"I don't remember how it started. As far back as I can remember, it's just what I always wanted to be. Like how everybody dreams of being a hero when they are a kid. The only difference here is I was never able to let that idea go, no matter how much times changed. This is the only path I have any desire to take... The only path that I've sacrificed everything for… I made the right choice, right?"
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No Cost too Great(is what I tell myself every night)
- Thread starter Balls2th3w411s69
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Chapter 1: End of the Beginning
Chapter 1: End of the Beginning
"Good morning, Nishino!"
"Good morning to you, too."
"Good morning, Senpai!"
"Thank you, good morning."
Akane Nishino greeted her classmates as she walked through the school entrance after being dropped off by her driver. It was another day of school and things were looking to be just as predictable and ordinary as the last. Making it to the locker room, she witnessed the same scene as the many days before of a boy standing in front of his locker, dropping his duffel bag onto the floor. She internally sighed and readied herself for what would inevitably come next.
"Good morning, Kageno."
If someone were to even bother comparing the boy to her she would find it insulting. Unlike Akane, his grades were unremarkably below average, as was his athleticism. If there was one word she would use to describe him, it would simply be 'mediocre'. The boy turned to look at her while he opened his locker hearing Akane's voice. He smiled at her.
"Good morning, Nishimura."
………
"Excuse me, Kageno."
"What is it, Nishimura?
Akane kept her cool as the boy placed one of his pairs of shoes in his locker.
"My name…It isn't Nishimura."
"What?"
Akane continued smiling at him innocently while he appeared to be genuinely surprised at hearing that. Seeing that made one of her eyes twitch slightly.
"My name…It isn't Nishimura. It's-"
"Oh, hold on, I remember now."
She internally made a sigh of relief. Maybe he wasn't so hopeless after all.
"You are technically a named NPC, aren't you?"
"'Named' what?"
His response almost gave her a puzzled expression, but Akane refused to show it.
"Sorry, I'm just talking to myself. I'm pretty good at remembering the names of all the important characters. But I haven't been getting enough sleep…"
What the? Important characters? What is he even on about?
"...So I guess I got careless."
"A careless mistake, I see."
Akane nodded at the boy's words while he closed his locker and picked up his bag. If this was how he chose to remember how to say her name properly she could live with it. Before he only had what, about 3 months in class sitting next to each other to remember her name?
"That's okay, everybody makes mistakes."
"Yeah, sorry…Nishitani."
My name is not Nishitani, jerk!
"It's Nishino. My name is Akane Nishino."
She mentally facepalmed as she introduced herself once more to him, hoping she'd finally get it through that lead skull of his. He gazed at her for a few seconds after hearing that name, leading to an awkward standoff between the two that only ended when they heard the bell ring.
"Oh, well, see you later, Nishimura."
HOW DID YOU EVEN GO BACKWARDS?! IT'S NISHINO!
As he walked away from her heading to class she finally dropped her smile revealing a scornful expression. This wasn't even the thing she hated most about him. Despite making 'eye contact' with her his eyes were always just so distant, as if he was looking at something else and completely disregarding her. Not just that, but they also felt so…empty. She didn't know how to describe it, but just the way his eyes betrayed that smile he would give to her. Walking to class her mind remained fixated on his eyes wondering just what he was really thinking.
That was the one of two interactions between the two that she would be aware of.
_________________________________________________________________________________
He's not answering the phone.
By the time Akane left school after doing make-up work, the night had already fully set in. Walking through the streets with only the moonlight and lampposts to illuminate her surroundings wasn't something new to her, but it had been years since she'd last done this. Ever since…She would rather not dwell on that thought.
Step
Akane's heart dropped upon hearing what sounded like a footstep right behind her. She turned rapidly, trying to find the source, but her eyes met nothing.
Why did he not answer the phone?
Dread started to slowly build up within her, but she was able to calm herself down. Taking a deep breath she turned back around intending to pick up her pace, but instead she bumped directly into the chest of a stranger.
Huh?
She immediately stepped back, looking at the large figure in shock. The man looked down on her, further solidifying her physical inferiority.
"Akane Nishino, I presume?"
His voice felt like sandpaper to Akane's ears. She wasted no time turning around and sprinting away from the stranger who didn't even bother to give chase.
Why?! How?!
She made a right turn and as soon as Akane turned the corner a car pulled up in front of her, the headlights blinding her.
No, not again!
The driver's side door opened up and another man came out who immediately lunged at her. Akane tried running back the way she came but the first man somehow was already behind her leaving her surrounded.
"NO!"
Akane was grabbed from behind and had a cloth violently shoved into her face by the second man who grabbed her by the arm in an attempt to make her stop struggling against his hold. She was starting to tear up as she thrashed around, finding it harder to stay conscious as whatever was inside the cloth was starting to take effect.
No…Please…
Before Akane fell unconscious she looked ahead of the man standing in front of her. She thought her mind was playing tricks on her as she saw a figure standing in the distance just barely visible from a lamppost. She could have sworn he was just staring right at her while she was being abducted. Not just any random person, she vaguely made out the school uniform, the short black hair, and the…the eyes…
Akane's last thoughts before she fell unconscious were of why Minoru Kageno was watching her abduction.
_________________________________________________________________________________
"Mmph!"
Akane woke up with a startle, disorientated by her new surroundings. From what she could tell, she was laying down on the floor of an empty warehouse right below a skylight, arms bound and with a cloth tied around her mouth. The moon was her only source of light this time around and the longer she tried observing where she was the more she was panicking.
No no no no no not again. Not again!
Her brief moment of solitude was broken when she heard a mocking laugh coming from ahead of her. Getting into a sitting position and narrowing her eyes she could see through the darkness the same two men that abducted her. One was sitting down on a metal beam and was the source of that laughter while the other was quietly leaning against a pole. Now that he seemingly got her attention the man sitting down began to get up.
"You know you shouldn't do that. The daughter of the head of the Nishino Zaibatsu, wandering the streets alone at night. You might get caught by some unsavory characters."
The other man turned his head toward Akane after his partner finished. His neutral and factual tone contrasted the other man's mockful and aggressive one.
"Just stay there. Do not try anything. We already sent the ransom note. As soon as we get our money, you're free to go."
"Or that's the cover story anyways. Seems your dad made a lot of enemies."
Hearing that made Akane shift uncomfortably as she now thought the men wanted more than just money from her. The memories of what happened once before started to come back and she started breathing heavily against her gag.
"Hey, shut it."
"Huh? You shut it, outsider. You think you can talk down to me?"
"I said stop talking, you outdated gangster cliché."
She witnessed the two men going back and forth for a while, neither side better than the other. After a few minutes of petty squabbling followed by more time of silence eventually the man who was laughing at Akane started approaching her with a frustrated expression.
"This is so annoying. I finally caught my lucky break, and now it's all ruined."
His face started to shift to a disgusting smile. Her body shook as she tried moving away from him the best she could in her bindings.
"Why don't you make me feel better? Gimme a little fan service."
Her eyes started to tear up as one of her worst fears seemed to be coming true. Her shivering became more pronounced.
"I'll start with that pretty little mouth of yours."
He went to grab at her face but she jerked her head back violently as he touched her, surprising him. That initial shock however quickly turned to anger as he became more aggressive.
"Don't you DARE fight me!"
Before Akane realized it she was slapped across the face by the man making her cry out in pain. Her chin was lifted up by the man and he forced her to look at him.
"This should be familiar to you. It's your second time being kidnapped, after all."
Akane's eyes widened further as she looked at his eyes. More memories of the previous event started to run through her head making her shaking worse. She was finding it harder to breathe as he continued.
"That last guy was a stalker right? I'll give you much better memories than him."
Akane reached her breaking point. She began screaming as loud as she could against her gag but it was no use. All it came out as were desperate whimpers and pleas that went unheard, at least as far as the two men were concerned.
"Stop struggling! Nobody is coming!"
Before those words could really be registered by Akane, the situation was interrupted by footsteps suddenly being heard on the rooftop. The man who was just about to begin undressing her let go and stood up looking suspiciously above their heads. The skylight that once simply showed the moon shining in the night sky was now covered by a lone figure standing over it, holding a duffel bag.
"What?! I mean, who's there?!
The figure simply dropped the bag by the skylight. Akane sat up from her former apprehensive position to get a better look. As she thought she was going to get more clarity, a loud crash was heard as the mysterious stranger broke through the skylight sending shards of broken glass down towards her. Akane flinched and jerked her head down to avoid any of the broken glass getting on her face.
When she heard the final pieces of glass fall, and the dust cleared from the dramatic entrance, she looked back and saw the stranger facing the man just about to defile her. He wore plain black pants and a long sleeved shirt with a matching ski mask. His calm stance differed from the criminal's worried and angry one.
"Who the hell do you think you are?!"
"Me? I'm just a Stylish Ruffian Slayer."
Stylish Ruffian Slayer?
Ignoring that odd introduction for the time being, his voice was also calm, much like the other man before that told that pervert to shut up. But to Akane there was more to it than that. He sounded…confident.
"Stylish…Ruffian Slayer…"
After that brief moment of being stunned he reached towards the back of his waistband.
"Don't get cute with us, damnit!"
Before he could even point the handgun he just drew towards the Stylish Ruffian Slayer, the masked man flung a piece of broken glass at the man's hand using a speed that Akane could barely make out. It had the precision of a throwing knife, lodging itself into the back of the man's hand. As the kidnapper cried out in pain, He quickly followed up on it ,rushing towards the man and grabbing him by the waist with momentum that he was not ready to counter and threw him violently into the ground.
"Too much pointless movement. Your guard is way down."
The man groaned in pain as he was effortlessly outdone by the Ruffian Slayer. He didn't even have a chance to recover as his face was stomped on by Akane's savior, bringing him out of commission.
"I see…It looks like you have some idea of what you're doing, Stylish Ruffian Slayer."
The second man, who had just been watching the entire scene amusedly, got the newcomer's attention. Turning to face the next abductor, he was greeted by the barrel of a gun, which the criminal promptly dropped on the ground.
"You know, I've been incredibly bored since I was booted from the army. Doing these little easy kidnappings, partnering with an utter amateur. This country is too fucking peaceful."
Akane watched on in both fear and growing intrigue of the coming fight, but also she worried for her savior. The man he beat previously was around his size and not as well built, but this other man was trouble. He stood a full head taller than the Ruffian Slayer and despite being covered he was noticeably muscular beneath it all.
"I see…I've always wanted to fight a soldier…"
"I welcome the challenge, Stylish Ruffian Slayer!"
The criminal drew his own knife and proceeded to lunge at him, forcing the hero to go on the defensive, dodging all of his strikes with great success until one of the slashes made contact. It grazed the hand of the Ruffian Slayer, forcing him to distance himself from the fight. Akane watched as the man laughed to himself as he looked at his knife, now slick with a slight amount of blood along the edge, which he licked up with demented joy.
"I can never go back now that I know…How good this feels!"
The man rushed at the Stylish Ruffian Slayer once more. Before his knife could even make contact with his face, the masked man swiftly drew a crowbar. Akane watches the sudden block in utter awe, eyes wide as her savior begins applying more pressure against her abductor. The larger man stumbled back in surprise as their weapons locked, not expecting such a counter. With how loud the fight was becoming, Akane wasn't able to hear their conversation as well as before, only being able to make out something her savior said about crowbars and their utility. Pulling out a second crowbar from seemingly nowhere, the two began clashing, steel against steel. Akane remained almost transfixed by the fighting she was witnessing, almost discarding the fear from her current predicament. Even though it was a pretty close fight, the Stylish Ruffian Slayer had the advantage. He had managed to disarm the criminal, leaving the burly man to continue the fight with his fists.
I've never seen crowbars used in such a way. He is wielding them like tonfas…
Akane flinched when the Ruffian Slayer blocked a particularly hard kick from his opponent, forcing him to kneel on the floor in an attempt to recover.
"All I have to do is protect my head from your strikes and I'll be fine, but if I land just one hit on you, you're done for."
The man laughed loudly to himself again and Akane looked over at her savior in concern. Because of the mask, she wasn't able to read his expression well, but she could see the worry in his eyes.
"You make a good point. At my current level, former military is still a bit challenging for me. That's the truth."
Hearing that made the man's smile grow wider, the words stroking his ego. At least, that was until he continued.
"That just means I have to get more serious."
The man's smile broke off, quickly morphing into confusion as the Stylish Ruffian Slayer got off the ground.
What is he going to do now? Will he really win this?
Both of Akane's questions were answered in no time, her hero tossing one of his crowbars forward towards the man, before grabbing it out of the air, holding it in a more conventional grip. His opponent raised his hands to protect his face just like before, but now the results were different- the Stylish Ruffian Slayer slammed the crowbar into the back of his opponent's left hand using the heel of its 'L'. A loud crack rang throughout the warehouse.
For the first time in the entire fight, the man cried out in agony. He made a desperate final attempt to counter, but instead ended up getting smacked across the face by the back of the Ruffian Slayert's hand, sending him reeling back a couple steps. Akane looked on in a mixture of relief and horror at the sudden shift in tides of the fight. The look of fear on the criminal's face as he clutched his broken hand only heightened those feelings.
"You beat up bikers with a crowbar?! You're the Balaclava Berserker?!"
Balaclava Berserker? Does he have other names?
Akane tried piecing information together from what she could make out as the two fought, now her savior being in the obvious advantage.
"They recently started wearing helmets, so it wouldn't kill them if I hit them in the head. And…the solution I found to that problem…"
The wounded kidnapper backed away in horror before his eyes caught on the gun his partner dropped a while ago. Throwing any pride he seemingly had before out the window he jumped towards it. Just as his opponent wanted.
"...was to stop using crowbars as tonfas…"
The Ruffian Slayer sprinted at him as he reached for the gun. Just as his fingers grazed the edge of the pistol, one of the Stylish Ruffian Slayer's crowbars struck the ground next to it, forcing him to retract his hand.
"...Because using them as a club…"
Using the abductor's hesitation against him, he hooked the end of the crowbar around that hand and brought it up, forcing the man to face him.
"...Is far more effective!"
The once seemingly formidable man was now reduced to simply prey. He stood no chance against this monster… A crowbar slammed into his shin, producing a sickening crack that made Akane look away in horror. The strike made him fall to his knees, screaming once more in agony. Akane flinched and closed her eyes as she began to hear more and more sounds of the crowbar meeting flesh only being outheard by the man's screams for mercy.
Akane lost track of how many times she heard the now probably barely alive man be hit and was almost considering taking a look for herself when she heard the beating cease. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by her 'savior' crouched in front of her holding a switchblade towards her mouth. Her face paled at the sudden closeness.
"Don't move"
How did I not even hear him approach me?! Was he even trying to save me?!
The new fears sprouting in her head about this stranger's motivations were quickly cut short when a sudden swift motion of the blade left Akane's gag falling away from her face. Another slash and the bindings fell with it.
Akane was left momentarily dazed at her sudden liberation and she couldn't stop herself from just looking at him still in fear and surprise. She shakily rose from her sitting position maintaining what eye contact she could. Being underneath the broken skylight gave her a better look of him and she was able to clearly see his black eyes staring sharply into her through the holes of his balaclava. Without a visible expression, she was left to judge from just his eyes- she thought he was looking at her in a mixture of pity and…disappointment?
No, that can't be right. Why does he-
"Be more careful next time, alright?"
The masked man's sudden words broke Akane's thought process as he moved past her and towards the exit of the warehouse. She remained in the same position for a few seconds, lost in her own feelings about what had just happened to her.
"...H-Hold on, wait."
The girl turned her head back to look at where her savior had gone, but was met with silence.
He was already gone.
Who…What?
Akane rubbed her eyes in disbelief. When she lowered her hands, nothing changed. The girl was left alone and distraught in a warehouse, with the two unconscious bodies of her kidnappers.
I didn't even get the chance to say thank you… Kageno…
_________________________________________________________________________________
I got cut…
Minoru made it to the front steps of his house around the reasonably early time of just past 12am, thinking over the past couple hours on repeat while walking. It didn't actually take a lot of time to get home whatsoever, so he purposefully made sure to take the longest route possible to get back at a time where his parents were already asleep.
I got cut…
As he unlocked and opened the front door his mind continued to be plagued by his fight with that former soldier in the warehouse, the same scene playing over and over again.
I got cut…
Closing the door behind him gently he put down his duffel bag, which he had still been carrying, and his neutral face immediately turned to one of frustration. He covered his face in his hands in shame and groaned into them.
I GOT CUT!
Years he trained his technique, years he has been honing himself physically, years he's been improving his reflexes, but despite it all he still got a small cut from that man's knife during their fight!
"I could have done better than that. How did I screw that up so badly?"
His optimistic side tried to cheer him up by saying that it was his first fight against former military, but it did little when facing the legion of dissenting thoughts.
I got cut, it doesn't matter if it was a small one. He was able to land a hit on me and actually put some pressure on me before I beat him.
He shook his head in annoyance. This was an insult to himself. He could not tolerate that screw up of a performance! Even though he was able to help Nishino, he portrayed himself as someone who is vulnerable to physical harm!
And that ending! I should have just cut her bindings and left without saying another word. Why did I give her the chance to look at me for that long? Why did I-
"Minoru?"
Before Minoru could rip more into his faults during tonight's fight, he flinched as the voice of a woman who happened to be watching him interrupted his thoughts. She was still standing by the front door from the living room couch.
"Mom? You're here? And you're…"
He looked over at her and saw her clearly concerned and exhausted face. She must have been waiting for him this entire time. The frustration that was on his face melted away and a more melancholic and guiltful look took its place.
"What took you so long? This is the latest you've ever made it home."
She got up from the couch and Minoru couldn't help but lower his head and look at the floor. He didn't expect her to actually stay up that long to wait for him. She did this other times before, but he would just come home at a later time the next time around and so far just past 12am was the perfect time.
"I-I sort of got caught up in stuff. Just lost track of time I guess…"
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly while still avoiding eye contact. He really did not want to be speaking to her now, he knows how this will end.
"Are you okay?"
"Eh?"
"I asked if you were okay."
She spoke softly to him which only served to hurt him more. In his mind he knew and she knew he didn't deserve this kindness.
"Yes. I was practicing the piano in school. I sort of, well not sort of. I really lost track of time. I promise not to make that mistake ag-"
Before he could continue any more with covering up his activities he felt the arms of his mother wrap around his shoulders and pull him gently to a hug. The act alone made his body shake a bit as her warmth and comfort made him realize how tired he also is.
"You don't have to lie to me, Minoru. I know how tired you have been lately. All I ask is for you to please be careful."
Hearing his mother's understanding made his head drop again in even more shame. He didn't reciprocate the hug as his mind was occupied with his own thoughts.
She doesn't know…She forgave me when she didn't know…
"It's…been hard for us all, even now. Some days it just feels like she-"
"I'm so sorry for keeping you up."
Minoru quickly interrupted his mother before he finished not wanting to hear what his mother was going to say next. He's heard it plenty of times already and it didn't make things any less painful.
"It's alright, Minoru."
His mother didn't seem to be upset at the interruption, his redirection was a success. She let out a content sigh as if hearing his apology made staying up this long worth it. She let go of her son soon after and saw Minoru still looking at the ground.
"Minoru, look at me."
He obeyed his mother and turned his head up to finally face her properly, seeing her face showing nothing but worry and also happiness that he was back safely. It didn't help his mind at all.
"I won't stop you from doing whatever it is you're doing anymore. We both know your father and I wouldn't be able to anyways. You were always the most stubborn one."
Minoru bit his tongue to avoid countering that. She wasn't wrong, but hearing that just made him feel even worse.
"Just remember, we love you and don't want to see yourself getting even more hurt."
…I don't deserve any of you…
"Your dinner is in the kitchen, just heat it up okay? Goodnight, Minoru."
Without another word his mother turned around and started walking away to go to sleep. After she was out view Minoru started to shake again slightly as he was picking at the interaction the two just had.
I keep on disappointing them, and they still forgive me…
He sighed, trying to compose himself. After taking a few deep breaths he decided to drop his stuff off at his room before going to eat. Picking up his bag and making his way over to his bedroom he saw the room next to his have its door left slightly open.
Her room…
He didn't bother questioning the reasoning and made it to his room putting his bag away.
As he exited he passed by the room again.
"Minoru?"
He flinched at the sound and turned towards the door still slightly ajar. The whisper was just barely audible, if he had taken just another step he wouldn't have heard it.
What does she want from me?
Minoru went over to the door and peered through the other side only being met by complete darkness. He considered whether or not he should go inside and see what she wanted.
It might be important. What if she nee-
Right before he could finish forming that thought he decided to just ignore her voice and continued on his way to the kitchen. Now that that was all over with he could focus on more important matters, mainly on what happened to Akane.
He was sure she wouldn't be upset about the way he was ignoring her tonight in the morning, after all, this wasn't the first time he let her down.
_________________________________________________________________________________
"Good morning, Nishino!"
"Good morning to you, too."
"Good morning, Senpai!"
"Thank you, good morning."
Akane Nishino greeted her classmates as she walked through the school entrance after being dropped off by her driver. It was another day of school, and things were looking to be just as predictable and ordinary as the last. Making it to the locker room, she witnessed the same scene as the many days before of a boy standing in front of his locker, dropping his duffel bag onto the floor. She let out a sigh, but on the inside she could barely hold back her smile as she looked at her savior. If he wanted to keep this identity a secret, the least she could do for him was let it stay that way.
"Good morning, Kageno."
Minoru turned to Akane as he opened his locker, giving the same smile as he did the day before.
"Good morning, Nishino."
"That is not my na-…Eh?"
Akane blinks in confusion and her red eyes look at him with a puzzled expression.
He…He said my name correctly.
Minoru continued putting his things away while looking at Akane and she could see other small differences with his appearance. His once dull black eyes looked directly at her, clearly no longer so distant, and his smile seemed a bit more genuine.
"Huh?"
"O-Oh it's nothing!"
Akane blushed and let out an awkward laugh at his response. Her fake smile which she would have everyday now became real for a moment.
Kageno is like me. Living his daily life behind a mask for the sake of others.
"Alright then, goodbye."
Minoru abruptly responded as he closed his locker and picked up his duffel bag starting to head upstairs to class leaving Akane alone to watch him go up.
Looking back on that day later Akane sighed in disappointment and sorrow. She was never able to get closer to him after that incident. She was sure they would have had many other things in common even if not so obvious on the outside, but it all was cut short.
After all, she didn't expect her hero to get killed that same day.
-.-- --- ..- .-. / -... . ... - / ..-. .-. .. . -. -..
"Good morning, Nishino!"
"Good morning to you, too."
"Good morning, Senpai!"
"Thank you, good morning."
Akane Nishino greeted her classmates as she walked through the school entrance after being dropped off by her driver. It was another day of school and things were looking to be just as predictable and ordinary as the last. Making it to the locker room, she witnessed the same scene as the many days before of a boy standing in front of his locker, dropping his duffel bag onto the floor. She internally sighed and readied herself for what would inevitably come next.
"Good morning, Kageno."
If someone were to even bother comparing the boy to her she would find it insulting. Unlike Akane, his grades were unremarkably below average, as was his athleticism. If there was one word she would use to describe him, it would simply be 'mediocre'. The boy turned to look at her while he opened his locker hearing Akane's voice. He smiled at her.
"Good morning, Nishimura."
………
"Excuse me, Kageno."
"What is it, Nishimura?
Akane kept her cool as the boy placed one of his pairs of shoes in his locker.
"My name…It isn't Nishimura."
"What?"
Akane continued smiling at him innocently while he appeared to be genuinely surprised at hearing that. Seeing that made one of her eyes twitch slightly.
"My name…It isn't Nishimura. It's-"
"Oh, hold on, I remember now."
She internally made a sigh of relief. Maybe he wasn't so hopeless after all.
"You are technically a named NPC, aren't you?"
"'Named' what?"
His response almost gave her a puzzled expression, but Akane refused to show it.
"Sorry, I'm just talking to myself. I'm pretty good at remembering the names of all the important characters. But I haven't been getting enough sleep…"
What the? Important characters? What is he even on about?
"...So I guess I got careless."
"A careless mistake, I see."
Akane nodded at the boy's words while he closed his locker and picked up his bag. If this was how he chose to remember how to say her name properly she could live with it. Before he only had what, about 3 months in class sitting next to each other to remember her name?
"That's okay, everybody makes mistakes."
"Yeah, sorry…Nishitani."
My name is not Nishitani, jerk!
"It's Nishino. My name is Akane Nishino."
She mentally facepalmed as she introduced herself once more to him, hoping she'd finally get it through that lead skull of his. He gazed at her for a few seconds after hearing that name, leading to an awkward standoff between the two that only ended when they heard the bell ring.
"Oh, well, see you later, Nishimura."
HOW DID YOU EVEN GO BACKWARDS?! IT'S NISHINO!
As he walked away from her heading to class she finally dropped her smile revealing a scornful expression. This wasn't even the thing she hated most about him. Despite making 'eye contact' with her his eyes were always just so distant, as if he was looking at something else and completely disregarding her. Not just that, but they also felt so…empty. She didn't know how to describe it, but just the way his eyes betrayed that smile he would give to her. Walking to class her mind remained fixated on his eyes wondering just what he was really thinking.
That was the one of two interactions between the two that she would be aware of.
_________________________________________________________________________________
He's not answering the phone.
By the time Akane left school after doing make-up work, the night had already fully set in. Walking through the streets with only the moonlight and lampposts to illuminate her surroundings wasn't something new to her, but it had been years since she'd last done this. Ever since…She would rather not dwell on that thought.
Step
Akane's heart dropped upon hearing what sounded like a footstep right behind her. She turned rapidly, trying to find the source, but her eyes met nothing.
Why did he not answer the phone?
Dread started to slowly build up within her, but she was able to calm herself down. Taking a deep breath she turned back around intending to pick up her pace, but instead she bumped directly into the chest of a stranger.
Huh?
She immediately stepped back, looking at the large figure in shock. The man looked down on her, further solidifying her physical inferiority.
"Akane Nishino, I presume?"
His voice felt like sandpaper to Akane's ears. She wasted no time turning around and sprinting away from the stranger who didn't even bother to give chase.
Why?! How?!
She made a right turn and as soon as Akane turned the corner a car pulled up in front of her, the headlights blinding her.
No, not again!
The driver's side door opened up and another man came out who immediately lunged at her. Akane tried running back the way she came but the first man somehow was already behind her leaving her surrounded.
"NO!"
Akane was grabbed from behind and had a cloth violently shoved into her face by the second man who grabbed her by the arm in an attempt to make her stop struggling against his hold. She was starting to tear up as she thrashed around, finding it harder to stay conscious as whatever was inside the cloth was starting to take effect.
No…Please…
Before Akane fell unconscious she looked ahead of the man standing in front of her. She thought her mind was playing tricks on her as she saw a figure standing in the distance just barely visible from a lamppost. She could have sworn he was just staring right at her while she was being abducted. Not just any random person, she vaguely made out the school uniform, the short black hair, and the…the eyes…
Akane's last thoughts before she fell unconscious were of why Minoru Kageno was watching her abduction.
_________________________________________________________________________________
"Mmph!"
Akane woke up with a startle, disorientated by her new surroundings. From what she could tell, she was laying down on the floor of an empty warehouse right below a skylight, arms bound and with a cloth tied around her mouth. The moon was her only source of light this time around and the longer she tried observing where she was the more she was panicking.
No no no no no not again. Not again!
Her brief moment of solitude was broken when she heard a mocking laugh coming from ahead of her. Getting into a sitting position and narrowing her eyes she could see through the darkness the same two men that abducted her. One was sitting down on a metal beam and was the source of that laughter while the other was quietly leaning against a pole. Now that he seemingly got her attention the man sitting down began to get up.
"You know you shouldn't do that. The daughter of the head of the Nishino Zaibatsu, wandering the streets alone at night. You might get caught by some unsavory characters."
The other man turned his head toward Akane after his partner finished. His neutral and factual tone contrasted the other man's mockful and aggressive one.
"Just stay there. Do not try anything. We already sent the ransom note. As soon as we get our money, you're free to go."
"Or that's the cover story anyways. Seems your dad made a lot of enemies."
Hearing that made Akane shift uncomfortably as she now thought the men wanted more than just money from her. The memories of what happened once before started to come back and she started breathing heavily against her gag.
"Hey, shut it."
"Huh? You shut it, outsider. You think you can talk down to me?"
"I said stop talking, you outdated gangster cliché."
She witnessed the two men going back and forth for a while, neither side better than the other. After a few minutes of petty squabbling followed by more time of silence eventually the man who was laughing at Akane started approaching her with a frustrated expression.
"This is so annoying. I finally caught my lucky break, and now it's all ruined."
His face started to shift to a disgusting smile. Her body shook as she tried moving away from him the best she could in her bindings.
"Why don't you make me feel better? Gimme a little fan service."
Her eyes started to tear up as one of her worst fears seemed to be coming true. Her shivering became more pronounced.
"I'll start with that pretty little mouth of yours."
He went to grab at her face but she jerked her head back violently as he touched her, surprising him. That initial shock however quickly turned to anger as he became more aggressive.
"Don't you DARE fight me!"
Before Akane realized it she was slapped across the face by the man making her cry out in pain. Her chin was lifted up by the man and he forced her to look at him.
"This should be familiar to you. It's your second time being kidnapped, after all."
Akane's eyes widened further as she looked at his eyes. More memories of the previous event started to run through her head making her shaking worse. She was finding it harder to breathe as he continued.
"That last guy was a stalker right? I'll give you much better memories than him."
Akane reached her breaking point. She began screaming as loud as she could against her gag but it was no use. All it came out as were desperate whimpers and pleas that went unheard, at least as far as the two men were concerned.
"Stop struggling! Nobody is coming!"
Before those words could really be registered by Akane, the situation was interrupted by footsteps suddenly being heard on the rooftop. The man who was just about to begin undressing her let go and stood up looking suspiciously above their heads. The skylight that once simply showed the moon shining in the night sky was now covered by a lone figure standing over it, holding a duffel bag.
"What?! I mean, who's there?!
The figure simply dropped the bag by the skylight. Akane sat up from her former apprehensive position to get a better look. As she thought she was going to get more clarity, a loud crash was heard as the mysterious stranger broke through the skylight sending shards of broken glass down towards her. Akane flinched and jerked her head down to avoid any of the broken glass getting on her face.
When she heard the final pieces of glass fall, and the dust cleared from the dramatic entrance, she looked back and saw the stranger facing the man just about to defile her. He wore plain black pants and a long sleeved shirt with a matching ski mask. His calm stance differed from the criminal's worried and angry one.
"Who the hell do you think you are?!"
"Me? I'm just a Stylish Ruffian Slayer."
Stylish Ruffian Slayer?
Ignoring that odd introduction for the time being, his voice was also calm, much like the other man before that told that pervert to shut up. But to Akane there was more to it than that. He sounded…confident.
"Stylish…Ruffian Slayer…"
After that brief moment of being stunned he reached towards the back of his waistband.
"Don't get cute with us, damnit!"
Before he could even point the handgun he just drew towards the Stylish Ruffian Slayer, the masked man flung a piece of broken glass at the man's hand using a speed that Akane could barely make out. It had the precision of a throwing knife, lodging itself into the back of the man's hand. As the kidnapper cried out in pain, He quickly followed up on it ,rushing towards the man and grabbing him by the waist with momentum that he was not ready to counter and threw him violently into the ground.
"Too much pointless movement. Your guard is way down."
The man groaned in pain as he was effortlessly outdone by the Ruffian Slayer. He didn't even have a chance to recover as his face was stomped on by Akane's savior, bringing him out of commission.
"I see…It looks like you have some idea of what you're doing, Stylish Ruffian Slayer."
The second man, who had just been watching the entire scene amusedly, got the newcomer's attention. Turning to face the next abductor, he was greeted by the barrel of a gun, which the criminal promptly dropped on the ground.
"You know, I've been incredibly bored since I was booted from the army. Doing these little easy kidnappings, partnering with an utter amateur. This country is too fucking peaceful."
Akane watched on in both fear and growing intrigue of the coming fight, but also she worried for her savior. The man he beat previously was around his size and not as well built, but this other man was trouble. He stood a full head taller than the Ruffian Slayer and despite being covered he was noticeably muscular beneath it all.
"I see…I've always wanted to fight a soldier…"
"I welcome the challenge, Stylish Ruffian Slayer!"
The criminal drew his own knife and proceeded to lunge at him, forcing the hero to go on the defensive, dodging all of his strikes with great success until one of the slashes made contact. It grazed the hand of the Ruffian Slayer, forcing him to distance himself from the fight. Akane watched as the man laughed to himself as he looked at his knife, now slick with a slight amount of blood along the edge, which he licked up with demented joy.
"I can never go back now that I know…How good this feels!"
The man rushed at the Stylish Ruffian Slayer once more. Before his knife could even make contact with his face, the masked man swiftly drew a crowbar. Akane watches the sudden block in utter awe, eyes wide as her savior begins applying more pressure against her abductor. The larger man stumbled back in surprise as their weapons locked, not expecting such a counter. With how loud the fight was becoming, Akane wasn't able to hear their conversation as well as before, only being able to make out something her savior said about crowbars and their utility. Pulling out a second crowbar from seemingly nowhere, the two began clashing, steel against steel. Akane remained almost transfixed by the fighting she was witnessing, almost discarding the fear from her current predicament. Even though it was a pretty close fight, the Stylish Ruffian Slayer had the advantage. He had managed to disarm the criminal, leaving the burly man to continue the fight with his fists.
I've never seen crowbars used in such a way. He is wielding them like tonfas…
Akane flinched when the Ruffian Slayer blocked a particularly hard kick from his opponent, forcing him to kneel on the floor in an attempt to recover.
"All I have to do is protect my head from your strikes and I'll be fine, but if I land just one hit on you, you're done for."
The man laughed loudly to himself again and Akane looked over at her savior in concern. Because of the mask, she wasn't able to read his expression well, but she could see the worry in his eyes.
"You make a good point. At my current level, former military is still a bit challenging for me. That's the truth."
Hearing that made the man's smile grow wider, the words stroking his ego. At least, that was until he continued.
"That just means I have to get more serious."
The man's smile broke off, quickly morphing into confusion as the Stylish Ruffian Slayer got off the ground.
What is he going to do now? Will he really win this?
Both of Akane's questions were answered in no time, her hero tossing one of his crowbars forward towards the man, before grabbing it out of the air, holding it in a more conventional grip. His opponent raised his hands to protect his face just like before, but now the results were different- the Stylish Ruffian Slayer slammed the crowbar into the back of his opponent's left hand using the heel of its 'L'. A loud crack rang throughout the warehouse.
For the first time in the entire fight, the man cried out in agony. He made a desperate final attempt to counter, but instead ended up getting smacked across the face by the back of the Ruffian Slayert's hand, sending him reeling back a couple steps. Akane looked on in a mixture of relief and horror at the sudden shift in tides of the fight. The look of fear on the criminal's face as he clutched his broken hand only heightened those feelings.
"You beat up bikers with a crowbar?! You're the Balaclava Berserker?!"
Balaclava Berserker? Does he have other names?
Akane tried piecing information together from what she could make out as the two fought, now her savior being in the obvious advantage.
"They recently started wearing helmets, so it wouldn't kill them if I hit them in the head. And…the solution I found to that problem…"
The wounded kidnapper backed away in horror before his eyes caught on the gun his partner dropped a while ago. Throwing any pride he seemingly had before out the window he jumped towards it. Just as his opponent wanted.
"...was to stop using crowbars as tonfas…"
The Ruffian Slayer sprinted at him as he reached for the gun. Just as his fingers grazed the edge of the pistol, one of the Stylish Ruffian Slayer's crowbars struck the ground next to it, forcing him to retract his hand.
"...Because using them as a club…"
Using the abductor's hesitation against him, he hooked the end of the crowbar around that hand and brought it up, forcing the man to face him.
"...Is far more effective!"
The once seemingly formidable man was now reduced to simply prey. He stood no chance against this monster… A crowbar slammed into his shin, producing a sickening crack that made Akane look away in horror. The strike made him fall to his knees, screaming once more in agony. Akane flinched and closed her eyes as she began to hear more and more sounds of the crowbar meeting flesh only being outheard by the man's screams for mercy.
Akane lost track of how many times she heard the now probably barely alive man be hit and was almost considering taking a look for herself when she heard the beating cease. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by her 'savior' crouched in front of her holding a switchblade towards her mouth. Her face paled at the sudden closeness.
"Don't move"
How did I not even hear him approach me?! Was he even trying to save me?!
The new fears sprouting in her head about this stranger's motivations were quickly cut short when a sudden swift motion of the blade left Akane's gag falling away from her face. Another slash and the bindings fell with it.
Akane was left momentarily dazed at her sudden liberation and she couldn't stop herself from just looking at him still in fear and surprise. She shakily rose from her sitting position maintaining what eye contact she could. Being underneath the broken skylight gave her a better look of him and she was able to clearly see his black eyes staring sharply into her through the holes of his balaclava. Without a visible expression, she was left to judge from just his eyes- she thought he was looking at her in a mixture of pity and…disappointment?
No, that can't be right. Why does he-
"Be more careful next time, alright?"
The masked man's sudden words broke Akane's thought process as he moved past her and towards the exit of the warehouse. She remained in the same position for a few seconds, lost in her own feelings about what had just happened to her.
"...H-Hold on, wait."
The girl turned her head back to look at where her savior had gone, but was met with silence.
He was already gone.
Who…What?
Akane rubbed her eyes in disbelief. When she lowered her hands, nothing changed. The girl was left alone and distraught in a warehouse, with the two unconscious bodies of her kidnappers.
I didn't even get the chance to say thank you… Kageno…
_________________________________________________________________________________
I got cut…
Minoru made it to the front steps of his house around the reasonably early time of just past 12am, thinking over the past couple hours on repeat while walking. It didn't actually take a lot of time to get home whatsoever, so he purposefully made sure to take the longest route possible to get back at a time where his parents were already asleep.
I got cut…
As he unlocked and opened the front door his mind continued to be plagued by his fight with that former soldier in the warehouse, the same scene playing over and over again.
I got cut…
Closing the door behind him gently he put down his duffel bag, which he had still been carrying, and his neutral face immediately turned to one of frustration. He covered his face in his hands in shame and groaned into them.
I GOT CUT!
Years he trained his technique, years he has been honing himself physically, years he's been improving his reflexes, but despite it all he still got a small cut from that man's knife during their fight!
"I could have done better than that. How did I screw that up so badly?"
His optimistic side tried to cheer him up by saying that it was his first fight against former military, but it did little when facing the legion of dissenting thoughts.
I got cut, it doesn't matter if it was a small one. He was able to land a hit on me and actually put some pressure on me before I beat him.
He shook his head in annoyance. This was an insult to himself. He could not tolerate that screw up of a performance! Even though he was able to help Nishino, he portrayed himself as someone who is vulnerable to physical harm!
And that ending! I should have just cut her bindings and left without saying another word. Why did I give her the chance to look at me for that long? Why did I-
"Minoru?"
Before Minoru could rip more into his faults during tonight's fight, he flinched as the voice of a woman who happened to be watching him interrupted his thoughts. She was still standing by the front door from the living room couch.
"Mom? You're here? And you're…"
He looked over at her and saw her clearly concerned and exhausted face. She must have been waiting for him this entire time. The frustration that was on his face melted away and a more melancholic and guiltful look took its place.
"What took you so long? This is the latest you've ever made it home."
She got up from the couch and Minoru couldn't help but lower his head and look at the floor. He didn't expect her to actually stay up that long to wait for him. She did this other times before, but he would just come home at a later time the next time around and so far just past 12am was the perfect time.
"I-I sort of got caught up in stuff. Just lost track of time I guess…"
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly while still avoiding eye contact. He really did not want to be speaking to her now, he knows how this will end.
"Are you okay?"
"Eh?"
"I asked if you were okay."
She spoke softly to him which only served to hurt him more. In his mind he knew and she knew he didn't deserve this kindness.
"Yes. I was practicing the piano in school. I sort of, well not sort of. I really lost track of time. I promise not to make that mistake ag-"
Before he could continue any more with covering up his activities he felt the arms of his mother wrap around his shoulders and pull him gently to a hug. The act alone made his body shake a bit as her warmth and comfort made him realize how tired he also is.
"You don't have to lie to me, Minoru. I know how tired you have been lately. All I ask is for you to please be careful."
Hearing his mother's understanding made his head drop again in even more shame. He didn't reciprocate the hug as his mind was occupied with his own thoughts.
She doesn't know…She forgave me when she didn't know…
"It's…been hard for us all, even now. Some days it just feels like she-"
"I'm so sorry for keeping you up."
Minoru quickly interrupted his mother before he finished not wanting to hear what his mother was going to say next. He's heard it plenty of times already and it didn't make things any less painful.
"It's alright, Minoru."
His mother didn't seem to be upset at the interruption, his redirection was a success. She let out a content sigh as if hearing his apology made staying up this long worth it. She let go of her son soon after and saw Minoru still looking at the ground.
"Minoru, look at me."
He obeyed his mother and turned his head up to finally face her properly, seeing her face showing nothing but worry and also happiness that he was back safely. It didn't help his mind at all.
"I won't stop you from doing whatever it is you're doing anymore. We both know your father and I wouldn't be able to anyways. You were always the most stubborn one."
Minoru bit his tongue to avoid countering that. She wasn't wrong, but hearing that just made him feel even worse.
"Just remember, we love you and don't want to see yourself getting even more hurt."
…I don't deserve any of you…
"Your dinner is in the kitchen, just heat it up okay? Goodnight, Minoru."
Without another word his mother turned around and started walking away to go to sleep. After she was out view Minoru started to shake again slightly as he was picking at the interaction the two just had.
I keep on disappointing them, and they still forgive me…
He sighed, trying to compose himself. After taking a few deep breaths he decided to drop his stuff off at his room before going to eat. Picking up his bag and making his way over to his bedroom he saw the room next to his have its door left slightly open.
Her room…
He didn't bother questioning the reasoning and made it to his room putting his bag away.
As he exited he passed by the room again.
"Minoru?"
He flinched at the sound and turned towards the door still slightly ajar. The whisper was just barely audible, if he had taken just another step he wouldn't have heard it.
What does she want from me?
Minoru went over to the door and peered through the other side only being met by complete darkness. He considered whether or not he should go inside and see what she wanted.
It might be important. What if she nee-
Right before he could finish forming that thought he decided to just ignore her voice and continued on his way to the kitchen. Now that that was all over with he could focus on more important matters, mainly on what happened to Akane.
He was sure she wouldn't be upset about the way he was ignoring her tonight in the morning, after all, this wasn't the first time he let her down.
_________________________________________________________________________________
"Good morning, Nishino!"
"Good morning to you, too."
"Good morning, Senpai!"
"Thank you, good morning."
Akane Nishino greeted her classmates as she walked through the school entrance after being dropped off by her driver. It was another day of school, and things were looking to be just as predictable and ordinary as the last. Making it to the locker room, she witnessed the same scene as the many days before of a boy standing in front of his locker, dropping his duffel bag onto the floor. She let out a sigh, but on the inside she could barely hold back her smile as she looked at her savior. If he wanted to keep this identity a secret, the least she could do for him was let it stay that way.
"Good morning, Kageno."
Minoru turned to Akane as he opened his locker, giving the same smile as he did the day before.
"Good morning, Nishino."
"That is not my na-…Eh?"
Akane blinks in confusion and her red eyes look at him with a puzzled expression.
He…He said my name correctly.
Minoru continued putting his things away while looking at Akane and she could see other small differences with his appearance. His once dull black eyes looked directly at her, clearly no longer so distant, and his smile seemed a bit more genuine.
"Huh?"
"O-Oh it's nothing!"
Akane blushed and let out an awkward laugh at his response. Her fake smile which she would have everyday now became real for a moment.
Kageno is like me. Living his daily life behind a mask for the sake of others.
"Alright then, goodbye."
Minoru abruptly responded as he closed his locker and picked up his duffel bag starting to head upstairs to class leaving Akane alone to watch him go up.
Looking back on that day later Akane sighed in disappointment and sorrow. She was never able to get closer to him after that incident. She was sure they would have had many other things in common even if not so obvious on the outside, but it all was cut short.
After all, she didn't expect her hero to get killed that same day.
-.-- --- ..- .-. / -... . ... - / ..-. .-. .. . -. -..
Chapter 2: Uncertain Steps
Chapter 2: Uncertain Steps
I… I don't remember how it started. As far back as I can remember, it's what I always wanted to be. Like how everybody dreams of being a hero when they're a kid. That's what I wanted to be.
But what made me different from the other kids is that this desire wasn't just a temporary phase. It kept burning inside me, deep, deep into my heart. That flame never died, didn't even flicker out for a moment. It kept me driving forward relentlessly, mastering every skill I needed to be stronger.
I experimented with being on both sides of the conflict. While growing up, the playground was an excellent place to hold such tests. How Should I go about fulfilling my passion? I've played the role of the outspoken hero who denounced and protected all from evil, and the villain who had no good justification for the sins he committed on the innocent, but none of them felt right to me. I wouldn't be satisfied with my life by being either of the two. There was another path I had to take.
At school I was obnoxiously average- never conspicuous, utterly harmless, Background Character A. But behind that mask of mediocrity, I devoted everything to my training. Even after everyone else around me began growing up, forgetting their dreams of heroism and power. It felt… jarring, initially, spending so much of my time by myself, but it was a small price to pay. Especially when there was one to help insp-...
…
…
…
I kept going, knowing that inevitably, there would come a time where I would be forced to face the reality of my humanity. None of these skills would matter in the end. I could master all forms of martial arts, but I would never come close to the overwhelming power you see in all those stories. The best I will ever be able to do is beat a couple of loosely organized delinquents. However, if, for example, I ever found myself on the opposite side of a firing squad, that would be the end of my life… Well, maybe if I truly did become the greatest martial artist in the world, I may be able to take on a few of them before I succumb to their superior firepower, but that's besides the point. So what if I did? What if a nuclear missile fell from the sky? No, no matter how much I tone my muscles, sharpen my skills, and hone my mind, the only option there would be for me is to vaporize with my surroundings. That is the tragedy of being human…
Ha, I almost find it a bit pathetic. Worrying about such scenarios, when it was a truck that ended my life…
"MAGIC!"
Smack
"MAGIC!"
Smack
Minoru Kageno did not relent as he shouted the same thing in almost a sort of delirium, slamming his face into a large boulder within the forest between every shout. It was midnight once again, which to him, meant training time. After the horrific failure that took place during his latest show as the Stylish Ruffian Slayer, it was apparent he wasn't pushing himself hard enough.
"MAGIC!"
Smack
That was not all, besides trying to redeem himself from his subpar performance, Minoru was undergoing this 'training' for another important reason.
"MAGIC!"
Smack
Magic, of course! That will be the path to unstoppable power, magic! While he has no regrets about the physical conditioning he has put himself through over these past couple years, he is ashamed that he could not come to such a simple conclusion sooner. If he had started this earlier, he likely would have been closer to awakening magical abilities.
"MAGIC!"
Smack
Magic is what would take him to the next level. It's what would destroy the inevitable stagnation that will come once he fully realizes his physical potential. Hell, it might even help him with dealing with he-...
…
…
…
"MAGIC!"
Smack
Books and the internet were his only sources for trying to uncover the mysteries of this mystical power. It was a slow and painful process of trial and error, looking over mythologies from around the world, more recent and 'credible' sources, and even those tales he listened to growing up. No stone was left unturned by Minoru as he relentlessly pursued this forbidden knowledge.
"MAGIC!"
Smack
The longer the process went on, the more Minoru began to question the legitimacy of this method, like the many others he did before this. Of course that doesn't mean he would stop after doing this until his body drops. If there is one thing he can be certain about at the very least, it's his determination.
"MAGIC!"
Smack
I wonder how Nishino is handling herself after last night… If I had made myself known just a minute later, he would have already started doing things to her.
Minoru's abnormal pain tolerance was allowing him the clarity to properly think on things, despite the blood now dripping down his face from his strikes against himself.
It was far from the first time I have taken action against the criminals roaming the night... I've faced bikers, thugs, gangsters, ruffians, whatever other names they've been given- I've fought them all. For training purposes, of course. This should have been no different and yet…I lingered on, I wasn't careful enough with my moves, and I paid the price…
"MAGIC!"
Smack
My parents also picked up on my actions. They said they wouldn't ask what I am doing anymore, so long as I'm safe… I really lowered their expectations of me that much, huh..?
The thought of Minoru's parents growing more distant from him made him pause, just as he was about to smash his crimson-coated forehead into the stone once more.
"Just remember, we love you and don't want to see yourself getting even more hurt."
Mother… Father…
…
"MAGIC!"
Smack
Minoru continued his mixture of training and punishment, the passage of time slipping from his mind. He tried to rid his mind of anything that wasn't the magic he was searching for. Eventually, he reached his limit. Feeling an excruciatingly painful throb in his head, he was forced to back away from the boulder he was using, now clutching his battered skull.
It's not working! It's not working! This is also a dead end!
Minoru didn't feel anything particularly different about himself, not counting the brain damage he likely just gave himself. His mind couldn't help but wander off once more, feeding into his despair.
None of these things are working, it's all just a bunch of crap! I mean to be completely honest, I should have expected smacking my head against a boulder while completely nude isn't exactly the greatest method for anything really, but regardless! I need to find the true way! My dreams depend on it! My life depends on it!
I need to make sure that it wasn't for nothing! That she-!
…
…
…
Minoru ran at a random direction as far and fast his legs could take him in his delirious state. He wasn't completely aware of his surroundings, his exhaustion and thoughts distorting his perception of the once peaceful forest where he has trained diligently for years. Nothing was right for him anymore. He was cracking from the frustration and self imposed humiliation. All that work he put in, and then some, just to be at the same point he was years ago when just thinking about trying to awaken magic.
Am I a failure?
Just as he found himself reaching rock bottom, something caught his eye. Two orbs of white light, shining through the greenery ahead of Minoru. They moved quickly, seemingly going to pass by him if he didn't move to intercept them.
Orbs… Magic?! Is that magic?!
At this point rationality had already been thrown out the window as he fully indulged in this optimism. The hope for success after years of failure was intoxicating.
"MAGIC!"
Minoru wasted no time and jumped through the bushes, welcoming the glow with open arms. He had become so fixated on the glow of the light that he failed to register the sounds of a roaring engine and a horn honking at him in a desperate attempt to gain his attention. By the time he finally realized, it was too late for him.
… Magic?
CRUSH
A rather pathetic end indeed. Can't believe that's how I end up losing my life… What will my parents say when they find my body?
… My parents…
I disregarded all of their justified worries about me. No matter how angry they would get with me, how disappointed, how ashamed, they still wanted me to be safe…
I am a failure of a son… among other things…
I threw away the last thing I could possibly give for this dream, my own life, and it still wasn't enough…
… Something must really be wrong with me, because despite it all, I still wish above all else to continue this path.
"Congratulations! It's a boy!"
"A boy?! You heard that dear?! We have a son!"
"Claire will be overjoyed to hear she has a younger brother!"
Eh?
Minoru was not prepared for the sudden yells and words of excitement that assaulted his ears as he opened his eyes to a completely new environment. He felt his heart drop. He wasn't where he was just a few moments earlier. Darting his eyes around he was unable to see much due to the two large faces of a man and woman looking down on him as he stared up at what looked like a ceiling.
What's happening to me?
Trying his best to move around, Minoru found himself completely immobile. Minoru was wrapped within a warm cloth and being held closely by a pair of arms, leaving only his head exposed.
"Claire, come here! Say hi to your new brother!"
Claire? Brother?
Minoru decided to cease his struggle, as he was unable to do anything in his current position. Focusing on his surroundings more, he saw he was being held by the woman who was looking down on him while she was laying down in a large bed. Her exhausted face was accompanied by a smile of pure joy as she looked into his eyes, making him feel uncomfortable.
Taking a look at the man now, Minoru saw he shared the same expression as the lady holding him in her arms. The man was beaming at him as if his value was greater than gold.
He concluded that he must have been in some sort of bedroom, but he hadn't completely acknowledged the fact of what was obviously going on now.
"Claire?! Come on, you have to see him! He's adorable!"
Minoru couldn't help but mentally flinch as he heard that name being repeated. He tried looking to his side, and was successful this time. But what he witnessed didn't feel much like a reward.
Standing by the doorway to the room were two other women who seemed to be dressed in the attire of maids, but it was the one who stood frozen between the two that caught his attention the most. The child's height was only as tall as the two women's knees. She stared at Minoru with her big red eyes, showing nothing but absolute wonder from what she was seeing.
He can't deny the truth any longer after seeing that. Simply put, Minoru Kageno has been reborn.
What… Why… Why is this happening to me?
Minoru looked back up at his parents with what he assumed was a bewildered expression which they seemed to notice. The woman holding him, who he assumed was his 'mother', commented on it.
"Huh, he doesn't seem to cry. That's a little odd."
His 'father' turned his head to look at her, also a little concerned.
"I'm sure that's also normal. We can't expect him to be exactly like Claire can we?"
"I guess you have a point."
The man looked down at him again with his previously concerned expression completely fading away as the joy he had previously came back.
"Welcome to the world… Cid Kagenou."
Cid Kagenou… Kagenou…
Nobody in the room was expecting the seemingly quiet baby to start loudly crying after hearing those words from his father.
"Cid! Come on, go faster!"
"Claire, please be more gentle with your brother!"
"Don't go too far ahead of us, ok?! Stop when you reach the clearing!"
The peaceful quietness that once enveloped the forest just beyond their mansion was interrupted the moment the Kagenou family entered. The parents, after being begged by their 6 year old daughter for days, have finally succumbed to her demands to bring her and their 4 year old son on a walk together. It wasn't that they didn't want to do it, it was more of them just being worried about what Claire may do in her excitement of taking him around. And it seems their fear might hold some merit with the way his hand was being pulled by her as she ran ahead of their parents.
Unknown to the three, the boy who was practically being dragged by his older sister was completely disconnected from what was happening, as he was lost in his own thoughts.
4 years, 4 years since I was brought into this new world. I've been unable to do much due to my fa-... their almost 24/7 supervision, and even if they were not, I am unable to move around a lot due to my body's current state.
After the initial shock from realizing I have been reborn here, I felt some sort of 6th sense awakening in me. Everywhere around me, even in the air, I could feel some sort of 'energy' present. It was only after I heard one of the servants bring it up, that I realized it was magic. I have been reincarnated into a world that contains magic as a common part of life.
Even if it wasn't the way I was intending, I'm not complaining. This has been something I have been trying for for years. If I knew death was the solution to this issue back on Earth, I would have done this long ago… I wonder what my parents would thi-
Despite making this miraculous milestone, I still have a long way to go to wield it. I can feel it, but I have no understanding yet on how I can start learning how to use it. This world, despite speaking the same as back home, has another form of writing I have not been taught yet. My si-... Claire hasn't been taught anything yet either. Right now all we are are just two innocent children meant to do nothing but enjoy their childhood while it lasts.
"Cid!"
Minoru's thoughts were broken when he heard Claire shouting his name. Before he could realize what she was warning him about, his foot got caught by an exposed tree root, making him fall down violently and bringing down Claire with him. Fortunately for the two they did not fall down head first, but that didn't stop them from crying out in pain at their sudden stop. Their parents were already running towards them.
"Cid! Claire, are you alright?!"
"Claire, what did I say?!"
The two were sitting up by the time their parents reached them. Cid had fallen down on his side from trying to catch himself with Claire while she had fallen on her elbow from being pulled back by her brother. Cid was relatively fine, but for Claire she now had a noticeable scrape with the skin being slightly peeled. Their father helped the two get up, making sure Cid didn't get hurt from getting his foot caught on that root while their mother inspected Claire's wound. She let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh thank goodness, it's just some minor peeling. There's no bleeding."
"Claire, you must be more careful with your brother. You got yourself and Cid hurt."
Cid, who was still being inspected by his father, watched as Claire looked down at the ground in shame after hearing the words of their father. She turned to him, giving a remorseful expression. He found it confusing how he wasn't being considered the one responsible since he wasn't the one paying attention and pulled her down with him to catch himself.
"I-I'm… sorry… little brother…"
The words came out in a slight stutter and her eyes seemed to grow more moist. Again, before he realized what was happening, she took a quick step forward and pulled him into a hug, patting his head.
… I'm not sure I will ever get used to this…
After a few moments of the sudden intimacy she let him go and continued on ahead of her family once more, this time without grabbing onto her brother.
"Cid, you don't have to be scared. You can go on ahead, just be careful."
Hearing his mo-... her words, he decided to listen. He began going ahead of the two as well, following Claire to the clearing that they were about to reach.
This would be far from the only time Minoru hurt his new sister with his actions.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY CID!!!"
Minoru was completely unprepared for what would happen when Claire woke him up from his uncontrolled nap in the evening and told him that he had to come to the dining room of the mansion for something important. He let her lead his now 6 year old self along the halls of the mansion. When he reached the dining area, he was greeted by the loud announcement coming from his parents, their servants, and Claire from behind.
They threw me a… surprise party?
This wasn't the first time that he has ever had a surprise party, but this was the first time that he ever got one from… them.
His… 'mother' was holding a large cake with 6 small candles laid throughout the top. Seeing that he was now here, she placed it on the center of the dining table while his 'father' had begun to approach him. When he reached the birthday boy, he placed his hand on Cid's head and playfully ruffled his hair.
"6 years old already, you're already on your way to becoming a man!"
"Father, he's not even touched a sword yet!"
Seems that they're still none the wiser to my activities! Yes!
Cid looked on at their shenanigans with an ecstatic expression which wasn't so far off from how Minoru actually felt. His happiness didn't come from this surprise however, it was Claire's rebuttal to her father's words.
"He'll get around to it one day, Claire. For now you should focus on your own training."
Cid's mom chimed in as she made it to the others. She got on her knee and brought him into a hug.
"Happy birthday dear, I hope you enjoy this day. It was actually your sister that recommended we do this for you."
"Mother!"
Turning his head to Claire after she blurted that out, her face went red from embarrassment and she looked away from Cid. He couldn't help but grin.
Even though they're not my true family… It's sort of nice being able to experience this again…
The servants were bringing more food to the table. It seemed his fam-… they were planning on a more extravagant dinner too.
"Thank you, sister."
I should at the very least show that I'm thankful for this…
Cid went over to Claire and hugged her using as much cuteness his child form could give. Their parents gushed at the sight of their two children being appreciative towards each other.
Why does this feel so familiar?
While hugging Claire, Minoru felt an unexplainable nostalgia washing over him. He didn't know why, or what could he have done before that would make this happen.
No, it's not the party that's doing this. It has to be something else… Someo-
"Psst, Cid."
Minoru's thoughts were interrupted when Claire whispered into his ear, just enough to where he could hear her but their parents could not.
"I know father and mother told you before that you're too young to start your dark knight training now, but I've seen the way you look at the swords sometimes. I don't think it will hurt if you got at least a little bit of experience before your training officially starts."
Cid's eyes widened after hearing the proposition from Claire. After all his time going out to secretly train, he considered her to be the transparent and honest one.
"We'll also get to spend more time together too. Are you in?"
I should say no. If I really do start it earlier with her then that would mean I would have to be stronger and more competent with the sword once I begin to fight as Cid Kagenou. It'll make things messier in the long run, not to mention the time I would lose in training if sessions also happened at nig-
"Yes, thank you sister."
Cid's face became one of shock from his counterintuitive and impulsive response to Claire's offer. Why was this happening to him?
"Wonderful, we can begin as soon as possible then."
Claire let go of her brother and beamed at him as if it was her birthday they were celebrating. Seeing her happy despite his emotional distancing of this new 'family' because of something he said, it gave him a feeling of… he can't identify it.
Why can't I remember?
Minoru tried his hardest to think back on his days ho-… on Earth. Something was missing now, and it bothered him to no end. Despite it being 6 years since he has been brought here, he was already feeling himself forgetting things that he once considered memorable.
… I'm never gonna see them again, am I?
Whether he'll accept the truth or not, he has to at least do a better job at pretending to be Cid Kagenou.
12am, it's time!
Minoru wasted no time as he happily got up from his messy bed that he never bothers to clean unless told to. It has become a tradition at this point ever since he has been officially given his own sword after 8 years of being here. Waiting in bed until exactly midnight after everybody else is asleep to go train in the woods.
"Goodbye Cid Kagenou."
Minoru lightly snickered to himself while he grabbed his sheathed sword which was unceremoniously propped up by his nightstand. Ever since he grew old enough to the point where he was expected to talk frequently, he has to put an even greater effort on his performance of 'Cid Kagenou', the incompetent boy whose deeds have and never will come close to the heir of the family name. But at night, he gets to finally unwind and be himself without the expectations of his fam-... them to worry about.
If I am able to reach that speed milestone I've been aiming for all week, I can go bandit hunting earlier than I usually do!
He changed into his daytime attire with a speed no child should have and went over to the window of his room. Right as he was about to open it and leap out, something caught his ear.
Is… Is that… a piano?
It was faint, so faint that if he were just breathing a little louder he wouldn't hear it. He looked away from the window and at the door out of his room. It seemed to be coming from within the mansion.
Despite the power he had, Minoru couldn't help but feel unnerved at the sound of it playing. He approached the door, placing his hand on the knob. He stopped himself right as he was going to open it.
Why… does this feel familiar?
Minoru's happy expression faded and confusion took its place.
I can hear the notes from here better now. Whoever is playing seems to have some idea of what to do, but their execution is poor. Ha, it almost sounds like-
…
…
…
Minoru turned open the door and gently pushed it open, revealing the darkened hallway that was on the other side. Taking a step forward and closing the door behind him, he felt the poor attempt at music echoing gently through the large hall. Despite the quality, it held a certain charm to it, enough so that it made his baggy eyes droop slightly. A yawn escaped him but he was able to compose himself before it got too out of hand.
"Since when did we even have a piano here?"
Minoru walked towards the source of the music, thankful that his nighttime activities have become something he's become so adjusted to that his eyes have grown used to very dark settings. Looking at the end of the hall, his calm demeanor was challenged when he thought he saw someone turning the corner of the hallway just as he was able to see it.
Is that… a girl?
He gripped his sword tighter, considering whether or not he should take his sword out of its scabbard. The sudden panic that arose within him however was squashed as quickly as it grew when he realized the ridiculousness of the situation.
"... Nope, it's nothing..."
Minoru sighed in relief as he made it to the end of the hallway. It was just past midnight at this point, only he was awake at this time. He shouldn't let his head play tricks on him like that.
His short-lived victory ended when he turned the corner and saw the same figure for a split second descending the staircase he was just about to walk down. The boy jumped back and almost dropped his sword at the sight, resisting his desire to yelp.
It's nothing… It's nothing.
This time Minoru closed his eyes and took a deep breath to regain his bearing. The sounds of the piano grew louder, helping to keep him grounded to the task at hand.
She is messing up in the same part when she repeats the sequence…
Not explaining to himself why he thought the one responsible for this was a girl, he started his descent down the stairs. The darkness seemed to only grow worse for him as he made it to the bottom. He had no idea why he found himself so powerless in this situation, and it frustrated him enough to want to get to the bottom of it.
He was now on the brink of finding the source, walking through the final hall he thought he needed to reach, he heard the piano clearly. He picked up every note being played, and every mistake that she was making. Before he knew it, his mind forgot the building dread he was feeling and became lost in an unknown nostalgia, smiling dreamily at the song.
She is certainly dedicated to playing at this time. I wonder what drove her to suddenly start doing it. Maybe my performance inspired her… I'm happy I could have such an effect.
Minoru made it to the doorway to the family room, the place where the music was coming from. She was doing well for someone with limited experience, and he wants her to continue, but it's late. The two of them should be in bed at this point, and he doesn't want to incur the wrath of their parents on him.
Crossing the doorway, Minoru's brief fantasy crashed horrifically when he looked into the dimly lit room and saw the one responsible for the late night disturbance. A girl seemingly around his age, was sitting down on the piano bench, and playing with the unrefined style of a beginner. Even though her bright black eyes weren't looking at him, he could still see the expression on her face, happy and careless…
No… that's…
That's… Why is she…
She's… She's…
No…
NONONONONONONONO-
"Cid, what are you doing here?"
Minoru's thoughts were interrupted when he heard Claire calling out to him. Snapping back into reality, he saw Claire sitting down on the piano bench with her hands resting on the keys. She had stopped her practice when she heard the sound of something loudly dropping which made her flinch in surprise. Turning to look at the source she saw her younger brother looking at her with a panicked expression, his sword laid down beside him. He hadn't realized he dropped his sword while in his momentary delusion.
"S-Sister, I… I…"
Cid couldn't string a sentence together and started to shake slightly which Claire caught. Her deep red eyes looked at him with concern as she got up and started to walk towards him on the other side of the room. Of course, he was likely woken up by the sounds of her playing and went to investigate, he even brought his sword with him. The thought of making her little brother feel unsafe made Claire ashamed of herself.
"Oh, I woke you up while you were sleeping. I'm sorry for making you have to come all the way down here."
Cid stopped trying to respond and just blankly nodded at Claire's words. She smiled at him while ruffling his hair.
"Father gifted me this piano a while ago. I'm not able to practice as much as I want to during the day with my schedule and all that, so I settled with playing at night. I sounded bad didn't I?"
Claire didn't care to notice the vacant stare of her brother as he listened, nodding along when he felt appropriate. In his mind, Minoru was trying to answer a few questions in his head. Like how didn't he notice there was a grand piano in the family room, what did he see before, and most importantly…
Why… Did she…
Sound… Like…
"Hey, why don't I teach you how to play it, huh? It'll be fun. I may not know much myself, but you can play here with me and we can try to go through it together. We can spend more time together too."
Claire smiled warmly at her little brother when she finished her proposition, hoping he would accept.
"How does that sound to you, little brother?"
Cid stood motionless. He had no clue what to say, or how to feel. His flimsy attempt at maintaining his persona was under the threat of breaking as his thoughts were swirling in confusion and pain he could not identify the source of.
"... Cid?"
"... I… would… love to… sister…"
Cid let out an extensive yawn as he finished. Going to turn around and head back to bed, he had lost all motivation to do any training for tonight. His exhaustion had finally caught up with him thanks to this encounter.
"Great, we'll start tomorrow then. Sweet dreams, Cid."
As the two headed back to their respective bedrooms, Minoru wondered if that final sentence from Claire was another way this world mocked him.
"Remember, just take a deep breath and calm down when you feel yourself losing your concentration."
"Yes sister."
"Cid, what did I say about dismissing advice? It's good to remind yourself of this."
"Yes sister."
"Are you ignoring my words again, Cid?"
"Yes sister."
Before Claire could rebut her 10 year old brother on his lack of respect once more, the boy began another attempt on the grand piano. For the last hour the two siblings were taking turns on the song they were practicing. Claire had already shown her improvement on this specific piece while Cid seemed to be stuck in an endless plateau. It's between the first 10 seconds and a whole minute at most where he plays beautifully, but it's after that where everything goes wrong. She remembers the order of how he messes up.
"Cid, make sure to avoid tensing up. You're doing great so far."
Meanwhile, as Claire stood beside him as he tried to keep her brother grounded, Minoru was fighting a losing battle with himself as he tried to keep himself composed in the midst of this emotionally challenging situation. He was doing much better than before, but that didn't mean a lot when he couldn't even play for more than a minute without freaking out.
I have been in this world for around a decade, and everything has been going well.
Claire noticed her brother's shoulders tensing up past the 10 second mark. It was already starting.
"Cid, relax your shoulders. You're still doing well."
The slimesuit has been improved. Nothing the bandits do can hurt me anymore, no matter how hard they strike, it's completely nullified.
15 seconds in, Cid's body began to slightly shake as he played. Claire took notice.
"Cid, you have no reason to shake, you're still going strong."
My swordsmanship has yet to become perfect, but it's still improving, as is my speed, strength, and magical ability.
20 seconds in, Cid's left foot began to lightly tap against the ground. Accompanied by the shaking, she knew his notes would eventually get off. Claire tried reaching out to her brother again.
"Cid, you need to calm down. Take a deep breath."
I'm getting there. Step by step, day by day. I'm getting closer to reaching the power I need to see my dream realized…
30 seconds into his performance, he closed his eyes and his fingers were starting to shake as he played. He's about to mess up.
"Cid, I believe in you. Keep going."
I have gotten closer here than I have ever gotten back ho-... back on Earth…
33 seconds, he missed one note.
"..."
Do they still think about me? Do they even know what happened to me? I doubt it…
37 seconds, he missed another note. Claire's words were barely making it to Cid's ears.
"Cid…"
Did they host a funeral for me? Would anyone other than my parents have been there? I know I didn't leave any impression on anyone in school that wasn't of complete mediocrity or dislike…
40 seconds, he missed multiple notes in a row before he was back on track. Claire came closer to his side getting ready to intervene, but she hesitated for a moment, deciding to give him a chance to save this performance.
It shouldn't matter anymore what they think anyways. They're gone. I'm gone. We're never gonna see each other again… I'm…
… Content…
45 seconds, his mistakes only became more frequent. He showed no sign of calming down or even attempting to. He was losing it.
"Cid, do you hear me?"
I have given nothing to them but indifference and defiance. I didn't keep my promises with either of them. And all they wanted was my happiness and safety…
47 seconds, his screwup had gone on for a full 2 seconds now.
How much sleep did my mom lose waiting for me to come home?
49 seconds, he did not stop with his botching of what was supposed to be a nice piano piece.
How much money did my dad give to me for my training, which I rarely even thanked him for?
50 seconds. Every second felt increasingly longer in Minoru's descending thoughts.
How many times did I let them down with my lack of any social life, my grades, anything that wasn't the piano?
53 seconds, this was beyond any salvation. He had to stop, but he couldn't bring himself to.
The piano… The piano that I can't even play right anymore…
55 seconds, Claire saw his closed eyes quivering alongside his face.
I… I failed them… I failed my parents to achieve something I can't even show them…
I treated their love as a tool… I took them for granted…
I didn't tell them what I was really doing… What I really wanted… To be an eminence in shadows…
1 full minute, to call this a performance would be an insult if it was not sarcastically.
I didn't tell them the truth…
And now I can barely remember their faces right…
1 minute and 5 seconds and he hasn't stopped himself yet. Claire has seen enough, at the very least he hit a new record.
I was a horrible son to them, and now… nothing has changed…
I can't even call them my own after a decade of receiving nothing but kindness from them.
And Claire… I'm failing her… Just like…
Just…
Like…
"Even if this still scares you, just remember that I'll be here with you through it all."
…
"CID!"
Minoru's descent was halted when he felt a hand firmly grabbing onto his left shoulder. Harshly flinching at the touch. He stood up in a panic looking at the one responsible. Claire looked at him with nothing but concern, which only made him feel worse.
"Cid, are you alright? You… you looked so scared, a-and you were breathing so quickly, I-I don't know what's happening with you."
Please… Stop being so nice to me…
"... Claire?"
"Y-Yes?"
Cid's face went blank as he mentally prepared himself for what to say without messing it up. Claire was disturbed to see such a shift in her brother's expression.
"I… I don't think it's a good idea for us to continue doing this. This isn't good for us. I'm… I'm going to bed…"
Cid, without waiting for a response, turned away from her and hastily walked out of the family room, leaving the eldest child of the Kagenou family alone still standing by the piano. She didn't know what to do, but look on in shock and hurt from his response. He sounded so… defeated.
"Cid…"
Claire couldn't help but succumb to her own grief of failing to help her little brother with whatever was burdening him. When she thought he wouldn't hear her, the tears fell freely, and the sobs came soon after.
When Cid made it back to his room, he yawned again as he thought back to what just happened. As much as he hated to admit it, Minoru Kageno was still alive, no matter how much it hurt the Kagenou family.
AN: Should have finished this much earlier, but I hit an unnecessarily long roadblock with one of the scenes. Chapters release when I finish so I'll say sorry ahead of time for the lack of scheduling. Appreciate the support. Also my editor is Asian so that's pretty cool.
I… I don't remember how it started. As far back as I can remember, it's what I always wanted to be. Like how everybody dreams of being a hero when they're a kid. That's what I wanted to be.
But what made me different from the other kids is that this desire wasn't just a temporary phase. It kept burning inside me, deep, deep into my heart. That flame never died, didn't even flicker out for a moment. It kept me driving forward relentlessly, mastering every skill I needed to be stronger.
I experimented with being on both sides of the conflict. While growing up, the playground was an excellent place to hold such tests. How Should I go about fulfilling my passion? I've played the role of the outspoken hero who denounced and protected all from evil, and the villain who had no good justification for the sins he committed on the innocent, but none of them felt right to me. I wouldn't be satisfied with my life by being either of the two. There was another path I had to take.
At school I was obnoxiously average- never conspicuous, utterly harmless, Background Character A. But behind that mask of mediocrity, I devoted everything to my training. Even after everyone else around me began growing up, forgetting their dreams of heroism and power. It felt… jarring, initially, spending so much of my time by myself, but it was a small price to pay. Especially when there was one to help insp-...
…
…
…
I kept going, knowing that inevitably, there would come a time where I would be forced to face the reality of my humanity. None of these skills would matter in the end. I could master all forms of martial arts, but I would never come close to the overwhelming power you see in all those stories. The best I will ever be able to do is beat a couple of loosely organized delinquents. However, if, for example, I ever found myself on the opposite side of a firing squad, that would be the end of my life… Well, maybe if I truly did become the greatest martial artist in the world, I may be able to take on a few of them before I succumb to their superior firepower, but that's besides the point. So what if I did? What if a nuclear missile fell from the sky? No, no matter how much I tone my muscles, sharpen my skills, and hone my mind, the only option there would be for me is to vaporize with my surroundings. That is the tragedy of being human…
Ha, I almost find it a bit pathetic. Worrying about such scenarios, when it was a truck that ended my life…
"MAGIC!"
Smack
"MAGIC!"
Smack
Minoru Kageno did not relent as he shouted the same thing in almost a sort of delirium, slamming his face into a large boulder within the forest between every shout. It was midnight once again, which to him, meant training time. After the horrific failure that took place during his latest show as the Stylish Ruffian Slayer, it was apparent he wasn't pushing himself hard enough.
"MAGIC!"
Smack
That was not all, besides trying to redeem himself from his subpar performance, Minoru was undergoing this 'training' for another important reason.
"MAGIC!"
Smack
Magic, of course! That will be the path to unstoppable power, magic! While he has no regrets about the physical conditioning he has put himself through over these past couple years, he is ashamed that he could not come to such a simple conclusion sooner. If he had started this earlier, he likely would have been closer to awakening magical abilities.
"MAGIC!"
Smack
Magic is what would take him to the next level. It's what would destroy the inevitable stagnation that will come once he fully realizes his physical potential. Hell, it might even help him with dealing with he-...
…
…
…
"MAGIC!"
Smack
Books and the internet were his only sources for trying to uncover the mysteries of this mystical power. It was a slow and painful process of trial and error, looking over mythologies from around the world, more recent and 'credible' sources, and even those tales he listened to growing up. No stone was left unturned by Minoru as he relentlessly pursued this forbidden knowledge.
"MAGIC!"
Smack
The longer the process went on, the more Minoru began to question the legitimacy of this method, like the many others he did before this. Of course that doesn't mean he would stop after doing this until his body drops. If there is one thing he can be certain about at the very least, it's his determination.
"MAGIC!"
Smack
I wonder how Nishino is handling herself after last night… If I had made myself known just a minute later, he would have already started doing things to her.
Minoru's abnormal pain tolerance was allowing him the clarity to properly think on things, despite the blood now dripping down his face from his strikes against himself.
It was far from the first time I have taken action against the criminals roaming the night... I've faced bikers, thugs, gangsters, ruffians, whatever other names they've been given- I've fought them all. For training purposes, of course. This should have been no different and yet…I lingered on, I wasn't careful enough with my moves, and I paid the price…
"MAGIC!"
Smack
My parents also picked up on my actions. They said they wouldn't ask what I am doing anymore, so long as I'm safe… I really lowered their expectations of me that much, huh..?
The thought of Minoru's parents growing more distant from him made him pause, just as he was about to smash his crimson-coated forehead into the stone once more.
"Just remember, we love you and don't want to see yourself getting even more hurt."
Mother… Father…
…
"MAGIC!"
Smack
Minoru continued his mixture of training and punishment, the passage of time slipping from his mind. He tried to rid his mind of anything that wasn't the magic he was searching for. Eventually, he reached his limit. Feeling an excruciatingly painful throb in his head, he was forced to back away from the boulder he was using, now clutching his battered skull.
It's not working! It's not working! This is also a dead end!
Minoru didn't feel anything particularly different about himself, not counting the brain damage he likely just gave himself. His mind couldn't help but wander off once more, feeding into his despair.
None of these things are working, it's all just a bunch of crap! I mean to be completely honest, I should have expected smacking my head against a boulder while completely nude isn't exactly the greatest method for anything really, but regardless! I need to find the true way! My dreams depend on it! My life depends on it!
I need to make sure that it wasn't for nothing! That she-!
…
…
…
Minoru ran at a random direction as far and fast his legs could take him in his delirious state. He wasn't completely aware of his surroundings, his exhaustion and thoughts distorting his perception of the once peaceful forest where he has trained diligently for years. Nothing was right for him anymore. He was cracking from the frustration and self imposed humiliation. All that work he put in, and then some, just to be at the same point he was years ago when just thinking about trying to awaken magic.
Am I a failure?
Just as he found himself reaching rock bottom, something caught his eye. Two orbs of white light, shining through the greenery ahead of Minoru. They moved quickly, seemingly going to pass by him if he didn't move to intercept them.
Orbs… Magic?! Is that magic?!
At this point rationality had already been thrown out the window as he fully indulged in this optimism. The hope for success after years of failure was intoxicating.
"MAGIC!"
Minoru wasted no time and jumped through the bushes, welcoming the glow with open arms. He had become so fixated on the glow of the light that he failed to register the sounds of a roaring engine and a horn honking at him in a desperate attempt to gain his attention. By the time he finally realized, it was too late for him.
… Magic?
CRUSH
A rather pathetic end indeed. Can't believe that's how I end up losing my life… What will my parents say when they find my body?
… My parents…
I disregarded all of their justified worries about me. No matter how angry they would get with me, how disappointed, how ashamed, they still wanted me to be safe…
I am a failure of a son… among other things…
I threw away the last thing I could possibly give for this dream, my own life, and it still wasn't enough…
… Something must really be wrong with me, because despite it all, I still wish above all else to continue this path.
"Congratulations! It's a boy!"
"A boy?! You heard that dear?! We have a son!"
"Claire will be overjoyed to hear she has a younger brother!"
Eh?
Minoru was not prepared for the sudden yells and words of excitement that assaulted his ears as he opened his eyes to a completely new environment. He felt his heart drop. He wasn't where he was just a few moments earlier. Darting his eyes around he was unable to see much due to the two large faces of a man and woman looking down on him as he stared up at what looked like a ceiling.
What's happening to me?
Trying his best to move around, Minoru found himself completely immobile. Minoru was wrapped within a warm cloth and being held closely by a pair of arms, leaving only his head exposed.
"Claire, come here! Say hi to your new brother!"
Claire? Brother?
Minoru decided to cease his struggle, as he was unable to do anything in his current position. Focusing on his surroundings more, he saw he was being held by the woman who was looking down on him while she was laying down in a large bed. Her exhausted face was accompanied by a smile of pure joy as she looked into his eyes, making him feel uncomfortable.
Taking a look at the man now, Minoru saw he shared the same expression as the lady holding him in her arms. The man was beaming at him as if his value was greater than gold.
He concluded that he must have been in some sort of bedroom, but he hadn't completely acknowledged the fact of what was obviously going on now.
"Claire?! Come on, you have to see him! He's adorable!"
Minoru couldn't help but mentally flinch as he heard that name being repeated. He tried looking to his side, and was successful this time. But what he witnessed didn't feel much like a reward.
Standing by the doorway to the room were two other women who seemed to be dressed in the attire of maids, but it was the one who stood frozen between the two that caught his attention the most. The child's height was only as tall as the two women's knees. She stared at Minoru with her big red eyes, showing nothing but absolute wonder from what she was seeing.
He can't deny the truth any longer after seeing that. Simply put, Minoru Kageno has been reborn.
What… Why… Why is this happening to me?
Minoru looked back up at his parents with what he assumed was a bewildered expression which they seemed to notice. The woman holding him, who he assumed was his 'mother', commented on it.
"Huh, he doesn't seem to cry. That's a little odd."
His 'father' turned his head to look at her, also a little concerned.
"I'm sure that's also normal. We can't expect him to be exactly like Claire can we?"
"I guess you have a point."
The man looked down at him again with his previously concerned expression completely fading away as the joy he had previously came back.
"Welcome to the world… Cid Kagenou."
Cid Kagenou… Kagenou…
Nobody in the room was expecting the seemingly quiet baby to start loudly crying after hearing those words from his father.
"Cid! Come on, go faster!"
"Claire, please be more gentle with your brother!"
"Don't go too far ahead of us, ok?! Stop when you reach the clearing!"
The peaceful quietness that once enveloped the forest just beyond their mansion was interrupted the moment the Kagenou family entered. The parents, after being begged by their 6 year old daughter for days, have finally succumbed to her demands to bring her and their 4 year old son on a walk together. It wasn't that they didn't want to do it, it was more of them just being worried about what Claire may do in her excitement of taking him around. And it seems their fear might hold some merit with the way his hand was being pulled by her as she ran ahead of their parents.
Unknown to the three, the boy who was practically being dragged by his older sister was completely disconnected from what was happening, as he was lost in his own thoughts.
4 years, 4 years since I was brought into this new world. I've been unable to do much due to my fa-... their almost 24/7 supervision, and even if they were not, I am unable to move around a lot due to my body's current state.
After the initial shock from realizing I have been reborn here, I felt some sort of 6th sense awakening in me. Everywhere around me, even in the air, I could feel some sort of 'energy' present. It was only after I heard one of the servants bring it up, that I realized it was magic. I have been reincarnated into a world that contains magic as a common part of life.
Even if it wasn't the way I was intending, I'm not complaining. This has been something I have been trying for for years. If I knew death was the solution to this issue back on Earth, I would have done this long ago… I wonder what my parents would thi-
Despite making this miraculous milestone, I still have a long way to go to wield it. I can feel it, but I have no understanding yet on how I can start learning how to use it. This world, despite speaking the same as back home, has another form of writing I have not been taught yet. My si-... Claire hasn't been taught anything yet either. Right now all we are are just two innocent children meant to do nothing but enjoy their childhood while it lasts.
"Cid!"
Minoru's thoughts were broken when he heard Claire shouting his name. Before he could realize what she was warning him about, his foot got caught by an exposed tree root, making him fall down violently and bringing down Claire with him. Fortunately for the two they did not fall down head first, but that didn't stop them from crying out in pain at their sudden stop. Their parents were already running towards them.
"Cid! Claire, are you alright?!"
"Claire, what did I say?!"
The two were sitting up by the time their parents reached them. Cid had fallen down on his side from trying to catch himself with Claire while she had fallen on her elbow from being pulled back by her brother. Cid was relatively fine, but for Claire she now had a noticeable scrape with the skin being slightly peeled. Their father helped the two get up, making sure Cid didn't get hurt from getting his foot caught on that root while their mother inspected Claire's wound. She let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh thank goodness, it's just some minor peeling. There's no bleeding."
"Claire, you must be more careful with your brother. You got yourself and Cid hurt."
Cid, who was still being inspected by his father, watched as Claire looked down at the ground in shame after hearing the words of their father. She turned to him, giving a remorseful expression. He found it confusing how he wasn't being considered the one responsible since he wasn't the one paying attention and pulled her down with him to catch himself.
"I-I'm… sorry… little brother…"
The words came out in a slight stutter and her eyes seemed to grow more moist. Again, before he realized what was happening, she took a quick step forward and pulled him into a hug, patting his head.
… I'm not sure I will ever get used to this…
After a few moments of the sudden intimacy she let him go and continued on ahead of her family once more, this time without grabbing onto her brother.
"Cid, you don't have to be scared. You can go on ahead, just be careful."
Hearing his mo-... her words, he decided to listen. He began going ahead of the two as well, following Claire to the clearing that they were about to reach.
This would be far from the only time Minoru hurt his new sister with his actions.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY CID!!!"
Minoru was completely unprepared for what would happen when Claire woke him up from his uncontrolled nap in the evening and told him that he had to come to the dining room of the mansion for something important. He let her lead his now 6 year old self along the halls of the mansion. When he reached the dining area, he was greeted by the loud announcement coming from his parents, their servants, and Claire from behind.
They threw me a… surprise party?
This wasn't the first time that he has ever had a surprise party, but this was the first time that he ever got one from… them.
His… 'mother' was holding a large cake with 6 small candles laid throughout the top. Seeing that he was now here, she placed it on the center of the dining table while his 'father' had begun to approach him. When he reached the birthday boy, he placed his hand on Cid's head and playfully ruffled his hair.
"6 years old already, you're already on your way to becoming a man!"
"Father, he's not even touched a sword yet!"
Seems that they're still none the wiser to my activities! Yes!
Cid looked on at their shenanigans with an ecstatic expression which wasn't so far off from how Minoru actually felt. His happiness didn't come from this surprise however, it was Claire's rebuttal to her father's words.
"He'll get around to it one day, Claire. For now you should focus on your own training."
Cid's mom chimed in as she made it to the others. She got on her knee and brought him into a hug.
"Happy birthday dear, I hope you enjoy this day. It was actually your sister that recommended we do this for you."
"Mother!"
Turning his head to Claire after she blurted that out, her face went red from embarrassment and she looked away from Cid. He couldn't help but grin.
Even though they're not my true family… It's sort of nice being able to experience this again…
The servants were bringing more food to the table. It seemed his fam-… they were planning on a more extravagant dinner too.
"Thank you, sister."
I should at the very least show that I'm thankful for this…
Cid went over to Claire and hugged her using as much cuteness his child form could give. Their parents gushed at the sight of their two children being appreciative towards each other.
Why does this feel so familiar?
While hugging Claire, Minoru felt an unexplainable nostalgia washing over him. He didn't know why, or what could he have done before that would make this happen.
No, it's not the party that's doing this. It has to be something else… Someo-
"Psst, Cid."
Minoru's thoughts were interrupted when Claire whispered into his ear, just enough to where he could hear her but their parents could not.
"I know father and mother told you before that you're too young to start your dark knight training now, but I've seen the way you look at the swords sometimes. I don't think it will hurt if you got at least a little bit of experience before your training officially starts."
Cid's eyes widened after hearing the proposition from Claire. After all his time going out to secretly train, he considered her to be the transparent and honest one.
"We'll also get to spend more time together too. Are you in?"
I should say no. If I really do start it earlier with her then that would mean I would have to be stronger and more competent with the sword once I begin to fight as Cid Kagenou. It'll make things messier in the long run, not to mention the time I would lose in training if sessions also happened at nig-
"Yes, thank you sister."
Cid's face became one of shock from his counterintuitive and impulsive response to Claire's offer. Why was this happening to him?
"Wonderful, we can begin as soon as possible then."
Claire let go of her brother and beamed at him as if it was her birthday they were celebrating. Seeing her happy despite his emotional distancing of this new 'family' because of something he said, it gave him a feeling of… he can't identify it.
Why can't I remember?
Minoru tried his hardest to think back on his days ho-… on Earth. Something was missing now, and it bothered him to no end. Despite it being 6 years since he has been brought here, he was already feeling himself forgetting things that he once considered memorable.
… I'm never gonna see them again, am I?
Whether he'll accept the truth or not, he has to at least do a better job at pretending to be Cid Kagenou.
12am, it's time!
Minoru wasted no time as he happily got up from his messy bed that he never bothers to clean unless told to. It has become a tradition at this point ever since he has been officially given his own sword after 8 years of being here. Waiting in bed until exactly midnight after everybody else is asleep to go train in the woods.
"Goodbye Cid Kagenou."
Minoru lightly snickered to himself while he grabbed his sheathed sword which was unceremoniously propped up by his nightstand. Ever since he grew old enough to the point where he was expected to talk frequently, he has to put an even greater effort on his performance of 'Cid Kagenou', the incompetent boy whose deeds have and never will come close to the heir of the family name. But at night, he gets to finally unwind and be himself without the expectations of his fam-... them to worry about.
If I am able to reach that speed milestone I've been aiming for all week, I can go bandit hunting earlier than I usually do!
He changed into his daytime attire with a speed no child should have and went over to the window of his room. Right as he was about to open it and leap out, something caught his ear.
Is… Is that… a piano?
It was faint, so faint that if he were just breathing a little louder he wouldn't hear it. He looked away from the window and at the door out of his room. It seemed to be coming from within the mansion.
Despite the power he had, Minoru couldn't help but feel unnerved at the sound of it playing. He approached the door, placing his hand on the knob. He stopped himself right as he was going to open it.
Why… does this feel familiar?
Minoru's happy expression faded and confusion took its place.
I can hear the notes from here better now. Whoever is playing seems to have some idea of what to do, but their execution is poor. Ha, it almost sounds like-
…
…
…
Minoru turned open the door and gently pushed it open, revealing the darkened hallway that was on the other side. Taking a step forward and closing the door behind him, he felt the poor attempt at music echoing gently through the large hall. Despite the quality, it held a certain charm to it, enough so that it made his baggy eyes droop slightly. A yawn escaped him but he was able to compose himself before it got too out of hand.
"Since when did we even have a piano here?"
Minoru walked towards the source of the music, thankful that his nighttime activities have become something he's become so adjusted to that his eyes have grown used to very dark settings. Looking at the end of the hall, his calm demeanor was challenged when he thought he saw someone turning the corner of the hallway just as he was able to see it.
Is that… a girl?
He gripped his sword tighter, considering whether or not he should take his sword out of its scabbard. The sudden panic that arose within him however was squashed as quickly as it grew when he realized the ridiculousness of the situation.
"... Nope, it's nothing..."
Minoru sighed in relief as he made it to the end of the hallway. It was just past midnight at this point, only he was awake at this time. He shouldn't let his head play tricks on him like that.
His short-lived victory ended when he turned the corner and saw the same figure for a split second descending the staircase he was just about to walk down. The boy jumped back and almost dropped his sword at the sight, resisting his desire to yelp.
It's nothing… It's nothing.
This time Minoru closed his eyes and took a deep breath to regain his bearing. The sounds of the piano grew louder, helping to keep him grounded to the task at hand.
She is messing up in the same part when she repeats the sequence…
Not explaining to himself why he thought the one responsible for this was a girl, he started his descent down the stairs. The darkness seemed to only grow worse for him as he made it to the bottom. He had no idea why he found himself so powerless in this situation, and it frustrated him enough to want to get to the bottom of it.
He was now on the brink of finding the source, walking through the final hall he thought he needed to reach, he heard the piano clearly. He picked up every note being played, and every mistake that she was making. Before he knew it, his mind forgot the building dread he was feeling and became lost in an unknown nostalgia, smiling dreamily at the song.
She is certainly dedicated to playing at this time. I wonder what drove her to suddenly start doing it. Maybe my performance inspired her… I'm happy I could have such an effect.
Minoru made it to the doorway to the family room, the place where the music was coming from. She was doing well for someone with limited experience, and he wants her to continue, but it's late. The two of them should be in bed at this point, and he doesn't want to incur the wrath of their parents on him.
Crossing the doorway, Minoru's brief fantasy crashed horrifically when he looked into the dimly lit room and saw the one responsible for the late night disturbance. A girl seemingly around his age, was sitting down on the piano bench, and playing with the unrefined style of a beginner. Even though her bright black eyes weren't looking at him, he could still see the expression on her face, happy and careless…
No… that's…
That's… Why is she…
She's… She's…
No…
NONONONONONONONO-
"Cid, what are you doing here?"
Minoru's thoughts were interrupted when he heard Claire calling out to him. Snapping back into reality, he saw Claire sitting down on the piano bench with her hands resting on the keys. She had stopped her practice when she heard the sound of something loudly dropping which made her flinch in surprise. Turning to look at the source she saw her younger brother looking at her with a panicked expression, his sword laid down beside him. He hadn't realized he dropped his sword while in his momentary delusion.
"S-Sister, I… I…"
Cid couldn't string a sentence together and started to shake slightly which Claire caught. Her deep red eyes looked at him with concern as she got up and started to walk towards him on the other side of the room. Of course, he was likely woken up by the sounds of her playing and went to investigate, he even brought his sword with him. The thought of making her little brother feel unsafe made Claire ashamed of herself.
"Oh, I woke you up while you were sleeping. I'm sorry for making you have to come all the way down here."
Cid stopped trying to respond and just blankly nodded at Claire's words. She smiled at him while ruffling his hair.
"Father gifted me this piano a while ago. I'm not able to practice as much as I want to during the day with my schedule and all that, so I settled with playing at night. I sounded bad didn't I?"
Claire didn't care to notice the vacant stare of her brother as he listened, nodding along when he felt appropriate. In his mind, Minoru was trying to answer a few questions in his head. Like how didn't he notice there was a grand piano in the family room, what did he see before, and most importantly…
Why… Did she…
Sound… Like…
"Hey, why don't I teach you how to play it, huh? It'll be fun. I may not know much myself, but you can play here with me and we can try to go through it together. We can spend more time together too."
Claire smiled warmly at her little brother when she finished her proposition, hoping he would accept.
"How does that sound to you, little brother?"
Cid stood motionless. He had no clue what to say, or how to feel. His flimsy attempt at maintaining his persona was under the threat of breaking as his thoughts were swirling in confusion and pain he could not identify the source of.
"... Cid?"
"... I… would… love to… sister…"
Cid let out an extensive yawn as he finished. Going to turn around and head back to bed, he had lost all motivation to do any training for tonight. His exhaustion had finally caught up with him thanks to this encounter.
"Great, we'll start tomorrow then. Sweet dreams, Cid."
As the two headed back to their respective bedrooms, Minoru wondered if that final sentence from Claire was another way this world mocked him.
"Remember, just take a deep breath and calm down when you feel yourself losing your concentration."
"Yes sister."
"Cid, what did I say about dismissing advice? It's good to remind yourself of this."
"Yes sister."
"Are you ignoring my words again, Cid?"
"Yes sister."
Before Claire could rebut her 10 year old brother on his lack of respect once more, the boy began another attempt on the grand piano. For the last hour the two siblings were taking turns on the song they were practicing. Claire had already shown her improvement on this specific piece while Cid seemed to be stuck in an endless plateau. It's between the first 10 seconds and a whole minute at most where he plays beautifully, but it's after that where everything goes wrong. She remembers the order of how he messes up.
"Cid, make sure to avoid tensing up. You're doing great so far."
Meanwhile, as Claire stood beside him as he tried to keep her brother grounded, Minoru was fighting a losing battle with himself as he tried to keep himself composed in the midst of this emotionally challenging situation. He was doing much better than before, but that didn't mean a lot when he couldn't even play for more than a minute without freaking out.
I have been in this world for around a decade, and everything has been going well.
Claire noticed her brother's shoulders tensing up past the 10 second mark. It was already starting.
"Cid, relax your shoulders. You're still doing well."
The slimesuit has been improved. Nothing the bandits do can hurt me anymore, no matter how hard they strike, it's completely nullified.
15 seconds in, Cid's body began to slightly shake as he played. Claire took notice.
"Cid, you have no reason to shake, you're still going strong."
My swordsmanship has yet to become perfect, but it's still improving, as is my speed, strength, and magical ability.
20 seconds in, Cid's left foot began to lightly tap against the ground. Accompanied by the shaking, she knew his notes would eventually get off. Claire tried reaching out to her brother again.
"Cid, you need to calm down. Take a deep breath."
I'm getting there. Step by step, day by day. I'm getting closer to reaching the power I need to see my dream realized…
30 seconds into his performance, he closed his eyes and his fingers were starting to shake as he played. He's about to mess up.
"Cid, I believe in you. Keep going."
I have gotten closer here than I have ever gotten back ho-... back on Earth…
33 seconds, he missed one note.
"..."
Do they still think about me? Do they even know what happened to me? I doubt it…
37 seconds, he missed another note. Claire's words were barely making it to Cid's ears.
"Cid…"
Did they host a funeral for me? Would anyone other than my parents have been there? I know I didn't leave any impression on anyone in school that wasn't of complete mediocrity or dislike…
40 seconds, he missed multiple notes in a row before he was back on track. Claire came closer to his side getting ready to intervene, but she hesitated for a moment, deciding to give him a chance to save this performance.
It shouldn't matter anymore what they think anyways. They're gone. I'm gone. We're never gonna see each other again… I'm…
… Content…
45 seconds, his mistakes only became more frequent. He showed no sign of calming down or even attempting to. He was losing it.
"Cid, do you hear me?"
I have given nothing to them but indifference and defiance. I didn't keep my promises with either of them. And all they wanted was my happiness and safety…
47 seconds, his screwup had gone on for a full 2 seconds now.
How much sleep did my mom lose waiting for me to come home?
49 seconds, he did not stop with his botching of what was supposed to be a nice piano piece.
How much money did my dad give to me for my training, which I rarely even thanked him for?
50 seconds. Every second felt increasingly longer in Minoru's descending thoughts.
How many times did I let them down with my lack of any social life, my grades, anything that wasn't the piano?
53 seconds, this was beyond any salvation. He had to stop, but he couldn't bring himself to.
The piano… The piano that I can't even play right anymore…
55 seconds, Claire saw his closed eyes quivering alongside his face.
I… I failed them… I failed my parents to achieve something I can't even show them…
I treated their love as a tool… I took them for granted…
I didn't tell them what I was really doing… What I really wanted… To be an eminence in shadows…
1 full minute, to call this a performance would be an insult if it was not sarcastically.
I didn't tell them the truth…
And now I can barely remember their faces right…
1 minute and 5 seconds and he hasn't stopped himself yet. Claire has seen enough, at the very least he hit a new record.
I was a horrible son to them, and now… nothing has changed…
I can't even call them my own after a decade of receiving nothing but kindness from them.
And Claire… I'm failing her… Just like…
Just…
Like…
"Even if this still scares you, just remember that I'll be here with you through it all."
…
"CID!"
Minoru's descent was halted when he felt a hand firmly grabbing onto his left shoulder. Harshly flinching at the touch. He stood up in a panic looking at the one responsible. Claire looked at him with nothing but concern, which only made him feel worse.
"Cid, are you alright? You… you looked so scared, a-and you were breathing so quickly, I-I don't know what's happening with you."
Please… Stop being so nice to me…
"... Claire?"
"Y-Yes?"
Cid's face went blank as he mentally prepared himself for what to say without messing it up. Claire was disturbed to see such a shift in her brother's expression.
"I… I don't think it's a good idea for us to continue doing this. This isn't good for us. I'm… I'm going to bed…"
Cid, without waiting for a response, turned away from her and hastily walked out of the family room, leaving the eldest child of the Kagenou family alone still standing by the piano. She didn't know what to do, but look on in shock and hurt from his response. He sounded so… defeated.
"Cid…"
Claire couldn't help but succumb to her own grief of failing to help her little brother with whatever was burdening him. When she thought he wouldn't hear her, the tears fell freely, and the sobs came soon after.
When Cid made it back to his room, he yawned again as he thought back to what just happened. As much as he hated to admit it, Minoru Kageno was still alive, no matter how much it hurt the Kagenou family.
AN: Should have finished this much earlier, but I hit an unnecessarily long roadblock with one of the scenes. Chapters release when I finish so I'll say sorry ahead of time for the lack of scheduling. Appreciate the support. Also my editor is Asian so that's pretty cool.
Chapter 3: Somniphobia
Chapter 3: Somniphobia
"I forgot to say this, but that was a lovely performance yesterday, Minoru."
"..."
"You… seem to put more effort into the piano more than anything else in school. You showed me your grades, and you're on the brink of failing. Why are you letting that happen?"
"..."
"... Are you even listening to me?"
"..."
"MINORU!"
Minoru's unattentive mind was suddenly interrupted when the girl walking beside him had enough and flicked his cheek, making him flinch in surprise.
"Gah! Yeah, yeah I am!"
"Then look like it damnit!"
He's only been walking with her to school for a week at this point, but he already felt used to Akane being by his side as they went through their respective days. And when he says being by his side, he means her chatting for the both of them while he nods along and puts the bare minimum into responses until she notices, in which case he'll try a little harder for a few minutes before repeating his neglect.
"You know, you're the one that insists on walking to school together. I remember where you live, you're really going out of your way to make this happen."
"I-!"
Akane's anger comes to a sudden halt and her face goes red at the response. He could almost see the steam coming from her ears, she must know that Minoru has a point.
"Hmph!"
She turned her head to look away from him, focusing on the street they were walking down. Ever since the 'incident', Akane had seemed to make a complete flip in her behavior towards Minoru. The fake smiles that were obviously betrayed by her eyes full of contempt were now replaced by smiles of genuine happiness, and eyes showing nothing but goodwill. If that wasn't enough, she also started to engage more in conversation with him before, during, and after class. Not to mention her watching him practice the piano afterschool. To put it simply, Akane Nishino has developed an interest in him, and he has no clue why or how to deal with it.
Turning another corner, the two were almost at school, where they would be greeted by the same people waving and yelling out for her while ignoring Minoru. At first he was worried about the consequences of being around a main character this frequently, as doing that would be a pretty good way to lose his background character privileges. Fortunately, however, it seemed nobody cared much about this change in dynamic, with the exception of some dirty looks he noticed coming from some of the other boys.
"Minoru, I have a question if you don't mind me asking."
"Sure, go ahead."
He noticed Akane turning her head to look at him again, showing a little curiosity.
"Why don't you speak with anyone in school? You only speak when spoken to or asked a question. I've never seen you actually hold a conversation with any other person in the building. Besides… well… me…"
Minoru resisted the urge to laugh at the question.
Yeah, I only talk to you because you're special. It's totally not because you're the only one that tries to back me into a corner where I have to hold a conversation with you before I have the chance to excuse myself, you goddamn main character!
"I don't see any reason to."
"Is… Is that it?"
"Did you want an elaborate answer?"
"I mean, I guess. You don't seem to have any friends. You just come to school, do what you're told, practice the piano, and then leave. You don't have any connection to anyone."
"… Am I supposed to?"
…
Minoru faced her directly after responding, shifting from his usual uncaring expression to one of complete vacancy. Akane seemed to notice the change and immediately broke eye contact, facing the ground and closing her eyes.
"Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't think that was a touchy subj-"
"It's alright."
The school entrance was in sight. It's almost time for a repeat of the same albeit slightly modified mundane day.
"… Oh right, one more thing. The weather should still be nice afterschool. So do you want to go to the cemetery when we get out?"
Minoru's soured mood turned into confusion at the sudden random question. This wasn't the first time she asked this from him, but she would say something like the park, or going somewhere to eat. The worst it ever got was her asking to come over to his house. No way he would ever willingly bring a main character to his parents.
"Did… Did you just say cemetery?"
"Yes, the cemetery."
Looking back at the girl, Akane was smiling at him again as if nothing was wrong. Her black eyes glittered beautifully, but all it did to Minoru was give him even more questions.
"Why would you want to go there, especially with me?"
Akane's expression didn't change as she happily responded.
"Don't act like you have no idea. Don't you remember?"
"No. I really do have no idea. I don't remem-"
… Remember…
…
…
…
He wasn't speaking to Akane Nishino.
"CID! WAKE UP!"
The youngest of the Kagenou family had no time to recover from his latest dream, as he felt his body being roughly shaken by his shoulders in bed. Opening his eyes in a frenzied panic, he yelped in shock at the sudden contact he was feeling. He automatically brought his hands up to grab the arms of the one holding him, trying to pry them off him, but immediately ceased struggling when he saw the culprit who also stopped as soon as she heard him.
"Claire?!"
"Cid!"
The two siblings were locked in an awkward position, with Claire standing over his bed and still grabbing onto his shoulders, while Cid, who was now sitting up, gripping her wrists. Claire looked at him in a mixture of panic and worry, contrasting Cid's surprise. After the initial shock wore off, they calmed down. Cid returned to his trademark deadpan look, but Claire was still a little jumpy.
"Why are you here?"
"Isn't it obvious?! It's already way past morning! We were supposed to be sparring already! Mom and dad want to see your progress today, so it's even more important!"
Cid just nodded along at her words, not really paying much attention to what she was saying. The dream was still lingering in his head, taking priority.
"Oh. Right…"
"Cid, are you even listening to me?! Come on! Get up!"
Claire let go of her little brother and backed away from his side. The urgency in her voice wasn't being acknowledged as Cid took his sweet time, slowly getting off the bed. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, stretching his arms.
"I'll be ready in a few minutes, just let me get dressed."
Claire was noticeably displeased by the lack of care shown in Cid's voice and on his face. She resisted the urge to yell at him even further.
"Just… meet us by the usual spot where we do it, okay? And don't take too long."
Claire turned around after giving him one last look of urgency, walking out of the room, and closing the door behind her.
"At least she closed it this time."
Cid yawned again while he went over to get himself changed for the day. Finishing in only a few seconds, he went to his mirror to take a look at his face. It has become another thing he does as a part of his morning routine. Before he goes out of his room to start his day as Cid Kagenou, Minoru takes a look at himself.
Twelve years. I think it's safe to say that after being here for this long, it isn't just the last name that's similar.
Reincarnation is a concept he is very familiar with, a lot of things he read back… on Earth had it. However, coming into this, he didn't expect his body to be the exact same as some of the other stories he got into. He just looks like a younger version of himself if he had access to much more formal clothing.
What are they gonna tell me this time?
Ever since he's been swinging a sword, at least as far as his 'parents' knew, they've been keeping a closer eye on him, monitoring his progression. He thought that after already having the prodigy that is Claire, they would be content with letting their son fade into the background of their bloodline, but he was wrong. They were trying to see if they struck gold a second time, and so far, they've found no success.
I've been trying to show them nothing but mediocrity for a few years now, and they still don't seem to get the message yet.
It wasn't just being average with the sword, he has been trying to portray Cid with nothing but meekness and weakness. He listens to whatever he is told to do, and tries his very best to show how utterly average the boy is.
Well, maybe if I did a better job during some moments, they wouldn't be so concerned with me.
Even though he tried putting on this performance of mediocrity, there were times where he did things that were even lower than the expectations he's already set. Cid's vacant stare at him in the mirror was proof.
Just another spar Cid. Lose badly, whine about how you're not nearly as strong as her, come back inside, and get ready for tonight.
Sleep was something Minoru always considered as an activity that should be kept to a minimum, or not done at all, if possible. He has already trained himself to last for several days so far without it. However, when it is time to rest, he is unable to resist. It's become an unwilling pattern, where around once a week, when he goes back to bed after training for the night and pretends to sleep, he actually ends up succumbing to it.
He rubs his eyes again, clicking his tongue in annoyance when he sees that he's still unable to get rid of the bags that he has under them. He's been commented on for having them before, but the most they ever did in regards to addressing it was asking him to take a nap or if he's been having nightmares.
Nightmares…
He wasn't sure if what happened could be classified as a nightmare, but Akane's question left Minoru confused. He really had no idea what she was talking about, or even why he was dreaming about someone he barely interacted with.
Taking a deep breath, he gave himself one last look in the mirror, before walking away from it. Grabbing his sword that he keeps by his bedside, he left his room, making sure to close the door behind him.
He took his time making it outside. When he saw his 'family' waiting for him in the sparring area, he readied himself for another humiliating defeat. It's not that Minoru doesn't like doing it, in fact he does. He just doesn't like their persistence in making Cid be as strong as his sis-… as Claire.
"Cid! You're late again! Come on, hurry up!"
The way they were treating him now compared to back when he was younger were as similar as day and night. He had been getting used to the unconditional kindness and empathy of his 'parents'. So when they actually began to make him train more with Claire, and watch his development with a much more critical eye, he was a little blindsided by the transition. Whether or not he prefers this change, he doesn't know.
He sped up his pace a bit. Once he reached them, he was able to properly see their faces. Mr. and Mrs. Kagenou, who were standing together a fair bit away from their two children, both looked at Cid with a small smile, but he didn't have to be an expert to see the minor frustration in their eyes for coming late. The utter lack of enthusiasm Cid had on his face probably contributed to that negative feeling too. Claire was watching him with a neutral expression, paying extra attention to his eyes.
She's gonna chastise me after she beats me, I just know it.
"Cid, let's not waste any more time. Get ready."
Claire backed away a few steps from him, and drew her sword. She focused herself, which still confused Minoru.
For someone leagues above Cid, she still concentrates.
Drawing his own sword, Claire immediately made the first move. Lunging at him with a slash aimed for his left side.
Clang
Minoru was already very used to Claire's sudden attacks when they sparred, but Cid still wasn't. He barely had enough time to raise his sword up to block her.
"Don't stay still, move!"
Their mother tried giving him advice, but her words fell on deaf ears. Claire backstepped, quickly reengaging her brother. She raised her blade above her head, bringing it down to his head.
Clang
He just barely blocked again, buckling from her force. He knew she was holding back, but this power was still more than enough to handle for someone as weak as Cid.
Claire began a pattern of backstepping, striking, and being blocked, and repeating again once she felt Cid had recovered from the previous one. He remained rooted to the same spot, much to everyone's dismay.
The combat in this world, compared to Earth, is very unsophisticated. If I just used a sliver of what I know on her…
"Don't stand in the same place. You need to move Cid."
Claire spoke quietly, semi-encouragingly, contradicting the serious expression she was still holding.
I need to show some improvement…
When Claire went on the offensive again, Cid just barely sidestepped her blade, going for a counter. Claire easily recovered fast enough to parry the blow, sending Cid back a few steps.
"That's it, keep going."
He wasn't sure if Claire's encouragement was quiet so their parents wouldn't hear, or so that she didn't come off as too harsh. Either way, it wasn't helping.
Claire attacked her brother again, expecting Cid to have learned by now how to utilize more movement. Much to her disappointment, he remained where he was, focusing on blocking her onslaught.
Just end it already…
Cid's face, despite the physical exertion he was imitating, remained blank throughout the entire fight. His blocking was still unrefined, barely holding his own.
To call him a dark knight in training would be an insult to every other trainee.
After continuing this stagnant game in an attempt to push him out of his plateau, Claire had enough. Minoru sensed the change in intent, and welcomed it wholeheartedly. She struck him again, this time with much more power than Cid would be able to handle. He blocked it just as Claire was expecting, but the force violently knocked him off his feet, sending him and his sword flying back from where he stood. Cid's calm visage broke as he yelled from going airborne so suddenly. Fortunately for him, the river nearby was able to catch him, preventing the landing from being too harsh.
"Cid!"
He sank into the water, splashing around frantically. Claire was briefly worried about him not being able to properly float back up after receiving a hit like that, but her fears were cast aside when after a few seconds of struggling, her brother's head popped out of the water, looking frustrated.
"Sister! You're too strong! How do you expect me to fight against that?!
Cid shouted from where he was, loud enough for everyone to hear. Their parents just sighed in disappointment, while Claire's face remained neutral. He has not shown any real improvement in defensive, let alone offensive capabilities.
After he got himself out of the river, shaking himself like a dog to dry himself as much as he could, he sheathed his sword and started to walk back over to Claire. He saw their parents approach her and begin speaking, but was too far away to actually hear them.
They're likely questioning her again. Not for her final attack, but for why she didn't push me harder earlier.
His face became blank again, wondering about what they were actually thinking. He knew it didn't matter, but he still found himself caring.
"Cid, are you alright?"
Claire approached him first, smiling to get his spirits up.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm used to landing in the water like that now."
Cid's response made Claire's smile waver slightly. This wasn't the first time she's ended a fight like that, or the first time that river broke his fall.
"Right… Well, you did a better job today compared to last time. I'm proud of you."
That isn't saying much…
He looked behind Claire, seeing how his parents were looking. They were still smiling, but the disappointment in their eyes was even more apparent now.
"Really? Mother, father, do you agree?"
Cid deadpanned at them, seeing if they would actually be honest for once.
"Of course dear, you're doing better by the day."
"Just stick to your training. Even if it doesn't feel like it, you'll notice the results one day."
And they're still liars…
Cid just nodded at their words. They were technically right, but not in the way they were trying to imply, so it was still a lie in his book.
"Thank you."
Cid thanked the three quietly, not wanting them to hear and start to feel guilty over their lies.
"Cid, could you go back inside and get yourself properly washed? We'll follow you soon, there are just some things we need to take care of."
Not wanting to extend this conversation, he simply nodded at the words of his mother and started heading back.
"I… I don't know what we're gonna do with him."
Cid's ear twitched upon hearing that. He resisted the urge to turn around.
What are they trying to say about me?
Minoru was thankful for his heightened senses. Even if they were still a work in progress, he was still able to hear things from a longer distance than normal. This allowed him to accidentally overhear what is being said about him now by his father.
"Don't speak like that, father. He has the potential, I know it."
"You've been saying that for years now, and he's still nowhere near as good as you when you just started off."
"Hey, don't just dismiss all of the work he's put in. Even if he isn't nearly as good as his sister, he's still far better than he was in the beginning, when he could barely even lift a sword… But yeah, he hasn't been making any tangible progress in awhile."
Finally! They're starting to have doubts in my potential!
Minoru sighed in relief after hearing their words. Even though Claire still had her hopes for Cid, the hope of their parents were starting to actually wane.
"How can you say that about him? He's trying his best."
"Is he? He always has that same dull expression with him. I'm not sure he's even trying."
"Father, he's always been like that, you know that already."
"And it's concerning. He barely shows emotion, and when he does, it's for when he's crying, or when he's happy, which is starting to happen less and less."
The father sighed, clearly concerned. Their mother picked up where he left off.
"Claire, there's something you should know. We've been thinking…"
"Thinking? Thinking about what?"
"Well… We're not sure it would be the best decision for Cid to attend the academy with you…"
Cid stopped dead in his tracks after hearing those words coming from her. His curiosity was quickly replaced with horror.
The Midgar Academy for Dark Knights? No no no! I need to go there! That's my ticket out of here! There's just three years left until I'm old enough to attend! What do you mean it wouldn't be the best decision?!
Cid bit his tongue in frustration. Ever since he heard years ago about how Claire would be sent there once she's fifteen, and how he'll go once he reaches the same age, he's been looking forward to getting older for another reason besides being able to realize his true potential.
It's located in the capital, which opens up so many more opportunities for me when it comes to being a shadow broker. I can't let them ruin this!
"Mother, why are the two of you saying this? You expect him to just stay here alone with the servants to keep him company?"
"Claire, you need to think rationally. He barely keeps himself clean, he skips breakfast, lunch, and dinner constantly. Have you seen his eyes? We've tried telling him to rest, but he doesn't listen. He can't take care of himself without us being there. This is for the best."
…
"I-I… Yeah, you have a point there. But he still has 3 years left. He has time to grow."
"He has made very little progress in regards to you. He will be an embarrassment to us all if he goes and can barely hold his own against anyone."
Are you forgetting her talent?! It's not a good idea to use her power as a reference for everyone else, 'dad'!
"Just give him some time, please. I-I'll train him more. I'll make him stronger. Please mother, father, give him another chance."
…Why is she still defending me?
"You only have one year left here before you have to go to the capital yourself. He doesn't have time."
"No, one year would be more than enough time. I beg you, please have some more faith in him."
Minoru could hear Claire's voice wavering as she tried to give Cid one last shot in proving himself. Minoru was completely content with Cid being a mediocre dark knight in training. But he didn't know that Cid's parents would be this adamant against it now.
"… If you're still insistent on it, we won't stop you. But he needs to show noticeable improvement, or else he won't be attending."
"Thank you father, I promise you that I'll make him strong!
Claire raised her voice in the end in relief at the confirmation that they're willing to change their mind.
No matter what they thought, she still had hope in me…
Minoru felt an odd sense of deja vu, but chose to ignore it.
Anyways, I'll need to focus on realistically improving Cid's capabilities in less than a year… Yeah, I can do that.
He wasn't intending for this sudden change in the script, but adaptability is something he prides himself in excelling at.
I'll show them that despite his mediocrity, Cid Kagenou is still good enough to not be a complete embarrassment!
I'll give him a cool ass redemption arc! Well, as cool as a background character could get anyways!
… I'll make them proud of me this time…
As Cid continued back to the mansion, he rubbed his eyes again, wondering why he was tearing up.
"HAHAHAHHAHAHA!"
SLASH
"He's slaughtering us! Be carefu-!"
SLASH
"How the fuck is this bastard doing th-?!"
SLASH
"I see business is booming, my lovely bandits!"
Before the aforementioned bandits could even understand how it was happening, three of them were already dead. Only six remained as they watched their accomplices in front being completely bisected by a mysterious force coming from the unknown entity standing a couple of meters ahead of them.
"So please do me a favor and just hand me all of your valuables!"
The seemingly unarmed figure stood, covered in a coat of black. Despite their noticeably shorter stature compared to the group of men as well as their childish voice, they radiated danger.
"Don't get cocky with us, kid!"
One of the bandits took a step forward, raising his flintlock pistol. He shot at the entity, hoping to land a direct hit. His hopes were quickly crushed when they proceeded to casually contort their body with unmatched speed, dodging the lead projectile.
"Does the word 'please' mean nothing to you? I asked for your money."
They took a single step forward, raising their hand gently. Before the bandits could counter, a tendril of dark slime shot out of the child's index finger, quickly reaching the bandit that tried to shoot at him, decapitating him where he stood.
Five left…
"Wha-!"
"What the fuck is that thing?!"
The tendril retracted to the child's hand, engulfing it.
"The wonders of slime. Beautiful, isn't it?"
The bandits tried backing away, but whatever this monster in the form of a boy that was mocking them was, they weren't having it. The slime shot out of his hand again, this time as multiple tendrils, immediately stabbing through their chests, destroying their hearts.
"Wow, this was way more fun than I thought it would be. Useful too."
Wait, that was four. The last one should be behind me right abou-
Clash
-now.
The last remaining bandit attempted to strike him down from behind while he was distracted by the others ahead. The man's blade was easily blocked by the boy, whose slime turned itself into a sword. He didn't even bother to look behind him as he spoke to the bandit directly.
"Alright, you seem strong enough. I'd say you can survive about two minutes, granted you really put some effort into it."
The boy slightly turned his head, enough to make eye contact with the appalled bandit. The man was able to see slightly into the boy's hood, but all he saw was a maniacal red eye staring back at him.
"So please hang in there, would you?"
"Don't mock me boy!"
The sole survivor broke the lock between the two, going to thrust his blade into his opponent's back. The boy swiftly spun around, raising his own sword, blocking the attack with the flat of the blade.
"Don't get so confident now! I might not look the part, but I'm a Bushunryu master!"
The bandit pushed forward, following up from his attack with a wide slash towards the child's chest. This time, it proved successful. The boy fell back from where he stood, blood flying from where he was struck.
The bandit had won.
"Just kidding."
What the bandit had thought was blood changed color, becoming the black slime that the child was using the entire time.
"W-What?!"
Before the man could recover from his opponent's deception, the slime rushed to him, changing into multiple bladed tendrils. The last thing he saw before his body burst into a bloody mess was the boy's face, staring him down with a demoniac smile.
Was he even really a boy?
"Damnit, you didn't even last a minute."
Now that the area was completely cleared of any bandits, the boy lowered his voice. Even though Minoru knew that due to his current age, he can't really alter his voice as well as he used to back ho-… way back, it doesn't hurt to still try. Right now in this form, he found it fitting to sound like a sadistic and inhuman maniac.
This slime bodysuit really does work wonders. Couldn't be more happy with it.
It's still a work in progress, but at its current state it's already satisfactory. It's still beyond him why nobody else to his knowledge has experimented on the uses of slime like he has. The benefits of having armor, while there's no sacrifice to mobility. There was no need for compromise anymore.
"Alright then, now where's that loot?"
Taking a look around the abandoned village he was in, he saw the strung up corpses of the caravan members that the bandits recently ambushed before he interfered. It was kind of sad, they were likely just passing through here when they were attacked.
"My dear merchants, I have avenged you! So I hope you don't mind me repurposing these funds!"
He stepped over a bandit's head, playfully kicking it like a ball while approaching the untouched crates left behind. Breaking open the tops of them, he was delighted to see an assortment of goods, ranging from artwork, to food and straight up money.
"Do not worry, I will make sure to make good use of this."
Minoru continued to rummage through the supplies, trying to find anything else of value, or just cool.
"Hey, what's this?"
He noticed a particular painting in one of the crates. Taking it out, he saw what it was of. A portrait of what looked like a family of four. The mother and father stood side by side while their son and young daughter were in front. The boy was holding the girl up in front of him like a cat, making for a comical family portrait. Seeing it made Minoru turn his head in confusion.
Huh? What would something like this be doing here? Why does it look so…
…
…
…
He continued searching around for anything else, when he heard the sounds of something being shook accompanied by groans behind him. Turning around, he saw the source, coming from an overturned carriage. Approaching it, he saw some sort of cage, being partially covered by a tarp, preventing him from completely seeing what was inside.
Huh? Were they transporting animals? Slaves?
Swiftly removing the covering, he was greeted to neither of his predictions. He was met with a glob of disgusting and monstrous sludge. It twitched inside of its confinement, gnashing teeth that it shouldn't have, and staring right at him with its singular large blue eye.
"Ugh, so they were transporting possessed."
The possessed in response let out a crackle of red energy.
Wait a second, I've felt that before…
"A magical overload?"
Minoru grinned when he came to a realization.
"Yeah, I can use this."
Placing his hand onto the blob, he shot up his own magical energy inside of it, seeing what would happen. To his delight, it swelled significantly while crackling his own purple energy, destroying its cage and even the carriage it was inside, before quickly shrinking back to its original size.
PERFECT! I can use this blob for magical experiments without risks of harming my own body!
Minoru happily grabbed the blob, carrying it to one of the abandoned homes, and carelessly tossed it inside. What are the odds of it somehow getting out by tomorrow night anyways? It's probably negligible.
He knew he was running out of time, he'd have to make it back to his room fairly soon. Dawn was quickly approaching and he didn't know what sort of schedule Claire would start making for Cid to improve his skills.
Playfully bidding farewell to his new lab-rat, the boy started to walk back home, when he remembered something.
"Oh, right."
He made it back to the crate where he found the family portrait, giving it another look.
…
When he made it back to the comfort of his room, waiting for the start of the morning, he hoped that family wouldn't mind him destroying one of their paintings.
"Maintain your guard, especially when on the offensive!"
Clang
"You can hit harder than that! Don't hold back just because it's me!"
Clang
"Cid!"
Clang
After the final strike, the youngest of the Kagenou family was once again sent flying back from where he was struck. Unfortunately for this instance, the river wasn't there to catch him. Cid rolled violently against the grass, stopping after a few meters. Claire, upon hearing her brother cry out in pain from the harsh impact, immediately sheathed her blade, stepping over his own sword as she rushed to Cid's side.
"Cid?! Are you okay?! I didn't mean to strike you that hard! I-I-!"
"I'm fine."
Cid weakly muttered to her as she got on her knees, rolling his body so he could look up at her. Much to Claire's relief, there didn't appear to be any cuts from his tumbling. Just a minor scrape on his cheek and specks of dirt around his face.
"No, you're not!"
Claire sat her brother up, licking her thumb before rubbing it on on the wound, wiping the blood off.
"Are you alright? Does it hurt?"
"… I'm fine."
Watching her brother's reaction, Claire saw that he didn't seem bothered by her treatment, despite his discouragement of her actions. Cid blankly stared ahead of him, not focusing on any particular thing, while Claire continued to wipe the blood and dirt off of his face. After she cleaned him up to a satisfactory degree, she got up, holding her hand out for him to grab.
"Let's take a small break for now. We'll continue when I'm sure you've recovered."
Cid to Claire's surprise shook his head, responding quietly to her.
"I don't want to get up. I'd rather do it here."
"… Okay?"
Claire was confused by her brother's request, but accepted it. She went down once again, sitting back to back with him.
"… Claire, I have a question."
"Mhm? What is it?"
"Why have you been training me more intensely this past month? I thought I was doing well."
Claire's face deadpanned at Cid's question. She wanted to be honest with him, but she didn't know how he would react if he learned that he might not even be able to leave for the academy when he's of age. Well… there is at least one part she could be truthful about, even though it pains her to think that it's also a partial lie…
"You… You already know that this will be our last year together, at least until you're old enough to attend the academy with me. But by the time you make it, I will likely be too busy with other things to pay as much attention to you as I do now."
"So… you're saying you just want to spend as much time as possible refining my swordsmanship before you have to go? Is that all?"
"… Yes, that's all there is to it, little brother."
"Mm."
The two Kagenous sat in silence for a few minutes, letting themselves relax and observe their surroundings. During this time, a question started to form in Claire's head, but it took her even longer for her to build up the courage to ask.
"Cid… Why do you never smile like you used to?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I mean like… you… you just don't look as happy as you used to be just a couple years ago. You look… sad."
"I do?"
"Mmhmm, I don't think it's a good look for you."
"…"
Claire felt her brother's shoulders tensing up behind her.
"Well… it's not really something I have control over I think. It just sort of happened."
"'Sort of happened'? How does that work?"
"I don't know…"
Cid's voice remained partially monotone, but she was able to pick up hints of confusion in it as well.
"Well… in that case, can you promise me something?"
"Huh? What do you want me to promise?"
Cid and Claire turned their heads, facing each other with the corners of their eyes.
"I know that you don't really want to spend as much time with me as you used to, and that's fine with me. Although I do admit I'm a little hurt by it."
"Please don't try to guilt trip me…"
Cid surprisingly chimed in with a little humor, making her snicker.
"Heh, well, even though sometimes I've pushed you harder than necessary, it was all so that you could be stronger. Happier."
She paused for a moment. Her thoughts were trailing off as she tried to get to what she was trying to say.
"All I want for you is to be happy. And right now I'm just worried that you might not be…"
"… Where are you going with this?"
Her face flushed as she tried saying the last part. She didn't really know how to properly put in words what she wanted.
"Can you… promise me that you'll be happier? I-It doesn't have to be now, obviously. But I just want you to try and be happier more often. Not look as cliff-faced as you usually do."
"…"
She moved her head more so he could have a better look of her face as she spoke.
"You have a pretty smile… I think it… it would be nice if more people got to see it… Don't you think so too?"
"…"
"…"
"…"
Cid's extended period of silence started to bring worry to Claire. She likely said too much. She knew this was a bad idea. She should have kept qui-
"Okay, I promise."
Her brother's voice interrupted her thoughts, making her flinch from its suddenness. His face remained as vacant as before, but his voice sounded a bit more genuine.
"I'll try my best, sister."
Hearing that last part made Claire give her own smile. Ever since that night where he left her alone after failing once again to play that piano piece, their relationship had become more strained and distant. But now, she finally felt like she was getting somewhere with him, getting him more out of his invulnerable shell.
"Wonderful, I'm happy to hear that."
Claire got up from the grass, brushing herself off.
"Now, I think that was a long enough break. Let's go again, and this time use my advice."
She held her hand out for him to pick himself up, and this time he grabbed it.
Maybe she isn't as bad of a big sister as she thought she was after all.
Another dead end…
Minoru sighed as he took his hands off of the monstrous blob, cutting off the mana he was just feeding into it.
"You know, I have to say I'm surprised you're still alive after everything I've done. You're a good test subject."
The boy gently patted it while smiling. He's only had it for a month at this point, running any experiments he could imagine for the sake of improving his own capabilities. But he's already grown somewhat attached to the ugly monstrosity. When Claire wasn't dragging Cid out of his room for training, he was back in the abandoned village where he left it, trying to see how he could contain its magical overload.
Claire asked me to make a weird promise this morning. I'm still not sure how I'm supposed to do it. 'Being happier'. I mean I can definitely smile more, but with the way I've been portraying Cid, I can't just start doing that overnight.
Minoru frowned, he was dealing with conflicting thoughts and ideas on how to continue Cid's development, none of them seeming better than the other.
"Hey, what do you think I should do?"
Yes, he talked about his thoughts and ideas with the possessed. That's perfectly normal.
The creature just simply made a pained groan in response, continuing to squirm on the ground.
This is dumb. I should just worry about this when I make it back. There's other things to do right now.
"Sorry again for the pain buddy."
He put his hand back on the blob, trying once more to contain its magical overload. He went on for a couple more minutes, mostly expecting another failure. Until something happened that Minoru was not anticipating.
After successfully containing its magical overload, the hideous blob transformed into a girl.
Oh shit!
"How could something that decomposed revert to its original form?"
He was fortunately able to catch her as she fell forward, unconscious. Now came another issue he wasn't expecting, she was completely naked.
Uh oh. This won't look good if she woke up naked to some random boy holding her.
He quickly and gently laid her body down on the floor, taking a step back. Using some of his slime, he fabricated a cloak to wrap around her entire body, covering her modestly.
"That's a little better. Now who even is she?"
He crouched down in front of the sleeping girl, taking a better look at her. She seemed about the same age as Cid physically, sporting long blonde hair and long pointed ears.
So she's an elf then…
Before Minoru could find anything else to take note of, she started to shift around on the floor, groaning. She's waking up!
How am I going to explain to her about what happe-… Oh… Oh!
Minoru could barely contain his smile as he moved back, sitting on a crate behind him as he got into position.
He had a wonderful idea.
Just be cool! Stay focused!
This is going to be my first performance! I cannot afford to fail!
My first act as…
He couldn't contain his smile anymore, he cleared his throat as he got himself ready.
… the Eminence in Shadow…
The elf woke up in a daze, finding herself on a floor completely unfamiliar to her. She was about to get up, when a voice interrupted her.
"I see you're finally awake."
She jolted up, getting on her knees.
"What?! I'm cured?!"
She tried looking at her hands, but she was wrapped in a dark cloak with only her head sticking out. Regardless, she could feel them. Her body was back to her original form.
"How could this be?! I don't under-"
"I broke through the curse that was consuming your body. You're free now."
She stopped trying to look at her body, paying attention to the one speaking in front of her. The boy sat on top of a wooden crate, looking down on her. He had a soft smile as he spoke to her.
"Y-You? You did this? What curse did I have?"
"…"
The elf's face turned in confusion as she saw the boy's face pale momentarily, before returning to normal and continuing.
"Yes, the curse… It's, well… a terrible curse that was cast on you and all other descendants of heroes."
The girl looked even more perplexed at his explanation, making his smile grow. He turned his body away from her, grabbing something behind him and showing it to her. It was a book.
"I understand you're confused. But at some point during your life before you must have heard about it. The fairy tales recorded in the scriptures. The three heroes who defeated the demon known as Diablos, and saved the entire world from damnation."
"I-I-"
"That story isn't just a story. It's true."
"Eh?!"
"Not only that. With the demon's dying breath, he cursed them all. That's why you became that blob of rotting flesh and teeth."
He put the book down. The boy dropped his smile, looking at the girl more seriously.
"But someone, they twisted the truth, and they convinced the world that you're a group to be scorned instead of helped. Slandering you with the term 'possessed'.
The elf gasped in horror. Why are they doing this to her and so many other children?
"And the one responsible for all of this… The mastermind… Uhh…"
His face twitched, he quickly shaked his head at her.
"No… No, it's too soon to give the name. If I did tell you, I'd only be putting you in danger. It's not my right to bring you into thi-"
"I don't care!"
"Huh?"
The girl interrupted him with a face full of determination, slightly surprising the boy.
"Who did this to me? I want them stopped."
"O-Oh, I see… Well in that case, I have no choice…"
Her savior turned his black eyes away from her, looking at something behind her. She was too occupied with her question however to care about that.
"It was the work of the Cult of Diablos. A group of radical zealots who wish to resurrect him."
Hearing that made her grit her teeth in anger. Retribution will be a lot harder than she was initially anticipating.
"They don't operate publicly. They work in the shadows. I have made it my sole purpose to remain in the shadows with them. And put an end to their hideous schemes… Yeah that sounds cool."
She didn't hear that last part, but before she could put any thought into it, a beautiful purple energy started emanating around him, making her halt. She was transfixed by the glow that reached the entire room, swirling around him, making him look greater than just a young boy.
"… Yes, I am a Sty-… My name is Shadow. He who lurks in the dark to hunt the shadows."
As he spoke, she saw a dark slime enveloping his body. When it was done, he was no longer in the simple and formal clothing of the boy. Now he was covered in marvelous dark attire, with gold and purple detailings.
"S-Shadow…"
She remained mesmerized by the boy ahead of her.
"My path is far from an easy one, but this is my duty."
He got off of the crate, taking a step forward to the elf. His hood covered most of his face, but she could see that behind it, there was a shining red eye that looked into her very being.
"Child of a hero… Do you truly wish to walk this path?"
The elf faltered momentarily, looking down in sadness.
"When… When I was struck by that curse, I lost everything, everyone. The only thing left for me was to rot away until someone gave me the mercy of death. But you… you saved me."
She looked back up at Shadow, eyes filled with resolve.
"If you will allow me, I will give you my life. I wish to walk this path with you, punishing the ones responsible for this with death."
She swore his eyes grew brighter from her declaration. Shadow extended his hand out towards her to grab. She took it without hesitation, picking herself up so they could stand face to face.
"We will be facing the very kingdoms we walk in. The cult has members everywhere, even at the very top. There will be many others who are unknowingly helping with their ambitions, blind to the truth."
"It doesn't matter to me. I cannot give quarter to anyone that stands in our way of justice."
"Err, yeah! That's the spirit!"
She continued to hold his hand, taking gradual steps closer to him.
"We need to find the other descendants, and let them know the truth too, expand our cause, strengthen our base of operations progressively. We will also need to start raising funds too, and-"
"Calm down."
Shadow interrupted her, speaking assertively.
"We must take this one step at a time. First, our name.
He let go of the girl's hand, turning around and walking away.
"Our organization. It shall be known as…"
He stopped right as he was about to leave the house, turning back to look at her.
"… Shadow Garden… As for you, you must discard your old identity. From now on, your name is… Alpha…"
Shadow smiled again, seemingly satisfied about the name he gave to the girl.
The two of them didn't know yet just how much those new identities would mean to them.
Clang
"Focus."
Clang
"Don't be scared."
Clang
The Kagenou prodigy continued to quietly encourage her brother's performance as they sparred once more in the afternoon. Their parents were watching, determining the extent of their son's improvement. It was the last week before Claire was due to leave for the capital. The last time they would see her for quite awhile. This was her final chance to redeem her brother in the eyes of their parents.
Cid sidestepped her next strike, thrusting his sword towards her stomach, which she parried, sending the boy back. Sweat was starting to run down his face from how much he was exerting himself just to be able to stay in the fight. His face was no longer blank, showing obvious concentration.
"Come on, you're doing well so far Cid!"
Their mother cheered Cid on from the side. He barely acknowledged her praise as he blocked another one of Claire's blows. He took a few steps back, trying to gain some distance to regain his bearings.
I think this is the best place to leave Cid off. Two and a half full minutes of 'fighting'. They better be happy with this.
Claire wouldn't give him this chance to recover. She lunged fiercely at him, breaking some of the ground beneath her feet from the sheer force. She was finally going to put some actual force behind this attack.
He had just enough time to raise his sword up, minimizing as much damage as Cid possibly could, but it wasn't enough. To everyone's horror, Claire broke through her brother's blade, still pushing forward. Before she could stop herself, the tip of her blade met his cheek, or at least, that's how it would have been if Minoru didn't use his inhuman reflexes. He shifted his head slightly, making the long slash towards his cheek only skin deep. Cid tumbled backwards, crying in pain from the sting.
"Cid! I'm so sorry!"
Claire's eyes widened in shock at the effects of what she had done. She pushed him too far. She made it to his side as quickly as she hurt him, wiping the blood that was dripping out of him with his shirt's collar.
"Cid, are you okay?!"
Their parents made it to his side, calling for servants to come with medical supplies.
"H-Hey, it's only skin deep! I'm fine!"
Cid squirmed in Claire's hold as she continued to wipe his cheek. Not listening to his words.
"Sister, I'm fine!"
He spoke more assertively, his face turning more frustrated at her persistence. It faded away however when he heard other voices joining in.
"Cid, that was wonderful!"
"Good job, Cid!"
He looked over to his 'parents', registering what he just heard from them. He tried reading their faces, determining their honesty.
Are they… telling the truth now?
The boy sighed in great relief, much to everybody's confusion. He didn't pay attention to the words of anyone else as he thought to himself
Finally, Cid should finally be redeemed in their eyes! This was the most I could do while keeping him weak. All I can really do now is wait and see what they think… please work…
"Cid, are you feeling better?"
Claire let go of his now red stained shirt, looking at his face. Looking blankly back at her, she also seemed to be smiling slightly.
Cid slowly picked himself up, looking around his surroundings. He knew something was off. He quickly found the source of that feeling in the distance, staring at him behind some trees. The seven heads immediately retracted back behind their cover as soon as they saw him looking back at them.
What did I tell them about getting too close to here…
"Are you okay, Cid?"
Minoru was interrupted midthought when Claire questioned him, getting up too. There were two servants already coming with the medical supplies that were requested.
"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine."
Cid looked back at Claire, giving a small yet reassuring smile. Even though it wasn't much, he could see from her face how much that meant to the fam… to the family.
Now, while they tend to this 'wound', Minoru can think about another important matter. How can he better keep Cid Kagenou and Shadow separate from each other?
"C-Claire, how could she…"
"They must have been strong. Even if she was taken by surprise, she should have defended herself well."
"Are you trying to say a powerful group of people kidnapped our daughter?"
"N-No, but-"
"Then shut up! We're not giving up on her that easily, are we?!"
Cid watched from outside of Claire's now messed up bedroom as Mr and Mrs Kagenou were essentially arguing with each other, searching everywhere inside along with some of their servants. Today was supposed to be the day that she left for the academy, but when he woke up to hearing confused and angry shouting outside of his room, Minoru didn't even waste any time looking at the mirror.
"What if something happens to her?! What if something bad already happened to her?!"
"You think I'm not worried about that too?!"
The boy took a deep breath, before turning to walk away from the scene with another maid following behind him. Minoru never saw them being that aggressive with each other. It was obvious to anyone that they were both stressed out.
Please be safe…
He adjusted his tie and scratched the back of his neck, catching the maid's attention.
"Are you worried about her, Lord Shadow?"
"Hm? No Beta, I'm just thinking."
The head of the brown haired maid became engulfed in black slime, before going back inside of her uniform, revealing her true identity, a silver haired elf.
"Oh, right. Do you know where Alpha currently is?"
"Yes, she's currently looking for clues on Miss Claire's whereabouts."
"Her speed is admirable. Does she know if my… if she's still alive?"
Shadow turned his head back to look at Beta directly, waiting for the big answer.
PleasePleasePleasePleasePlea-
"From what we know, most likely, yes."
…
"… Anything else?"
Beta nodded.
"The kidnapper, as expected, seems to be with the Cult of Diablos. We suspect he's a high-ranking officer."
Not this bullshit from them again… Well, it was me that put that idea in their hea-
"Lord Shadow, you look frustrated. Are you alright?"
"Yes, as I said, I'm thinking."
The two went inside an unoccupied room, Beta closing the door behind her to avoid any eavesdropping.
"Anyways, continue. Why did they take Claire?"
"Mhm, we believe they are under the suspicion that Miss Claire is a descendant of one of the heroes."
"So if they're right, that would mean the Kagenou bloodline also stems from heroes…"
Shadow looked out of a window, thinking about the 'information' Beta was giving. Minoru was almost impressed by how good Alpha and these other girls she's brought into this 'organization' are at twisting what is very likely a simple abduction of a Baron's daughter for ransom into, well, this.
Rescuing someone who was kidnapped. I've never done this before…
"Lord Shadow, come here."
Looking back at Beta, she laid down a map of their territory on a table. Different marks spread throughout certain areas along with some sort of paperwork on the side.
"We've determined the locations of their hideouts. Miss Claire is very likely being held in one of them, but we haven't been able to narrow it down to any one of them."
Shadow's eyes widened upon hearing the last part.
No no no, damnit! I can't hit up all of those spots at once. If they're communicating between spots and I don't hit the right one first, they'll likely move her somewhere else.
"Are you absolutely certain there is not a single clue about which place may be the right spot?"
"Yes, Lord Shadow."
…
Shadow moved from the window toward the table, standing opposite from Beta's side. He took a closer look at the map, desperately looking for anything that stuck out. Claire had to still be close. He can still turn this around.
He materialized a dagger out of his slime, playing around with it as he continued to look. He knew in the back of his mind he wasn't getting anywhere, but he couldn't help himself. Minoru couldn't help himself.
"So long as you're here, I know I'm safe from anything!"
…
…
…
Shadow stabbed the map at a random point, looking down with a blank expression. He couldn't do anything.
Fine… At the very least, I gave them enough training to hold their own too. We could split up, but how would we be able to coordina-
"It can't be?! All those cryptograms were actually a bluff?!"
… Eh?
Shadow looked back up at Beta, waiting for her to continue.
"There's nothing where you pointed, Lord Shadow. But, if we compare it with this account we also have…"
The elf continued looking back and forth between the spot Shadow's knife is currently lodged in and some of the papers she had on the table.
"… It… It's all coming together! Lord Shadow! There must be another hideout in the spot you indicated! Miss Claire has to be held there!"
… What did I just do?
Shadow blinked at Beta, seemingly dazed by her announcement. Before she could really focus on his surprise, it became blank again as if he wasn't surprised.
"I knew it. No way they would keep her somewhere that isn't nearly as concealed. They wouldn't want to take any chances."
"Incredible! You somehow looked through all this information, and saw through their deception in an instant!"
Shadow looked back out the window. He wanted to thank Beta for this act, but now is not the right time. Claire was actually in danger.
"Contact all of the Shadows, we're going to rescue her immediately."
"Yes, Lord Shadow!"
Despite the confidence Shadow was radiating on the outside, deep down, Cid and Minoru were begging for Beta's conclusion to be correct.
"For someone of your age, I admire your persistence against those chains. But you're not getting out of them anytime soon. So I would recommend you stop struggling, for your own sake."
The man's request for the prisoner's cooperation was unmet as she thrashed against the bindings keeping her to the wall. The two were inside of a small cell within the underground complex, facing each other. The man looked down on her as she sat up against the wall, continuing what looked like a hopeless struggle.
"I'm not speaking to you as a captor, but as someone who had a daughter. I really do not want to use violence against you… Claire Kagenou…"
He rested one of his hands on the pendant he was wearing, gently holding it. Once again, the girl did not listen, making the older man sigh in disappointment.
CRASH
He swiftly kicked at her resting head, but instead of landing a solid blow on the girl, she moved her head to the side with a speed that betrayed her age, making him leave a sizable hole in the wall.
"You can still dodge an attack while locked in magic-sealing chains. It seems you're more than just stubborn after all."
"… I learned a long time ago that how much magic you use is nowhere near as important as how you use it…"
Claire finally stopped struggling, looking up at the man as she spoke.
"Your father must have been an excellent teach-"
"Ha! Are you kidding?! My brother taught me that lesson."
"Your brother? Just to be clear, Cid Kagenou taught you?"
The man turned his head in confusion. From what he knew of the boy, he wasn't even considered as a possible threat in the event their abduction went wrong.
"Who else is my brother? Yes, he teaches me many things. Everytime we fight, I always win, yet I end up being the one that learns the most from it. That's why I think he has greater potential than even me."
She smiles up tauntingly at him, but her attempt at aggravating him even further did not succeed.
"When you were still suffering from possession, he was the one that cured you, yes?"
"Tsk, not this nonsense again. No, that is not what happened, I haven't even been cured at all."
"You say this, yet you no longer show any signs."
He got closer to her, examining her face for any signs of lying.
"You seem to be telling the truth. But even if you think you're being honest, what you said about your brother is interesting… If your presumptions even hold a shred of truth, then it might be worth looking more into that boy."
As soon as he finished that last word, her demeanor changed completely. Claire's smile dropped, eyes narrowing, as she began thrashing her arms against the chains again. She stared at him with pure hatred.
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!"
Much to his surprise, he heard the chains start to crack. Just a few moments later, she broke one of the chains off the wall, swinging it violently towards his head. He barely was able to duck in time, taking a step back to gain some distance.
"IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO MY BROTHER, I'LL-…"
Claire broke the second chain holding her other arm, completely freeing herself at the cost of mutilating her wrists. She took a step forward towards the man, lost in an anger she didn't even know she had.
"… I'LL KILL YOU, YOUR FRIENDS, EVERYONE YOU CARE ABOUT! EVEN YOUR DAUGH-"
Before the enraged daughter of the Kagenou family could finish the last part of her threatening, the man had enough, slamming his fist directly into her face, sending the girl flying back to the wall.
"You damn bitch…"
He rubbed the hand he used on her as she lay crumpled on the ground. She looked up at the ceiling, blood running down her face, twitching from the damage she sustained from both herself and the man.
"It doesn't matter. We'll know for sure if you're compatible once we analyze the blood…"
"Viscount Grease!"
The man turned his head when he heard another voice coming from outside the cell. He saw one of his subordinates, clearly looking startled.
"What do you want?"
"Intruders sir! They've already killed over half of our men!"
"What?!"
Grease fully turned around after hearing the news, looking unsettled himself.
"T-They came out of nowhere, like shadows! They're slaughtering everyone that stands in their way, and they're heading towards your location!"
"How many are there?!"
"Seven! We don't stand a chance against them!"
The older man frowned at his statement, looking at the knight with suspicion as he rushed outside of the cell, running down the hall with him
"Impossible, some of you are strong enough to be a part of the Royal Guard."
"It doesn't matter! We're no match for them!"
Just as the young knight finished, his head rolled off of his shoulders, blood splattering on Grease and the floor as the rest of the body fell on the ground.
"What the?!"
He looked into the next room at the end of the hall. His eyes twitched in disgust as he saw the bodies of some of the other knights, mutilated and mangled in varying degrees of cruelty. That wasn't the only thing Grease saw; standing behind the corpses were seven young girls, dressed in black bodysuits with gold detailings.
"You…"
Grease wasted no time drawing his sword, shouting at the group as he prepared himself for a sudden attack. The seven stood side by side, watching him with scorn.
"Who are you all?!"
The one in the center took a step forward ahead of the rest. From what he saw, she appeared to be an elf with blonde hair and blue eyes.
"We are Shadow Garden."
As she finished, another girl chimed in.
"It is our sole purpose in life to bring an end to the Cult of Diablos."
"We know everything that you've kept hidden. The plan to resurrect Diablos, the descendants of the heroes, the demonic possessions infecting them, even your corruption of this world."
Grease's eyes widen at their declaration.
"Impossible! How could you even know our name?! Where did you learn?!"
He cries out at the girls in anger as he lunges at the one in the middle, who seemed to be their leader.
Clang
The elf doesn't even flinch as she blocks him with a simple flick of a sword she did not have a moment prior. Grease continues on the offensive, but none of his strikes meet their mark. The other girls encircle the two as she dodge and block all of his attacks, not looking pressed at all.
Slash
After parrying his last stab, it was her turn to attack. She slashes at him just once across the front of his torso, leaving a wide gash. He staggers back in shock.
"Damnit, how did you-?!"
"Don't worry, I don't intend on having you killed just yet. Not until we extract all the information we can from you."
The blonde elf spoke calmly, as if she were in complete control of the situation, and the fact that she really was frustrated Grease to no end.
He digs his free hand into his coat's pocket, pulling out a small glass bottle filled with what looked like small capsules. Popping the cork, he quickly drops one into his mouth, crunching.
The girls' expressions remain firmly stoic as the man's cut rapidly seals itself, even as red energy begins crackling around him. His left eye glows an ominous red as he begins yelling manically, the boost he gave himself granting him confidence. He charges towards the leader again in blind anger, but is parried just as easily as before.
"An interesting trick, but such things will not work on us."
She speaks coldly, completely unfazed, sending the viscount over the edge. He stabs his sword into the ground in his rage. It cracks beneath his feet, making her move back in anticipation for what would come next. Just as they expected, the ground gives way, creating a crater that dropped him down into the darkness beneath.
"I'll follow him down."
The silver haired elf crouches next to the sizable hole, trying to determine the depth.
"There is no need."
Alpha smiles as she looks down the pit, already knowing her opponent's fate.
"He's headed straight for him."
The other girls smile with her upon realizing why he said he would be splitting up from them. He had anticipated the viscount fleeing from them. By coming in from the opposite direction, they could corner him.
Their leader truly is a genius.
Speaking of their leader, he is currently wandering around, having lost himself in a deeper section of the underground complex, donned in his Shadow attire. He frantically looked around for any place that could be used to hold prisoners.
I should not have killed all those bandits who were in my way! At least one of them would have told me where they are keeping her… or if they are even keeping her here…
Minoru sighed in frustration. He was glad that none of the girls were around to see this break in character, it's hard to keep up an act when there's someone actually at stake like this.
His hopes for another enemy encounter to interrogate were answered when he made a turn in the hall he was walking in. The moment he turned the corner, he saw at the end of the hallway a secret passageway opening up from the right. Just a few seconds later, a man who looked older than the other bandits he killed on the way here hastily came out from it. He appeared to have been greatly injured- one of his eyes was gone, a nasty cut lay across his torso, and there were disgusting grayish lines scattered across his body. The man stops dead in his tracks upon seeing him, leading to an awkward standoff between the two that lasts longer than either would care to admit.
"Y-You… You knew I was going to be here, didn't you?!"
…What?
"It doesn't matter, I'm strong enough to take on one of you!"
Before Shadow could even get a word in response, Grease lunges at him with a speed far greater than the other bandits had displayed. Even though he wasn't expecting such abilities from what looked like just a higher tier bandit, it didn't faze him one bit. Shadow easily blocks the man's thrust, using the very tip of his blade to bring Grease to a halt.
"Hey, I know you want to beat me and all, but I'm really trying to find someone, and I'm in a rush. Is Claire Kagenou here? If she is and you tell me where to find her, I'll give you a painless death."
The boy's utter disregard of Grease's attack coupled with his nonchalant voice as he questioned him further fueled his rage. He put more power into his attack, making Shadow do the same. The sheer force made the ground beneath them rupture, sending chunks of it flying upwards.
"I'm trying to be polite with you. I really need to know. Is Claire Kagenou here? Is she alive?"
Shadow broke the bladelock between the two, moving forward. He stepped right in front of Grease, holding his dark blade against the viscount's throat before he could react.
"W-Why does it matter? What does it mean to yo-?"
"It means everything."
The hooded boy continued calmly talking to Grease, but the man could tell that behind that collected tone of his, he was holding something back.
"…Yes, she's here, but that doesn't mean you'll just be taking her and running out."
"Are you kidding? With a weak lunge like that, I could walk out."
As soon as Grease said that Claire was here and basically implied she was at least still alive, a huge weight was lifted off of Minoru's shoulders, and his calm tone turning into one of complete confidence reflected that.
"Since you've brought me the relief of knowing she's here, I will repay you by giving a masterclass on how to properly use magic while fighting."
Grease swings his sword at the boy's neck in anger, trying to land a hit, but Shadow easily dodges, simply taking a step back. The man was not disheartened, continuing his onslaught of attacks as Shadow began his lesson.
"Lesson One, concentrate a minimum amount of your magical energy into your feet for a burst of speed."
Just as Grease thought he was going to finally land a strike on the boy, Shadow moved faster than the viscount could've even anticipated, suddenly appearing behind him.
"Lesson Two, once you have the proper distance between you and your opponent, speed and strength are no longer necessary."
As Grease swiftly brings his blade down on Shadow again, the boy redirects the blade, using just his hand to smoothly bring the oncoming strike to the side, shocking the man even further.
"You can even skip out on using magic altogether."
Shadow raises his blade, lunging towards the viscount. Now he was going to be on the offensive.
"Lesson Three, I'm only just getting started."
Minoru may have been a bit overenthusiastic about it, but he didn't care. Shadow stabs his sword into the viscount's chest, but he isn't done just yet. He continues to slash at the man across his torso, creating even larger openings than his previous opponent.
Grease never felt this overpowered in his adult life before. That elf girl from before may have been in control, but this boy was on a completely different level from her. It's as if he knew absolutely everything he was going to do before he would even know what to do. He felt like he was a child again, facing his instructor for the very first time. He was so hopelessly outmatched that a small part of him considered throwing away his pride and just giving up.
"I… I don't care how powerful you are…"
The viscount got on his knee, helping to support himself with his sword. He was coughing up blood as he struggled to stay conscious despite his new injuries.
"…Because… in the end… the darkness of the world and its truth will always be stronger! Nobody ever wins!"
…
Shadow couldn't help but smile at the man's words. He made sure his hood was pulled back just enough so he could see it through the darkness.
"You still smile?! You think this is a game, child?!"
"… No, all you're telling me is that I just have to dive deeper. As deep as I can go."
The boy's right eye began to glow purple as he finished, sending the viscount to an even greater fury.
"I'M BEING SERIOUS, YOU FOOL!"
Grease reaches into his coat once more, taking out the small bottle. This time he saw no point conserving them, taking all of the remaining capsules into his mouth. The results were instant, the red magical energy envelops not only his entire body but his surroundings as well. The force kicks up a massive amount of dust and debris in the air. By the time it dissipated, Shadow was met by a monster instead of a man.
"LET ME TEACH YOU NOW! ABOUT THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD!"
The man, if he could still even be considered a man, stood more than thrice his original size, having all but his pants, boots, and pendant destroyed from the sudden growth. In place of his right arm was a huge disgusting blade. He swings wildly at Shadow, disregarding any class he had left.
"WE'RE ALL WEAK! WE'RE ALL WORTHLESS! WE'RE ALL PAWNS! THAT IS THE TRUTH!
The boy continued to step and jump away from Grease's animalistic attacks. Despite the drastic boost in power his opponent gained, Shadow was still calmly avoiding everything thrown at him.
"THE POWER YOU HOLD WON'T MATTER IN THE END! YOUR FAMILY CAN STILL BE TAKEN FROM YOU!"
…
"…Disgusting…"
Shadow slaps the monster's blade up into the air, giving him enough time to make a counterattack. He materializes his sword once more, his own purple energy emanating profusely around him, trumping over what was once a man.
"THIS MAGICAL ENERGY! IT'S ENORMOUS! HOW COULD ONE BOY DO THIS?!"
Grease's final question remained unanswered as what he said earlier soured Minoru's mind. Shadow readied himself to end the battle, if something this lopsided could even be considered a battle.
"…Don't you dare remind me of them…"
SLASH
Shadow slashes his blade across the entirety of the former viscount. As his own magic was used,a bright spectacle of purple light cut through the beast, bringing the man back to reality. It was now that he realized just to what extent he was outdone by this boy. He was outclassed in every possible aspect there was in combat.
As the viscount lay on the ground, dying from his wounds, he grasps his pendant again, recalling how and why he went down his path to begin with.
"…Millia…"
He utters her name softly. He wasn't able to combat the darkness, even for his own daughter. But this boy, this boy he doesn't even know the name of… maybe he has a chance…
After everything, he wasn't expecting to die with a smile on his face. But just the thought of those seven girls and that boy, having the chance at giving the cult what it was long overdue. He couldn't help himself.
Viscount Grease's final seconds were filled with nothing but hope.
…
Shadow looked down at the restored body of his opponent, who sprawled out, face down on the ground. He had overheard the man's last word, and saw his now human arm still clutching onto his pendant. He debated over whether or not he should check for what was inside the pendant, his curious side winning the fight. He bent down beside the corpse, gently removing the pendant from the neck. Taking a closer look at it, he opened it up, revealing the contents inside.
…
He knew bandits were scum, but looking at the small image of the man when he was younger, standing beside a young girl that was very likely his daughter that was kept inside, Minoru felt like he committed something horrible.
"…"
Without a word, Shadow closed it, before gently placing it in the bandit's other hand. He silently ran off towards where the man had come from. He wasn't sure if there were any other bandits left inside, but he didn't want to take any chances.
Just as that bandit had reminded him, he couldn't save Minoru's family. But at the very least, he could save Cid's.
"Bye hon! We hope you have fun!"
"Make us proud, Claire!"
"Good luck, sister!"
Today is the day… again…
Cid blankly stared ahead as he stood besides his pa… his parents as they, alongside some of their servants, watched Claire walk off towards the carriage, ready to start the next chapter of her life in the capital, attending The Midgar Academy for Dark Knights. Even though her departure is already over four days behind, she didn't let it dissuade her. Claire smiled at all of them as she waved goodbye.
After 'Shadow' found Claire in her cell shortly after killing that oddly strong bandit, the other seven quickly caught up to him. He insisted that he would be the one to take her home, asking them to scour the area in search for 'more information in regards to the cult's activities', and once they were done, destroy the underground complex. He was worried about her waking up in the middle of the journey back, but fortunately she remained unconscious. Seeing the blood on Claire's face, he was upset that he wasn't able to make it there sooner. Minoru wasn't sure to what extent she got hurt, but any amount was too much for him.
Ha, the way I'm sounding now. It's almost like I'm the olde-
…
…
…
When the two made it back to their home, it was evening, and the investigation was still ongoing. Since there was no rational way to explain how Claire just suddenly woke up and found herself back home, he just decided to disregard the questions she would be asked. He snuck inside, placing her down right in the center of the main room, where someone would inevitably pass by, and declare her return. After that was taken care of, all that was left was to sneak into his room, revert to Cid Kagenou, and get ready to play as the weak younger brother to the prodigy of the Kagenou family again.
He didn't want to admit he was just a tiny bit happy about her staying for the remainder of that day, and then the following few days to recover from the injuries she sustained.
"Cid, don't you have anything else you want to say to your sister?"
The boy felt his shoulder being patted, turning to look at his mother. She looked down at him, smiling.
"We won't be seeing her again for quite awhile. Now is your last chance to say something to her. I recommend you run to her quickly, before she goes inside."
Minoru contemplated over whether or not he should listen to her words. He didn't know what to think, or even what to say… Oh… he has one thing he can say.
"Sister, wait!"
Claire turned around in surprise, but it quickly turned to delight as she saw her little brother running towards her. Once he made it to her, he immediately pulled her into a hug.
"… Thank you for giving me all of that training over the years. I'll try not to let it go to waste."
Claire's face grew even happier at his words, reciprocating the hug.
"I would hope so. You put in a lot of work to make it to where you are now."
Cid nodded at her words, agreeing.
"Also… thank you for watching over me. It's gonna be a lot more different here now that you'll be gone most of the time…"
Claire's smile wavered slightly upon hearing that. She wasn't expecting Cid to suddenly just start saying these things, especially as she was just about to leave. An idea came into the girl's mind that made her blush slightly. She was a little embarrassed about saying it, but she was hoping it would help ease him with her departure. She leaned closer to him, bringing her lips next to his ear. She only wanted him to hear this.
"Just think about it like this. Even though we won't be together physically for a while. Just remember, little brother, no matter what…"
Claire hugged him a little bit tighter, gently stroking his hair.
"…I'll always be by your side."
…
…
…
Claire let go of him, giving him one last smile, before turning back around and stepping inside the carriage, closing the door behind her. Cid just stared at the carriage with his vacant expression as the horse began to move.
Nobody left from where they were standing until they could no longer see the girl off in the distance.
…
The servants watching began to return to their previous duties, while Mr. and Mrs. Kagenou went back inside the mansion. As Cid walked towards the training yard, which now felt different without Claire around, Minoru wondered whether or not he should continue the positive character development he's been making for Cid… Ha, who is he kidding? He has much more important things to focus on now, and with her being gone, it'll be even easier to get his work done without interference.
Besides, Cid, much like Minoru, is already too far gone.
AN: Yeah yeah I know Cid discovered Alpha at 10 and not 12. I just thought that for what I am trying to do, having all the Shades being found within a later year would be more fitting for my plans along with some other changes. Hope you enjoyed it. God knows when the next chapter will be out, the fact that these chapters were two weeks apart was a miracle. My editor is still Asian.
"I forgot to say this, but that was a lovely performance yesterday, Minoru."
"..."
"You… seem to put more effort into the piano more than anything else in school. You showed me your grades, and you're on the brink of failing. Why are you letting that happen?"
"..."
"... Are you even listening to me?"
"..."
"MINORU!"
Minoru's unattentive mind was suddenly interrupted when the girl walking beside him had enough and flicked his cheek, making him flinch in surprise.
"Gah! Yeah, yeah I am!"
"Then look like it damnit!"
He's only been walking with her to school for a week at this point, but he already felt used to Akane being by his side as they went through their respective days. And when he says being by his side, he means her chatting for the both of them while he nods along and puts the bare minimum into responses until she notices, in which case he'll try a little harder for a few minutes before repeating his neglect.
"You know, you're the one that insists on walking to school together. I remember where you live, you're really going out of your way to make this happen."
"I-!"
Akane's anger comes to a sudden halt and her face goes red at the response. He could almost see the steam coming from her ears, she must know that Minoru has a point.
"Hmph!"
She turned her head to look away from him, focusing on the street they were walking down. Ever since the 'incident', Akane had seemed to make a complete flip in her behavior towards Minoru. The fake smiles that were obviously betrayed by her eyes full of contempt were now replaced by smiles of genuine happiness, and eyes showing nothing but goodwill. If that wasn't enough, she also started to engage more in conversation with him before, during, and after class. Not to mention her watching him practice the piano afterschool. To put it simply, Akane Nishino has developed an interest in him, and he has no clue why or how to deal with it.
Turning another corner, the two were almost at school, where they would be greeted by the same people waving and yelling out for her while ignoring Minoru. At first he was worried about the consequences of being around a main character this frequently, as doing that would be a pretty good way to lose his background character privileges. Fortunately, however, it seemed nobody cared much about this change in dynamic, with the exception of some dirty looks he noticed coming from some of the other boys.
"Minoru, I have a question if you don't mind me asking."
"Sure, go ahead."
He noticed Akane turning her head to look at him again, showing a little curiosity.
"Why don't you speak with anyone in school? You only speak when spoken to or asked a question. I've never seen you actually hold a conversation with any other person in the building. Besides… well… me…"
Minoru resisted the urge to laugh at the question.
Yeah, I only talk to you because you're special. It's totally not because you're the only one that tries to back me into a corner where I have to hold a conversation with you before I have the chance to excuse myself, you goddamn main character!
"I don't see any reason to."
"Is… Is that it?"
"Did you want an elaborate answer?"
"I mean, I guess. You don't seem to have any friends. You just come to school, do what you're told, practice the piano, and then leave. You don't have any connection to anyone."
"… Am I supposed to?"
…
Minoru faced her directly after responding, shifting from his usual uncaring expression to one of complete vacancy. Akane seemed to notice the change and immediately broke eye contact, facing the ground and closing her eyes.
"Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't think that was a touchy subj-"
"It's alright."
The school entrance was in sight. It's almost time for a repeat of the same albeit slightly modified mundane day.
"… Oh right, one more thing. The weather should still be nice afterschool. So do you want to go to the cemetery when we get out?"
Minoru's soured mood turned into confusion at the sudden random question. This wasn't the first time she asked this from him, but she would say something like the park, or going somewhere to eat. The worst it ever got was her asking to come over to his house. No way he would ever willingly bring a main character to his parents.
"Did… Did you just say cemetery?"
"Yes, the cemetery."
Looking back at the girl, Akane was smiling at him again as if nothing was wrong. Her black eyes glittered beautifully, but all it did to Minoru was give him even more questions.
"Why would you want to go there, especially with me?"
Akane's expression didn't change as she happily responded.
"Don't act like you have no idea. Don't you remember?"
"No. I really do have no idea. I don't remem-"
… Remember…
…
…
…
He wasn't speaking to Akane Nishino.
"CID! WAKE UP!"
The youngest of the Kagenou family had no time to recover from his latest dream, as he felt his body being roughly shaken by his shoulders in bed. Opening his eyes in a frenzied panic, he yelped in shock at the sudden contact he was feeling. He automatically brought his hands up to grab the arms of the one holding him, trying to pry them off him, but immediately ceased struggling when he saw the culprit who also stopped as soon as she heard him.
"Claire?!"
"Cid!"
The two siblings were locked in an awkward position, with Claire standing over his bed and still grabbing onto his shoulders, while Cid, who was now sitting up, gripping her wrists. Claire looked at him in a mixture of panic and worry, contrasting Cid's surprise. After the initial shock wore off, they calmed down. Cid returned to his trademark deadpan look, but Claire was still a little jumpy.
"Why are you here?"
"Isn't it obvious?! It's already way past morning! We were supposed to be sparring already! Mom and dad want to see your progress today, so it's even more important!"
Cid just nodded along at her words, not really paying much attention to what she was saying. The dream was still lingering in his head, taking priority.
"Oh. Right…"
"Cid, are you even listening to me?! Come on! Get up!"
Claire let go of her little brother and backed away from his side. The urgency in her voice wasn't being acknowledged as Cid took his sweet time, slowly getting off the bed. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, stretching his arms.
"I'll be ready in a few minutes, just let me get dressed."
Claire was noticeably displeased by the lack of care shown in Cid's voice and on his face. She resisted the urge to yell at him even further.
"Just… meet us by the usual spot where we do it, okay? And don't take too long."
Claire turned around after giving him one last look of urgency, walking out of the room, and closing the door behind her.
"At least she closed it this time."
Cid yawned again while he went over to get himself changed for the day. Finishing in only a few seconds, he went to his mirror to take a look at his face. It has become another thing he does as a part of his morning routine. Before he goes out of his room to start his day as Cid Kagenou, Minoru takes a look at himself.
Twelve years. I think it's safe to say that after being here for this long, it isn't just the last name that's similar.
Reincarnation is a concept he is very familiar with, a lot of things he read back… on Earth had it. However, coming into this, he didn't expect his body to be the exact same as some of the other stories he got into. He just looks like a younger version of himself if he had access to much more formal clothing.
What are they gonna tell me this time?
Ever since he's been swinging a sword, at least as far as his 'parents' knew, they've been keeping a closer eye on him, monitoring his progression. He thought that after already having the prodigy that is Claire, they would be content with letting their son fade into the background of their bloodline, but he was wrong. They were trying to see if they struck gold a second time, and so far, they've found no success.
I've been trying to show them nothing but mediocrity for a few years now, and they still don't seem to get the message yet.
It wasn't just being average with the sword, he has been trying to portray Cid with nothing but meekness and weakness. He listens to whatever he is told to do, and tries his very best to show how utterly average the boy is.
Well, maybe if I did a better job during some moments, they wouldn't be so concerned with me.
Even though he tried putting on this performance of mediocrity, there were times where he did things that were even lower than the expectations he's already set. Cid's vacant stare at him in the mirror was proof.
Just another spar Cid. Lose badly, whine about how you're not nearly as strong as her, come back inside, and get ready for tonight.
Sleep was something Minoru always considered as an activity that should be kept to a minimum, or not done at all, if possible. He has already trained himself to last for several days so far without it. However, when it is time to rest, he is unable to resist. It's become an unwilling pattern, where around once a week, when he goes back to bed after training for the night and pretends to sleep, he actually ends up succumbing to it.
He rubs his eyes again, clicking his tongue in annoyance when he sees that he's still unable to get rid of the bags that he has under them. He's been commented on for having them before, but the most they ever did in regards to addressing it was asking him to take a nap or if he's been having nightmares.
Nightmares…
He wasn't sure if what happened could be classified as a nightmare, but Akane's question left Minoru confused. He really had no idea what she was talking about, or even why he was dreaming about someone he barely interacted with.
Taking a deep breath, he gave himself one last look in the mirror, before walking away from it. Grabbing his sword that he keeps by his bedside, he left his room, making sure to close the door behind him.
He took his time making it outside. When he saw his 'family' waiting for him in the sparring area, he readied himself for another humiliating defeat. It's not that Minoru doesn't like doing it, in fact he does. He just doesn't like their persistence in making Cid be as strong as his sis-… as Claire.
"Cid! You're late again! Come on, hurry up!"
The way they were treating him now compared to back when he was younger were as similar as day and night. He had been getting used to the unconditional kindness and empathy of his 'parents'. So when they actually began to make him train more with Claire, and watch his development with a much more critical eye, he was a little blindsided by the transition. Whether or not he prefers this change, he doesn't know.
He sped up his pace a bit. Once he reached them, he was able to properly see their faces. Mr. and Mrs. Kagenou, who were standing together a fair bit away from their two children, both looked at Cid with a small smile, but he didn't have to be an expert to see the minor frustration in their eyes for coming late. The utter lack of enthusiasm Cid had on his face probably contributed to that negative feeling too. Claire was watching him with a neutral expression, paying extra attention to his eyes.
She's gonna chastise me after she beats me, I just know it.
"Cid, let's not waste any more time. Get ready."
Claire backed away a few steps from him, and drew her sword. She focused herself, which still confused Minoru.
For someone leagues above Cid, she still concentrates.
Drawing his own sword, Claire immediately made the first move. Lunging at him with a slash aimed for his left side.
Clang
Minoru was already very used to Claire's sudden attacks when they sparred, but Cid still wasn't. He barely had enough time to raise his sword up to block her.
"Don't stay still, move!"
Their mother tried giving him advice, but her words fell on deaf ears. Claire backstepped, quickly reengaging her brother. She raised her blade above her head, bringing it down to his head.
Clang
He just barely blocked again, buckling from her force. He knew she was holding back, but this power was still more than enough to handle for someone as weak as Cid.
Claire began a pattern of backstepping, striking, and being blocked, and repeating again once she felt Cid had recovered from the previous one. He remained rooted to the same spot, much to everyone's dismay.
The combat in this world, compared to Earth, is very unsophisticated. If I just used a sliver of what I know on her…
"Don't stand in the same place. You need to move Cid."
Claire spoke quietly, semi-encouragingly, contradicting the serious expression she was still holding.
I need to show some improvement…
When Claire went on the offensive again, Cid just barely sidestepped her blade, going for a counter. Claire easily recovered fast enough to parry the blow, sending Cid back a few steps.
"That's it, keep going."
He wasn't sure if Claire's encouragement was quiet so their parents wouldn't hear, or so that she didn't come off as too harsh. Either way, it wasn't helping.
Claire attacked her brother again, expecting Cid to have learned by now how to utilize more movement. Much to her disappointment, he remained where he was, focusing on blocking her onslaught.
Just end it already…
Cid's face, despite the physical exertion he was imitating, remained blank throughout the entire fight. His blocking was still unrefined, barely holding his own.
To call him a dark knight in training would be an insult to every other trainee.
After continuing this stagnant game in an attempt to push him out of his plateau, Claire had enough. Minoru sensed the change in intent, and welcomed it wholeheartedly. She struck him again, this time with much more power than Cid would be able to handle. He blocked it just as Claire was expecting, but the force violently knocked him off his feet, sending him and his sword flying back from where he stood. Cid's calm visage broke as he yelled from going airborne so suddenly. Fortunately for him, the river nearby was able to catch him, preventing the landing from being too harsh.
"Cid!"
He sank into the water, splashing around frantically. Claire was briefly worried about him not being able to properly float back up after receiving a hit like that, but her fears were cast aside when after a few seconds of struggling, her brother's head popped out of the water, looking frustrated.
"Sister! You're too strong! How do you expect me to fight against that?!
Cid shouted from where he was, loud enough for everyone to hear. Their parents just sighed in disappointment, while Claire's face remained neutral. He has not shown any real improvement in defensive, let alone offensive capabilities.
After he got himself out of the river, shaking himself like a dog to dry himself as much as he could, he sheathed his sword and started to walk back over to Claire. He saw their parents approach her and begin speaking, but was too far away to actually hear them.
They're likely questioning her again. Not for her final attack, but for why she didn't push me harder earlier.
His face became blank again, wondering about what they were actually thinking. He knew it didn't matter, but he still found himself caring.
"Cid, are you alright?"
Claire approached him first, smiling to get his spirits up.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm used to landing in the water like that now."
Cid's response made Claire's smile waver slightly. This wasn't the first time she's ended a fight like that, or the first time that river broke his fall.
"Right… Well, you did a better job today compared to last time. I'm proud of you."
That isn't saying much…
He looked behind Claire, seeing how his parents were looking. They were still smiling, but the disappointment in their eyes was even more apparent now.
"Really? Mother, father, do you agree?"
Cid deadpanned at them, seeing if they would actually be honest for once.
"Of course dear, you're doing better by the day."
"Just stick to your training. Even if it doesn't feel like it, you'll notice the results one day."
And they're still liars…
Cid just nodded at their words. They were technically right, but not in the way they were trying to imply, so it was still a lie in his book.
"Thank you."
Cid thanked the three quietly, not wanting them to hear and start to feel guilty over their lies.
"Cid, could you go back inside and get yourself properly washed? We'll follow you soon, there are just some things we need to take care of."
Not wanting to extend this conversation, he simply nodded at the words of his mother and started heading back.
"I… I don't know what we're gonna do with him."
Cid's ear twitched upon hearing that. He resisted the urge to turn around.
What are they trying to say about me?
Minoru was thankful for his heightened senses. Even if they were still a work in progress, he was still able to hear things from a longer distance than normal. This allowed him to accidentally overhear what is being said about him now by his father.
"Don't speak like that, father. He has the potential, I know it."
"You've been saying that for years now, and he's still nowhere near as good as you when you just started off."
"Hey, don't just dismiss all of the work he's put in. Even if he isn't nearly as good as his sister, he's still far better than he was in the beginning, when he could barely even lift a sword… But yeah, he hasn't been making any tangible progress in awhile."
Finally! They're starting to have doubts in my potential!
Minoru sighed in relief after hearing their words. Even though Claire still had her hopes for Cid, the hope of their parents were starting to actually wane.
"How can you say that about him? He's trying his best."
"Is he? He always has that same dull expression with him. I'm not sure he's even trying."
"Father, he's always been like that, you know that already."
"And it's concerning. He barely shows emotion, and when he does, it's for when he's crying, or when he's happy, which is starting to happen less and less."
The father sighed, clearly concerned. Their mother picked up where he left off.
"Claire, there's something you should know. We've been thinking…"
"Thinking? Thinking about what?"
"Well… We're not sure it would be the best decision for Cid to attend the academy with you…"
Cid stopped dead in his tracks after hearing those words coming from her. His curiosity was quickly replaced with horror.
The Midgar Academy for Dark Knights? No no no! I need to go there! That's my ticket out of here! There's just three years left until I'm old enough to attend! What do you mean it wouldn't be the best decision?!
Cid bit his tongue in frustration. Ever since he heard years ago about how Claire would be sent there once she's fifteen, and how he'll go once he reaches the same age, he's been looking forward to getting older for another reason besides being able to realize his true potential.
It's located in the capital, which opens up so many more opportunities for me when it comes to being a shadow broker. I can't let them ruin this!
"Mother, why are the two of you saying this? You expect him to just stay here alone with the servants to keep him company?"
"Claire, you need to think rationally. He barely keeps himself clean, he skips breakfast, lunch, and dinner constantly. Have you seen his eyes? We've tried telling him to rest, but he doesn't listen. He can't take care of himself without us being there. This is for the best."
…
"I-I… Yeah, you have a point there. But he still has 3 years left. He has time to grow."
"He has made very little progress in regards to you. He will be an embarrassment to us all if he goes and can barely hold his own against anyone."
Are you forgetting her talent?! It's not a good idea to use her power as a reference for everyone else, 'dad'!
"Just give him some time, please. I-I'll train him more. I'll make him stronger. Please mother, father, give him another chance."
…Why is she still defending me?
"You only have one year left here before you have to go to the capital yourself. He doesn't have time."
"No, one year would be more than enough time. I beg you, please have some more faith in him."
Minoru could hear Claire's voice wavering as she tried to give Cid one last shot in proving himself. Minoru was completely content with Cid being a mediocre dark knight in training. But he didn't know that Cid's parents would be this adamant against it now.
"… If you're still insistent on it, we won't stop you. But he needs to show noticeable improvement, or else he won't be attending."
"Thank you father, I promise you that I'll make him strong!
Claire raised her voice in the end in relief at the confirmation that they're willing to change their mind.
No matter what they thought, she still had hope in me…
Minoru felt an odd sense of deja vu, but chose to ignore it.
Anyways, I'll need to focus on realistically improving Cid's capabilities in less than a year… Yeah, I can do that.
He wasn't intending for this sudden change in the script, but adaptability is something he prides himself in excelling at.
I'll show them that despite his mediocrity, Cid Kagenou is still good enough to not be a complete embarrassment!
I'll give him a cool ass redemption arc! Well, as cool as a background character could get anyways!
… I'll make them proud of me this time…
As Cid continued back to the mansion, he rubbed his eyes again, wondering why he was tearing up.
"HAHAHAHHAHAHA!"
SLASH
"He's slaughtering us! Be carefu-!"
SLASH
"How the fuck is this bastard doing th-?!"
SLASH
"I see business is booming, my lovely bandits!"
Before the aforementioned bandits could even understand how it was happening, three of them were already dead. Only six remained as they watched their accomplices in front being completely bisected by a mysterious force coming from the unknown entity standing a couple of meters ahead of them.
"So please do me a favor and just hand me all of your valuables!"
The seemingly unarmed figure stood, covered in a coat of black. Despite their noticeably shorter stature compared to the group of men as well as their childish voice, they radiated danger.
"Don't get cocky with us, kid!"
One of the bandits took a step forward, raising his flintlock pistol. He shot at the entity, hoping to land a direct hit. His hopes were quickly crushed when they proceeded to casually contort their body with unmatched speed, dodging the lead projectile.
"Does the word 'please' mean nothing to you? I asked for your money."
They took a single step forward, raising their hand gently. Before the bandits could counter, a tendril of dark slime shot out of the child's index finger, quickly reaching the bandit that tried to shoot at him, decapitating him where he stood.
Five left…
"Wha-!"
"What the fuck is that thing?!"
The tendril retracted to the child's hand, engulfing it.
"The wonders of slime. Beautiful, isn't it?"
The bandits tried backing away, but whatever this monster in the form of a boy that was mocking them was, they weren't having it. The slime shot out of his hand again, this time as multiple tendrils, immediately stabbing through their chests, destroying their hearts.
"Wow, this was way more fun than I thought it would be. Useful too."
Wait, that was four. The last one should be behind me right abou-
Clash
-now.
The last remaining bandit attempted to strike him down from behind while he was distracted by the others ahead. The man's blade was easily blocked by the boy, whose slime turned itself into a sword. He didn't even bother to look behind him as he spoke to the bandit directly.
"Alright, you seem strong enough. I'd say you can survive about two minutes, granted you really put some effort into it."
The boy slightly turned his head, enough to make eye contact with the appalled bandit. The man was able to see slightly into the boy's hood, but all he saw was a maniacal red eye staring back at him.
"So please hang in there, would you?"
"Don't mock me boy!"
The sole survivor broke the lock between the two, going to thrust his blade into his opponent's back. The boy swiftly spun around, raising his own sword, blocking the attack with the flat of the blade.
"Don't get so confident now! I might not look the part, but I'm a Bushunryu master!"
The bandit pushed forward, following up from his attack with a wide slash towards the child's chest. This time, it proved successful. The boy fell back from where he stood, blood flying from where he was struck.
The bandit had won.
"Just kidding."
What the bandit had thought was blood changed color, becoming the black slime that the child was using the entire time.
"W-What?!"
Before the man could recover from his opponent's deception, the slime rushed to him, changing into multiple bladed tendrils. The last thing he saw before his body burst into a bloody mess was the boy's face, staring him down with a demoniac smile.
Was he even really a boy?
"Damnit, you didn't even last a minute."
Now that the area was completely cleared of any bandits, the boy lowered his voice. Even though Minoru knew that due to his current age, he can't really alter his voice as well as he used to back ho-… way back, it doesn't hurt to still try. Right now in this form, he found it fitting to sound like a sadistic and inhuman maniac.
This slime bodysuit really does work wonders. Couldn't be more happy with it.
It's still a work in progress, but at its current state it's already satisfactory. It's still beyond him why nobody else to his knowledge has experimented on the uses of slime like he has. The benefits of having armor, while there's no sacrifice to mobility. There was no need for compromise anymore.
"Alright then, now where's that loot?"
Taking a look around the abandoned village he was in, he saw the strung up corpses of the caravan members that the bandits recently ambushed before he interfered. It was kind of sad, they were likely just passing through here when they were attacked.
"My dear merchants, I have avenged you! So I hope you don't mind me repurposing these funds!"
He stepped over a bandit's head, playfully kicking it like a ball while approaching the untouched crates left behind. Breaking open the tops of them, he was delighted to see an assortment of goods, ranging from artwork, to food and straight up money.
"Do not worry, I will make sure to make good use of this."
Minoru continued to rummage through the supplies, trying to find anything else of value, or just cool.
"Hey, what's this?"
He noticed a particular painting in one of the crates. Taking it out, he saw what it was of. A portrait of what looked like a family of four. The mother and father stood side by side while their son and young daughter were in front. The boy was holding the girl up in front of him like a cat, making for a comical family portrait. Seeing it made Minoru turn his head in confusion.
Huh? What would something like this be doing here? Why does it look so…
…
…
…
He continued searching around for anything else, when he heard the sounds of something being shook accompanied by groans behind him. Turning around, he saw the source, coming from an overturned carriage. Approaching it, he saw some sort of cage, being partially covered by a tarp, preventing him from completely seeing what was inside.
Huh? Were they transporting animals? Slaves?
Swiftly removing the covering, he was greeted to neither of his predictions. He was met with a glob of disgusting and monstrous sludge. It twitched inside of its confinement, gnashing teeth that it shouldn't have, and staring right at him with its singular large blue eye.
"Ugh, so they were transporting possessed."
The possessed in response let out a crackle of red energy.
Wait a second, I've felt that before…
"A magical overload?"
Minoru grinned when he came to a realization.
"Yeah, I can use this."
Placing his hand onto the blob, he shot up his own magical energy inside of it, seeing what would happen. To his delight, it swelled significantly while crackling his own purple energy, destroying its cage and even the carriage it was inside, before quickly shrinking back to its original size.
PERFECT! I can use this blob for magical experiments without risks of harming my own body!
Minoru happily grabbed the blob, carrying it to one of the abandoned homes, and carelessly tossed it inside. What are the odds of it somehow getting out by tomorrow night anyways? It's probably negligible.
He knew he was running out of time, he'd have to make it back to his room fairly soon. Dawn was quickly approaching and he didn't know what sort of schedule Claire would start making for Cid to improve his skills.
Playfully bidding farewell to his new lab-rat, the boy started to walk back home, when he remembered something.
"Oh, right."
He made it back to the crate where he found the family portrait, giving it another look.
…
When he made it back to the comfort of his room, waiting for the start of the morning, he hoped that family wouldn't mind him destroying one of their paintings.
"Maintain your guard, especially when on the offensive!"
Clang
"You can hit harder than that! Don't hold back just because it's me!"
Clang
"Cid!"
Clang
After the final strike, the youngest of the Kagenou family was once again sent flying back from where he was struck. Unfortunately for this instance, the river wasn't there to catch him. Cid rolled violently against the grass, stopping after a few meters. Claire, upon hearing her brother cry out in pain from the harsh impact, immediately sheathed her blade, stepping over his own sword as she rushed to Cid's side.
"Cid?! Are you okay?! I didn't mean to strike you that hard! I-I-!"
"I'm fine."
Cid weakly muttered to her as she got on her knees, rolling his body so he could look up at her. Much to Claire's relief, there didn't appear to be any cuts from his tumbling. Just a minor scrape on his cheek and specks of dirt around his face.
"No, you're not!"
Claire sat her brother up, licking her thumb before rubbing it on on the wound, wiping the blood off.
"Are you alright? Does it hurt?"
"… I'm fine."
Watching her brother's reaction, Claire saw that he didn't seem bothered by her treatment, despite his discouragement of her actions. Cid blankly stared ahead of him, not focusing on any particular thing, while Claire continued to wipe the blood and dirt off of his face. After she cleaned him up to a satisfactory degree, she got up, holding her hand out for him to grab.
"Let's take a small break for now. We'll continue when I'm sure you've recovered."
Cid to Claire's surprise shook his head, responding quietly to her.
"I don't want to get up. I'd rather do it here."
"… Okay?"
Claire was confused by her brother's request, but accepted it. She went down once again, sitting back to back with him.
"… Claire, I have a question."
"Mhm? What is it?"
"Why have you been training me more intensely this past month? I thought I was doing well."
Claire's face deadpanned at Cid's question. She wanted to be honest with him, but she didn't know how he would react if he learned that he might not even be able to leave for the academy when he's of age. Well… there is at least one part she could be truthful about, even though it pains her to think that it's also a partial lie…
"You… You already know that this will be our last year together, at least until you're old enough to attend the academy with me. But by the time you make it, I will likely be too busy with other things to pay as much attention to you as I do now."
"So… you're saying you just want to spend as much time as possible refining my swordsmanship before you have to go? Is that all?"
"… Yes, that's all there is to it, little brother."
"Mm."
The two Kagenous sat in silence for a few minutes, letting themselves relax and observe their surroundings. During this time, a question started to form in Claire's head, but it took her even longer for her to build up the courage to ask.
"Cid… Why do you never smile like you used to?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I mean like… you… you just don't look as happy as you used to be just a couple years ago. You look… sad."
"I do?"
"Mmhmm, I don't think it's a good look for you."
"…"
Claire felt her brother's shoulders tensing up behind her.
"Well… it's not really something I have control over I think. It just sort of happened."
"'Sort of happened'? How does that work?"
"I don't know…"
Cid's voice remained partially monotone, but she was able to pick up hints of confusion in it as well.
"Well… in that case, can you promise me something?"
"Huh? What do you want me to promise?"
Cid and Claire turned their heads, facing each other with the corners of their eyes.
"I know that you don't really want to spend as much time with me as you used to, and that's fine with me. Although I do admit I'm a little hurt by it."
"Please don't try to guilt trip me…"
Cid surprisingly chimed in with a little humor, making her snicker.
"Heh, well, even though sometimes I've pushed you harder than necessary, it was all so that you could be stronger. Happier."
She paused for a moment. Her thoughts were trailing off as she tried to get to what she was trying to say.
"All I want for you is to be happy. And right now I'm just worried that you might not be…"
"… Where are you going with this?"
Her face flushed as she tried saying the last part. She didn't really know how to properly put in words what she wanted.
"Can you… promise me that you'll be happier? I-It doesn't have to be now, obviously. But I just want you to try and be happier more often. Not look as cliff-faced as you usually do."
"…"
She moved her head more so he could have a better look of her face as she spoke.
"You have a pretty smile… I think it… it would be nice if more people got to see it… Don't you think so too?"
"…"
"…"
"…"
Cid's extended period of silence started to bring worry to Claire. She likely said too much. She knew this was a bad idea. She should have kept qui-
"Okay, I promise."
Her brother's voice interrupted her thoughts, making her flinch from its suddenness. His face remained as vacant as before, but his voice sounded a bit more genuine.
"I'll try my best, sister."
Hearing that last part made Claire give her own smile. Ever since that night where he left her alone after failing once again to play that piano piece, their relationship had become more strained and distant. But now, she finally felt like she was getting somewhere with him, getting him more out of his invulnerable shell.
"Wonderful, I'm happy to hear that."
Claire got up from the grass, brushing herself off.
"Now, I think that was a long enough break. Let's go again, and this time use my advice."
She held her hand out for him to pick himself up, and this time he grabbed it.
Maybe she isn't as bad of a big sister as she thought she was after all.
Another dead end…
Minoru sighed as he took his hands off of the monstrous blob, cutting off the mana he was just feeding into it.
"You know, I have to say I'm surprised you're still alive after everything I've done. You're a good test subject."
The boy gently patted it while smiling. He's only had it for a month at this point, running any experiments he could imagine for the sake of improving his own capabilities. But he's already grown somewhat attached to the ugly monstrosity. When Claire wasn't dragging Cid out of his room for training, he was back in the abandoned village where he left it, trying to see how he could contain its magical overload.
Claire asked me to make a weird promise this morning. I'm still not sure how I'm supposed to do it. 'Being happier'. I mean I can definitely smile more, but with the way I've been portraying Cid, I can't just start doing that overnight.
Minoru frowned, he was dealing with conflicting thoughts and ideas on how to continue Cid's development, none of them seeming better than the other.
"Hey, what do you think I should do?"
Yes, he talked about his thoughts and ideas with the possessed. That's perfectly normal.
The creature just simply made a pained groan in response, continuing to squirm on the ground.
This is dumb. I should just worry about this when I make it back. There's other things to do right now.
"Sorry again for the pain buddy."
He put his hand back on the blob, trying once more to contain its magical overload. He went on for a couple more minutes, mostly expecting another failure. Until something happened that Minoru was not anticipating.
After successfully containing its magical overload, the hideous blob transformed into a girl.
Oh shit!
"How could something that decomposed revert to its original form?"
He was fortunately able to catch her as she fell forward, unconscious. Now came another issue he wasn't expecting, she was completely naked.
Uh oh. This won't look good if she woke up naked to some random boy holding her.
He quickly and gently laid her body down on the floor, taking a step back. Using some of his slime, he fabricated a cloak to wrap around her entire body, covering her modestly.
"That's a little better. Now who even is she?"
He crouched down in front of the sleeping girl, taking a better look at her. She seemed about the same age as Cid physically, sporting long blonde hair and long pointed ears.
So she's an elf then…
Before Minoru could find anything else to take note of, she started to shift around on the floor, groaning. She's waking up!
How am I going to explain to her about what happe-… Oh… Oh!
Minoru could barely contain his smile as he moved back, sitting on a crate behind him as he got into position.
He had a wonderful idea.
Just be cool! Stay focused!
This is going to be my first performance! I cannot afford to fail!
My first act as…
He couldn't contain his smile anymore, he cleared his throat as he got himself ready.
… the Eminence in Shadow…
The elf woke up in a daze, finding herself on a floor completely unfamiliar to her. She was about to get up, when a voice interrupted her.
"I see you're finally awake."
She jolted up, getting on her knees.
"What?! I'm cured?!"
She tried looking at her hands, but she was wrapped in a dark cloak with only her head sticking out. Regardless, she could feel them. Her body was back to her original form.
"How could this be?! I don't under-"
"I broke through the curse that was consuming your body. You're free now."
She stopped trying to look at her body, paying attention to the one speaking in front of her. The boy sat on top of a wooden crate, looking down on her. He had a soft smile as he spoke to her.
"Y-You? You did this? What curse did I have?"
"…"
The elf's face turned in confusion as she saw the boy's face pale momentarily, before returning to normal and continuing.
"Yes, the curse… It's, well… a terrible curse that was cast on you and all other descendants of heroes."
The girl looked even more perplexed at his explanation, making his smile grow. He turned his body away from her, grabbing something behind him and showing it to her. It was a book.
"I understand you're confused. But at some point during your life before you must have heard about it. The fairy tales recorded in the scriptures. The three heroes who defeated the demon known as Diablos, and saved the entire world from damnation."
"I-I-"
"That story isn't just a story. It's true."
"Eh?!"
"Not only that. With the demon's dying breath, he cursed them all. That's why you became that blob of rotting flesh and teeth."
He put the book down. The boy dropped his smile, looking at the girl more seriously.
"But someone, they twisted the truth, and they convinced the world that you're a group to be scorned instead of helped. Slandering you with the term 'possessed'.
The elf gasped in horror. Why are they doing this to her and so many other children?
"And the one responsible for all of this… The mastermind… Uhh…"
His face twitched, he quickly shaked his head at her.
"No… No, it's too soon to give the name. If I did tell you, I'd only be putting you in danger. It's not my right to bring you into thi-"
"I don't care!"
"Huh?"
The girl interrupted him with a face full of determination, slightly surprising the boy.
"Who did this to me? I want them stopped."
"O-Oh, I see… Well in that case, I have no choice…"
Her savior turned his black eyes away from her, looking at something behind her. She was too occupied with her question however to care about that.
"It was the work of the Cult of Diablos. A group of radical zealots who wish to resurrect him."
Hearing that made her grit her teeth in anger. Retribution will be a lot harder than she was initially anticipating.
"They don't operate publicly. They work in the shadows. I have made it my sole purpose to remain in the shadows with them. And put an end to their hideous schemes… Yeah that sounds cool."
She didn't hear that last part, but before she could put any thought into it, a beautiful purple energy started emanating around him, making her halt. She was transfixed by the glow that reached the entire room, swirling around him, making him look greater than just a young boy.
"… Yes, I am a Sty-… My name is Shadow. He who lurks in the dark to hunt the shadows."
As he spoke, she saw a dark slime enveloping his body. When it was done, he was no longer in the simple and formal clothing of the boy. Now he was covered in marvelous dark attire, with gold and purple detailings.
"S-Shadow…"
She remained mesmerized by the boy ahead of her.
"My path is far from an easy one, but this is my duty."
He got off of the crate, taking a step forward to the elf. His hood covered most of his face, but she could see that behind it, there was a shining red eye that looked into her very being.
"Child of a hero… Do you truly wish to walk this path?"
The elf faltered momentarily, looking down in sadness.
"When… When I was struck by that curse, I lost everything, everyone. The only thing left for me was to rot away until someone gave me the mercy of death. But you… you saved me."
She looked back up at Shadow, eyes filled with resolve.
"If you will allow me, I will give you my life. I wish to walk this path with you, punishing the ones responsible for this with death."
She swore his eyes grew brighter from her declaration. Shadow extended his hand out towards her to grab. She took it without hesitation, picking herself up so they could stand face to face.
"We will be facing the very kingdoms we walk in. The cult has members everywhere, even at the very top. There will be many others who are unknowingly helping with their ambitions, blind to the truth."
"It doesn't matter to me. I cannot give quarter to anyone that stands in our way of justice."
"Err, yeah! That's the spirit!"
She continued to hold his hand, taking gradual steps closer to him.
"We need to find the other descendants, and let them know the truth too, expand our cause, strengthen our base of operations progressively. We will also need to start raising funds too, and-"
"Calm down."
Shadow interrupted her, speaking assertively.
"We must take this one step at a time. First, our name.
He let go of the girl's hand, turning around and walking away.
"Our organization. It shall be known as…"
He stopped right as he was about to leave the house, turning back to look at her.
"… Shadow Garden… As for you, you must discard your old identity. From now on, your name is… Alpha…"
Shadow smiled again, seemingly satisfied about the name he gave to the girl.
The two of them didn't know yet just how much those new identities would mean to them.
Clang
"Focus."
Clang
"Don't be scared."
Clang
The Kagenou prodigy continued to quietly encourage her brother's performance as they sparred once more in the afternoon. Their parents were watching, determining the extent of their son's improvement. It was the last week before Claire was due to leave for the capital. The last time they would see her for quite awhile. This was her final chance to redeem her brother in the eyes of their parents.
Cid sidestepped her next strike, thrusting his sword towards her stomach, which she parried, sending the boy back. Sweat was starting to run down his face from how much he was exerting himself just to be able to stay in the fight. His face was no longer blank, showing obvious concentration.
"Come on, you're doing well so far Cid!"
Their mother cheered Cid on from the side. He barely acknowledged her praise as he blocked another one of Claire's blows. He took a few steps back, trying to gain some distance to regain his bearings.
I think this is the best place to leave Cid off. Two and a half full minutes of 'fighting'. They better be happy with this.
Claire wouldn't give him this chance to recover. She lunged fiercely at him, breaking some of the ground beneath her feet from the sheer force. She was finally going to put some actual force behind this attack.
He had just enough time to raise his sword up, minimizing as much damage as Cid possibly could, but it wasn't enough. To everyone's horror, Claire broke through her brother's blade, still pushing forward. Before she could stop herself, the tip of her blade met his cheek, or at least, that's how it would have been if Minoru didn't use his inhuman reflexes. He shifted his head slightly, making the long slash towards his cheek only skin deep. Cid tumbled backwards, crying in pain from the sting.
"Cid! I'm so sorry!"
Claire's eyes widened in shock at the effects of what she had done. She pushed him too far. She made it to his side as quickly as she hurt him, wiping the blood that was dripping out of him with his shirt's collar.
"Cid, are you okay?!"
Their parents made it to his side, calling for servants to come with medical supplies.
"H-Hey, it's only skin deep! I'm fine!"
Cid squirmed in Claire's hold as she continued to wipe his cheek. Not listening to his words.
"Sister, I'm fine!"
He spoke more assertively, his face turning more frustrated at her persistence. It faded away however when he heard other voices joining in.
"Cid, that was wonderful!"
"Good job, Cid!"
He looked over to his 'parents', registering what he just heard from them. He tried reading their faces, determining their honesty.
Are they… telling the truth now?
The boy sighed in great relief, much to everybody's confusion. He didn't pay attention to the words of anyone else as he thought to himself
Finally, Cid should finally be redeemed in their eyes! This was the most I could do while keeping him weak. All I can really do now is wait and see what they think… please work…
"Cid, are you feeling better?"
Claire let go of his now red stained shirt, looking at his face. Looking blankly back at her, she also seemed to be smiling slightly.
Cid slowly picked himself up, looking around his surroundings. He knew something was off. He quickly found the source of that feeling in the distance, staring at him behind some trees. The seven heads immediately retracted back behind their cover as soon as they saw him looking back at them.
What did I tell them about getting too close to here…
"Are you okay, Cid?"
Minoru was interrupted midthought when Claire questioned him, getting up too. There were two servants already coming with the medical supplies that were requested.
"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine."
Cid looked back at Claire, giving a small yet reassuring smile. Even though it wasn't much, he could see from her face how much that meant to the fam… to the family.
Now, while they tend to this 'wound', Minoru can think about another important matter. How can he better keep Cid Kagenou and Shadow separate from each other?
"C-Claire, how could she…"
"They must have been strong. Even if she was taken by surprise, she should have defended herself well."
"Are you trying to say a powerful group of people kidnapped our daughter?"
"N-No, but-"
"Then shut up! We're not giving up on her that easily, are we?!"
Cid watched from outside of Claire's now messed up bedroom as Mr and Mrs Kagenou were essentially arguing with each other, searching everywhere inside along with some of their servants. Today was supposed to be the day that she left for the academy, but when he woke up to hearing confused and angry shouting outside of his room, Minoru didn't even waste any time looking at the mirror.
"What if something happens to her?! What if something bad already happened to her?!"
"You think I'm not worried about that too?!"
The boy took a deep breath, before turning to walk away from the scene with another maid following behind him. Minoru never saw them being that aggressive with each other. It was obvious to anyone that they were both stressed out.
Please be safe…
He adjusted his tie and scratched the back of his neck, catching the maid's attention.
"Are you worried about her, Lord Shadow?"
"Hm? No Beta, I'm just thinking."
The head of the brown haired maid became engulfed in black slime, before going back inside of her uniform, revealing her true identity, a silver haired elf.
"Oh, right. Do you know where Alpha currently is?"
"Yes, she's currently looking for clues on Miss Claire's whereabouts."
"Her speed is admirable. Does she know if my… if she's still alive?"
Shadow turned his head back to look at Beta directly, waiting for the big answer.
PleasePleasePleasePleasePlea-
"From what we know, most likely, yes."
…
"… Anything else?"
Beta nodded.
"The kidnapper, as expected, seems to be with the Cult of Diablos. We suspect he's a high-ranking officer."
Not this bullshit from them again… Well, it was me that put that idea in their hea-
"Lord Shadow, you look frustrated. Are you alright?"
"Yes, as I said, I'm thinking."
The two went inside an unoccupied room, Beta closing the door behind her to avoid any eavesdropping.
"Anyways, continue. Why did they take Claire?"
"Mhm, we believe they are under the suspicion that Miss Claire is a descendant of one of the heroes."
"So if they're right, that would mean the Kagenou bloodline also stems from heroes…"
Shadow looked out of a window, thinking about the 'information' Beta was giving. Minoru was almost impressed by how good Alpha and these other girls she's brought into this 'organization' are at twisting what is very likely a simple abduction of a Baron's daughter for ransom into, well, this.
Rescuing someone who was kidnapped. I've never done this before…
"Lord Shadow, come here."
Looking back at Beta, she laid down a map of their territory on a table. Different marks spread throughout certain areas along with some sort of paperwork on the side.
"We've determined the locations of their hideouts. Miss Claire is very likely being held in one of them, but we haven't been able to narrow it down to any one of them."
Shadow's eyes widened upon hearing the last part.
No no no, damnit! I can't hit up all of those spots at once. If they're communicating between spots and I don't hit the right one first, they'll likely move her somewhere else.
"Are you absolutely certain there is not a single clue about which place may be the right spot?"
"Yes, Lord Shadow."
…
Shadow moved from the window toward the table, standing opposite from Beta's side. He took a closer look at the map, desperately looking for anything that stuck out. Claire had to still be close. He can still turn this around.
He materialized a dagger out of his slime, playing around with it as he continued to look. He knew in the back of his mind he wasn't getting anywhere, but he couldn't help himself. Minoru couldn't help himself.
"So long as you're here, I know I'm safe from anything!"
…
…
…
Shadow stabbed the map at a random point, looking down with a blank expression. He couldn't do anything.
Fine… At the very least, I gave them enough training to hold their own too. We could split up, but how would we be able to coordina-
"It can't be?! All those cryptograms were actually a bluff?!"
… Eh?
Shadow looked back up at Beta, waiting for her to continue.
"There's nothing where you pointed, Lord Shadow. But, if we compare it with this account we also have…"
The elf continued looking back and forth between the spot Shadow's knife is currently lodged in and some of the papers she had on the table.
"… It… It's all coming together! Lord Shadow! There must be another hideout in the spot you indicated! Miss Claire has to be held there!"
… What did I just do?
Shadow blinked at Beta, seemingly dazed by her announcement. Before she could really focus on his surprise, it became blank again as if he wasn't surprised.
"I knew it. No way they would keep her somewhere that isn't nearly as concealed. They wouldn't want to take any chances."
"Incredible! You somehow looked through all this information, and saw through their deception in an instant!"
Shadow looked back out the window. He wanted to thank Beta for this act, but now is not the right time. Claire was actually in danger.
"Contact all of the Shadows, we're going to rescue her immediately."
"Yes, Lord Shadow!"
Despite the confidence Shadow was radiating on the outside, deep down, Cid and Minoru were begging for Beta's conclusion to be correct.
"For someone of your age, I admire your persistence against those chains. But you're not getting out of them anytime soon. So I would recommend you stop struggling, for your own sake."
The man's request for the prisoner's cooperation was unmet as she thrashed against the bindings keeping her to the wall. The two were inside of a small cell within the underground complex, facing each other. The man looked down on her as she sat up against the wall, continuing what looked like a hopeless struggle.
"I'm not speaking to you as a captor, but as someone who had a daughter. I really do not want to use violence against you… Claire Kagenou…"
He rested one of his hands on the pendant he was wearing, gently holding it. Once again, the girl did not listen, making the older man sigh in disappointment.
CRASH
He swiftly kicked at her resting head, but instead of landing a solid blow on the girl, she moved her head to the side with a speed that betrayed her age, making him leave a sizable hole in the wall.
"You can still dodge an attack while locked in magic-sealing chains. It seems you're more than just stubborn after all."
"… I learned a long time ago that how much magic you use is nowhere near as important as how you use it…"
Claire finally stopped struggling, looking up at the man as she spoke.
"Your father must have been an excellent teach-"
"Ha! Are you kidding?! My brother taught me that lesson."
"Your brother? Just to be clear, Cid Kagenou taught you?"
The man turned his head in confusion. From what he knew of the boy, he wasn't even considered as a possible threat in the event their abduction went wrong.
"Who else is my brother? Yes, he teaches me many things. Everytime we fight, I always win, yet I end up being the one that learns the most from it. That's why I think he has greater potential than even me."
She smiles up tauntingly at him, but her attempt at aggravating him even further did not succeed.
"When you were still suffering from possession, he was the one that cured you, yes?"
"Tsk, not this nonsense again. No, that is not what happened, I haven't even been cured at all."
"You say this, yet you no longer show any signs."
He got closer to her, examining her face for any signs of lying.
"You seem to be telling the truth. But even if you think you're being honest, what you said about your brother is interesting… If your presumptions even hold a shred of truth, then it might be worth looking more into that boy."
As soon as he finished that last word, her demeanor changed completely. Claire's smile dropped, eyes narrowing, as she began thrashing her arms against the chains again. She stared at him with pure hatred.
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!"
Much to his surprise, he heard the chains start to crack. Just a few moments later, she broke one of the chains off the wall, swinging it violently towards his head. He barely was able to duck in time, taking a step back to gain some distance.
"IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO MY BROTHER, I'LL-…"
Claire broke the second chain holding her other arm, completely freeing herself at the cost of mutilating her wrists. She took a step forward towards the man, lost in an anger she didn't even know she had.
"… I'LL KILL YOU, YOUR FRIENDS, EVERYONE YOU CARE ABOUT! EVEN YOUR DAUGH-"
Before the enraged daughter of the Kagenou family could finish the last part of her threatening, the man had enough, slamming his fist directly into her face, sending the girl flying back to the wall.
"You damn bitch…"
He rubbed the hand he used on her as she lay crumpled on the ground. She looked up at the ceiling, blood running down her face, twitching from the damage she sustained from both herself and the man.
"It doesn't matter. We'll know for sure if you're compatible once we analyze the blood…"
"Viscount Grease!"
The man turned his head when he heard another voice coming from outside the cell. He saw one of his subordinates, clearly looking startled.
"What do you want?"
"Intruders sir! They've already killed over half of our men!"
"What?!"
Grease fully turned around after hearing the news, looking unsettled himself.
"T-They came out of nowhere, like shadows! They're slaughtering everyone that stands in their way, and they're heading towards your location!"
"How many are there?!"
"Seven! We don't stand a chance against them!"
The older man frowned at his statement, looking at the knight with suspicion as he rushed outside of the cell, running down the hall with him
"Impossible, some of you are strong enough to be a part of the Royal Guard."
"It doesn't matter! We're no match for them!"
Just as the young knight finished, his head rolled off of his shoulders, blood splattering on Grease and the floor as the rest of the body fell on the ground.
"What the?!"
He looked into the next room at the end of the hall. His eyes twitched in disgust as he saw the bodies of some of the other knights, mutilated and mangled in varying degrees of cruelty. That wasn't the only thing Grease saw; standing behind the corpses were seven young girls, dressed in black bodysuits with gold detailings.
"You…"
Grease wasted no time drawing his sword, shouting at the group as he prepared himself for a sudden attack. The seven stood side by side, watching him with scorn.
"Who are you all?!"
The one in the center took a step forward ahead of the rest. From what he saw, she appeared to be an elf with blonde hair and blue eyes.
"We are Shadow Garden."
As she finished, another girl chimed in.
"It is our sole purpose in life to bring an end to the Cult of Diablos."
"We know everything that you've kept hidden. The plan to resurrect Diablos, the descendants of the heroes, the demonic possessions infecting them, even your corruption of this world."
Grease's eyes widen at their declaration.
"Impossible! How could you even know our name?! Where did you learn?!"
He cries out at the girls in anger as he lunges at the one in the middle, who seemed to be their leader.
Clang
The elf doesn't even flinch as she blocks him with a simple flick of a sword she did not have a moment prior. Grease continues on the offensive, but none of his strikes meet their mark. The other girls encircle the two as she dodge and block all of his attacks, not looking pressed at all.
Slash
After parrying his last stab, it was her turn to attack. She slashes at him just once across the front of his torso, leaving a wide gash. He staggers back in shock.
"Damnit, how did you-?!"
"Don't worry, I don't intend on having you killed just yet. Not until we extract all the information we can from you."
The blonde elf spoke calmly, as if she were in complete control of the situation, and the fact that she really was frustrated Grease to no end.
He digs his free hand into his coat's pocket, pulling out a small glass bottle filled with what looked like small capsules. Popping the cork, he quickly drops one into his mouth, crunching.
The girls' expressions remain firmly stoic as the man's cut rapidly seals itself, even as red energy begins crackling around him. His left eye glows an ominous red as he begins yelling manically, the boost he gave himself granting him confidence. He charges towards the leader again in blind anger, but is parried just as easily as before.
"An interesting trick, but such things will not work on us."
She speaks coldly, completely unfazed, sending the viscount over the edge. He stabs his sword into the ground in his rage. It cracks beneath his feet, making her move back in anticipation for what would come next. Just as they expected, the ground gives way, creating a crater that dropped him down into the darkness beneath.
"I'll follow him down."
The silver haired elf crouches next to the sizable hole, trying to determine the depth.
"There is no need."
Alpha smiles as she looks down the pit, already knowing her opponent's fate.
"He's headed straight for him."
The other girls smile with her upon realizing why he said he would be splitting up from them. He had anticipated the viscount fleeing from them. By coming in from the opposite direction, they could corner him.
Their leader truly is a genius.
Speaking of their leader, he is currently wandering around, having lost himself in a deeper section of the underground complex, donned in his Shadow attire. He frantically looked around for any place that could be used to hold prisoners.
I should not have killed all those bandits who were in my way! At least one of them would have told me where they are keeping her… or if they are even keeping her here…
Minoru sighed in frustration. He was glad that none of the girls were around to see this break in character, it's hard to keep up an act when there's someone actually at stake like this.
His hopes for another enemy encounter to interrogate were answered when he made a turn in the hall he was walking in. The moment he turned the corner, he saw at the end of the hallway a secret passageway opening up from the right. Just a few seconds later, a man who looked older than the other bandits he killed on the way here hastily came out from it. He appeared to have been greatly injured- one of his eyes was gone, a nasty cut lay across his torso, and there were disgusting grayish lines scattered across his body. The man stops dead in his tracks upon seeing him, leading to an awkward standoff between the two that lasts longer than either would care to admit.
"Y-You… You knew I was going to be here, didn't you?!"
…What?
"It doesn't matter, I'm strong enough to take on one of you!"
Before Shadow could even get a word in response, Grease lunges at him with a speed far greater than the other bandits had displayed. Even though he wasn't expecting such abilities from what looked like just a higher tier bandit, it didn't faze him one bit. Shadow easily blocks the man's thrust, using the very tip of his blade to bring Grease to a halt.
"Hey, I know you want to beat me and all, but I'm really trying to find someone, and I'm in a rush. Is Claire Kagenou here? If she is and you tell me where to find her, I'll give you a painless death."
The boy's utter disregard of Grease's attack coupled with his nonchalant voice as he questioned him further fueled his rage. He put more power into his attack, making Shadow do the same. The sheer force made the ground beneath them rupture, sending chunks of it flying upwards.
"I'm trying to be polite with you. I really need to know. Is Claire Kagenou here? Is she alive?"
Shadow broke the bladelock between the two, moving forward. He stepped right in front of Grease, holding his dark blade against the viscount's throat before he could react.
"W-Why does it matter? What does it mean to yo-?"
"It means everything."
The hooded boy continued calmly talking to Grease, but the man could tell that behind that collected tone of his, he was holding something back.
"…Yes, she's here, but that doesn't mean you'll just be taking her and running out."
"Are you kidding? With a weak lunge like that, I could walk out."
As soon as Grease said that Claire was here and basically implied she was at least still alive, a huge weight was lifted off of Minoru's shoulders, and his calm tone turning into one of complete confidence reflected that.
"Since you've brought me the relief of knowing she's here, I will repay you by giving a masterclass on how to properly use magic while fighting."
Grease swings his sword at the boy's neck in anger, trying to land a hit, but Shadow easily dodges, simply taking a step back. The man was not disheartened, continuing his onslaught of attacks as Shadow began his lesson.
"Lesson One, concentrate a minimum amount of your magical energy into your feet for a burst of speed."
Just as Grease thought he was going to finally land a strike on the boy, Shadow moved faster than the viscount could've even anticipated, suddenly appearing behind him.
"Lesson Two, once you have the proper distance between you and your opponent, speed and strength are no longer necessary."
As Grease swiftly brings his blade down on Shadow again, the boy redirects the blade, using just his hand to smoothly bring the oncoming strike to the side, shocking the man even further.
"You can even skip out on using magic altogether."
Shadow raises his blade, lunging towards the viscount. Now he was going to be on the offensive.
"Lesson Three, I'm only just getting started."
Minoru may have been a bit overenthusiastic about it, but he didn't care. Shadow stabs his sword into the viscount's chest, but he isn't done just yet. He continues to slash at the man across his torso, creating even larger openings than his previous opponent.
Grease never felt this overpowered in his adult life before. That elf girl from before may have been in control, but this boy was on a completely different level from her. It's as if he knew absolutely everything he was going to do before he would even know what to do. He felt like he was a child again, facing his instructor for the very first time. He was so hopelessly outmatched that a small part of him considered throwing away his pride and just giving up.
"I… I don't care how powerful you are…"
The viscount got on his knee, helping to support himself with his sword. He was coughing up blood as he struggled to stay conscious despite his new injuries.
"…Because… in the end… the darkness of the world and its truth will always be stronger! Nobody ever wins!"
…
Shadow couldn't help but smile at the man's words. He made sure his hood was pulled back just enough so he could see it through the darkness.
"You still smile?! You think this is a game, child?!"
"… No, all you're telling me is that I just have to dive deeper. As deep as I can go."
The boy's right eye began to glow purple as he finished, sending the viscount to an even greater fury.
"I'M BEING SERIOUS, YOU FOOL!"
Grease reaches into his coat once more, taking out the small bottle. This time he saw no point conserving them, taking all of the remaining capsules into his mouth. The results were instant, the red magical energy envelops not only his entire body but his surroundings as well. The force kicks up a massive amount of dust and debris in the air. By the time it dissipated, Shadow was met by a monster instead of a man.
"LET ME TEACH YOU NOW! ABOUT THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD!"
The man, if he could still even be considered a man, stood more than thrice his original size, having all but his pants, boots, and pendant destroyed from the sudden growth. In place of his right arm was a huge disgusting blade. He swings wildly at Shadow, disregarding any class he had left.
"WE'RE ALL WEAK! WE'RE ALL WORTHLESS! WE'RE ALL PAWNS! THAT IS THE TRUTH!
The boy continued to step and jump away from Grease's animalistic attacks. Despite the drastic boost in power his opponent gained, Shadow was still calmly avoiding everything thrown at him.
"THE POWER YOU HOLD WON'T MATTER IN THE END! YOUR FAMILY CAN STILL BE TAKEN FROM YOU!"
…
"…Disgusting…"
Shadow slaps the monster's blade up into the air, giving him enough time to make a counterattack. He materializes his sword once more, his own purple energy emanating profusely around him, trumping over what was once a man.
"THIS MAGICAL ENERGY! IT'S ENORMOUS! HOW COULD ONE BOY DO THIS?!"
Grease's final question remained unanswered as what he said earlier soured Minoru's mind. Shadow readied himself to end the battle, if something this lopsided could even be considered a battle.
"…Don't you dare remind me of them…"
SLASH
Shadow slashes his blade across the entirety of the former viscount. As his own magic was used,a bright spectacle of purple light cut through the beast, bringing the man back to reality. It was now that he realized just to what extent he was outdone by this boy. He was outclassed in every possible aspect there was in combat.
As the viscount lay on the ground, dying from his wounds, he grasps his pendant again, recalling how and why he went down his path to begin with.
"…Millia…"
He utters her name softly. He wasn't able to combat the darkness, even for his own daughter. But this boy, this boy he doesn't even know the name of… maybe he has a chance…
After everything, he wasn't expecting to die with a smile on his face. But just the thought of those seven girls and that boy, having the chance at giving the cult what it was long overdue. He couldn't help himself.
Viscount Grease's final seconds were filled with nothing but hope.
…
Shadow looked down at the restored body of his opponent, who sprawled out, face down on the ground. He had overheard the man's last word, and saw his now human arm still clutching onto his pendant. He debated over whether or not he should check for what was inside the pendant, his curious side winning the fight. He bent down beside the corpse, gently removing the pendant from the neck. Taking a closer look at it, he opened it up, revealing the contents inside.
…
He knew bandits were scum, but looking at the small image of the man when he was younger, standing beside a young girl that was very likely his daughter that was kept inside, Minoru felt like he committed something horrible.
"…"
Without a word, Shadow closed it, before gently placing it in the bandit's other hand. He silently ran off towards where the man had come from. He wasn't sure if there were any other bandits left inside, but he didn't want to take any chances.
Just as that bandit had reminded him, he couldn't save Minoru's family. But at the very least, he could save Cid's.
"Bye hon! We hope you have fun!"
"Make us proud, Claire!"
"Good luck, sister!"
Today is the day… again…
Cid blankly stared ahead as he stood besides his pa… his parents as they, alongside some of their servants, watched Claire walk off towards the carriage, ready to start the next chapter of her life in the capital, attending The Midgar Academy for Dark Knights. Even though her departure is already over four days behind, she didn't let it dissuade her. Claire smiled at all of them as she waved goodbye.
After 'Shadow' found Claire in her cell shortly after killing that oddly strong bandit, the other seven quickly caught up to him. He insisted that he would be the one to take her home, asking them to scour the area in search for 'more information in regards to the cult's activities', and once they were done, destroy the underground complex. He was worried about her waking up in the middle of the journey back, but fortunately she remained unconscious. Seeing the blood on Claire's face, he was upset that he wasn't able to make it there sooner. Minoru wasn't sure to what extent she got hurt, but any amount was too much for him.
Ha, the way I'm sounding now. It's almost like I'm the olde-
…
…
…
When the two made it back to their home, it was evening, and the investigation was still ongoing. Since there was no rational way to explain how Claire just suddenly woke up and found herself back home, he just decided to disregard the questions she would be asked. He snuck inside, placing her down right in the center of the main room, where someone would inevitably pass by, and declare her return. After that was taken care of, all that was left was to sneak into his room, revert to Cid Kagenou, and get ready to play as the weak younger brother to the prodigy of the Kagenou family again.
He didn't want to admit he was just a tiny bit happy about her staying for the remainder of that day, and then the following few days to recover from the injuries she sustained.
"Cid, don't you have anything else you want to say to your sister?"
The boy felt his shoulder being patted, turning to look at his mother. She looked down at him, smiling.
"We won't be seeing her again for quite awhile. Now is your last chance to say something to her. I recommend you run to her quickly, before she goes inside."
Minoru contemplated over whether or not he should listen to her words. He didn't know what to think, or even what to say… Oh… he has one thing he can say.
"Sister, wait!"
Claire turned around in surprise, but it quickly turned to delight as she saw her little brother running towards her. Once he made it to her, he immediately pulled her into a hug.
"… Thank you for giving me all of that training over the years. I'll try not to let it go to waste."
Claire's face grew even happier at his words, reciprocating the hug.
"I would hope so. You put in a lot of work to make it to where you are now."
Cid nodded at her words, agreeing.
"Also… thank you for watching over me. It's gonna be a lot more different here now that you'll be gone most of the time…"
Claire's smile wavered slightly upon hearing that. She wasn't expecting Cid to suddenly just start saying these things, especially as she was just about to leave. An idea came into the girl's mind that made her blush slightly. She was a little embarrassed about saying it, but she was hoping it would help ease him with her departure. She leaned closer to him, bringing her lips next to his ear. She only wanted him to hear this.
"Just think about it like this. Even though we won't be together physically for a while. Just remember, little brother, no matter what…"
Claire hugged him a little bit tighter, gently stroking his hair.
"…I'll always be by your side."
…
…
…
Claire let go of him, giving him one last smile, before turning back around and stepping inside the carriage, closing the door behind her. Cid just stared at the carriage with his vacant expression as the horse began to move.
Nobody left from where they were standing until they could no longer see the girl off in the distance.
…
The servants watching began to return to their previous duties, while Mr. and Mrs. Kagenou went back inside the mansion. As Cid walked towards the training yard, which now felt different without Claire around, Minoru wondered whether or not he should continue the positive character development he's been making for Cid… Ha, who is he kidding? He has much more important things to focus on now, and with her being gone, it'll be even easier to get his work done without interference.
Besides, Cid, much like Minoru, is already too far gone.
AN: Yeah yeah I know Cid discovered Alpha at 10 and not 12. I just thought that for what I am trying to do, having all the Shades being found within a later year would be more fitting for my plans along with some other changes. Hope you enjoyed it. God knows when the next chapter will be out, the fact that these chapters were two weeks apart was a miracle. My editor is still Asian.