A room within the Furusato castle, hidden behind a set of iron doors, was dimly lit by a few torches and brisk enough to make any man tremble. Within the room, four coffins painted black were neatly lined up against the farthest stone wall towards the back of the room.
Disturbing the room's silence, the sound of the iron doors opening echoed throughout the space.
*CREAK!*
The torches' flames wavered as a figure ambled into the room, loud footsteps echoing off the walls, their dark and ominous shadow mimicking every movement. The individual eventually came to a standstill in the middle of the room, their robe flowing carelessly.
The person in the middle of the room snapped their fingers.
*BRRRMM!*
It was instantaneous as the darkness in the room began to fade away as a green light spawned underneath the lids of the black coffins. After a few seconds, the coffins were opened with a small expulsion of wind.
"I do hope you guys aren't too out-dated to enjoy a little war…"
With his eyes shimmering creepily, Regashi grinned as he observed the four coffins intently. In order from first to last, the bodies that once slumbered within the beds began to rise, their hands shooting upward as they lifted themselves upward.
"It is an honor to meet such legends…" Regashi chuckled darkly, his grin widening.
Standing before the brown-haired male, with eyes that were as green as emeralds, were four undead individuals garbed in various royal clothing. Not a single word was vocalized from any of the four, along with visages that were entirely bleak.
Another way to describe the four would be as the past rulers of Furusato, the village's mightiest warriors that had served their time in life years ago.
The first ruler was a woman named Tsubasa Mibojin—a brown-haired queen that had given Furusato its very name.
Beyond the village's first ever ruler, a man with short blond hair stood next in the line of dead rulers from the past. His name was Shigeko Yoha, who happened to be cousins with the third ruler to live in Furusato's history—Yuuta Yoha. Yuuta was a younger male with hair that was slightly darker, with an extra few inches of length added to it.
And the last ruler present was none other than Kokoro Kangae, the brown-haired, bearded man who unfortunately lost his life in a battle against Father Laurence decades ago.
Regashi appeared seemingly giddy, putting one hand up to his mouth as he inspected the once-ruling warriors from afar while brimming with glee.
"I have a job for all of you," Regashi claimed excitedly, the glint in his eyes growing. "The Kyuujo are attacking, and I want you four to show them who you used to be!"
Suddenly, the four rulers leaped upward, crashing through the room's ceiling and vanishing without a word. The mere second Regashi was alone, the four coffins placed before him now empty, his green eyes darted to the corner of the room.
There was a fifth coffin, and it was also empty.
"And let's not forget… the mighty Oritsu Ketsueki has yet to join the fray…"
XXX
Twirling a tuft of his amethyst-colored hair, Heiki Shototsu waited patiently as he leaned against one of the Furusato castle's walls. By simply glancing upward, the Tansu vessel could see out into the distance, stretching further than the broken village's border.
Shototsu, despite being under the umbrella of a rogue that was aligned with the Furusato Unit, wanted nothing more than to escape beyond that border he currently gazed at and remain undiscovered by Regashi or any of the other rogues. Touching his stomach gently, the amethyst-haired man reminded himself of the day he was coerced into becoming a rogue.
He could easily have escaped, or at the very least avoided being impaled by Itami's wooden roots. He was a Tansu vessel, but the village where he had lived forbade him from using his magic. He was continuously regarded as an unstoppable monster, so all the man knew was to remain as human as possible—to limit his power as much as he could.
That left him vulnerable. Ever since Shototsu was recruited under Regashi's wing, the man has been regaining the powers he was once forced to subdue every day of his life. Transitioning from a warrior hidden from society and only called out during dire times, Shototsu now stood above most.
Shototsu believed himself to be a monster, just like the people of his old hamlet used to call him. But there is someone that is undeniably worse.
Imawashiki.
Shototsu knew him, knew what he was like as a child, and knew what he was capable of. The fiery abomination was exactly that—an abomination. Imawashiki was the definition of volatile, with his moods repeatedly switching on a dime. One moment the man could be mirthful, the next he would be as sinister as Regashi.
Imawashiki was not just the vessel for his Tansu Beast; he was the beast itself. The godly being presiding within his soul permanently had stolen the boy Shototsu once knew, and all the amethyst-haired man could do was wish for a miracle.
*FWOOSH!*
A cyclone of fire spontaneously combusted in the air behind Shototsu, quickly revealing the man the flames brought along.
"Shoto, they're here." Imawashiki declared calmly, his arms folded behind his back.
Shototsu exhaled, looking toward the sky. "I knew it wouldn't take them long."
The man with red sideburns analyzed his fellow Tansu vessel closely. It was effortless to discern the discomfort and fear in the amethyst-haired man's mind, to see how badly Shototsu wanted to simply ignore the upcoming encounter.
"You do know that with them out of the way, our mission is practically done." Imawashiki said monotonously.
Shototsu looked back at the fiery abomination. "If we win against them, that is."
Imawashiki stared at his partner silently, his brown eyes half-lidded. Shortly after, he inhaled briefly.
"Whether they take us out or not, they have no chance of succeeding against Regashi. No matter how this plays out, we win." The fiery abomination said sternly, putting his hands to his sides.
The wind-using Tansu vessel sighed. "Then why fight them?"
Imawashiki stepped to the edge of the castle wall they stood on top of, observing the forest outside the village. "To make them realize how badly this world needs to change. I can sense them as we speak, and I have a plan in mind."
"What is your plan?" Shototsu queried, arching a brow.
"They have a king and a boy among them, separate them from the rest."
XXX
"GRAGH!"
With a blood-curdling howl, a warrior collapsed to the ground in agony, viscera spilling out of his body and pooling around him. Moments after dying, a foot kicked the warrior to the side, revealing the perpetrator behind his death.
"Perhaps a war is what I needed." Yuso spoke as he rubbed his fingers together, smearing the red liquid that stained his hand.
The red-headed male had quickly come to learn of the Detrimental War, earning multiple kills of his own ever since. The weak warriors that had the gall to dash toward Yuso faced the same fate every time—a gruesome death that made each of them unrecognizable the second their bodies hit the dirt.
"RAAAH!"
Yuso did not spare a glance at the weaklings that sprinted his way, simply allowing his Shirugeto to spin rapidly and prompting the incoming warriors' to implode abruptly—*SPRRSSHH!*—with blood flying in every direction.
"They have made some impressive advancements," Yuso voiced to himself, turning his head to view the area around him. "To penetrate this far into Adonai so quickly... It won't be long before Shanti consumes this nation entirely."
Yuso then hopped away from the scene, leaving a mountain of lifeless warriors on the ground. The redhead traversed through Adonai's forests hastily, scouting for any warriors from either of the warring nations, whisking their lives away upon encountering them.
Suddenly, Yuso sensed an astounding amount of magic pulsating from miles away, his demonic eyes widening. '...The boy and his Tansu vessel partner are not too far from here… and they have company, too.'
Immediately changing his course of direction, The redhead was quick to decide on finding the jet-black-haired boy that he had fought previously—the same boy that Yuso should have easily killed if not for the Tansu vessel that had protected him.
'Of course, I can't flank him so haphazardly if the Tansu vessel is there… I'll have to wait for an opening.' Yuso thought to himself as he tore through the nation's woodlands. 'But, whether that boy is aware of it or not, he will be slain by my hands.'
XXX
Writing has become increasingly difficult for me lately, and I will not spout any more excuses. I'm lazy and I have lost a substantial amount of motivation. This novel is still all I think about, but there are factors in my life that impede me ever-so slightly and I have not given myself enough patience to sit my ass in my chair and write for a few hours. Please excuse me if this novel is executed at a much slower pace. Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_