AN: Sorry about getting this out later than I would have liked today. Stuff happened. Sorry, again.

Anyway, I'm going to put some effort into trying to get this into at least a once per week update now that I am starting to feel better again. It's mostly just designed as a side-project, but a little more focus on it couldn't hurt. :)

Enjoy.

Chapter 10: Empathic Resonance

Words hurt like a fist. People who feel themselves to be wise or progressive often say this to those who have trouble dealing with their anger. It is meant to remind someone that what one says actually matters. However, there is a certain fallacy in that statement. Words do hurt, and their damage can linger. A young douchebag named Henry had discovered the nature of the lie housed within that old witticism. Words might hurt like a fist, but a fist can knock your teeth out.

Henry reeled as a dainty feminine fist flashed out once more. Blood splattered hotly from his mouth as teeth were sent flying. Chained to the wall, he could do nothing but receive his rightful punishment.

The one who delivered his punishment was a girl, rather a woman barely out of her teenage years. She wore typical clothes that any young girl might wear. Jeans, a T-shirt, a hoody, it was nothing out of the ordinary, save for one thing. They were all a dull red color.

Blood poured from Henry's face. He nearly choked on one of his own teeth. He wept bitter tears as he received the punishment he had earned, the reward for failure. Luckily for him, it was just a minor failure. Wounds like this can be healed, the psychological scars from being given to the other disciplinarian would have been much deeper.

"That's enough Phan." said a cultured masculine voice. The voice belong to a man who appeared to be in his late twenties, perhaps his early thirties. He was slender, but held a quite strength about him.

"Yes. Master." said the short girl before taking a step back from her handiwork.

The sandy haired man walked casually over to Henry then placed a gloved finger to the beaten man's chin. "What do we say?"

"T-han—" began Henry before he was assaulted by a rattling cough. Blood, spittle, and chunks of teeth flew from his mouth and landed on the stone floor with a splat. "Thank you, master Jaedu."

Jaedu smiled at the ruination of a man, the creature hanging from the chains before him. "You're welcome, boy." The smile grew smug. "Are you ready to do your job properly this time?"

"Y-yes..." said Henry, his voice slurring. "Yes, master."

Jaedu's hand shifted forward, his thumb pressed down on Henry's bleeding lip. The beaten man new better than to scream, but tears welled up in his eyes from the pain of what he was experiencing. "Excellent. After you get cleaned up, you will begin your next task at once."

Henry knew better than to speak. It was not his place to acknowledge his master at the moment. It was his place to listen. Jaedu snapped his fingers, and another demon appeared in the room via teleportation. The sultry creature strode toward him, a data pad in hand.

Jaedu took the data pad in one hand then pulled Henry's face to the side using his thumb and forefinger. "See this?"

On the screen was a beautiful blond girl. She had bright blue eyes, and a cheerful smile. "Yes, master." said Henry.

"Learn her face well. You will need to retrieve her shortly."

"Retrieve her, master?" asked Henry, his voice slurred slightly due to the position of his jaw. He was reasonably certain that he had the right to speak now, since it involved asking questions about performing his job.

Jaedu released the man from his grip then sighed. "It seems our pretty little demon escaped during transport. We lost track of her for weeks, she's no doubt nearly regressed by now."

The sandy haired man frowned slightly. "The one's who lost her were executed, of course. However, our psychomancers have discovered her general whereabouts."

"I see. You're ordering me to track her down and bring her back ... alive?" asked Henry.

"Good. You understand." Jaedu placed his hands together then smiled in a deceptively friendly manner. "Try not to damage her too much. Just like that precious little angel who I wanted you to capture, she's worth far more than you can ever hope to be."

"Understood, Master Jaedu." said Henry. He did not even bother to balk at his master's tone or words.

"I'll leave you to it then, my faithful hound." Jaedu patted Henry on the cheek in a friendly manner, and then squished his cheeks so that his lips were forced into a position known as fishy face/ The agony in Henry's eyes made it clear that the pain of his face being pressed in such a way was excruciating.

The master held Henry's face in his grip without concern for his underling's pain tolerance. After a brief moment he offered him a cheerfully charismatic smile. "I know you'll bring me good news, soon."

Jaedu left the room, and a few minutes later the chains holding Henry dissipated into the air like they had never existed. The beaten dog knelt down, blood still pouring from his ravaged mouth. He picked up the data pad and gazed angrily at the image onscreen. "Nina Ashton... Last known whereabouts, the north quadrant of the Ancient Forest of Olde."

He curled the fingers of his free hand into a fist then growled lightly, blood bubbling past his lips. His next mission would take him back to those damned woods once more. Unlike last time, however, he did not anticipate a blue haired asshole coming out of nowhere to cause problems. He would get the bitch, and get back into the good graces of his master. There was no other possible outcome that he could allow.

***

The sound of creaking bones and the groans of a man pushing his body past its limit echoed through the room as Scott held his body up in the air solely by his hinds. He was not performing a handstand. He was performing a push-up with his heels held off the ground and pulled back toward his rear end.

Grandpa tilted his head left and right then whacked Scott across the ass with a stick. "Straighten your back! You're not a prostitute."

The slight arch in his back flattened considerably as Scott tried to keep his body balanced. This method of exercise was well beyond his normal physical limits, but due to strict training, and his focus on his mana, he was able to perform six of these push-ups in a row now.

In the course of the training time with Grandpa, Scott had improved rapidly. In less than two weeks, he had put on muscle and lost the bit of excess flab he had gained after leaving the military. If he was asked about it specifically, he was as close to his peak fighting form that he had been in years. Physical training combined with mana focus paid off heavily.

"Alright. That's enough. All we need to do is have you reach the point where you can meditate while doing this. Actual physical training comes later." said Grandpa.

Scott lowered his body to the ground then worked his way to his feet, nearly slipping down in the process. He had begun to sweat profusely only part of the way into the training session for the day, and the floor was slick with his manly exertions.

Grandpa murmured something about balance training, but did not direct him toward performing such a thing. "You're doing well. I suspect that you will have improved your mana capacity by a decent amount when we go to have the diagnostic test run again at the end of the month."

"I appreciate everything that you've done for me." said Scott, before catching a towel that Grandpa threw to him. He toweled off a little, while the older man led him out of the training hall.

Outside, the atmosphere was still slightly festive. People from all over the area would stop by the shrine during the day to seek guidance, or to offer a prayer. Donations were often offered as well, which helped greatly with the maintenance of the modest religious center.

The two men walked down the pathway leading toward the back, where their residences were located. Scott had to rinse off a little in the shower, and then get ready to sweep the area after the last visitor left for the night. Grandpa had to attend to the needs of any shrine-goers who had been waiting to hear his guidance.

On the way, Grandpa reached into a pocket in his robe and then pulled out something that was hidden by his fist. "Scott. You dropped this earlier."

The old man turned his fist over and opened his fingers. Scott looked down to see what he had in hand and then closed his eyes a little. "I see."

"I won't ask you about this, but I'll listen if you want to talk." said Grandpa gently.

Scott looked down toward the ground. "I... It's not really something I feel comfortable with discussing at the moment."

Grandpa nodded slowly then returned Scott's precious thing to him. "I won't ask about it again, but consider telling me sometime? I promise that I will listen."

The item of discussion entered Scott's pocket after a brief moment of hesitation. "I'll think about it, Grandpa."

Ancient eyebrows pressed together thoughtfully as the elder was about to say something remarkably profound. However, he was cut off by the sudden shriek of one of the shrine goers. Both men turned toward the frightful sound then took off toward its location.

They rounded a corner just in time to see several shrine-goers being accosted by what appeared to be a human-sized dancing cherry. Grandpa spoke first. "No, one of the trees must be sick."

"Scott, you stay back and watch. You are not ready for this, yet!" exclaimed the old man before he ran forward at great speed. He threw his hands back behind him like someone who had watched too many stories about ninjas. Though, in the older man's defense he was wearing loose robes that would have caused a lot of wind resistance and billowing if he had tried to run like a normal person from the modern era.

Grandpa ran into the fray without care or concern for his own elderly bones. The monster turned toward the oncoming elder just as the master came to a complete stop like he had not been running at a dead-sprint. The shrine-goers scattered during the brief moment that the monster hesitated, and that was all Grandpa needed to begin the battle properly.

The older man slapped his hands together and formed an intricate seal with his fingers. Several semi-transparent images of him spread outward from his body then moved to encircle the beast.

The cherry monster, turned round and round in place trying to see what was happening. That was its biggest mistake. Grandpa used the moment of distraction to shift his hand seal into a different configuration. The spectral Grandpa's suddenly thrust their palms forward in unison and shouted, "Evil Be Gone! Cursed Soul Ignite!"

The cherry monster screamed in pain as holy flames washed over it like a miniature tidal wave of elderly justice. The beast fell over then dispersed into motes of light. All that was left behind was a single ordinary cherry, one that had become just a little bit rotten underneath.

"Grandpa... That was amazing." said Scott, after he ran over to check on the older man. "Are you alright?"

A laugh and a wave of his hand was the older man's response. His smile was broad, and he did seem to be even slightly tired. If anything, he had even more vim and vigor than before. "I'm perfectly fine. It's been a while since I cut loose like that on a simple monster."

"As long as you're alright." said Scott. "You took care of whatever that was pretty easily."

"That? Oh, that was just a cursed beast." said Grandpa.

He started to explain after he saw Scott's curious look, but Reina came rushing over. The perpetually angry shrine maiden cried out, "Grandpa!"

"Reina." said Grandpa with a nod of his head. "Are you well today?" he asked, as though they were enjoying a normal conversation.

"Don't hand me that! I heard there was a monster..." said Reina. She looked around, a gnarled staff in hand.

Grandpa looked to Scott then winked before strolling off. He sighed lightly then shook his head. "To think my darling granddaughter has become someone who listens to gossip."

"Grandpa!" exclaimed Reina. She eyed Scott hatefully for a moment then turned and chased after the older man.

After they left Scott looked down at the cherry that had been left behind. No one had paid it any attention after the cursed beast had been defeated, so he figured it was safe to mess with it. Scott reached down and picked it up.

He held it at eye level for a moment. Curious, he touched the slightly rotten part on the bottom, then gasped loudly when a strange warmth flowed along his finger and into the little rotten thing.

Weakness overtook him briefly and he came close to falling to the ground. It was like the rot beneath the thing had drained the life out of him.

"W-what the hell was that?" asked Scott. He eyed the thing once more then frowned. The rot had spread a little. There was definitely something curious going on here.

He carried the thing with him, careful not to touch the rotten portion, as he went to look for Grandpa. This bore looking into, and he wanted a few answers. Who knew what the sick little thing had done to him.

Scott found the arguing duo in the private shrine area, where the shrine's eternal flame burned. The argument stopped when he walked in carrying the cherry in front of him like it was a dangerous wild animal.

"What's with the cherry?" asked Reina, for once actually curious instead of angry.

Grandpa looked at Scott briefly then his eyes widened. "Something happened, didn't it?"

"I checked on this thing after you left. When I touched the rotten part on the bottom, it drew something out of me and I nearly collapsed." said Scott.

Both Reina and Grandpa stared openly at Scott for a moment. They then looked to each other before looking back to him. "Seriously?" asked Reina.

"I see. It must be your empathic resonance level..." remarked Grandpa thoughtfully.

"His empathic resonance?" asked Reina surprised. She jerked her thumb at him. "This guy has a high empathic resonance."

"It's over two hundred, Reina." said Grandpa softly.

The girl nearly choked on her own tongue when she heard that bit of Scott related trivia. "N-no way!"

"Empathic Resonance... That's the stat that determines how easily I can bond with demons, right?" asked Scott. "Is two hundred high? It's never been brought up before."

Grandpa sighed slowly then held out his hand. "Give me that first, please."

Scott handed the cherry to the older man, and the elder casually tossed it into the sacred flame. A tiny little scream echoed throughout the room as the rotten cherry was destroyed once and for all.

"I left that there because it's practically unheard of for anyone to have a resonance high enough to be effected by neutralized cursed beasts." said Grandpa. "Eventually, it would have dissolved on its own and returned to earth."

The younger man reached up and rubbed the back of his head. "Look, if I just caused problems for you, I'm sorry."

"No, no. You did nothing wrong." said Grandpa. The older man looked into the flames briefly then took a breath. "The truth is, I am unaccustomed to training people with your sort of potential. It was my fault."

"His potential? Grandpa... What are you talking about?" asked Reina. "He's just some criminal..."

"Reina, you will not continue to mindlessly badmouth one of my students in my presence." Grandpa looked to her, his gaze neutral but his voice filled with undeniable authority. "If you cannot be helpful, or at least remain silent, you will leave this room, now."

She squeaked at him a little then put a hand over her mouth. Even she could tell that this was not a time to backtalk her grandfather.

"Grandpa... What's going on? Why is my stat so important?" asked Scott.

"I had not wanted to alarm you, as I was not certain what it might actually mean for you." said Grandpa slowly. He acquired a serious expression. "You should not exist in this world."

Scott reeled back like he had been struck. What was the old man saying? He had heard something similar frequently in his old life, but to hear it said so casually by someone who had treated him so nicely. "That's a bit harsh..."

"No, not like that." said Grandpa with a slight, nervous, laugh. "What I mean is, that you have the sort of resonance that only veteran demon masters should have. I think the only man I know personally with a higher resonance is my father, and he has taken quite a while to get to that point..."

"So, it's much higher than it should be?" asked Scott. He was still not certain what the issue was, due to Grandpa's hesitation to explain.

"Scott, if you were a woman, you'd have been born a demon. No exceptions" said Grandpa flatly. The older man sucked in a breath amid a nervous laugh then tried to explain further. "There probably isn't a demon in the world who wouldn't at least consider letting you become her master after a proper encounter. With your empathy score, I'm surprised every unbound demon girl you've met hasn't just hurled her vagina at you."

The blue haired man's eyes widened in self-realization. "Holy shit! So that's why all those girls have been throwing their vaginas at me!"

"Eh? I was joking... but do give me some details." said Grandpa, a slightly lecherous grin on his face.

"Grandpa, this is serious!" exclaimed Reina. She glanced at Scott then looked away. "This idiot needs your help."

"You won't let an old man have any fun." said Grandpa petulantly, before poking out his lower lip. In that one shining moment, the wise old master thoroughly ruined the image he had cultivated when defeating the cursed beast.

Reina growled at her grandfather and he sighed loudly. The older man looked back to Scott and said, "Yes, it probably has something to do with your empathy."

Scott nodded slowly. "It didn't do much for me with those enforcers, or the psychic judge."

Grandpa laughed loudly then shook his head. "It probably did, but you didn't even know. Those kind are typically all business to the extent that they won't even pretend to listen to you, if you're accused of a crime."

The older man glanced at Scott then asked, "How did they treat you after the trial?"

"Only saw the judge once or twice. The enforcers came down now and then to give me a meal, or to see what I was doing. Nothing unusual, I guess."

Grandpa stared at him with open fascination. "Enforcers... came to visit you and brought you food?"

"They actually talked with you?" asked Grandpa, thoroughly curious.

"Yeah? Officer Pink told me a little about her family situation. Her uncle recently died in a car acc—" said Scott, only to be cut off by Grandpa.

"They told you about their families? Are you kidding me?"

"Why is this so weird for you?" asked Scott, confused.

"Enforcers don't talk to anyone other than their partner about anything when they're on the job!" exclaimed Grandpa. "They'd sooner smash someone's face in than have a conversation with a civilian." He flailed his arms around a little for emphasis. "Much less convicted criminals!"

"Weird. They came to visit me now and then... Officer Blue brought me some left over cookies that she had baked."

"C-cookies?" asked Grandpa. His eyes began to roll back in his head, but he caught himself before he fainted. "You... Your power is dangerous."

"Bringing me left over cookies is dangerous?" asked Scott. The man's reaction was weird. It wasn't like they had stopped treating him like a criminal. They had merely been cordial. On the ride over to the shrine, they had barely talked.

"An enforcer does not simply bring cookies to an inmate!" exclaimed the older man. "It... It doesn't happen!"

"Well, if it helps the visits weren't frequent. I spent the vast majority of my time sitting in my cell with nothing but the walls to keep me company." said Scott.

Grandpa nodded. "Still, if you can connect even with on duty enforcers then my thoughts were correct. You could conceivably bond with almost any kind of demon."

"You make it sound like this pervert can brainwash girls..." said Reina. She had a thoughtful look on her face as she said it. Perhaps he had already brainwashed a few, now that she thought about it.

The elder shook his head. "Nothing like that. It... It's more like a vibe he puts out that puts demons at ease. Sort of like..."

"Like..?" asked Scott. He wanted no part of a brainwashing power.

"I dunno... a really nice and caring older brother, or father figure. It's said that empathy comes from genuinely caring about others. In this case, demons feel more at ease around you, like maybe you'll be nice to them. It's hard to explain, but do you get the general idea?"

Scott quirked an eyebrow. "I have a nice guy vibe?"

"Maybe more like a potential boyfriend vibe?" asked Reina curiously. Scott looked at her with a curious look of his own. She coughed loudly then looked away. "Or not... You're a perverted animal." she said without looking at him.

"Aww, honey muffin. You noticed." said Scott sarcastically.

Reina coughed again, and then waved at the air quickly while still not looking at him. "Don't talk to me like that, you jerk! I wouldn't notice a criminal..."

Grandpa eyed his granddaughter for a moment then chuckled softly. His eyes grew sad after a moment, however. He often acquired that look lately when he thought of his granddaughter and the time she had left.