Darkness surrounded, water all beneath, no atmosphere. "Where am i..."
Kuro stood on the water, as a drop had fallen into the water underneath. His sight cleared, staring forward. "Huh..?"
The 2 figures in front of him were vanishing. "Father..Itoshi...?" He kept observing as the figures disappeared. Don't forget..yourobjective those words struck into his head.
"It's you.." A figure appeared after the vanishing ones; it was the devil that lived inside of Kuro. "So..you came all along"
The devil was faceless as he pointed to his left. Out of the sudden, the world collapsed. Kuro was falling into the empty void, and he tried to look in that direction, though nothing was in sight.
He kept falling as the shape of the world beneath changed; it showed his old world. The world was perfectly fine. "Oh..this is my past..?" He observed as he fell.
He was about to crash into a long tower, though the shape of the world changed again. This time, it showed destruction with nothing but sorrow and agony.
Fire surrounded the area, flames erupting at every location as he fell. "Why..am i seeing this?" He felt dizzy while falling. A hole appeared beneath him, sucking him into it.
"OH NOOO!" Kuro screamed as he fell into the hole.
His sight went blank, "Where am i.." He felt water pouring into his face, "P-PWAHHH.." Kuro coughed up water. "That will do." Yoshiru was standing beside Kuro, holding an empty jar.
"It was a dream...?" His gaze was fixed on the wall in front, not noticing the surroundings. "Hey..Hey!" Yoshiru waved his hand in front of Kuro, "Is he unconscious?"
"Oh, sorry." He caught his thoughts and got up. Kuro focused for a second, "Wait..where is Normi?"
"Uh..i think she told me something about visiting an area nearby." Yoshiru replied, but then continued, "Don't worry about her, she will be fine. Let's go outside, Kaien is waiting."
"Oh..yeah, that guy.." Kuro shed a sight.
-
"Here is my loyal servant.." A caped figure appeared behind as the masked man spoke. The room was filled with darkness, no details, no source of light.
The caped figure was covering its head, as its head rose, she spoke. "A new target in our way.." while kneeling.
"I'm certain of the new target, though we got nothing in hand.." He turned around to the dark window, lent his arm, and grabbed the wine in sight. "However.." Spoke as he raised his mask for a second and took a sip of the wine, "I don't think he will interfere..Just make sure he doesn't anyway."
"As you wish, master.." The girl vanished. "You're doing well...my puppy" - The masked man
-
"Are you sure we have to do this..?" Kuro said while Yoshiru sighed. They both were in a meditative state, with eyes closed.
"Man.." Yoshiru muttered. Kaien sat before them with a book in hand, "Cool.."
Kuro opened his eyes, staring at Kaien. "Are you gonna help, or just leave us confused here..?"
Kaien closed his book and then stared forward at them. "My bad i forgot to explain the basics for you two.."
"Hm..?" "Huh.." Yoshiru and Kuro stopped meditating to hear closely.
"I'm sure you two don't have the clearest idea about Magic, nor Reikonryoku." He then leaned against the pillar behind him, "Yeah..Reikonryoku i hear that from Nivor a lot." Kuro said.
"Nivor?" Yoshiru turned to Kuro, "I mean, nothing..Hah.." Kuro scratched his head, knowing he spilled it out by accident.
"Listen closely.." Kaien spoke,
"Reikonryoku represents the energy of life, will, and inner soul for specific species.
Devil, Humans, etc." He proceeded while raising his finger, "Though, not every single person of the said species can manipulate or sense Reikonryoku."
"It is a blessing given to specific people, and this blessing can be passed through inheritance, or through enough teaching.",
"The nature of Reikonryoku is pretty far beyond the concept of magic...something beyond magic if you can say",
He raised his other finger, "Basically, think of magic in my left arm." He lowered his finger a little and amplified Reikonryoku to his other finger. "You see? Reikonryoku is much stronger than magic, and can't be seen or sensed by anyone."
"While magic is spells and can't be creative, Reikonryoku can be used without spells and in many forms." He was interrupted by Yoshiru. "So..what can Reikonryoku be used for?"
"I see, good question, but we will be getting to that in a bit." Kaien replied, but then continued his speech,
"Reikonryoku comes from the innermost soul, which means it is connected to life force and emotional state. Strong emotions (anger, determination, grief) can spike Reikonryoku temporarily."
"Reikonryoku flows like water through the body; controlling it is like martial discipline." As Kaien said that Yoshiru raised his palm staring at it, "Flow of water..?"
"Yes, and there are two techniques for that. Seiryoku style control and Hayai style flow."
Kaien closed his eyes, calmly as aura flew out of his body, coldly and calmly. "Here is Seriyoku style control, the art of control. No waste. Every breath, every heartbeat, perfectly measured." He lent his right arm, pointing at the tree behind them. "Destroy.." The flow of Reikonryoku left his finger reaching for the tree in no time, but calmly, and it seemed slow. putting a hole through it.
"Woah.." Yoshiru was amazed as he observed the hole.
"For the tree's hole, i used my Hayai, and Seriyoku as well, to not let any of Reikonryoku leak." He then said, "As you see, Seriyoku minimizes leaks, and every ounce of energy is preserved." His aura disappeared,
"And hayai is the ranging part, or attack-wise. Basically, the art of flow. Fast, sharp, overwhelming. But wasteful if your body cannot keep up." His aura spiked out lightning as he explained hayai, racing to his arm and every part in an instant. As well as covering his sheathed katana.
"I see..." Kuro and Yoshiru were understanding the ways of Reikonryoku. "Though everything that has uses also has downsides." He proceeded, "Seriyoku requires extreme discipline and patience, slower to learn."
"Hayai burns through stamina quickly if not managed."
He then sat down and leaned against the pillar again, "Periods of calm meditation allow the soul to sync with Reikonryoku, increasing endurance and power output..."
"Every Ushi technique, blade strike, or soul-based ability draws Reikonryoku. And stronger techniques consume disproportionately more. Using too much Reikonryoku at once can burn the user's body, corrupt the soul, or even cause instant death."
Yoshiru and Kuro were intensely listening and curious about more things about Reikonryoku, "It has a scaling :
Shōki (小気 – Minor Energy)
Chūki (中気 – Intermediate Energy)
Jōki (上気 – Superior Energy)
Kyūki (究気 – Ultimate Energy)
Shinki (神気 – Divine Energy) "
"i won't be explaining that part, it basically goes in order. Soul brigade, Demons, and other species use this to refer to the individual's power scaling. So you measure your opponent's power, or even use it in reports."
"Anyway, here where the ushi part comes in.." As Kaien said that Kuro's eyes went wide open, "Wait..i thought Ushi was just a weapon?" Yoshiru looked at Kuro, then spoke, "You know about this part?"
"No, but i heard about it.." Kuro lied to get himself out of more questions.
"Kuro..your partner or fighting friend should know about you. Especially when you've got a devil inside." As Kaien finished, the atmosphere became silent.
"A-A DEVILLLL!????" Yoshiru jumped away from Kuro, while Kuro was shocked by how this guy in front knew about it. "How did you know..?"
"Did you think i would train a stranger for no reason? Just because he showed up at my dojo door?" Kaien proceeded, "I knew all along, and about the figures inside of you. Multiple Reikonryoku energies are flowing inside of you."
"That's why i was astonished by how your body was able to keep up with these energies."
Yoshiru kept staring at Kuro, "It's not a big deal, Yoshiru. The devil lies beneath Kuro seems harmless. Though..i can't understand why and how you did this, Kuro." Kaien questioned,
"A long story.." Kuro was interrupted, "Anyway, let us return to the Ushi part."
Yoshiru sat down again beside Kuro, "Ushi is the manifestation of your soul." A circular-like shape sign appeared on the mentor's palm, the color was black as he explained,
"It is the manifestation of your soul and can be triggered through a katana..though some can be triggered on your fists. Mostly, katana." He then grabbed the handle of his katana, unsheathing it, as it was visible that the shape of the katana had changed.
With black Reikonryoku flowing all around it, the katana's color changed completely black. It became longer, even sharper, and the black fire Reikonryoku amplified around it.
"My Ushi is black flame. It consumes everything it touches, not the body, but the very will to fight." - Kaien Ranzaki
"So, Ushi reflects the essence of your fighting style, personality, and inner nature.",
"Once fully awakened for eternal use, the Ushi cannot change, making it a lifelong signature of the user.",
His katana returned to normal as both Yoshiru and Kuro were astonished, and they stretched their palms. "I wonder what my ushi will look like.." Yoshiru looked at his palm.
"No worries, you both will be able to trigger it soon." Kaien specified,
The sun was setting as he spoke, "I will be explaining the last part, then you both have to concentrate your Reikonryoku flow and gain some control over it.",
"There are many triggers for the Ushi, though i won't be teaching you through our trainings. only the first phase tho." Kaien raised his finger once again and closed his eyes.
"There are approximately 5 phases of Ushi's awakening. The last phase, not even I was able to master or even use it." Kaien's words struck their ears, "Even you didn't..?"
"Tsubomi (蕾) : At first, it's just a spark. A faint aura, unstable, tied to your doubts. But it's proof the soul is stirring."
"Katachi (形) : The aura steadies. Your blade and your fighting style begin to resonate. You move faster, sharper, more in tune with yourself."
"Kakusei (覚醒) : When blade and soul truly synchronize… your Ushi is born. Signature attacks, battlefield instinct, your style becomes your weapon."
"Eien (永) : At this stage, the Ushi cannot change. It's the reflection of your true self. Every strike flows endlessly with reikonryoku."
"Kinjin (禁刃) : Rare… dangerous. It awakens only in those who touch darkness or sync with devils. Techniques powerful enough to scar the world, but always at a cost."
"Wow..Ushi does really have phases and awakenings. Does that mean each time the blade changes? and also the techniques and attacks?" Kuro asked his mentor as he replied,
"Certainly, yes, it does. Every stage has its another strengths and powers, though it still reflects the user." He continued,
"And also each one drains even more Reikonryoku and Energy."
"Clear note for you two." He pointed at them, "..." They both were silent. "You both possess a soul inside of you; one has a dragon, one has a devil. So, be able to manipulate them as fast, or more chaos will be pouring at you." They both lowered their gazes to the ground.
"Anyway, let's get back to training instead of explaining."
"Yes sir!"
Chapter End.