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Prologue - A Look Back on How It All Began for Us1,499 words
Chapter 1 - A Frozen Friendship1,812 words
Chapter 2 - Saviour in an Elderly Form1,333 words
Chapter 3 - Meeting the Pack1,999 words
Chapter 4 - Glimpse of the Pack1,802 words
Chapter 5 - Homeward Bound1,589 words
Chapter 6 - First day Memories2,282 words
Chapter 7 - Training Memories1,973 words
Song Chapter 1: I'll Make a Fighter out of You803 words
Chapter 8 - Invasion of Darkness3,339 words
Chapter 9 - Lumen's Inner Beast1,427 words

Chapter 8 - Invasion of Darkness

Hey guys, Shade here. You know, when I joined Lumen, I was expecting a lot of things like a new home, learning martial arts, getting my GED. Hell, I even expected the five others that joined us. But, when you find yourself attacked by weird shadow demons and some weird creature, you have questions. Like, WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!

The group soon made their way to an area a few walk away from the house and training grounds. Passing through the small forest, they came across a new area.

A large temple with a stone gate.

The pack had serious looks on their faces as they looked at the temple.

This was the area where their journey truly began.

<Flashback>
Late in the evening, Sunset was currently trading blows with Squalo, batting away fists and blocking his kicks with her arms before ducking a right hook then bucking her legs to slam her soles into his chest knocking him back, before standing up into a karate stance.

Squalo stood up and got into a southpaw stance as the two soon rushed forward and slammed their fists into each others as they continued to brawl, with Sunset grabbing his wrist to put him into an armlock before fly kicking him in the nose, making him tumble.

Squalo quickly spun around, sweeping her off her feet, laying her on her back as well with a thud.

Both glared as they stood up, before smirking.

“Now we even!” Squalo said as they chuckled.

“Hey, considering I knocked you onto your ass twice during our spar, I would say I am getting better than you.” Sunset shot back with a grin.

Squalo raised an eyebrow before letting a punch fly, with Sunset instinctively blocking but soon she felt two hands grabbing her knees before she was flipped back on her back.

“As I said. Even!” He said as he helped her up.

“But Sunset does have a point, Squalo.’ They turned to see Lumen approach them with a smile on his face. ‘She has made leaps and bounds compared to when she first started out.”

“What can I say? I’m a fast learner.” Sunset spoke with pride and a bit of arrogance. Lumen raised a brow before squeezing a nerve on her neck.

“OW! OW! OW!”

“But you still show signs of overconfidence.” He said as he then let go, making her rub the area which was squeezed.

“Hai, Sensei.” She muttered in pain.

“Go and freshen up. it is time for dinner.” He said as they two drank some water and headed back inside.

Back at the house, all six were currently eating their meal of a simple rice and grilled fish combo with some water. But while they were enjoying the meal, Sunset couldn’t help but make a comment about something.

Mainly, someone not being around.

“Question.’ She asked as they all looked at her. ‘Isn’t Sensei meant to be here?”

The five just looked at each other.

“Trust us, dat’s a million dollar question we’ve been asking for a while.” Squalo said.

That confused the bacon haired girl.

“Most nights, he usually finds himself going to that patch of woods in the forest. Every night, for at least an hour. We have no clue why he’s always doing that and we usually get the feeling, he doesn’t want anyone to know why?” Falco added.

“How come?” Sunset asked.

“Hell if we know. Whenever I asked about his past, he just goes silent and just looks away with sadness. I get the feeling he doesn’t really want to talk about it, so I decided to never push it.” Shade said.

“All we know is that when he feels it is right, he’ll speak. In the meantime, don’t try to pry the words out of his mouth. It’ll get yer hurt.” Sandy said as they returned to their meals.

But the thoughts still went through her head.

It was late at night and Sunset just couldn’t sleep. The whole mystery behind the wandering sensei was filling her head with thoughts that a brainiac like her would be driven crazy if not sorted out.

“Grrr...fuck it. I need to know what is in that forest or I’ll go bloody mental!” She said as she got out of bed and checked to see everyone still asleep. Tiptoeing, she exited the house to her destination, unaware of a few people watching her movements.

Sunset was trekking through the forest, batting away branches and leaves as she saw her destination.

“Now, let’s see what you are hiding.” She said, calling on her old bad girl skills to find out the secrets of her new carer.

She was about peer behind the tree, when someone tapped her on the shoulder, making her squeal in fright.

“Relax, hotshot. It’s just us.” Shade said in a deadpanned tone, the rest of them looking at her with withering glares and crossed arms, made more pronounced by the bags under their eyes.

“Hey, guys. Why are you here?” She said nervously.

“Lookin’ for you.” Sandy drawled.

“Well, I couldn’t sleep and...” Sunset began but was cut off by Shade.

“You just wanted to find out what was going on with Lumen, didn’t you?” He said.

“Yeah...’ She sagged in defeat. ‘How did you know?”

“All of us had the same idea. We just couldn’t with Lumen hanging around.” Falco replied.

“Ah. Well, now that you’re here...you want me to turn back?” She asked.

The five looked at each other before they decided.

“Well, we are still here. What kind of secrets is our host hiding?” Falco said with a grin.

“Youse have a point, Falco. Wonder what is so special about this joint?” Squalo spoke.

“Yeah. We don’t get this sorted, we’ll go nuts.” Flora added.

“It’s been bothering me for a while, but we may as well nip it in the bud.” Shade said.

Sandy however remained silent.

“Fine. But if shit goes sideways, I’ll claim ignorance!” She said as they ventured on.

When they got there, they saw what was hidden. It was a giant Shaolin temple, made of granite from the door to the stairs.

“WOAH!!!” They all spoke in awe.

“What in the name of Sam Hill is this doing here?!” Sandy had exclaimed.

“Guess that explains why he was around here all the time.” Shade muttered.

Sunset meanwhile was in silent awe. For some reason, she felt something from the temple.

Something sort of magical but it wasn’t from Equestria.

Her experiences with Equestrian magic had ingrained one thing. It felt more like soft clouds and flowers, brushing past her in an easy breeze, considering it was a rather peaceful place.

This felt wilder and more untamed, like she was in the jungle or savannah where there were a lot of animals ready to kill, hunt or eat.

It felt rather overwhelming.

The six soon got closer but soon all of them felt their breath shorten and sweat cover their faces, the feeling from the temple starting to overwhelm them the closer they got to the temple steps.

“Guys...What’s happening?” Sunset rasped as her legs buckled a bit.

“No...clue. Ain’t feel anythin’ like dis before.” Squalo spoke, his muscles tightening.

“I’m not the only one that has the feeling of ‘Get the hell outta here!’ from this place, right?!” Falco spoke in a panicked tone, his legs shaking as he needed to run.

“Guys, we need ta leave! NOW!” Sandy shouted.

Shade was silent but he was clearly sweating buckets at the feeling.

Flora was nearly on her knees but she had something to say: “¡Oh, mierda, esto es una locura!” (Oh shit, this is insane!)
Suddenly, all of them were granted by an image in each of their heads.

Sunset was in a ring of fire, with a pitch black sky.

“What the hell?” She said before she felt a breath down her neck. Slowly turning her head, she saw a shadowy bird looking down at her before it spread its wings, bathing her in flame.

Squalo was in a large ocean, floating in place as he looked around.

“Da fuck? And how can I breathe?!” Squalo exclaimed. Looking around, he saw a shadowy shark swim towards him, jaws wide open.

Falco was falling at high speeds.

“OK, THIS IS NOT HOW I WANT TO GO OUT!” He yelled as he fell when he saw a bird-like figure dive down at him.

Sandy was in a desert, looking at the wasteland.

“Th’ hell am ah?!” She asked herself, when she heard hissing. She turned around to see a serpent encased in shadow, slithering towards her as it slithered its tongue to her. It then lunged with its fangs.

Shade was on a mountain with the full moon glaring down at him. He was looking around when he heard a howl. Looking up was a wolf, encased in darkness looking down at him from above.

Flora was in an area that looked like a mix of a jungle and savannah. She was looking around in confusion.

“¿Dónde... Dónde estoy?” (Where...where am I?) she asked before a screech sounded as she saw a feline bound its way towards her with a large pounce.

Soon all of them managed to shake it off before looking at each other and deciding on one thing.

Run.

All of them quickly made their way back to the house, slamming the door shut.

“We all agree to never tell Lumen about this. Right?” Falco asked.

“Right.” They all said as they tried to get some sleep.

And failing.

Meanwhile, Lumen was looking out of the window, a frown on his face.

“I sense they are coming. I just hope they don’t get caught in the crossfire.” He said as several red eyes were spying on the house.

“Soon...” A voice snarled as more growls were heard.

Next morning, all six were eating slowly and sluggishly while Lumen was eating at a regular pace.

“OK, everyone. I want you by the balance beams. We are going to work on your balance and stances. So finish up and head to the grounds.”

All of them muttered small ‘ok’s.

Lumen rose an eyebrow before leaving to get the lesson prepared but the six didn’t move.

“So...are we gonna discuss what had happened last night?” Sunset asked.

“Oh, you mean the fact we were in some random areas about to be eaten in our heads? Sure, let’s discuss that (!)” Falco spoke in a sarcastic tone.

“OK, no need to give attitude...” Sunset muttered.

“Sorry, Sunset. I think we all are suffering from a lack of sleep.” Falco apologised.

“True dat. All I could think was being in a fuckin’ ocean with a big ass shark comin’ my way.” Squalo spoke in an exhausted tone.

“Yeah. Never thought that I would be attacked by a damn snake.” Sandy added.

“What was that temple?! Why did it feel like...?” Flora said.

“Like we were about to be attacked? A wave of violence and savagery rolling all over us?” Sunset asked.

“Yeah. How did you guess?” Shade asked.

Sunset just shot him a look.

“I’m pretty sure we all felt that.” She said.

“Yeah. We need answers.” Shade said.

“Yeah. But first, we have training so...” Sunset said and soon everyone finished off their breakfast before heading to the training grounds.

Lumen was looking rather irritated. Here he was observing his students as they were maintaining their balance but it looked more like they were about to keel over from exhaustion.

AND IT WASN’T EVEN 10 O’CLOCK!!

“Sunset! Back straight! Squalo! Move position! You call that a proper stance, Falco?! Sandy, you’re about to tip! Shade, be more alert! Flora! Even your distribution!”

Trouble was, all of them were so out of it that they didn’t hear his words. Soon, they began to sway and tip until too late.

“WOOOOAAAH!”

All of them fell off the poles as they landed in a heap.

Lumen approached them, a stern frown on his face.

“So? I believe you had a rough night?” He asked.

All of them just groaned in exhaustion.

“Well, since you are eager to rest, how about we work it out of you with some hard chores? Like, cleaning the house?!” He ordered as they stood up.

They tried to protest, but a glare from them shut them down.

“Fine...” They groaned as they went back inside, slouched.

All of them were busy cleaning the house, still feeling tired but they were managing. Each one was in silence before they decided to make conversation.

“We need to tell Lumen.” Sunset started as they all looked at her incredulously.

“Are yer mental?! He’ll cane our asses if we tell him!” Squalo yelled.

“Well, hiding it isn’t helping us! We have to be honest with him and tell him why we are tired! Otherwise, we will be doing this for a long time!” Sunset snapped back.

Squalo had to concede to that. He really didn’t want to be doing chores all the time.

“But how will we do it? We can’t just say ‘Hey, Lumen. Nice day. Oh, guess what? We found that temple in the forest and felt like we were about to be eaten. So, what’s for lunch?’” Falco snarked.

“We’ll figure that part out later. Let’s just get these done.” Shade said and soon they resumed their work.

Suddenly, they heard growls from outside the house.

“Pardon me. That wasn’t our stomachs, was it?” Flora asked her roommates, who also looked confused.

“Nah, that sounded like it came from outside.” Shade spoke in a concerned tone. Falco looked out and his eyes widened.

“Uhhh...guys? Do the Heartless from Kingdom Hearts exist in this world?” He asked.

“Now’s not the time for jokes, Falco.” Sandy drawled unamused.

“Well, you may wish I was joking because LOOK!” He yelled as he pointed outside. All of them looked and the sight shocked them all.

Shadowy figures with skinny bodies and arms, looking like imps with large claws were rushing across the field, tearing the ground up, like they were looking for something.

“Tell me I’m not seeing this!” Shade spoke with wide eyes.

“Trust me, I’m still wondering if I'm still exhausted! This is some freaky shit!” Falco exclaimed.

Sunset was silent. She felt a similar feeling like last night. But this felt more feral and corrupted. But then her eyes widened.

“Guys...isn’t Lumen out there?” She asked in a scared tone. Everyone was silent before their eyes widened.

“SENSEI!”

As soon as they came out, all of the shadowy creatures turned to look at them.

“Guys...what do we do?” Sunset had asked.

They were all silent, fear filling their veins before Shade made the conclusion.

“We fight.”

They all look at him like he was crazy.

“We may not have much training, but right now, that doesn’t matter. We need to beat these guys back and find sensei. What do you say?” He asked.

They were silent before their gazes narrowed with determination.

“Let’s do it!” Sunset spoke.

“We’ll show ‘em how we do things back home!” Sandy added.

“If it means finding Sensei, let’s rock!” Flora spoke.

“Time for a party to get started!” Falco spoke with a grin.

“What the hell? I’ve been wanting to punch something anyways.” Squalo spoke with a smile.

Shade smirked as they saw the creatures rush to them. Soon, they yelled out a battle cry and rushed ahead.

Sunset dodged a swipe before doing a reverse-roundhouse to one, knocking it back then punched another on the jaw before sending the same one flying with an uppercut. She then cartwheeled out of the way from one jumping onto her before punching it in the gut three times before uppercutting its jaw.

“Come on!” She made a gesture as one of them rushed forward. She responded by kicking it in the jaw with a high kick before she rushed forward with a fly kick to another sending it back.

Squalo had gotten into a boxing stance and began to unleash a flurry of jabs and hooks at a group, knocking them back before he rushed forward with a powerful haymaker, sending one back into the group. He then grabbed another by the neck and punched its face twice before throwing it away just as one tried to grapple with him but he held his ground.

“Youse think you are hard?! I faced punks like you back in New Jersey!” He boasted before kneeing it in the gut, then sweeping it off its feet before delivering a solid kick to the midsection, sending it flying back to an incoming group.

He then leapt over one to deliver an epic drop kick to another in his way before grabbing the one he vaulted over for a powerful roundhouse.

Falco had rushed forward with all of his speed for a powerful clothesline on one before he spun around for a spin kick. He then went below to deliver a leg sweep on two more before he flipped backwards with a flip kick, knocking it back. Getting into a running stance, he rushed forward with a flying kick to which he used his momentum to turn it into an axle kick.

“Got a real kick out of that!” He joked before dodging a group swiping at him before he slammed his fist into the left of its jaw, laying it out before kicking another in the jaw with a reverse roundhouse with his right leg. He then batted another batch of claws before knocking its knee away then spinning around with an elbow to its nose to lay it out before he stomped on its face.

Sandy stood patiently as one of them came rushing forward, to which she went down and slammed her elbow into one of the creatures gut before headbutting it with all her might. She then picked it up and threw it at a charging horde before she tackled one to the ground then slammed her fist into it.

“Hah. All talk and no gas.” She said as she stood up, glaring from the rim of her hat. She then rushed with a double clothesline before slamming her fists into their guts once they went spinning in the air.

Shade had picked up one and did a powerbomb before spinning it around and letting it fly. Another tried a swipe with its claws but Shade batted it away then lifted it up by the throat then he threw it to the other side. He then grabbed one by the arm and backhanded it before storming ahead. One of the creatures growled as it tried to stab him with his claws but Shade manoeuvred the hand so the claws stabbed it’s own chest.

“Try again, bitch.” He said, pushing it back. He roared as he rushed forward and grabbed two by the throats and slammed them into the ground.

Flora began to block hits with her arms before she responded with knee strikes to the five she was facing. She then spun around with an elbow to the nose bridge then grabbed one by the back of its head to force it to meet the inside of her right foot to kick it back. She then went to her hands to spin in a breakdance, sweeping one off its feet before slamming her fist into its gut.

“Adios, enemigos!” She said.

Soon all six were grouped together, getting into stances as the strange shadow creatures looked on menacingly, eager to strike. Before one can, they were blasted by a ray of light, incinerating most of them.

Shocked, the six looked up to see Lumen glaring at the army, a ball of light in his hands.

“SENSEI!” They yelled in unison.

He leapt down before he assumed a stance.

He just had one thing to yell.

“STAY AWAY FROM MY STUDENTS!”

Author's Note:

What's this? An early chapter?!
But seriously, I figured I should begin the part where the Shadow Beasts come to play and they get their elemental powers. So enjoy!

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