Urashin and Yamikuro kept walking, reaching the area known as Yokot. It was a district belonging to the Genyju clan, one of the five noble clans in The Hideout.
As they walked, Yamikuro seemed to be more open while talking. Though they didn't say much, every conversation was started by Yamikuro asking questions about the power system or The Hideout.
Eventually, the town of Aisrus was visible in the distance.
Yamikuro's eyes glimmered for a second, looking at its unique design, but he almost took a step back once he realized what was going on.
The buildings were tall and wide; however, the bottom part of the town, which at first glance seemed to be the main streets, had no windows on any of the walls.
It was dark, with trash on the ground, every wall made out of concrete, and the people were sitting still, almost like they were waiting for their days to pass.
Urashin's knowledge about this town was that of someone who had come in contact with its people before. The corrupt controlled the poor, while the rich enjoyed living off those below them.
When the two of them got closer to it, the smell of rotting hit their noses, Yamikuro almost threw up; however, Urashin remained completely calm.
"Is the smell not affecting you?" Yamikuro asked, holding onto his nose.
"You can block your nose with Seikodo." Urashin calmly responded, his foot raising from the ground as if he was going to walk forward.
Yamikuro stopped him, hoping Urashin could teach him how to control Seikodo.
"If you can't properly externalize your Seikodo, then there's no need for this discussion." Urashin stood with his back towards Yamikuro.
"How am I meant to go through this town, then?"
"Get used to the smell, that's how I first survived in here."
With that, Urashin walked forward, leaving Yamikuro no choice but to do what Urashin said. It was too dangerous to walk through a different path alone.
The streets were made of run-down cobblestone, and the walls, without any windows for at least a few meters upwards, had moss slowly starting to cover them.
A few coughs echoed in the dirty streets, adding to the eerie vibes of Aisrus.
Yamikuro still held onto his nose tightly, while looking to both his sides. He tried not to look at any people directly in the eyes, but couldn't help taking quick glances.
Life outside of the capital was too different. What at first seemed like a paradise turned out to be horror, and that broke Yamikuro's heart. Some of these Resonants had no safe place to live, be it in the Graceless world or here; they had no proper homes.
Before Urashin and Yamikuro could enter the town, a fight broke out on their right.
"Please... I didn't do it!"
"Lies! Show me your pockets!"
The man who seemed to be a guard of Aisrus fought with a man wearing a run-down brown cloth over himself.
The guard reached into the man's pocket and ripped it open without second thought, and no one was there to stop him.
Bread crumbs flew all around out of the man's pocket.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" The guard said, pushing the man against the wall behind him.
Yamikuro turned to Urashin, looking for guidance; however, Urashin's look remained the same as it had always been.
"I'm not going to intervene. However, I'm not going to stop you from doing what you think is right."
Yamikuro didn't respond, his heart beat a little bit quicker than it did before, his eyes glued to the ground, thinking whether he should help that person or not.
"So that's it? One death, and you'd let others suffer while you stand frozen?" Urashin pierced through Yamikuro's mind.
Yamikuro's heart almost skipped a beat, his eyes widened, and his pupils shrank. Urashin was right. Yamikuro was frozen; he didn't know how to act.
"If you don't move, more people die and get hurt. I won't lift a finger. Prove to me you've moved on."
Yamikuro gripped the bottom of his shirt, his body slightly shivering. He had changed; he would've helped the person without second thought, even if it meant risking his own life.
So why did he quaver now?
'Move!' Yamikuro yelled to himself in his mind.
'Why are you so useless?!' He yelled again.
'I'm Yamikuro Asaki. I'm supposed to help the weak, so save him!' Yamikuro yelled to himself as if he were someone else.
With that, Yamikuro's body moved on its own, running towards the guard and the man.
The guard noticed Yamikuro and turned, taking out a baton from behind his back.
"Seikodo allows you to externalize your Kishin."
Yamikuro had to save the man, no matter the cost, while also saving time. They still had a long way to go until Urashin's cabin.
"Yamikuro," Urashin said, almost as if he had completely ignored Algeda's words.
"Seikodo isn't only used for cutting; you'll experience its uses firsthand."
As soon as Algeda's finger twitched, as if she was going for an attack, Urashin's windy force exploded, sending the force towards her.
"Seikodo can also be used to create a force; if you or she were any weaker, the force of my Seikodo could crush you."
Yamikuro's mind kept flashing back to Urashin's words about Seikodo.
The guard froze as his throat started to close. He held onto it, still gripping the baton tightly. He didn't seem exactly sure as to what to do, Yamikuro charged at him with way too much confidence.
The man, leaning against the wall, only watched, seeing someone step up for someone like him.
But then, a sudden force blew his run-down cloth off, his overgrown hair tossing around in all directions.
The guard's feet slid back slightly, as if the ground had become slippery. The closer Yamikuro got, the stronger the force became.
"So I can also do something like that?" Yamikuro eventually asked, still shocked by the variety of Seikodo.
"That's why I decided to take you in as my student; you'd lose to Lucian the moment you encounter him. I'm surprised you were even able to keep up with Hunters."
At that moment, Yamikuro had gotten control of his Seikodo, using it to defeat the guard before him.
Yamikuro acted purely on instinct, throwing his hand before him, which sent the guard flying backwards, bouncing on the grass a few times, before eventually landing against a tree.
The man felt scared and confused, looking at the stranger before him, thinking he'd be next. However, the force stopped as soon as the guard was sent flying away.
"I hope you're not too hurt." Yamikuro smiled, feeling like he had regained his previous mentality.
He also used a power completely separate from the Darkness, something he hadn't done before.
The man shook his head, grabbing the cloth from the ground, and throwing it around himself.
"Thank... You." He quietly said with his eyes closed while bowing.
The man then took off, running towards Urashin, into the town. His other pocket was still filled with bread he had stolen from the rich.
Urashin couldn't help but smile slightly as the man sprinted past him.
"Your control of Seikodo... You may even exceed me."
Even though Yamikuro didn't hear him, he threw Urashin a wide smile.
However, that was just the beginning of their adventures in Aisrus, as a man sitting on a balcony nearby eyed Yamikuro closely.
"Who are you...?"