Many students passed through the halls of Inusaka High. From the famous, such as current Khazanian President Ryoko Pharis, to the infamous, like Diedre Dollar, the mysterious and reclusive daughter of Marc Dollar. Yushiro Kataki was one of the "Average" students among the populace. His sword skills were adequate, just enough to garner the eye of the Majestics that controlled the high school from the shadows. His science skills, too, were of note. His father and mother were renown chemists, and forced their son to pursue their line of work despite resistance from their classically-minded son. As Yushiro pressed through his science studies at the demand of his parents, he secretly studied the arts of kendo and bushido. His mind was of a bygone era. Honor. Sacrifice. Death. That is what was on the mind of this young boy, not the statistics and formulae that his parents felt would lead to a successful career. But it was not the experiments and the breakthroughs that Yushiro took a part in along with his parents that caught the eye of the Majestics. They saw in him that which his future sensei would see in him. True honor. The Majestics wished to harness this honor to their own powers. Little did they know that Yushiro Kataki would fall under the wing of the greatest swordsman of recent history...

Yushiro Kataki slowly steps into his apartment building after a brisk workout at his kendo dojo. Yushiro starts his usual ritual of activities that he goes through every day. First thing: grab his mail. As usual, just the monthly phone bill, coupons, and.... this was odd. An envelope made of what seemed to be expensive parchment. Certainly not something he saw everyday in his mail. He looks at where the return address would be. He only found a ink-stamped leaf in the corner. A sense of nostalgia and dread comes over him, but he neither says nor thinks anything to himself. He merely opens the letter. It is written in fine Japanese calligraphy, and reads as follows...

Devyn Soyokaze

Yushiro silently folds the letter up and places it back into the parchment envelope. "I knew it would come to this, old friend." he thinks to himself as he walks to his apartment. "As much as I wished otherwise, I always knew this was our destiny. Welcome home Devyn."

Yushiro wrestles with the idea of sleep for most of the night, but the idea just can't escape him.

Why Seryph... what has he done? What is it that could have happened all those years ago to cause someone to hate him with this much passion? Who would still continue such a strong emotion over fifty years after the fact?

Yushiro knew of the Apathy Wars... in passing. He knew more than the average person in Khazan. He knew that Seryph participated in the Wars, and he knew that he was the sole survivor of the elite forces that some claimed were the Chosen Ones sent by the Universe itself to combat the encroaching power of The Void. But that was all. Who was "HE?" Devyn spoke as if "HE" were someone so important, a mere hint of his presence was all that was needed.

"Who is HE? Who is HE? Who is HE?"

Yushiro's mind finally drifts off into slumber with the repetition of these words.

"And that, class, is the end of today's lecture."

Yushiro steps away from his podium, quickly heading to the exit behind him, avoiding the shouts from his students. There was no time for Chemistry questions today.

Normally, after his lectures in his Chemistry classes at The University of Khazan, Yushiro would stay after to answer any and all questions posed by his students... and there was always plenty of questions to go around. Not today, though.

Yushiro slips out the door and continues to ignore the requests of his students. More than one student persists in their need for clarification on this equation or that equation. All meet with deaf ears. A handful persist as Yushiro ascends the staircase at a brisk pace, heading up to the teacher office floor. Even one tries to stick his foot in the door as Yushiro closes it shut on the persistent students, but to no avail, as Yushiro slyly kicks the student's foot out of the doorway right before the door crashes in the young man's face. Finally, Yushiro is within the sanctuary that was his office.

Yushiro picks up his phone and hit the first button on his speed dial: the FPL Admissions Office, or to put it simply, Seryph's office number. The phone rings once. Twice. Thrice. An answer.

The voice on the other end is that of Seryph's secretary, Amelia Dickinson.

"FPL Admissions Department, this is Amelia. Can I help you?"

"Is Seryph there at the moment?" Yushiro says with a hurried whisper, as if some outside force was listening in to their conversation.

"No... Seryph isn't in right now." Amelia replies in her usual jovial tone, totally oblivious to Yushiro‘s hushed voice. "I think he's out at the arena at the moment, and he won't be back until late this afternoon. Do you want me to give him a message?"

"6:30 PM, at the dojo. He'll know what I mean. Thanks."

"I'll pass it on." Amelia says with a friendly tone which grows more solemn as the sentence drags on. "Yushiro... you sound kinda concerned. What's up? You usually aren't so wound up."

"Oh... just a rough day at school. That's all." Yushiro says, poorly hiding the concern resonating in his voice.

"Don't lie to me, buster. You and me go way back. I can tell you're lying. Unlike Seryph, you can't lie when it comes to important stuff. Go ahead, spit it out."

Yushiro is silent for a few moments. "How much of Seryph's past do you know?"

"Other than the fact that's he's immortal and fought in some war way back in the day, nothing. Like I said, he can lie about important stuff, unlike you. So, what's that have to do with you being so antsy?"

"You know the old cliché about the past coming back to haunt you, right?"

"Yeah."

"Something like that. I'm afraid Seryph's past is going to do just that. Soon enough, he'll have to stop lying, and reveal the truth to us."

"Doubt it, buddy. He's kept up the act since before either of us were born. But you really do sound concerned. Should I say anything to Seryph about that?"

"No. I'd rather take the burden on myself. No need to drag you in."

"Whatever, buddy. Just let me know what I can do. Need I remind you that you aren't Seryph's only friend."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Thanks."

The sun is slowly setting over Khazan as two men kneel before each other in a quaint dojo. Both men are dressed in clothing betraying the traditional surroundings of the dojo. One wears a fine quality business suit of fine make. The other wears denim and casual wear. Both sit in meditation, their faces parallel to one another, so that when they rise from meditation, the first thing they will see is one another. Student facing master, master facing student. After many minutes of quiet contemplation both open their eyes at the same moment.

But only one speaks after this, and fixes his gaze upon his master even stronger than before as he speaks.

"Seryph. Who is HE?"

Seryph resumes his meditative look.

Yushiro remains kneeled before his sensei, but his tone of voice hints that such a prone position was not wholly appropriate.

"Seryph! You know who I speak of! Devyn wrote me yesterday. He told me that HE was coming to resume an old feud."

Seryph continues to meditate, either fully aware of everything Yushiro was saying and would say the next moment, or totally vacant from any such awareness.

"HE! The Apathy Wars! What does it all mean? Why does someone wish to see you dead after all of this time? Tell me!" Yushiro's posture shifts forward ever so slightly, and with this Seryph's eyes returned to the physical plane of awareness.

"Lovecraft."