An explosion caused the whole marketplace to shudder. Screams pierced the previously peaceful blue afternoon sky.

Seiren paused, raising her eyes for a moment to see passersby exchange panicked looks, before resuming her assessment of oranges again, humming to herself.

Uh, shouldn't we see what's going on? said Madeleine in her head.

She ignored her and picked up a particularly juicy orange, prodding its bouncy skin with her long fingers, and then deposited it into her basket.

Not any of our concern, she said internally.

Seiren, you left graduation almost as soon as the dean stopped talking. What if there were important announcements? What if it was this?

Seiren rolled her eyes. What if people wanted to hug and cry and reminisce about the good old days? What if pigs could fly? What if I could spurt fire out of my ass—

No need to be crass.

I don't want to stick around a bunch of snivelling kids and old people saying those pompous and inane pleasantries to each other just to hold up a sick façade. It's laughable.

Seiren paid for the four oranges; the shopkeeper was so harried, closing her shop, she didn't even check if Seiren had the right change. Seiren tucked her arms beneath her black cloak again and wandered on, eyes darting on the faces passing her. She felt for the reassuring weight of the chalks and rune papers in her inner pockets. All of the citizens nearby were concerned about the explosion just now. A few were also shutting their shops early. She hummed to herself, keeping an ear out for anything salient.

"My niece was just saying how good the sunflowers..."

"...right time of the year for..."

"...that's what she said..."

"...pretty sure it was a demon..."

She whipped round at the last speaker. It was a middle-aged, white-faced man clutching at an unimpressed-looking military soldier. The soldier crossed his arms over his chest, beneath the medals that decorated the left breast of his vomit-green uniform, and pursed his lips, his head cocked.

"You do realise we don't have demons in Karma, right?"

"I know it sounds crazy!" said the middle-aged man, wringing his hands. "But I know what I saw! It was huge, just south of the marketplace, and it had all this glittery dust around it."

Seiren's breath caught in her throat. It couldn't be.

Seiren, we shouldn't--

Seiren was off and running, her boots pounding against the stone-paved ground, short blonde hair bobbing in the air. Her oranges bumped against her hip in the outside cloak pockets. Her heart raced.

Summoner's dust, Madeleine! It had to be!

Even if it is, it's a terrible idea to jump straight into the path of a Hannan demon summoner! Seiren, listen to me!

Seiren paid her sister no heed. She flew past all the people heading in the exact opposite direction. Tall stone buildings lined her left and meat sellers stood on her right, although all those stores were now shut. The ground shook again, making her stumble. Windows slammed shut. People screamed, now pushing past each other in haste to get away from the source. Dust became dislodged from the roofs and showered onto the crowd. Seiren fought against the current, grim determination on her face, her lips pressed so tightly together they disappeared. A thin film of sweat coated her forehead.

An inhuman screech reached her ears, rattling the windows of nearby two-storey buildings. She swerved at the corner, dashing into the dark alleyway. Madeleine's amulet thumped on Seiren's sternum with every step. Her instincts told her it was a bad idea.

It is. Madeleine sounded disapproving. Take the next left and then a right.

Glad you've got my butt.

I'm the only one who ever will, sister.

Seiren reached into her cloak pocket just as she rounded the last corner. As Madeleine had said, there stood a lone cloaked figure. Quite skinny, judging by how the material almost drowned him, with a bent back. What stood out most, though, was the black dust, tinged by gold, that surround his body almost in a halo. A faint scent of cinnamon reached Seiren's nostrils.

The Hannan turned at the sound of her pattering footsteps. She couldn't make out his features in the dim alleyway and beneath that thick cowl.

"Should you not be running, little girl?" he said in a rasping voice. Seiren narrowed her eyes at him.

"Should you not be sniffing dust somewhere, demon-playing scum?"

Easy on the insults there.

The man grinned, teeth gleaming yellow beneath the shadow of his hood. He spread his hands wide. The dust danced around him, following his gesture. The ground rumbled again, forcing Seiren to do an undignified wobble. She plucked out the runes from her pocket, flipping them between her fingers. The Hannan eyed them, his amusement gone. Without warning, he turned and fled.

Above!

Seiren leapt back. The inhuman screech almost shattered her eardrums. Something heavy crashed into the ground a few steps before her, sending her to her knees. She scrambled back up and threw out one of her runed papers, snapping her fingers. The rune glowed yellow, expanding beyond its paper borders. A flash of light threw the alley -- and the demon -- into sharp relief.

With orange skin and reptilian spikes covering it from head the toe, the demon crawled on all fours, stumbling into the debris of the wall it had destroyed on its descent, blinded by Seiren's rune. Long curved claws clacked on the stone ground. A large mouth stretched across most of its face from ten feet high.

Seiren fingered a second rune and slammed it to the ground, aiming it at the creature before snapping her fingers again. This one glowed scarlet, expanding across the stone-paved ground. A bang echoed through the small alleyway as pure energy exploded outwards. The creature howled. A dent in its shoulder smoked, exposing pink open flesh beneath. Its slit-pupiled eyes found hers.

Ohh it's pissed.

You try having a hole blown into your shoulder.

Never mind that, where's the Hannan sack of--

The creature spun, lashing its tail out. Seiren ducked. The air whooshed above her head, skimming her hair. She paused, deft fingers sketching two new runes before she sprinted back where she came. She slapped the two runes on either side of the narrow alleyway.

It scrambled after her. Seiren shot out into another alleyway again and spun round. She held her breath, waiting for the prime moment, and then snapped her fingers. The two runes glowed a mix of red and violet. The bricks on either side dissolved and shot forward, meeting each other in the middle -- straight through the creature's flanks.

It shrieked, making Seiren's ears ring.

Duck!

Dazed, Seiren only became aware of something hot and sticky hitting her in the chest before the momentum of its spit sent her tumbling into the ground.

"Ohhh gross," she said out loud. It was quite pungent, like something from the stomach of a diseased, rotting cow that had roasted in a bog for several weeks. Seiren heaved, her nose wrinkling. Its glutinous surface reflected the remains of the light rune she'd first thrown. She tugged. Her entire body was glued to the ground, her runes and chalk scattered everywhere. It was just as well the demon was still impaled several steps away or she would have some difficulty getting out of that situation. The street at the end of the alleyway was deserted. No hopes of a knight in shining armour coming her way any time soon.

Hannan is heading fast to the east, by the way.

You saw him?

Well, it's not like you could keep your eyes on him at the same time.

He's headed to the train station to run away, probably. Seiren scowled.

Don't lose your head now.

What do you take me for?

Seiren managed to stretch and grab the nearest piece of snapped chalk. She drew one rune after another. The first one glowed violet, spreading to coat her shirt, skirt, boots, and cloak. The second one was green, covering her skin from head to toe.

Seiren.

She drew another identical green one. Her wrists ached at the awkward angle.

What are you doing?

The final rune, drawn with the last of the chalk, glowed a fiery orange. She tried it aim it away from her, towards the demon.

Seiren, no.

Seiren snapped her fingers and squeezed her eyes shut.

The runes came into effect. The green smothered every fibre of her body; the violet coated her skin and clothing in a weak fireproofing attempt. The orange exploded with a white fire, tearing through the entire alleyway.

Agony tore through every surface of Seiren's body, scorching her despite the protection of the violet and green runes. She screamed. The sticky substance disintegrated. As quickly as it had come, the flames dissipated. Gasping, Seiren grabbed her chalk and with a shaky finger, sketched another heal rune. It glowed green. She snapped her fingers and it spread over her. Relief flooded her system, cooling the burns. New skin would form later. Her hair was another inch shorter. Her skin remained sensitive and tingly.

At the end of the alleyway, the demon collapsed in a smoking pile of charcoal.

That was so reckless! Madeleine screamed. What the hell? How could you set yourself on fire?

Burning that phlegm off bit by bit would have taken too long. Seiren steadied her breath and got to her feet. Aside from a most definitive scent of singed hairs and flesh, she was immaculate. Sort of. I need to get to that Hannan.

She flapped her cloak. To her dismay, her oranges had rolled out and been reduced to ash.

That's not a good enough reason! That was so stupid!

No time. Maybe the fruit lady would be open tomorrow.

It's not our Hannan, you know.

I don't care. Hannan scum is Hannan scum.

Her chest burned with a fire hotter than the one she'd conjured. Her hands curled into shaking fists. The runes she'd prepared were all turned to dust in the fire, but at least she still had her chalk. She pocketed the most intact ones and took off towards the train station. Her feet pummelled against the charred stone ground, crunching the remains of crates that had become collateral damage.

The streets were almost deserted, no doubt due to the commotion before. Trees swayed in the wind, the leaves rustling secrets. The scent of singed flesh lingered on Seiren. Madeleine directed her through the streets. The second leg was much quicker than the first, with most of the residents having returned to the safety of their homes, out of her way. Seiren made a mental note to study for a tracking rune next time. Not being able to anticipate the man's movement and solely being reliant on what Madeleine saw through her eyes was frustrating.

Seiren skidded to a halt when she reached the cliff overlooking the train station. Far below, a lone figure sprinted across the paved ground in the direction of the railway tracks. Winding stone steps meandered down the side of the cliff, offering people the scenic route down to the bottom. Which was the last thing Seiren needed.

She grabbed a loose slab of stone from a nearby pile and sketched a rune. It glowed violet.

You really are full of bad decisions today, Seiren.

"He can't get away," said Seiren out loud, breathless. She tucked the chalk away, grabbed the flat piece of stone, and jumped off, casting it ahead of her.

Cool air whipped through her hair, ridding her of some of the sweat sitting on her brow and behind her neck. Her cloak flapped behind her, exposing her leggings-clad bottom half. Greenery flashed by. The ground rose to meet her at breakneck speed. Her runed stone hit the ground with a thud.

She snapped her fingers.

The violet glowed and spread. Seiren planted both feet in and swore out loud. Her soles sank into the ground modified by the rune, but she'd miscalculated the force of her impact. Pain shot up both heels, making her yelp. She stumbled, hopping on the spot and eyes watering. When the fire in her heels ebbed, she stood on two feet again and looked up.

The Hannan man was staring at her, the same manic grin upon his face. A small storm of black glittery dust enclosed him. He spread his arms wide.

There was a flash of gold. The dust whirled in a tight ball, almost beautiful in its power and glistening surface. Then the sphere expanded. The black receded, revealing a massive black and white lizard, three storeys high, with bobbing cheek pouches, long curved black claws, and a tail longer than its body. Beady eyes glared down at Seiren. It opened its jaw in a yawn, and in one sweep of its fat tail it knocked the ticket station to the ground.

A/N: Welcome to Rune Mage. At the end of every chapter there will be a small reminder for those who will be kind enough to vote and comment. Enjoy.