then again, the chance to escape was right before her eyes, she had to grab it. Carefully she picked up the blue gem, fastening around her own neck once again and vanished into invisibility once again. The only thing left to do, was leaving the house.

Olsen suddenly got up, his hand searching for the gem in vain. He looked straight at her. She made a step backwards, meeting the wall behind her. The tingling on her skin became weaker and she concentrated more on letting it stay.

He grabbed a pistol from below his pillow and looked around the room.

He couldn’t see her! He mustn’t see her. She had to keep her invisibility up. She couldn’t give up now or he would see her.

“Shit!” Olsen got up and ran to the door, finding it unlocked. He looked on the corridor. Should she try and follow him outside or should she wait here and escape through the window? She had to decide. Fast.

Olsen ran out onto the corridor, making her mind up for her. She had to be fast. Yukiko ran to the window, unlocking it with few practiced moves, opened it. Cold wind greeted her. The door slammed shut. Shivering she looked behind her. Olsen wasn’t inside the room, not yet. She climbed through the window, down the sill, letting herself fall the last few feet.

Her legs hurt as she came down. She fell backwards. The next she saw was Olsen at the window. He looked like a haunted ghost. Then he just shot randomly. She shivered, hearing the bullets impact somewhere close. Her concentration broke, she felt herself becoming visible. She concentrated again, hoping that he hadn’t …

“There you are!” Damn! She got up and ran, hoping that darkness and invisibility would protect her.

A muffled noise let her turn around again. Olsen had jumped down from the window and ran towards her. Yukiko started running again as fast as she could. He couldn’t see her, mustn’t see her! Perhaps she could hide beneath one of the cars! She changed course and noticed that Olsen kept on running straight. He had lost her.

Then he stopped, turned and ran once again towards her. How was he doing that? She kept on running, her target was not far.

Suddenly someone stepped into her way. His hand got ahold of her, his fingers digging into her skin painfully.

“So we meet again, good evening, Mister Olsen.” Yukiko recognized the cold voice immediately.

“Bradley”, Olsen breathed. “How did you find here?” He raised his gun and aimed on the major.

“I would be careful, were I you. You do not want to destroy the hope of our land?” Bradley yanked her arm into the sky, disrupting her concentration. “Though I am quite surprised, I didn’t know she could do this.”

“You are trespassing.” Another shot disturbed the silence of the night. Olsen sank down on his knee, clutching his leg.

“I know that I am trespassing and that the Al wouldn’t let me near him ever. I am just not one he can control like a little dog, right, Olsen?” Bradley threw a small pistol to the side. “But I can’t have that. He stands in the way of my plans, so I will have to take his place.”

Bradley ripped Yukikos clothing apart. Her instinct told her to protect her star immediately, but he was far stronger than her. He had it within his hands in a moment and spoke those words. Only as the spell got ahold of her and shackled her once again, he let go of her.

“You should have known, that I wouldn’t give up a weapon like this, if I had no means of getting it back.”

Yukiko went towards Olsen, smiling a smile that was not her own.

Olsen raised his gun. “Let me release you”, he whispered and targeted her heart. Before he could press the trigger, his hand and the pistol were enclose in ice. He screamed.

“Any last words”, she heard herself ask.

“I … heard you”, he answered her softly, just before his face turned into ice, white crystals blooming on his skin.

“And now, we shall settle this once and for all, Al.” Bradley sent Yukiko to the other side of the house. She could just see the red backlights of a car, leaving fast. “You won’t escape me”, Bradley hissed. He whistled and a green car stopped next to him. On his sign the driver got out and made space for him, Yukiko climbing on the front passenger’s seat. The tires screamed and Yukiko was pressed into the seat as they accelerated fast. “Now I need to know how far her range is”, he murmured and her head started to tingle.

A thick Icicle missed the car in front by a few foot. Bradley grinned, shifting gears and accelerating further, the engine howling with stress as he somehow maneuvered around that icicle to follow his target with unsafe speeds.

He got a bit closer and then another thick icicle hit the car in front of them. They lost control and the car hit a tree.

As Bradley’s car came up next to the other one, the engine was still letting out steam. He looked into the windows of the other car an evil grin on his lips. She was once again his prisoner. She shouldn’t have tried to get away from Olsen. She had doomed him and herself by doing so.

She screamed without her body reacting to it, only a tear found its way out as desperation got ahold of her once more.