Grassy fields and hills stretched as far as eye could see. Sparkling streams and leafy trees decorated the green scene. A closer glance revealed a number of colorful figures. Some strolled along paved paths, others sat legs crossed under the trees. Mohawks seemed to be in style here, along with gem earrings and baggy pants. Well, maybe mortals weren’t meant to understand the fashion tastes of the divine. After all, rare was the mortal who would ever meet a Shinjin face to face. Their duty was to observe, not to interfere. Thus they stayed in their sacred realm, out of reach and away from worldly matters. But sometimes... The worldly matters came to them.

Suddenly the serenity was disrupted by a strange tearing sound. The very air was forced apart like a struggling curtain. Murky darkness swirled within the forming portal. Red eyes gleamed. An ear-splitting scream echoed. Something forced itself through! ...Aaand tumbled face first onto the grass. The small, girlish creature sat up and rubbed her nose. Hm, this place... seemed nice... For a brief moment, the locals could only stare at the pink intruder and said intruder stared back. Finally someone managed to stammer the obvious. "M-m-m-majin... It’s a Majin..." The girl nodded excitedly. "Yup yup, Zam is a Majin, is what Zam is!" Her cheery declaration bounced across the awkward silence.

Cue the panic.

Half of the onlookers ran, flew or teleported away screaming. They took it as their noble task to warn everyone. Especially the people on the other side of the planet. Yes, that sounded like a wonderful idea right about now. The divines had a good memory, you see. From their point of view, the previous Majin incident happened all too recently. They needed to gather the strongest elders and seal away that monster. Preferably for eternity

However, braver souls remained behind to face the threat. One Shinjin in particular stepped in front of the intruder. If judged by his lean features alone, he may have seemed a bit young. But make no mistake. He was several thousand years old, experienced enough to face this threat. "Halt, monster! You will not defile this sacred world again! I, Shun, shall send you back from whence you came!" He took a stance passed down in secret scrolls for untold ages. Feet apart. Hands at ready. Steady breaths... The little Majin, meanwhile, cocked her head at the difficult words. "Uhhh...?" Before she could ask, a heavy palm strike coated in ki sent her stumbling backwards.

Now that she did understand...

Approximately two seconds later it was the brave Shun who was sent flying. He caught himself though, deftly flipping back onto his feet. A trickle of blood dripped from his bashed nose. More of a blow to the pride than body really. Zam glared at him with those eerie red eyes. "I’m not going back." Whistles of steam ruffled her hair as she furiously shook her head. "Never ever!" Fueled by untold fear, her rising power threatened to overwhelm the young Shinjin. He made the mistake of blinking... And got a stretching kick to the gut. He barely managed to raise his hands to defend as the girl closed the distance. Punch after punch she kept hammering the foe. Even through his guard each impact shook him to the core.

Cornered, the defender gathered his courage and let out something akin to a war cry. "Kaioken!" His aura exploded into a crimson blaze. The Majin’s eyes widened. "Kaiowhat-?" The answer was a fist to the face. Quickly the tables turned. Shun unleashed a calculated assault, each carrying far more power than his starting strike. Yet Zam refused to give up, tanking the hits and swinging wildly back in kind. A fierce exchange of blows followed. Two blazing comets zipped above the hills, twirling around each other in a dizzying dance.

Finally the violent choreography brought the fighters back to the ground. Open palms were lifted and aimed. Two orbs of energy started growing. Violet against pink. Just before the two could blast each other -and about an acre of the surrounding land- sky high, a thundering voice came like a hammer between them. "Stop it! Both of you!" As if from nowhere, a broad, bearded Shinjin appeared to to tower above them. The child squeaked. "I-I’m sorry!" Meekly she lowered her head. Nervously her fingers twiddled together. The overwhelming energy faded into the breeze. Something about the commanding tone felt familiar. It was the kind of elder authority she had faced whenever she got into trouble at home...

Shun was quick to capitalize on the distraction. His Kaioken blaze grew as he moved in for the kill. Yet at the last second the elder Shinjin snatched the boy by the wrist. Angry that the command had been ignored, he yanked back. "Shun! Do you understand what you are doing?" Baffled, the young fighter shrank beneath the weight of the disapproving stare. His crimson aura withered. "I... I’m defending our sacred realm..." He honestly couldn’t understand why he stood accused here. Had he done something wrong?

With a sigh, the elder let go and leaned closer. He passed a conspiratorial whisper to the boy. "Shun, listen. Majins have an uncanny talent for fighting. They tend to mimic everything they see. In the past, the strongest one even learned to Teleport merely by seeing it once." Pausing there, he glanced at the girl to make sure she was staying put. Now the realization started to dawn on the younger one as well. "Oh... Oh no..." It was met with a knowing nod. "Exactly." Immediately the boy stepped back and bowed as deep as he could. "F-forgive me, master! In my haste, I have made a grave mistake." If his skin hadn’t been naturally blue, it would’ve probably been beet red or sheet white by now. Managing a gentle smile, the elder patted the boy on the back. And nearly made him fall over. "Hm, well, nothing that cannot be fixed, I hope." He turned to study the fearful child and stroked his long beard. His smile faded.

"You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?"

While the two Shinjin, erm, negotiated in frantic whispers, their bravest brethren soon showed up as well. Dozens of colorful guardians appeared around the intruder. Each took a stance. Their heavenly ki flared to full blaze. In response, the little Majin raised her fists as well. Magical energy started crackling around her. Rising and falling... A lie simultaneously too big and small to believe. Gold turned back to crimson. She couldn’t understand why, but... for some reason just looking at them was making her all antsy... It was like some screechy voice was shouting into her ear, telling her to kill the Kais. Somehow this all felt so weirdly familiar.

Before anyone could do anything regrettable, the elder Shinjin snapped back into reality. "Wait!" Heavy and stern, the shout froze everyone on their tracks. Heroes and troublemakers alike. He stepped next to the pink girl and patted her on the head. "Now now, let’s not get hasty. Zam is not here to cause trouble. Right, Zam?" The icy hostility melted away quickly. "Um, yeah!" Coyly she snuggled against the gentle hand. Disbelief washed over the heavenly attendants. Eyes bulged and jaws dropped. A nearly indestructible monster was subdued with a single technique. If... it even counted as a technique...? Others were not going to believe this...

Some reluctantly relaxed their stances. Others voiced their justified concern. Although perhaps the wording could have been better than- "Elder Mor, are you insane?!" Still, many agreed it was a valid question. Majins were pretty well known for their crazy and destructive nature. Of course the elder was aware. "Listen! It is a well-documented fact that Majins absorb influences around them. Sometimes literally." A collective groan rose from the crowd. Well, at least the poor attempt at humor eased the tension. Slightly. "Ahem, my point being that if an evil influence can corrupt a Majin, then the opposite must be true as well. A good influence can redeem them. Guide them along the right path. We have seen this happen." Silence swallowed the brewing protests. No one could deny it. There was undeniable historical proof.

Zam, meanwhile, carefully eyed the crowd. She was still a little wary of them, but they didn’t seem like bad people. Just... scared. Plus the new Grandpa was defending her. She leaned against her new guardian and grasped his clothes, seeking comfort. Being near him felt like napping in the sunshine. Warm... Calm... Nice... It made the screechy voice go away. She had already forgotten what the voice had wanted her to do. Oh well. It didn’t matter.

Now that Mor had his colleagues off-balance, he needed to deliver the decisive blow. "I shall look after Zam and take full responsibility for her actions." Gasps escaped from the crowd. Scandalous. Outrageous even. ...Buuut preferable to having a Majin rampage in their domain again. As the public opinion swayed towards the favorable side, the elder knelt next to the girl. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he carefully gauged her shifting power. "Zam, you did wrong when you came to our home uninvited and scared us." He kept it as simple as possible, for both of their benefit. "So, your first test is to apologize. Can you do that?" A question. Suggestion at most. But not a demand. Nobody could force change upon the child.

Meekly the girl poked her fingers together. Her gaze wandered on the grass. She was bad at this, but she still tried her best. "I-I’m sorry for coming uninvited and scaring you... I didn't mean to, honest..." Her Finally she managed to lift her eyes towards Shun. "Uh and sorry for hitting you..." It hadn’t been asked, but it felt right. The young Shinjin stammered something noncommittal, while the elder mused quietly. As expected, she learned at an alarming pace... Good manners were there, beneath the surface, but someone, something, had been warping them. However, surprise visited his features when the Majin shifted her gaze towards him in turn. "Um, can I stay for a while? I don’t want to go home..." His warm smile broadened.

"Of course."

Walking often did wonders to frayed nerves. This stroll was no exception. Deep breaths calmed the restless hearts. Shun was finally starting to get a grip. He still had his doubts, of course, but thus far master had taught him admirably. So he silently resolved to wait and see how things played out. Admittedly Mor had been bit nervous there too. Majins were unfortunately volatile by nature. One wrong move and... Well, best not to think about it. Inner peace, happy thoughts and all that. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Majin was busy admiring the scenery. So many strange and colorful flowers! They kept her utterly mesmerized.

Once the odd trio arrived to the base of the tree, the elder turned to the little Majin. "Now, for the second test." Pointing upwards, he directed attention to the mighty tree. Thick and tall like a building, it offered a green sanctuary to birds, animals and particularly nature-loving Kai alike. "You have to climb to the top of this sacred tree and bring back one of the silver fruit." He held up three fingers. "There are three rules. One: No flying." Sullenly the child dropped to the ground. "Fiiine..." Sternly the teacher continued. "Two: No eating the fruit." It was met with a nod. And a frown. All the fun stuff was forbidden. "And three: If you lose the fruit before getting back, you have to start all over again." Fairly simple and simply fair, no?

The excited creature stretched her rubbery figure. "Okay! Here I go!" Dashing forward, she launched herself at the tree trunk. Boing, boing, boing, she bounced up the ragged surface. Even without flying the climb didn’t seem to pose much challenge. With her absurd strength and nearly boundless stamina, she just zipped from branch to branch. Local monkeys were left gawking at her playful agility.

However, only at the top was the true nature of the devious test revealed... Zam’s nose twitched. A sweet scent drifted through the air. It tickled her senses, beckoning her closer, promising a taste she had never experienced. There, between the leaves, shined a silver fruit reminiscent of an apple. Mouth agape, she drooled at the wondrous sight. She... wanted a bite... But...! If she wanted to learn that Kai thing, then she needed to focus! For once her curiosity overpowered her gluttony. More than snacks, she wanted secrets! With a vigorous shake she cleared the distracting thoughts from her head. Filled with determination, she plucked the fruit and stuffed it down her cleavage for safekeeping.

Then there was the problem of getting down...

Peering at the grassy field below, the little Majin pondered. It wasn’t that big of a drop. She could easily just splat against the ground and pull herself back together. But what about the fruit? She didn’t want her precious treasure going splat too... Still, she was a crafty little creature. Grabbing hold of a branch with one hand, she suddenly jumped. Her arm streeetched like a bungee cord, slowing her down until she came to a stop. Without skipping a beat, she snatched hold of another branch. The first hand let go and now the second one extended. Rinse and repeat! Within moments she had solid ground under her feet again.

Proudly the girl skipped over to the waiting Kais. She reached beneath the bandeau and revealed the prize. "Ta-da~! I got it!" The elder took the fruit and turned it in his grasp. Not a single bite mark... And no silver on her lips. "Well done, Zam. You have passed the second test." Indeed, she was capable of self-control. When properly motivated at least. He passed the sweet prize back the girl. "Oh and here, now you may eat it. Don’t be shy, have a bite." After some hesitation, she tore the fruit in two and offered a half to the nice Grandpa. He awkwardly averted his gaze and waved the offer aside. "Um, no thank you. It’s all yours." He had seen where that fruit had been...