As Ren and Kurenai are guided by the suited lady they pass through multiple types of rooms with various labels. "Trophy room, The Master's Room, Playthings, Torture Chamber, Personal Endeavors."
But upon passing the 5th one, they find a final label on a big dark wooden door. The scent of cinnamon, and clove oil radiated from just the very door. The suited lady then pressed one of the many buttons on the side of the door.
"Slither and glide. Show me the way to correct this world of bloodshed." The suited lady spoke.
The door then bolts open, revealing a woman dressed in sparkling black green dress. Her dark heels clicked against the floorboards as she looked at Ren-- almost locking with his blue eyes instantly.
"I do love a man who dresses well~" She says in a flirtatious tone. "Good job, Natalie. I knew picking a fellow lady like me was the right choice."
Ryoko's fingers snap, almost like a command that Natalie followed all too willingly. As she left the room the dark wooden door slammed shut as Ren and Kurenai looked at Ryoko with a different look. Not like the adoring fans they seemed to be, but rather like they spited and hated her.
But Kurenai especially looked at her with anger and jealously. "Too bad I love this man way before you did."
Revenant then began to radiate from her body as her glares and anger aimed themselves at Ryoko.
"Well done," Ryoko exclaimed . "Your bloodlust is rather impressive. Not just in quantities, but qualities. You definitely have what it takes for this division!"
The looks from Ren and Kurenai's faces begin to quickly fade of anger, turning back to normal.
"Yeah, just don't touch Ren like that again, or I will kill you. I don't care if you are a pillar." Kurenai snaps.
Ryoko just smiles as she heard the aggressive response. "I like this one," She says with a smirk spread across her face.
[Innate Skill: Toxin Constructs Activated!]
Ren's skin then starts to crawl as a circle of a glowing green liquid forms around him. He glances at the liquid, but as he stared at it he saw the line glow brighter. It then began to expand, eventually forming into a cylinder that held him captive.
Kurenai's eyes look at Ren, widening with fear for her lover. "What are you doing?!" She asked nervously.
Ryoko rolls her eyes with a casual look on her face. "Relax, you and I are just gonna have a little thing that I've been wanting to do, despite it being a bit mandatory."
Her hand then touches in-between Kurenai's front shoulder and chest. It was gentle at first, like a heart-warming greeting. But after a couple seconds it quickly turned into searing pain. It was like a burning flame was being etched into her skin.
Kurenai's face tenses intensely as her knees grow weak, causing her to yell in pain. "GEUGHHH!!!"
Ryoko then looks at Kurenai's face, with a curious face. "You ready to give up?" She asked bluntly. "You should remember this trial, cause it's called 'The Trial Of Persistence.' A trial that strikes pain until you give up, or the max level is reached. That's what the leader of pillars had us do."
Kurenai's head then tilts down, before look back up with a crazed look in her eyes. "Not even close!" She exclaimed with a fiery look in her eyes.
Her voice then yells at Ryoko. "MORE! GIVE ME MORE!"
Ryoko then softly chuckles as she hears the begging from Kurenai. "Okay, just don't blame me if you get hurt!"
---
Nagano, Japan. 5 Days later...
Kinetic energy sparked around Kodak's body. His brown eyes then shifted to blue as he focused more.
His legs were crossed, matching the relaxed meditation he was in. The blue sparks of kinetic then vibrated as the energy expanded in and out from Kodak's body.
"Well how about that," Kodak thought to himself. "I got a handle on aura reinforcement."
Kodak then open his eyes, and speaks towards the system. "Open interface."
[Opening interface!]
Name: Kodak Kawanari
Title: Amateur Revenant User
Physique: S
Input: C+
Output: C+
Energy Pool: B-
Skills: Echo State, Kinetic Artifact.
Potential: Destructive
Innate technique: Kinetic Force
A smirk then washes over Kodak's face. "So my revenant energy pool went up, along with my overall proficiency with it."
Kodak stands up, radiating with revenant. "There's also the fact I was able to create not just one, but three new skills.
Clapping then echoes from the cave. Kodak then turned around, seeing Kuroi.
"But still you need to forge your revenant before ever even thinking of using that unstable innate technique of yours." Kuroi said. "But if you work on those fundamentals your potential will skyrocket, along with that I.R.T of yours."
Kodak then nods his head as Kuroi speaks to him of his wise words. "Got it, work on the basics, and then once I have a handle on it. I can use my I.R.T."
Kuroi then looks at Kodak, feeling a sense of nostalgia. "Jeez," He thinks to himself. "you really are alike. Feels just like it was back in the golden days."
Kuroi's gaze then softens as he glances back at Kodak's excited eyes. "Kenji... what did you mean by the next vessel?"
The image of Kodak and a similar boy in Kuroi's mind began to blur together. The same eyes. The same determination. The same I.R.T.
The pondering only went further as Kuroi's eyes seemed for lost than ever.
"Kenji... I" But before Kuroi could ponder and overthink his thoughts any further, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
"Kuroi?" Kodak called to him with a worried expression. "You okay, you've been staring at me for like 20 minutes."
Kuroi then smacked his left hand harshly against his own face. "Yeah, I'll be fine."
Kodak then smirked at him. "Well then teach me more!"
"I will," Kuroi said. "after a few more months of cultivating your revenant. I mean, you need to develop your own skill set. Just three skills ain't gonna cut it."
Kodak nodded impatiently. "Yeah, yeah. I know."
Kuroi's eyes then shifted past Kodak as he saw Kenzo glaring at him.
"Keep up the training I'll be right back." He says to Kodak as he started to walk up to Kenzo.
Kodak shrugged, and then began to meditate with revenant.
Kenzo then looked to his left, seeing Kuroi glaring at him with his amber eyes.
"You don't scare me." Kenzo says harshly. "But if you harm even a hair on my nephew, I will kill you!"
Wind then began to flow into the room as a teal color of revenant surrounded Kenzo's body.
[Innate Skill: Gale Aura Activated!]
Kuroi smirked at Kenzo's impressive aura. "Your innate technique is impressive, but sadly I can't harm, nor even touch anything that isn't Kodak."
His amber eyes taunted Kenzo. The room then quickly rose with tension as their gazes amplified.
Kenzo was angered, and fuming with potent bloodlust. While Kuroi had a cocky expression, but still showed signs of awareness. Mostly due to the fact that he had his body faced in a defensive position, most suitable for counter attacking.
Kodak then began to feel the animosity radiating from Kenzo and Kuroi. "Can you stop being so damn distracting!?" He yelled at them while glaring at them.
Kenzo and Kuroi then ceased their arguing upon hearing his complaints.
Kodak then exhaled deeply upon feeling the atmosphere soften around him. "Thank you." He said in a relaxed tone.
Kuroi then walked away, still feeling the stares from Kenzo.
---
Tokyo, Japan
Ryoko stood above Kurenai and Ren. Their bodies ached and twitched in pain as a crimson mark slowly creeped along their shoulder.
The symbol resembled a slithering snake, smiling a twisted grin. Kurenai looked at the mark with an intrigued look, admiring the design.
"It looks so creative, you'd think she was an experienced artist." Kurenai said in a surprised tone.
While Kurenai admired the mark placed upon her by Ryoko, Ren's eyes just stared at the mark intensely.
"So itchy." He said annoyed. His hand then drew closer to the mark, almost like he was being pulled in towards it.
Ryoko's eyes then widened upon seeing Ren's hand drawing closer. "DON'T TOUCH THAT YOU IDIOT!" She screamed loudly as dread washed over her.
Ren's finger then made contact with the mark. His eyes widen as blood dripped from them.
The next that followed was a scream of pure agony and suffering. Ren's body became tense, as pain surfaced all across him.
Ryoko then rushed over towards Ren. He was curled up into ball, while his hands clutched his shoulders. His shirt stained from his bloody fingernails digging into his back.
Ryoko quickly jabbed her knuckles into Ren's sternum. Her left thumb then placed itself in the middle of his forehead.
The mark then glows a deeper shade of red as Ren felt his pain dwindling slowly.
The mark then began a rhythm as it shined brightly, pulsing almost like a beating heart.
The pulsing was so loud that Ryoko, Ren, And Kurenai could all hear it beating slowly. The seconds then turned into minutes, as the pain was completely gone by the fifth.
Ryoko removed her hand slowly, as she saw Ren stand up. His body was no longer in pain and the mark was still there, but it seemed visibly weaker.
The crimson color of the mark was a bit more gray. Almost like it was drained of its energy somehow.
Ryoko then gave Ren a disappointed stare. "Let that be a lesson when you don't listen to me." She said harshly.
Ryoko inhaled and exhale deeply before a calmness washed over her. "The mark enhances your strength and allows me to track both of you. However, say you try to touch the mark or remove it my poisonous trait of revenant will course through your body, causing you to scratch and itch until you're dead."
Ren and Kurenai then bow their heads at Ryoko's feet. Their faces filled with a slight sense of nervousness.
Ryoko's face then glares at them, deeply upset. "Get up, I don't like my men nor women pathetic."
---
Nagano, Japan. 2 Days later..
Kuroi stood over Kodak, watching and judging his meditation. An aura of revenant circulated then appears around Kodak's body. The color was a light shade of purple, almost like lavender.
Kuroi then smirked at Kodak as his revenant became not just stronger, but denser. And the activation of revenant was also vastly quicker.
"Not bad, kid" Kuroi thought to himself with a proud look plastered across his face. "to think you'd get this proficient with revenant in less than a week. Hell, you even passed your previous strength against Azar, but he's still nowhere near that level Yuto showed."
Kodak's eyes then opened as he stood up, still keeping the focused usage of his revenant. "Amazing." He muttered under his breath.
Kuroi then stepped in front of him, radiating with his own revenant. "Good job, kiddo. You mastered the first step of our training. Now open the system."
Kodak opens his mouth to speak. "Open inbox."
[You have 2 new messages!]
[View them? Y/N]
"Yes."
[Opening all your new messages!]
Kodak stands tall and still, waiting in anticipation from the loading screen. His mind stays strong, but a slight sense of nervousness creeps along his shoulders. "What if the messages are useless, or just old ones I haven't opened?" Kodak thought to himself.
*Ding!
[Messages have fully loaded!]
Kodak's head then snaps up as he looks at the first message.
[New skills unlocked: Aura Reinforcement, Combat Sensory, and Wingless Flight!]
Kodak's eyes then widen with shock. His mind races with both excitement, and the readiness to test the new skills.
[New message is loading!]
[Open the message? Y/N?]
Kodak then nods his head upon seeing the message. "Yes."
The message then starts to load, but it's slower. It seems more ambiguous, and mysterious. The loading process takes up a multitude of minutes.
Kodak's face twitches and frowns from boredom. "This message must be something." He says out loud.
Kuroi nods in response to his rhetorical question. He then looks at Kodak, with a slightly annoyed look. "Well don't just stand there!" He says in a loud tone. "Meditate while this son of a bitch loads!"
30 minutes later...
Kodak lays still, circulating his revenant as Kuroi watches quietly. "Focus," He thinks to himself. "if you can't even do this, then can you really call yourself the son of Shiro Kawanari?!"
His mind digs deeper, trying to find that strength buried deep within him.
*Ding!
[Message has been fully loaded!]
Kodak then slowly opens his eyes, seeing a message from the system. He stands up still coursing the revenant through his body swiftly, yet strongly. But as he looked at the message his eyes widened, even more shocked than before.
His voice then calls out as he sees the message. "Corporeal?!"