Lei's Apartment (Temporary)

[Anna Leigh Williams]

She looked at him, strangely. "O...kay..." She took the phone, and dialed a number. "Hey... Yeah, I locked myself out... Yeah... Thankyou babe." She handed the phone back to him, brushing her hand against his. "Thankyou so much... I appreciate it..." She gave him a small bow, before returning to the hall.

Meanwhile, the sky became cloudy, developing a violent thunder storm...

[Lei Wulong]

Lei was once more relieved when his neighbor kindly returned his phone.  He sighed quietly once more realizing that he is too paranoid for his own good.  When she touched him, Lei felt awkward about it and backed away.  Helena was hitting on him.  He didn't need another woman doing this.  

What are you thinking?  It was clearly an accident!

Lei just shrugged as he walked away, returning to the task at hand.  Before he could, Lei noticed a thunder storm.  It caused the lights to flicker on and off.  He could still do this.  Lei opened Elise's laptop, and noticed that it was out of juice.  It seems that his ancestors do not want him to look up information.  Lei took it as a sign to take a break.

However, it was odd that it was raining.  The sky was very clear forty minutes ago.  

[Anna Leigh Williams]

The storm ravaged on. Soon, lights started shattering. Lightning struck through a window, as rain and wind began pouring into the apartment. Deep within the shadows, an old man would stare at Lei. He appeared to float, as if he were in water. His long white beard flowed, along with his long clothes. His face would only be clear in the mirror in the living room...

[Lei Wulong]

Lei braced himself as the window shattered and it became dark.  Lei huddled himself up in a corner away from the window.  He ran to grab Elise, but she wasn't there.  What the hell was going on?

"Okay, I get it!  I wasn't supposed to have sex until I'm married!  I didn't stop Heihachi!  I get the the point!  I brought dishonor to the Lei bloodline.  Just tell me what I need to do to fix it." 

Lei bowed.  Was that what he sensed?  His ancestor?  Lei saw the old man, and glanced in the mirror and saw him.  Lei didn't recognize him.  It wasn't his father.  He died young.  It wasn't his grandfather, he died in his 40's.  He looked closely at the clothes and noted they were of Ming Dynasty.  Is this his great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather's spirit.

[Anna Leigh Williams]

As lei peered towards to mirror, the ancient figure walked closer to him. He held his hand out, "Closer...." he whispered.

The wind whipped through the broken window. Broken glass and rain blew in harder.

The reflections of the man were bright. His eyes were.... Wrong... They looked dead. "Come closer...." He spoke.

[Lei Wulong]

Lei was soaked and wet from the rain.  He hugged his shoulders, trying to keep warm.  Most importantly, where did Elise go?  He hoped she didn't fall off the balcony, with all the wind and the rain, it is possible.  Lei grabbed his phone, and tried dialing Elise... but his phone wasn't in his pocket.  Lei wandered looking for it, but he had no luck.

His ancestor called to him.  Is he dead?  Is he dying?  Did Lei just die in an unfortunate accident?  It wasn't his fate to go yet! Not while he was close to solving the mystery of his father's murder.  Lei wasn't sure what to do.

"Wait!  I'm not ready!  I can't go yet!  Li-Mei needs me!  What is she going to do without her father?  Tell me!"

[Anna Leigh Williams]

As the violence in Lei's apartment became increasingly more violent, Matsuo pulled into the apartment complex parking lot. Him and his mother quickly exited the vehicle. "This storm is insane...!!!" He shouted. Aiko looked at Fulong, "Come...! We must find him!!!!" She shouted. They ran inside, shaking off the rain. Matsuo waited as Fulong led the way...

[Lei Wulong]

Elise hung up from the phone and quickly grabbed one of Lei's cheongsams and put it on, as it fit quite loosely over her tiny frame.  She then quietly steps outside her room.  The storm was pretty rough, as the lights were out, and it was dark, but what she did see was Lei was on his knees, looking down at the ground... as if he were bowing.  She wasn't sure what was going on.

"Wulong!  Wulong!  Is everything okay?"

Lei heard Elise's voice.  He heard the woman speak, barely, but the wind and glass blocked out her voice.  What he could hear is Elise calling out to him.  There's still a chance.

"I don't know if you can hear me, KEEP GOING!"

---

Fulong found the apartment number and thankfully the door was open.  He ran in and saw the demon as it tried to absorb his little brother.  He did take note of some redheaded stranger wearing Lei's clothes.  He didn't have time to question his brother's life choices, but he had to save his girlfriend.  He quickly runs in, grabbing Elise, restraining her as he allowed Matsuo and Aiko to do their job.

[Anna Leigh Williams]

Matsuo and Aiko charged in as the demon was hovering over Lei. It had the appearance of an old man... An old man that looked strikingly similar to the brothers. "HEY!" Matsuo shouted out. The demon's eyes darted at him, and it took a step towards Matsuo and Aiko. It looked at Aiko, stepping closer. It's image changed... Black hair flowed from the head, as the demon took on a feminine form. It changed it's entire face...

"Giorgia...." She whispered, staggering back.

Matsuo stepped in front of his mother, holding his hand out. Blue light glowed from it. He looked at the demon, and was dumbfounded to see it laughing at him.

".....I'll be back for you..." It said, as it vanished. Aiko took a deep breath, as Matsuo let down his guard. He looked at Aiko. "This is the same thing that attacked Sylvia..." He said. "She said the demon looked exactly like her mother..." Aiko nodded. "This is far more dangerous than we initially thought.." She turned to Lei. "Are you okay...?" She asked him. Matsuo gave a small bow to the redhead.

"We apologize for our intrusion. There was an evil entity here..." He said, turning to his mother. "It didn't seem too phased this go round..."

[Lei Wulong]

Lei was very confused as now, his apartment is back in one-piece, his phone was still in his pocket, and his gun was still there.  What exactly just happened.  To make matters even more confusing, his brother, Fulong is here!  And two strangers are in his house.  What the Hell is this?  

"Let her go!" Lei shouted at his brother.

Fulong simply obeyed Lei as he allowed the couple to embrace.  He let the two have their moment before he explains the situation. 

"We apologize for our intrusion. There was an evil entity here... It didn't seem too phased this go round..."

Finally, Lei and Elise let go, though they still held each other.  

"So, let me get this straight.  I wasn't dying?  It was an evil spirit?  Was that what I sensed?  Because I felt something evil..."  

Fulong was impressed that Lei seemed to have a good grasp on the supernatural.  Perhaps Little Wulong isn't as helpless as he thought.  He nodded.  

"Little Wulong... the fortune teller told me that you were in grave danger... so I traveled all the way to Japan to save you.  But the threat is far from over... It may come back for more..." 

"...I understand..."

Considering what Lei had seen, it wasn't too far-fetched that there was a malicious spirit after him.  One that would go after him.  

"Also, when were you going to tell me you had a son?"

"Uh... well... Elder Brother Fulong... I uh... forgot." He smiled sheepishly.  "OH and on the lines of familial relations, Elise, this is my Elder Brother Fulong.  He's the guy who raised me when my parents died.  Elder Brother Fulong, meet my girlfriend Elise."  

"Nice to meet you."  Fulong bowed respectfully.  He didn't really agree with Lei's choice of women, but he had to respect the woman anyway.

"Nice to meet you, as well... sir."

"Ya' know... we've only been dating for three days now.  I never imagined we'd get to the whole meet-the-parents stage that quick."

[Anna Leigh Williams]

Matsuo could only shake his head at the sight. Aiko grinned, and walked with her son to the hall. "You really believe that this demon is the same one that attacked Sylvia...?" She asked. Matsuo nodded. "We should ask him some questions..." He said. Aiko agreed.

Matsuo returned to the brothers, and turned his attention to Lei.

"Wulong, correct..?" He asked, clarifying his name. "Can you tell me what exactly it was that you saw....?" He asked. While the power was out, all glass in the apartment was intact. None of it had really happened. "I don't believe it's a spirit that attacked you... It was a demon." He said.

[Lei Wulong]

"Wulong, correct..? Can you tell me what exactly it was that you saw....?"

"Yes.  That's my name..."  He was surprised to hear a foreigner pronounce his name correctly.  "One of my great and divine ancestors came to me.  It was raining and glass was everywhere... and before this lady... my neighbor came to me... actually, no wait, yes... my neighbor wanted to borrow my phone... and you know what let me start from the top."  Lei cleared his throat.

"Alright, so Elise and I were... uh... taking a nap together, when I woke up and I felt something dark... and evil.  And me being the paranoid man I am, grabbed a gun.  Because that's what you do.  So I then meet my neighbor.  And then suddenly, it storms, power goes out, my windows get destroyed, Elise falls out of a window, and I look and see a man I have never met before but feel connected to reach out and ask me to come closer.  I would have fallen for it until I realized that maybe my ancestor is calling to me because I am dying.  I begged him to give me more time since I wasn't ready to die.  Then you guys showed up.  Everything is fine.  And I see Elise here..." He looks at Elise, smiling.  "She didn't fall out of that window." He kisses her forehead.

"I don't believe it's a spirit that attacked you... It was a demon."

".....Okay... is this because I pissed off the Hachijo Clan earlier today?  Because that wasn't me.  That was my partner."  Lei wasn't sure what a demon would want with him, unless maybe he was getting too nosy.  Maybe he really is onto something.

"Little Wulong... the Lei Clan were not only warrior dragoons who defended the Yellow Emperor, but they were also demon slayers."

"Demon slayers?"  Lei repeated.

"I really am so excited to analyze your DNA...  your lineage and ancestry sound amazing..." Elise couldn't keep this to herself as she said this outloud.

"Yes.  Demon slayers.  But yes of course, the Rape of Nanking happened and it was just only us two left.  I do not have the ability to slay demons, as you do, Little Wulong.  I can only see, detect and deter them.  You can actually harm them."

[Anna Leigh Williams]

"Well, the window is intact..." Matsuo said, pointing to it. "The Hachijos have nothing to do with this, I'm sure..." He crossed his arms. "My wife, Sylvia, she was attacked by the demon. You said it looked like a divine ancestor...?" He asked. "She said it looked like her mother. It changed it's appearance... It looked like an old mentor of mine." He said.

He sighed.

"That could only mean one thing.." He said, looking to his mother.

"The Espelhar..." Aiko said. "Impossible. Claudio banished it back to hell...." She continued. Matsuo frowned. "You would be so ignorant to just toss the theory to the side?"

Aiko looked down, "No..." He turned to Fulong, "Have you heard of The Espelhar?" He asked the brothers.

[Lei Wulong]

Lei and his brother then continued their conversation in Mandarin, to which Lei was confused by the sudden language change, but figured it was probably because he didn't want Elise listening in.  Well, also the fact that he just called his son a "Bái móguǐ" _{white trash*}, one that Lei didn't like hearing his own brother describe his nephew in such a way.  Lei was beginning to remember why he ran away from his brother in the first place.  

"Have you heard of The Espelhar?"

The two brothers then looked at Aiko.  Lei shrugged as Fulong shook his head.  

"I don't recognize it."

"It roughly translates to reflection in Portugese right?" Lei asked.

"Wait.  So in that case... you're referring to the Xié'è Jìngzi?  The famous demon who killed our ancestor with the magic mirror?  It all makes sense..."

"You mean the eight-sided mirror?" Lei asked, now paranoid about his 'magical mirrors' he hangs up for good luck.

[Anna Leigh Williams]

"Yes... It does." He said, regarding the translation of Espelhar. "That's what we were told it called itself. Apparently attacks through mirrors, or reflections...." He said, looking at his mother. "Do you think it was looking for the staff...?" He asked. Aiko shook her head, "Not the staff in your possession... It would be useless to it. Giorgia's staff magnifies holy energy, not dark energy..."

She thought for a moment, "Unless..." She turned to Fulong, "Does your family possess something.... old..?" She asked. "Something the demon could want..?"

She did remember Fulong mentioning a relative with Claudio. Perhaps the demon was searching for his blood?