Chapter 3: Chapter 2: The presence of chaos makes a good excuse for action

Once accumulated into something thick, the vaguely visible mass of ripples suddenly dove towards the two. It swooped down to the floor and curved back up in an attempt to tackle them. Mindie dove out of the way, but Pike was sent flying across the room and crashing into the wall.

As he slumped to the floor with a groan, Mindie somersaulted to his side, steadying herself in a crouch. She looked up at the rippling shadows that hovered overhead. It was a Shade.

“One of our classmates must’ve gotten too worked up over studying and let loose some chaos. I guess exams are coming up, after all.” She straightened up into a stand and took a step forward. “This shouldn’t be too hard.”

Pike winced slightly, sitting upright and rubbing the back of his shoulder where it collided with the wall. “Let’s make quick work of it then.”

Mindie swept am arm out in front of her in a barring gesture. “Nah, I got this one.”

“You’re gonna be late for dinner. Won’t your big sis give you the stink eye?”

“Always such a worrywart. You just stand back and leave this to me. The only times I’ve gone luminescent lately is in the practice rooms for training.”

“Didn’t you just say you dealt with another Shade earlier?”

“Details.” She flicked a hand dismissively. A smirk curled along her lips, her eyes not leaving the vague, airy shape in front of her. “Besides, if this thing is on the loose it’s the perfect chance to rack up some Tour points.”

Mindie Tachibana-Callahan. First-year student at Halo Ridge University. Status: Halo Tour-approved aspiring Star. (In other words, she could be a big deal one day.)

The mass of ripples once again lunged at Mindie. As it neared, Mindie’s emerald eyes flashed, igniting a bright yellow glow within them. In an instant her entire being radiated that same light. And once that aura’s glow was steady, she could much more clearly see the Shade’s dark and shapeless form.

The luminescent state. When an individual goes luminescent, those who observe the world with normal sight see a brightly glowing figure, like a star plucked from the night sky. But the luminescent’s own eyes glow, and they see the world in a simplified hue. All other color is drained from their perception. They see only the vaguest details of the real world, as their focus becomes sharply centered on any manifestations of chaotic energy they find themselves faced with—manifestations known as Shades. Like these Shades, those in the luminescent state abandon tangible form, able to passively phase through solid objects or willfully manipulate and influence them as a poltergeist would.

And it was in this state that Mindie wound up and threw a solid punch at the Shade, just as it came into range. The Shade spiraled backwards across the room, phasing through several art tables and chairs like a ghost.

She sized up her foe as it recovered from the blow. “No glowing eyes of its own, not too large… All right then.”

And then she wasted no more time in chasing it down. She raced towards it, phasing through some tables and chairs, more solidly using others as ground to vault off from, closing the distance and reengaging hastily.

From its largely shapeless form, the Shade sprouted and extended limbs to command, lashing out with tendril-like strikes and jabs. But its lethargic and predictable whipping motions couldn’t connect with the more agile Mindie, who dodged, blocked, and threw a well-timed strike when she saw the openings. A punch to its upper being, where the head might have been. A kick to its gut. She slammed her fists through its own sprouted limbs as they attempted to whip at her over and over again, gradually cutting it down to size.

Each blow whittled away some flecks of chaotic energy, sending them dissipating harmlessly into the air. Soon the Shade had shrunk to something almost human-sized, losing its stores of chaos to the aspiring Star’s bright, searing energy and flashy martial prowess. It could hardly even keep together its shapeless form, chaos visibly escaping it like steam from a doused fire. Mindie knew its time was up.

The Shade swayed and billowed upwards towards the ceiling, wheezing out a guttural Gwoooh!

And Mindie grinned wickedly. “Looks like you’re outta gas!”

She propelled herself upward and twisted through the air. As she reached the Shade, she flung herself backwards in a bicycle kick worthy of a pro soccer forward. Upon impact, the Shade burst into a scattering of chaotic energy particles. Wisps of its fizzling form dissipated harmlessly through the air like fading smoke.

Mindie landed on one of the art tables, her eyes still glowing yellow as she took a moment to catch her breath. “Heh… Easy—Huh?”

As she looked around, she noticed that there was more chaotic energy that had been seeping into the room. Another mass of shadowy ripples convened, forming two more shapeless Shades that hovered on either side of her.

“Ohhh, so you’re not done yet after all.” She smacked her fists together, sparking a glow of luminescent energy between them. “Well then, come on—!”

Suddenly, Mindie dropped to one knee, the yellow glow in her eyes instantly fading and returning them to their normal emerald green. Her glowing aura flickered and went out like a bad light bulb. The world around her resumed its own natural color too, against the unlit art room.

Mindie had used up all the luminescent energy she had to give for now, causing her luminescent state to break and revert her to normal. It took a toll on her physically too. She panted in exhaustion, her muscles abruptly beginning to ache from fully exerting themselves.

“Crap… Not now…”

Gritting her teeth, Mindie looked towards the Shades. She wasn’t able to see them as clearly as she did in her luminescent state, but she could tell. They were coming for her, diving at her like two ethereal torpedoes. In a bout of bewilderment, she swung a desperate fist at the first that came into her striking range—and her hand passed right through it, as if it were nothing but air.

However, the second one rammed itself solidly against Mindie’s gut, sending her skidding across an art table. Once she flew off the other side, the other Shade tackled her from below, sending her flying into the air and towards a window.

But before she could crash into it, a glowing yellow streak swiped itself into existence, obstructing her trajectory. Mindie bounced of it like a trampoline and ricocheted towards the floor—where another sheet formed and cushioned her landing before fading away.

Pike was immediately at her side, his own eyes glowing yellow behind his eyeglasses. He raised a glowing pencil in the air and made three consecutive swiping motions in various directions. As he did, a glowing dome formed over them, and stopping the Shades from reaching them with another dive.

Pike DeSanto. First-year student at Halo Ridge University. Status: civilian luminescent. (In other words, he's of little significance to the world.)

“Don’t be so reckless. You know you can’t fight chaos outside of your lumi state.”

Mindie sat upright, groaning slightly. “Thanks Pike. Lost my head there for a moment.”

But the Shades were unperturbed by the obstacle between them and their prey. They repeatedly threw themselves into Pike’s glowing barrier, which constantly steamed away luminescent energy with each impact. He felt each collision in his mind like the pulse of a migraine, but he clenched his teeth and concentrated on keeping the glowing dome active.

“My barrier won’t hold up for long. Can you get back into it?”

Mindie concentrated as hard as she could, squinting her eyes as if it would squeeze out the ignition that would spark her glow back into the lumi state. Unfortunately, the yellow glow in her eyes that was so bright only moments before barely even flickered.

“Ugh… No dice. It broke on me, and I’m exhausted. Dammit! I figured I’d be back to a hundred percent by now…”

Pike’s barrier was wearing thin, its own glow beginning to fade. A few more collisions from the Shades and it would shatter, and he knew it. He was using up all his luminescence to keep it active, which meant he would be broken out of his own lumi state soon too. Once that happened, he and Mindie would be sitting ducks. Much like an athlete who goes all out and exhausts herself, or an artist who stays too focused for too long on his creation, luminescence took time to recover. When a luminescent breaks in the face of chaos, it was bad news.

The barrier broke. The glow in Pike’s eyes instantly faded away, the throbbing in his head transforming into a mental whirl that left him exhausted and dizzy.

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But just before the Shades could mount the finishing blow, a streak of blue light flashed across the room. SHRRRNG! And both Shades burst into clouds of chaotic energy, losing all form and fizzling out into harmlessness. Pike and Mindie gawked at the abrupt aftermath, staring at their savior. Although difficult to see without luminescent eyes, they could discern a vaguely human-shaped figure amidst a bright blue glow. As the shimmering aura began to recede, it briefly revealed a katana shape that was poised triumphantly from the figure’s hand—like one of those old Eastern-style duels that ended in the blink of an eye.

Then the katana disappeared, and the aura finished fading away. The last glow to vanish was from her eyes—from bright blue to a more normal dark color. As the classroom’s ceiling lights flickered back on, her figure became more visible and defined, revealing black hair tied into a long ponytail and a sports jacket over fair skin.

“Let me guess.” Ciara turned to the two, arms akimbo. A smug grin curled from her lips. “Your luminescence broke in the middle of the fight again. That right, little sis?”

The shocked expression on Mindie’s face melted into one of embarrassment. She tilted her face away from her older sister, though her green eyes continued to glance at her with a mix of gratitude for saving them, and bashfulness for being called out for falling short in her performance. “Heh.”

Ciara briefly regarded Pike with a glance—just long enough to give him the vibe of, You’re the real problem here—before turning away and looking around the room. “Doesn’t look like anymore will pop in to give us problems. Let’s head out.”

- - - - -

“So that’s what it feels like to be saved by the famous Shooting Star. You’re as quick on the draw as ever, Nee-chan.”

“That cheesy nickname even made its way over to you, huh. You gonna start fangirling over me too, little sis?”

Mindie and Ciara left the classroom and made their way down the hall, chatting with each other. More specifically, the older sister preached about proper and efficient use of luminescent energy while the younger laughed along and appeased her. Pike followed them out and closed the classroom door behind him a few moments later.

Footsteps approached. “Were you feeling so inspired as to stay this late after class again?”

Pike turned his head towards the sound of the voice. In the dimly lit hallway, a woman with lush, dark red hair and perfectly sun-kissed skin ambled towards him. Her form-fitting office attire only emphasized her enviable curves more as she swayed forward with each click of her heels. Azalea Belle, the art professor.

“Oh. Professor Belle.” Pike adjusted his messenger bag as he faced her fully. “Sorry to keep you again. I’ve been meaning to tell you, I know how to lock up so you don’t have to wait for me each time.”

Azalea tilted her head slightly, showing off a cat-like grin. “I don’t mind waiting. There are few students on campus who take their work as passionately as you do.” Because if there was one thing that resonated with the art professor, it was passion. “As your professor, I will always encourage you to lose yourself to the benefit of the growth in your soul—even if that means emerging past the hour of twilight.”

A clacking sound reverberated through the hall. It was the door leading outside. Ciara had already left the building, and Mindie was holding the door open and waving emphatically at her bestie. “Heyyy! You coming?!”

“Yeah! Coming!” Pike waved to his professor and hurried off towards Mindie. “Have a good night, professor!”

Azalea offered a lazy wave in response, a slight shrug as she did so, her cat-like smile persisting.

- - - - -

Ciara hurried away from the building, heading towards the intersection at the main sidewalk. “C’mon! Dad’s making his specialty burgers!”

“No way. He’s home early for once?” Mindie continued holding the door open as she waited for Pike to come out, then let it close behind her as she struck a triumphant pose. “Another chaotic menace taken care of! Another step towards becoming the brightest Star in the world!”

Pike flashed her an amused grin, applauding her in good humor. It looked like she wasn’t phased one bit by her hiccup in the middle of the fight.

Mindie skipped a few steps forward, then spun on her heel and beamed at him. “Feel like joining us for dinner tonight?”

“Nah, I’ll pass. Thanks though.”

“Your call. But that was a close one back there. What would I ever do without you, partner?”

“Get eaten by a Shade maybe?”

“That was a rhetorical question…”

Pike slouched and sighed in a small fit of exasperation, shaking his head. He knew she would be just fine without him most days, so any small chance to lend her his aid was a welcome one. His best friend was all sorts of trouble. In fact, she was the best kind of trouble. That much he had come to realize over the years of knowing her. As he reminisced on this, he nearly missed it when Mindie reached a hand out to him. After looking at the hand curiously, he took hold of it—and was immediately pulled into pointblank range with her. Their foreheads touched. As with so many times they’d shared this gesture before, it was a comforting feeling.

He gave an impish grin. “Heh. Seriously though.”

Her beam only widened, nuzzling him a bit. “Thanks again, Pike.”

And from the intersection at the sidewalk: “Mindie! Hayaku!” (Hurry up!)

Mindie pulled away and waved over her head to acknowledge her sister. “Hai, hai~!” (Okay, okay!)

Pike placed a hand on his hip, looking towards Ciara. “You’d better go. Your sister might think we started dating or something.” And he didn’t need another reason for the older TC sister to give him the stink eye.

“What’s with that?” Mindie let out a laugh. “Such a worrywart. I’ll text you later, mkay? Let’s hang out again after dinner.”

Pike watched from his vantage point just outside the entrance as Mindie hurried off to join up with Ciara, grinning to himself. The two sisters were pretty close. He found the way they sometimes hailed each other in Eastern endearing, and he felt the slightest bit of envy watching them bicker.

“You’re a Star on Tour now, so you need to up your game.”

“Mom’s gonna grill me at my next training session, huh…”

“Count on it. And make sure you file a report to get Tour credit for this incident.”

“Yeah, obviously! Haha!”

Soon enough, they were too far out of earshot for Pike to hear anything more.

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