An Old enemy
As Ravihiro and the man descended into silence, a sudden shockwave from the sky shattered their moment of reflection. A beam of light struck the ground, forcing them to leap back. Above them, a massive spaceship descended, its silhouette blotting out the stars. Ravihiro's Ryugan activated instinctively, revealing every detail inside the ship. The frightened faces of its crew were a blur to him as his gaze locked onto one figure—a face he could never forget.
It was Aryan Malhotra, the boy who tormented him during his school years, a sneering figure who had made Ravihiro's life a living hell. A rush of emotions surged through Ravihiro, but none showed on his stoic face. His pupils began to glow faintly red, and within his sea of consciousness, a shadowy figure stirred—a remnant of Ravihiro's darker self, born of suppressed rage and trauma.
With an almost imperceptible motion, Ravihiro launched himself into the void of space, his body gliding effortlessly toward the spaceship. Inside, panic erupted as alarms blared, and the crew scrambled to secure themselves.
"He's flying—without a suit?!" one of the crew shouted, disbelief etched across their face.
Aryan turned to the viewport, his arrogant smirk fading as he saw the figure approaching. "That can't be… him…"
The shadow within Ravihiro's consciousness erupted, manifesting as an ethereal, clawed form. It tore through the spaceship's hull with ease, bypassing shields and armor like paper. The ship quaked as Ravihiro's shadowy projection smashed into the command bridge, sending fragments of metal and consoles flying. Chaos ensued, but Ravihiro's focus never wavered.
Inside, he materialized, his crimson-tinted eyes locking on Aryan. With a casual motion, he ripped through the soldiers standing in his way, their armor crumpling like tin foil. He reached Aryan, grabbed him by the collar, and yanked him out of his armored suit.
"Do you recognize me, Aryan?" Ravihiro's voice was as cold as the vacuum of space, his aura suffocating. Aryan, stripped of his former arrogance, stammered, "H-
****…?"
Ravihiro's grip tightened. "Good. Then you know what comes next."
Without hesitation, Ravihiro threw Aryan out of the shattered hull. The once-proud bully spiraled helplessly through space, gasping in terror. Ravihiro followed, his Ryugan scanning Aryan's every movement. The shadowy form wrapped around Ravihiro's fists, enhancing his strikes as he pummeled Aryan relentlessly, shattering bones and tearing through tendons with each blow.
Blood floated in globules in the weightlessness of space as Ravihiro's onslaught continued. Aryan's screams were muffled, his body broken beyond repair. Ravihiro grabbed Aryan by the neck, his shadow constricting around the boy like a serpent.
"You will feel every ounce of pain you inflicted, amplified a thousandfold," Ravihiro growled, his voice echoing in the void.
With one final strike, Ravihiro crushed Aryan's armor, leaving him defenseless. He hurled Aryan toward the planet below, watching as the broken body plummeted like a meteor, leaving a streak of fire in its wake.
Landing on the planet moments later, Ravihiro approached Aryan's limp, trembling form. Aryan tried to speak, but Ravihiro silenced him with a glare. "Your story ends here," he said, his Ryugan glowing brighter. With a shadow-infused strike, Ravihiro's blow shattered Aryan's chest, leaving nothing but silence.
As Ravihiro stood amidst the chaos, his aura subsided, and the shadow faded back into his consciousness. He glanced up at the night sky, now clear once more, and muttered to himself, "The past will no longer haunt me."
The chapter ended with the eerie silence of the battlefield, Ravihiro's cold gaze fixed on the horizon.