Fredrick Dill Koenig stared at himself in the bathroom mirror as he brushed his teeth. It'd be his first day back in school this entire week—he'd been out sick with a particularly bad cold. It was for this reason that he had to skip the ring ceremony as well. He still felt pretty bad about that, especially after hearing about the surprise attack by the unknown flame types, but his dad had insisted he stay home. His famiglia got caught up in a fight for their lives and he wasn't around to help. He paused his fervent brushing to sigh. I probably wouldn't have been of much help anyway. Plus, he didn't even have a Vongola ring yet.
"Fred!" Came a voice from Fredrick's left, a small high-pitched soprano.
For his part, Fredrick pretty much jumped out of his skin, dropping his toothbrush into the sink and nearly choking on the frothy toothpaste in his mouth. After a few coughs and some water, Fredrick turned to face the speaker on his left. He knew who it was before he even turned his head. "Serlina! You know I hate it when you sneak up on me like that. I almost died!" He griped, pointing at the sink. Serlina, one of Fredrick's box weapons, was a petite blue pixie—like a Tinkerbell, except with a stunning personality, and dominion over Rain flames. Oh, and if you called her "tinkerbell," she'd probably hurt you.
Why and how was she outside of her box without being explicitly summoned? Again, she has a personality of her own, and she can leave her box at will. Conveniently for her, said box was implanted in Fredrick's left arm. Such an implant was the first of its kind in recorded history, though his father told him that they were planning on expanding the technology in the future. "One day, we'll be able to implant flame rings themselves into their users," his father had told him some time ago. "Imagine the possibilities!" But Fredrick doubted the technology would ever get that far. The rings themselves, implanted inside of people? That's just creepy. How would they be handed down and stuff?
"You know," he continued, "sometimes I think—"
"Fred," she interrupted, her translucent wings buzzing as she zipped around impatiently. She only did this when she had something pressing on her mind.
"What happened?" He asked, worry entering his voice.
"I heard one of the motion detectors go off! Are you deaf? Something is going on downstairs, and your father is going to check it out!" There was definitely an urgency to her tone, but not without an underlying implication: she wanted him to go downstairs with his father.
Fredrick's eyes grew wide. "No way," he said flatly. "It's probably car thieves again. Dad can handle it. I'll just stay up here out of the way..."
"Oh, Fred. You've got to help!"
"I really don't think—"
"What if he needs you?!"
"But I don't—"
"You're gonna be a Vongola guardian, Fred. You can't be afraid of these little things anymore."
Fredrick shook his head. "But Serlina, I'll just get in the way. It'd be much safer for us all up here." He flashed her a sheepish grin, but she wasn't buying it. She just glared at him, her wings flickering angrily behind her. Fredrick couldn't take it and eventually gave in.
"Oh... fine," he finally agreed. "But when I get beaten up and murdered, it'll be all your fault," he mocked, wiping his mouth on a nearby towel and grasping at the door handle. He took a deep breath, trying to summon the courage he needed to proceed. Serlina was right. As a Vongola guardian, he'd be facing much worse threats than petty car thieves. He'd be facing hitmen, mobsters... maybe even those weird guys that attacked the ring ceremony. He had to be ready to pacify them.
Maybe this counts as some sort of roundabout training? He could brag about it to Samuel.
Feeling sufficiently enthused, he opened the bathroom door ever so slightly, trying to sneak a peek out into the hall. Serlina was having none of that, however, and rammed her little pixie shoulder into Fredrick's back with as much force as she could muster, causing him to stumble through the door. He almost tripped over his own feet.
"Hey!" He hissed, looking back over his shoulder at his pixie box weapon; however, Serlina was not looking at him, she was pointing. Following her gaze, Fredrick's eyes landed on the secondary door. They called it the "sally port". It was the secret exit his father often used to surreptitiously enter the auto shop from behind. If there was a thief or thieves down there, he'd be able to sneak up on them without much effort.
"See, he's handling everything," he whispered, keeping his voice low, as if he were in danger of being overheard. "Let's just go back."
"No! Downstairs!" She insisted, tugging on his sleeve, trying to pull him towards the front door. "Use the main door."
"Okay okay, I'm going." He sighed, pressing twice on a small card-sized area of the wall next to the door. A backlit keypad revealed itself. After tying a string of digits, a light above the input device blinked green and the door in front of him opened, revealing a tenebrous scarcely lit stairwell that lead straight down to the auto parts shop. Fredrick stared at them, gulping audibly, paralyzed by fear.
"March." Selina commanded.
"But—!"
Her voice grew several shades softer. "Go check it out. You can do it."
With another gulp, Fredrick slowly tiptoed his way down the stairs until he reached the door that directly sequestered the staircase and the shop floor. From the outside, the door would appear as a barely noticeable dent in the wall. It was even painted the same color as its surroundings, further masking its presence. A thief wouldn't even notice its existence.
Or so he told himself.
Carefully, he pulled on the door handle, gently pushing the featureless hunt of metal forward. He was trying to be as quiet as possible, but the door squeaked loudly in protest of every inch. Fredrick winced, wishing now that he'd oiled the thing like his father had asked. I gave myself away! I gave myself away! But as he let the door swing the rest of the way open, he was presented with not a gaggle of robbers aiming their weapons at him, but the dark empty expanse of the auto shop floor room. The only other sound he could hear was the buzzing of Serlina's wings.
"See," he said, confidence suddenly underpinning his tone, "nothing here." He turned again to look at her. "Can we go back up now?"
She shook her head, pointing again.
When he saw what she was pointing to this time, he instantly felt nauseous. "Um... you want me to go into dad's lab? Are you crazy?" He'd never been allowed in there. Ever. The fact that the door was open wasn't a good sign though. He'd never once seen it just standing open in real life. What if the robbers are in there? What if they forced dad to open the door? Threatening him at gunpoint. Fredrick clenched his fists. Maybe Serlina was right. Maybe he did need help!
Serlina recognized the newfound determination in Fredrick's eyes and smiled. "Atta boy!" She whispered enthusiastically. "We can do it!"
He was able to round the corner and take a few steps down the stairs towards his father's lab before he heard something that made him freeze instantly, a chill running up his spine. The sound was unmistakable. He'd heard it a thousand times before.
It was his father's shotgun. A round had just been chambered, the echo travelling up the staircase to his ears.
Frozen in place, Fredrick strained his ears, trying to get an idea of what was going on down there. The very last thing he wanted to hear was a gunshot. He pondered rushing in, but doubted his father would appreciate his presence down there. The place was strictly off limits for him. In fact, this was probably the closest he'd ever gotten to the lab in his life.
Muffled voices interrupted his train of thought.
"You win," came an unfamiliar voice. Fredrick blinked twice, confused, before his worst fears were confirmed. A shotgun blast rang out, followed the sounds of a struggle. Someone fell over, probably riddled with bullet holes. Dad! Though before he could speed down the stairs, someone else was already there, standing at the landing. It was some stranger, his back to Fredrick. Once again he froze, but this time for only a moment. Slowly, he started creeping backwards up the staircase, hoping not to catch the guy's attention.
"Thanks for the gift, great grampa Koenig." He heard the stranger say. "I'll be sure it is put to good use."
Fredrick was only a few steps away from the doorway, but it was too late. As the stranger turned and looked upwards, they locked eyes. Even though the stairwell wasn't well lit, Fredrick could still make out some features of the guy's face. For a fraction of a second, the stranger wore a confused expression, but that confusion melted away, replaced by something that was all too familiar. It was the "target locked" look. He used to get it from bullies all the time.
Panicking, Fredrick began backpedalling up the remaining stairs, nearly falling over himself. At the same time, the stranger had begun ascending the stairs at an extremely rapid pace, taking two and three at a time. Even worse, some sort of knife materialized in the stranger's hand, its blade edge surrounded by a dusty light-blue aura. Eerily, it reminded him of the Rain flame, except...
"Woah woah woah woah!" He stuttered, crossing his hands over his chest and then separating them multiple times, still backpedaling. This guy was obviously the intruder. He definitely didn't want to fight him.
"RUN!" Serlina commanded, gathering rain flames into her hands in preparation for a defense, but it was too late. Though Fredrick managed to make it up past the top of the stairs and was now out on the shadowy floor of the auto shop, the intruder had already closed the distance. He was within arm's reach now.
"Crap!"
Without warning, the intruder made a vertical swipe at him with his blade. Fredrick may have been scared, but he was far from helpless. The moment he saw the blade coming at him, it was like something else took over. The sounds around him seemed to dampen as if he were wearing earmuffs, his vision tunneling, focusing on the weapon in the intruder's hand. His thoughts dispersed as he took on a sense of complete mental clarity and acuity.
He dodged the swipe easily, angling his upper body sharply to the left, twisting at the waist so that his shoulder and arm were out of harm's way. He felt a cooling sensation as the weapon passed by the side of his face and torso.
The intruder was not impressed. Without pause, he pressed forward, this time making a wide, lateral swipe. Fredrick moved just as quickly, bowing forward at the waist and avoiding the attack yet again. He could hear the woosh of the blade parting the air just as much as he could feel the biting chill of the weapon as it passed over the back of his head. It was surprisingly cold, as if he'd just been blasted by snow. Swinging his upper body backwards, he used his momentum to dodge yet another strike, this one diagonal across the chest, but the intruder did something unexpected. He followed up with an attack from a different blade in his other hand, this one longer and with a wider edge, like a machete. Fredrick hopped back with as much force as he could, but the intruder moved forward with him, attempting to keep the distance between them, making a lateral swipe at Fredrick's abdomen.
He could feel a burning sensation, like frostbite, around his bellybutton. Concentration broken, he tripped over his own feet and fell backwards onto some equipment, looking down at his stomach. The shirt was ripped and ice had formed around the frayed edges, but his skin had not been broken. He'd successfully dodged the surprise attack.
Their entire exchange took place over the course of maybe two or so seconds.
Fredrick looked up at the intruder. That confused nonplussed expression had returned, as if Fredrick outmaneuvering him was completely and utterly unexpected. The intruder squinted then, as if he couldn't see where Fredrick was. That's when he realized that it was still reasonably dark. The sun had yet to fully rise. The auto parts shop was shrouded in deep shadow. Quickly, Fredrick used his hands to scurry backwards, hoping to further mask his presence within the darkness, but the intruder had other ideas. As if on reflex, he quickly launched the smaller of his blades at where he suspected Fredrick to be. It was a perfect throw, and there was no way Fredrick could dodge it, not while he was on his butt.
Fredrick looked to the side, screwing his eyes shut in the hopes that that would offer him some sort of protection. After several seconds of not feeling like he'd been run through with a dagger, he slowly opened his eyes.
The weapon was floating in the air not one inch from his nose. Serlina had thrown up a wall of Rain flames to block the attack, and the held the dagger suspended within them. After a few moments she dropped the barrier, the dagger falling to his lap. Strangely, it was missing its blade edge. It was just a handle. Fredrick picked it up, eyeing it with great curiosity. What is this thing? Where'd the edge go? His head snapped up then, suddenly remembering that there was an enemy in the vicinity.
He looked left. He looked right. He saw nothing but darkness.
"Serlina," he muttered, but she already knew the question.
"He's gone. Left out the back door."
With a sigh, Fredrick got to his feet. "Did you know who that was?"
"Too dark to fully make out his face. You?"
"Same. But his weapons..."
Fredrick touched the spot on his shirt where the luminous machete had almost eviscerated him. It was extremely cold.
"I felt it," Serlina blurted out.
"What?"
"I felt it, when I blocked his dagger. His flame. It was... weird."
"Weird? Like how?" He felt like he was asking a question whose answer he already knew.
"Yeah, like Jayon's dad's old Zero Point Breakthrough, but... different somehow. Even with the Tranquility attribute of the Rain, it felt like it was damaging my barrier."
Fredrick frowned, trying to wrap his head around what that meant, when he heard a door slam shut. Looking up, he saw his father with some sort of assault weapon in his hands. The man did a double take when he spotted his son on the ground, a horrified look overwhelming his facial features. He sped over to kneel at Fredrick's side, dropping his weapon and placing his hand where the boy's shirt had been cut. He was checking for blood. His expression softened when he found none.
"Fredrick, are you okay?" He asked calmly, voice even and tempered. He was obviously still irate, but he tried not to let it show.
"Yeah," Fredrick said, smiling. So his father had not been shot afterall. "You?"
"Yeah, I'm good. Just a bit of trouble with some street punk, is all. Why were you down here? Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for school?"
Fredrick broke eye contact, looking away and scratching at his cheek with his index finger. "Um... well, I thought you might be in trouble or something and could use some backup and stuff and the alarm was going off and the door was open to your lab plus I'm the Vongola guardian and Serlina said I—"
His father sighed, the beginnings of a grin pulling at his lips. "I see." He stood, hoisting Fredrick up with him. Serlina had returned to her box. "You should probably get ready." The man nodded to the door. "I'll call this in."
"Wait. Who was that guy? Did you know him?!"
His father shook his head. "Never seen him before, but he has some weird power. A flame type I've never encountered."
Fredrick narrowed his eyes, remembering the faintly-glowing blade the intruder had thrown at him. He still had the handle. "He tried to attack me, ya know. He accidentally left one of his weapons, too."
His father looked shocked. "Really? A weapon? Do you have it?"
Fredrick nodded, producing the handle and presenting it to his father, whom took it up in his hands, examining it at odd angles. "Intersting. I'll study this, thanks. You sure you're okay?"
Glad that he was of at least some assistance, Fredrick beamed. "Yep! I guess I'll go get ready. Don't wanna be late." With a nod, he turned towards the door that lead back up to their home.
"Oh, and Fred."
Fredrick looked back over his shoulder. "Yah?"
"Things might change later, but for now," he looked his son in the eye, "under no circumstances should you enter my lab. Okay?"
"O-kay," he said sheepishly.
**
As he walked through the halls to his classroom, thoughts of the attacker and his unknown flame kept coming back to him. He felt like there was a connection between the intruder and the attack on the ring ceremony, but his friends never said anything about an enemy with a freezing flame. Was it just random coincidence? What exactly did the guy steal, anyway? He forgot to ask. And handles with no blades? What was that all about?
With a sigh, he entered the classroom. He'd arrived early like usual, in between the previous occupants of the class leaving and the next class entering, so the room was pretty much empty, save a few stragglers. Taking his seat off in the back, he put his head down, trying to figure out what exactly transpired this morning. What was in his father's lab that someone would want to steal? Again, he forgot to ask, so he could only imagine. Dang.
As his classmates began to filter in, he heard Samuels voice. He came into the room talking with someone else and didn't seem to notice him. It was understandable, as Fredrick was a pretty unnoticeable guy. Class started when the teacher walked in, and everyone took their seats. With a sigh, Fredrick put his chin in his hands, resting his elbows on his desk. Several minutes into the class, Samuel raised his hand. "Miss! I don't understand the question!" Fredrick grinned, expecting that. When it happened again, Fredrick raised his hand, the smile still fresh upon his face.
"Yes, Fredrick?"
"A-squared plus B-squared is equal to C-squared."
"Correct."
Samuel, who was sitting more towards the front of the class, looked over his shoulder at Fredrick, having recognized his voice. Fredrick smiled in response, giving a curt wave.