Far below the surface, a duo's footsteps echo through the empty, metal corridor. One of them is a sickly-looking girl. She has pale skin, is extremely thin, and has green-yellow hair. Her most distinctive features are, however, a pair of red-black skeletal wings and a red rune on her forehead, almost completely covered by her hair. The other is a smirking boy wearing a mostly blue uniform with a high collar. He has blond, straight hair and a rapier sheathed at his side.

Of the two, the boy is clearly in charge. He is walking behind the girl but any action she takes that slows there progress, even simply pausing to catch her breath, is met with harsh words and sometimes physical violence. It is clear that he sees her as less than human.

Then something happens that causes them to both pause and turn. A third set of footsteps had echoed through the hallway. The owner was moving much faster than the two, almost gliding along the floor. Another boy, wearing a similar uniform, was coming at the two. His hair was blue-black and tied back in a pony tail. His weapon of choice seemed to be a long sword. Unlike the first boy, his blade was drawn. "Bosch, get away from Nina!"

The blond boy, Bosch, grinned "That's fine. The only reason I've kept her alive was to lure you out!" Ryu yelled out in rage and brought his blade down in a diagonal slash, an attack that was easily blocked by Bosch. "C'mon, Ryu, without the dragon's help, there's no way you will beat me!" He pushed Ryu back and his blade darted forward in a blur. Ryu was barely able to block each attack and even then Bosch managed to cut Ryu a few times.

Ryu backed up and said "Fine then, if you want it!" This can't last too long, I can't let it control me. Embers begin to drift around him, coming from nowhere, and the smell of ash fills the air. Ryu's eyes turn red and a powerful aura surrounds him. He charges Bosch, this time much faster. Too fast for Bosch to do anything but stare as his left arm is cleaved off. "It's over, Bosch."

"Right you are, partner?" Ryu turns just in time for a grotesque claw to slam through his barrier and into his face. He is thrown against a wall and shakes his head to clear his mind. When he looks up, his eyes widen in horror. Bosch's arm had been replaced by a kind of… Ryu didn't know what it was, only that is was monstrous. It was as thin as a skeleton and covered in a black, hard material with red lines going through it. The material had spread to half of Bosch's face and his right eye was now a blank orb. "Why are you so surprised, partner? You didn't think I'd fight you again without a card to play, did you?"

Ryu stood up only for Bosch to disappear. He realized Bosch was to his right just in time for the claw to slash Ryu's arm, rendering it useless. His sword clattered to the floor as the claw grabbed Ryu's face. It slammed him into the wall hard enough to dent it. "And this is where to die, partner." Bosch pinned Ryu's limp form against the wall and held his rapier with his left hand. It shot forward and stabbed into Ryu's throat before being removed. "You bastard!" A female voice cried out just as a ball of energy came at Bosch. His arm flickered and slammed the ball aside. Far down the wall, a woman with red hair, cat ears, and a tail was holding a large rifle. She was wearing a blue and white costume that fit her form perfectly. She fired again and again but each blast was lazily deflected. Bosch grinned and leapt forward. The woman, Lin, attempted to dodge but the claw grabbed her throat. "I almost forgot about you."

Meanwhile, Nina had approached Ryu's body. She touched it and shook him a little, sobbing. She couldn't speak and all she could do is hold his body. She barely managed to croak at his name. Then she jumped back as Ryu's body was covered in red lines. His body turned black and energy filled the air. Bosch turned back in time to see Ryu stand up. "That's… not possible." Ryu grabbed his head and yelled in agony. His wound healed instantly as his body changed once again.

Ryu's arm and legs became scaly and clawed. Armored places grew over them, making them larger. His chest was covered in red, glowing symbols. Spikes grew from his back and flames erupted from them, making him look like he had wings of flame. His hair turned white and horns grew around his head. Bosch dropped Lin, watching Ryu change with horror.

"So, you had something else, partner? Well, it won't help-" Bosch didn't get to finish his sentence. Ryu seemed to simply disappear and reappear in front of Bosch. A clawed hand slammed into Bosch, sending him flying. Before Bosch even hit the floor however, Ryu moved above him and landed a kick on his back, slamming him into the floor. Bosch used his arm to push himself up as Ryu placed his hands together. Bosch held up his arm to defend himself only for a beam of energy to erupt from Ryu's hands and completely overwhelm Bosch. When the beam disappeared, Bosch was nowhere to be seen. Ryu's roared in triumph, then promptly collapsed.

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