Ava slowly woke up, her head swimming. Why was she always passing out and waking up in a new place? Why had no one killed her while she was out? Ava tried to move to stand up, yet was held back by… ropes? "Great, they're getting creative." Ava laughed at her own joke.
"What's so funny?" A harsh voice snapped. A hanging lamp turned on, illuminating the dark room. In front of her was a man in a suit. He had blond hair that was combed neatly.
"Oh no, am I in a noir film?" Ava asked.
"Wh- How does a mutant know about those?! How do you look so much like a human?! Why did you attack your own kind?!" The man threw questions at Ava in rapid fire, pointing the light into her face.
"Okay, first, get the light out of my eyes before I'm blind. Second, I am not a Yokai." Ava squinted her eyes. "And third, why are you dressed so well during a war?"
"Wh- BULLSHIT! You were using magic!" The man accused.
"Soul magic." Ava added. "It's… a long story. All you need to know is I learned how to utilize my soul as a powertype to then use as a shield or weapon."
"WHY WOULD YOU ATTACK YOUR OWN KIND?!" He snapped.
Ava sighed. "Oh my god you never listen do you? You know, we got off on the wrong start. My name is Ava. You are…?"
"Kris. Kris Hermen." He glared as he moved the light out of Ava's eyes. "Say, if you're a human, what's your last name?" He challenged.
Ava paused. "...I don't know."
"How could you forget your last name if you're a human?" He asked triumphantly.
"I'm adopted." Ava shrugged. "Well I was. Then I was un-adopted when I was an adult so I never really knew my real last name. My adoptive name was Dreemurr."
"When were you born?!" He challenged.
"I dunno. I was adopted."
"W- Um… When were you adopted?!"
"I don't know, we never filed any papers. It was a gradual process."
Kris put his hands on his face as he looked up, screaming with anger. "Do you know anything?!" He snapped.
"I know that hippopotamus milk is pink." She answered. Ava was struggling to hold back her laughter. It was fun messing with Kris. This was some of the best banter she had had in a while.
"I-I mean about yourself!" Kris's face was red with anger as he took a deep breath. "You have no proof you are not a mutant. So you will stay here until you answer us, or you starve."
"Yokai." Ava corrected.
"What?"
"Yokai." Ava repeated. "They aren't mutants. There's nothing human about them. Only a few 'mutants' were made, and those were either animals transformed into human-like creatures or humans transformed into animal-like creatures. Yet above all, they are called Yokai."
"You are not proving your innocence." Kris growled. He drew a glock from an inside coat pocket, pointing it at Ava's chin. "And you are going to tell me what you know or your face will match your race."
Ava froze. She was good at combat. All her practice as of late had certainly helped. But she couldn't beat a gun, least not at this distance. "Okay. Okay. No need to shoot me. My name is Ava. I have learned to utilize my soul as a weapon. I come from… distant lands, inaccessible from here. My best friend, Leo, rules the hidden city… And there is a war going on. That's all I know. I have been… incapacitated for a while and only recently was brought into the hidden city where I found out this information. I have been shocked, beaten and choked by the Yokai because of an outlaw of humans in the hidden city. But before I go on, I have one question. Where am I?"
Kris sighed. "You are in our secret base. Welcome to T.R.A.P.S. Targeted Registry and Analysis of Paranormal Subjects."
"Well besides the ominous foreshadowing, can you let me go? I mean, I won't run. My whole purpose was to find the person leading the charge against the Yokai. I need to talk to him." Ava requested.
Kris sighed. "Fine. You don't seem like a Yokai anyways. But if you double cross me, I'll have your head." He threatened. He moved around her, untying the ropes. "Damn it why do the boys always tie it so tight… Come on… Augh! To hell with it!" Kris pulled out a pocket knife, trying to cut through the rope. One strand… two strands… three strands…
"D-do you wanna use my sword?" Ava asked.
"What? What sword?" He asked.
Ava concentrated, summoning her sword in her hand. "Here, take it."
Kris stared. "...Okay, so after we see the general, I'm bringing you to the labs to get that checked out." He took the sword, slicing through the ropes with ease. "Wow, this is sharp. What kind of whetstones do you use?"
"I've actually never sharpened it. It just gets dull when my mind does, ironically." Ava stood up. "Now, take me to your leader." She joked, following Kris down the hall.
Kris led Ava through various hallways, letting Ava get a glimpse of everything. The few people they saw stared at Ava as if she had 10 legs and horns.Kris led her to a vertical tunnel with a ladder. "Hope you're good with climbing." Kris motioned for her to climb up first. The ladder seemed to go on forever, Ava's arms felt like they were falling off.
"H-hey, when are we gonna, y'know, reach the top?" She asked, pausing.
"They have a ledge halfway up. We're almost there, hang in there for a few more minutes." Kris answered, his voice echoing through the tunnel.
"This seems like a health hazard." Ava commented as she continued climbing, her knuckles beginning to scream.
"This base is for trained military personnel. Civilians don't even know of this place. It'd be too revealing to build an elevator shaft up." Kris explained. "How're you holding up?"
"Oh just amazing." Ava shifted her body to look over her shoulder, down to him. "In fact, I could go on fore-" Ava's hand slipped. Time seemed to slow down as she struggled to grab the ladder. She grasped for the bars as she fell backwards, falling once again, to her death.