Kodak looks at the message, still stunned. But even as he was stunned by the message his revenant coursing him did not falter.
[Innate technique type: Corporeal!]
"Corporeal!?" He says with a shocked expression. He immediately drops his knees, nowhere content with the message he waited so long for.
Kuroi then walks over, trying to look at the message. "What?!" He exclaims with a shocked expression. "But that doesn't make sense. Typically, energy-based technique draws their power from an energy source," He then looks at Kodak. "But that means your energy source must only amplify you physically."
Kodak's fists clenched tightly as he slowly began sinking to his knees. "My family is composed of ethereal and conceptual techniques throughout history. Am I gonna be forever useless-"
A hand then places itself on Kodak's head, prompting him to look up at the person. "Uncle Kenzo!?" He says in a shocked tone. "What are you doing down here?!"
Kenzo smirks at Kodak as his hand ruffled his nephew's fluffy hair. "Never thought you'd be throwing a temper tantrum." His knees then lower towards the ground, making him level with Kodak. "So tell me what's wrong, Kiddo."
A warm and gentle smile then plasters over Kenzo's face. Kodak's mood instantly shifts upon seeing the expression that his uncle wore so wholeheartedly. The hatred and anger he felt for himself then shifted to a calm sense of serenity.
"My power was revealed to be corporeal. Rather than conceptual and ethereal, like most of our family." Kodak's eyebrows then frowned as his voice got even more unstable. "I just feel so let down from that. I just wanna be like you and dad!"
Kenzo's eyes widened upon hearing Kodak's words. His hand places itself on his upper chest, feeling his heart ache and a wholesome feeling wash over him.
Kenzo then smiles as his I.R.T begins to start up. Soft howling of his manipulation over the wind then blows through the underground cave. "Y'know something?" He asks Kodak curiously.
"Yeah?" He responses.
"I was never inherently this powerful." Kenzo exclaims strongly. "Innate techniques are like a muscle. We have to train and train, until our powers reach a certain peak."
Kenzo's face then strikes a foolish grin. "Hell, I was so pissed that your father had such an innate aptitude for revenant, I trained my heart and soul out."
Kodak's eyes then widened. "Wait how strong of an aptitude did you have?!" He asked curiously.
"Rank-F," Kenzo said swiftly. "My manipulation over the winds was no stronger than a faulty fan, but as I progressed my power it became stronger. And after about a couple months I was able to telepathically command the winds to my aid."
Kodak's eyes then widened as he stared admirably at his uncle. "What could you do?!" He asked excitedly.
Kenzo looked up at the ceiling of the cave as he thought deeply. "In the beginning of my physical peak I was able to reinforce my body with strong winds that added a level of damage that I could conjure physically. I used to be able to only use blunt force, but then I could do a few more things from my training-"
Kodak then interrupted him mid-sentence on accident. "Oh yeah!" He exclaimed. "You had developed ways of using piercing, slashing, and even pressure-based damage!"
Kenzo then ruffled Kodak's hair again. "Yeah, yeah. Now don't interrupt me you lil numbskull." He said in joking manner. "But once I got past the physical stage. I could control the winds and even apply telepathic pressure that made weapons." Kenzo then bolt up, now standing. "I can also create a form of amplified gravity using the wind. I can even create mid-range blasts of pressurized air that pierced my enemies."
Kodak then slowly stood upon hearing his uncle's words. "So I could make my power just like yours one day?" He asked, trying to find a concrete answer for himself.
Kenzo looked at his nephew, softly and caringly. "Don't be like me," He stated bluntly. "be the best you. I want you to be capable of using that kinetic energy technique one day!"
Kodak was at first a little bit hurt he couldn't be like his uncle, nor his father. But his uncle's words soothed him in another way.
"Be the best me?" Kodak asked in a confused tone.
Kenzo then nodded. "Yeah, I mean you could show similar body language like me and your dad. But overall you choose how to hone and use those special abilities of yours!"
Kodak then smiled as he got back into a meditation position. "I get it now!" He stated boldly.
Revenant coursed through his body, but this time the kinetic energy was flowing smoothly along with it. Kodak's eyes then widened as the energy flowed further and further.
"So that's how my energy can function." He said to himself. "It's not just kinetic energy I build up from basic movements, but I also absorb potential energy around myself and turn it into kinetic energy that's stored later!"
Kenzo then smiled at Kodak as he watched his nephew excitedly move past this learning curve. "Well done." He said softly.
"The hell are you even doing here?" Kuroi says harshly while he stood behind Kenzo.
Kenzo looked at Kuroi with a deadpan stare. "The fuck does it look like?" He said bluntly.
Kuroi's forehead then flexed angrily, spawning a vein. "The hell is that suppose to mean?!" He shouted loudly. "I'll kick your ass!"
Kenzo glared at him menacingly. "Oh please," He said sarcastically. "you don't scare me." He then crossed his arms across his chest, watching Kodak training and focusing further.
Kuroi scoffed at Kenzo, turning away from him instantly. "Whatever." He says in a mono tone.
Kenzo rolls his eyes and shifts all his attention on Kodak. he watches the circulating revenant course throughout Kodak's body. The circulation was good, but confusing.
Kodak focuses, feeling the kinetic energy being absorbed, converted, and coursed throughout his body. But as he pushes further his body suddenly jolts.
Kodak's body erupts in a burst of blue kinetic energy, sending crashing into one of walls in the cave. His head falls limp as his consciousness begins to fade.
Kuroi's eyes widened as Kodak's body lays still. He freezes, like a deer in headlights. The only things he could hear was Kenzo yelling out to his nephew, and his heart beating faster and faster.
He didn't know if he had a faster heartrate cause of the yelling or that his disciple was critically injured. Kuroi continued to stand frozen as Kenzo yelled out to Kodak.
"KID, WAKE UP!" He pleaded. "I AM NOT LETTING YOU DIE!" But Kenzo was only met with the deafening silence of his nephew's bruised and bloody head. Kodak's breathing was more like a wheeze then a breath. It seemed like his head wasn't the only thing that was damaged.
3 Hours Later...
Kenzo and Kuroi stood over Kodak, watching him sleep on his bed while being all bandaged up. His breathing was immensely stronger, but he still wouldn't wake up.
"What the hell were you training him?!" Kenzo snapped at Kuroi.
"I wasn't doing anything too major, just basic circulation and sparring." Kuroi then glanced at Kodak. "But that outburst of energy was his fault for not keeping control, and pushing himself too hard."
Kuroi's eyes then shifted towards Kenzo with an intense glare. "Also his family and friends give him too much confidence, it leads to him becoming sloppy and overestimating the current drawbacks his body could face."
Kenzo's fists clenched. "You shut your goddamn mouth!" He shouted aggressively. "You say others cause him overconfidence, but you are so damn wrong!"
Kenzo then got closer in Kuroi's face, shouting even louder. "That's not overconfidence he shows, but he feels a debt to others. That's why he pushes himself so hard. That's why when he wakes up he'll keep pushing further and further!"
Kuroi's eyes glared back at Kenzo. The air becomes dense and hard to breath, but as the two of them stare each other down a coughing sound escapes Kodak's lungs.
"Could you keep the animosity down, I can barely breath."
Kenzo and Kuroi's then snap their necks, looking at a now fully conscious Kodak.
"HOLY CRAP HE'S AWAKE!" They screamed simultaneously.
"Not that I tried to stay dead." Kodak thought to himself. He then immediately jumps out of bed, stretching and moving around as if nothing had happened.
"I'm confused," Kuroi says. "Your kinetic energy backfired on you, like everything. How is your core still intact?!"
Kodak then smirked. "It's simple my father did the same trick before. In fact, he did it multiple times a day."
"What?" Kuroi said with a deadpan stare. "But your revenant core should be shattered?!"
Kodak then nodded his head in agreement. "In theory it would, but I wasn't directly attacking my soul, was I?"
Kuroi's eyes then widened. "I get!" He exclaimed in a surprised tone. "You were circulating your kinetic energy that has combined into your revenant core physically. And when that energy clashed into you, it was like training to failure."
Kodak nods his head towards Kuroi. "Exactly, it's the same process of bodybuilders breaking down and tearing their muscle fibers. Only I am doing it on a much larger scale."
"But if you were doing that then you'd have a much larger limit to this process." Kuroi exclaims. "And even if you did do this all physically your revenant core and body would still sustain a lot of damage."
Kodak's finger then snap. "Bingo, I can only do it about once a month. While my dad could do it about every single day."
Kenzo's head then darts at Kodak in shock. "EVERYDAY!?" He exclaimed loudly.
Kodak then stands up from his stretching. His shoes tapping against the wooden floorboards as he traced down the house, before eventually reaching the underground cave again.
1 Week later...
The golden glow of the sun shines upon Tokyo. Ren sleeps soundly in a bed with Kurenai. A soft, yet loud alarm echoes in the bedroom.
Ren immediately wakes, pull the covers off himself, revealing the white t-shirt and black shorts he wore to bed. His eyes trace along the bed, until he looks at Kurenai. She was wearing one of his blue t-shirts. It was really big on her, and covered her thighs.
Ren then smiled upon seeing her sleep peacefully. "How did I end up with such a beauty?" He said out loud in a soft, and loving tone. His hands gently ran through Kurenai's hair, caressing the soft, silky strands.
He then stood up, walking towards the bathroom with a soft white towel. "Time to wash my worries away." He expressed as a wash of relief washed over him.
Ren then took his shirt off first, revealing a multitude of different scars all across his body. Marks of cuts, bruises, stabbings, burns, and even a birth mark that had a patch of blemished skin.
The shower's warm water poured from the head, emitting steam all across the bathroom. But as he got in the shower something felt off. The water wasn't pouring anymore. It was only steam coming from the head.
Ren rushed out of the shower, swiftly putting his boxers and shorts back on. But as he reached for the door a person grabbed him, and slammed right through the door.
Ren tumbled through the door as it reduced to splinters. He then stood up, in a fighting stance almost immediately. He looked around his bedroom, seeing five masked men in the room. Three stood in front of him. There was also one behind him, and past the three men in front of him.
His eyes then widened as he saw a dagger being held at Kurenai's throat. The man held her my the throat as Ren's rage only worsened. "YOU BASTARDS DARE BREAK INTO OUR APARTMENT!?"
Ren then rushed forward, only to stop as the man moved the blade at a lethal angle directed at Kurenai's throat. He froze upon seeing the blade move closer and closer to his lover. The man behind him then spoke. "Ren, right?" He asked in a calm, yet deep and dark tone.
He looked back at the man, glaring at him. "So, you guys cops, robbers, rankers, or the other candidates that wanted to be part of Mistress Ryoko's division?"
The man then smirked, taking off his black mask. It revealed pitch-black hair that was styled into a fluffy middle part. His face was square, but what really drew Ren's eyes was the scar that was over the man's left eye.
"Heh," Ren chuckled. "nice scar I have a couple." He bragged with a cocky grin.
The man stared at him, unfazed. "I'm not here to discuss battle scars. I am here to take the spot that we deserved to take. Unlike you and that red-haired bitch!"
The man then threw a straight dab, followed into a left hook and a kick. The attacks flowed into each other easily, but even with the fluid movements Ren dodged them all effortlessly.
He then heard a floorboard creak, and backflipped over the three. Rendering all the attacks of the three men jumping in useless.
Ren then smirked. "Nice try, but I got to live. After all, she'd kill me. Plus did you really think this amateur could hold her captive?"
The black-haired leader of the men then shouted at the singular holding Kurenai captive. "LET GO OF HER!"
[Innate Skill: Vessel Burst Activated Gruesomely!]
Ren then smirked as the man holding Kurenai started to bleed from his eyes. The man then looked down, seeing Kurenai's arm had pierced straight through his stomach.
Kurenai's face glares at her arm, disgusted. "Ugh," She groaned as her arm is reeled from the man's stomach. "if I want to reek of weakness and desperation then I'd consume your blood, but this is just a waste of human life."
[Innate Skill: Smoking Structuration Activated!]
Ren then claps his hands together, pulling an axe made of black smoke from his palm. The axe is then swung, splattering more blood on the walls as the headless man falls dead.
Blood leaks from the neck of the decapitated man, staining the floor a crimson shade. The men back away a little, but the leader of them walks forward, activating his innate technique.
[Innate Technique: Physical Reimbursement Activated!]
As his muscles tighten and flex. Ren looks at the man, intrigued.
"It's not just his physical strength," he thought to himself. "his physical size has also increased."
Ren then tightly gripped the dark axe, and stepped forward. "Your technique seems overwhelming, and intimidating at first, but all your doing is slowing yourself down."
The leader of the men looked at Ren, perplexed. His face then flexed in irritation and confusion. "You underestimating me, brat?!" He said while launching himself at Ren.
His feet stomped across the ground as the loud sounds bounced all across the room. In Ren's eyes it was like a bull was rushing him down.
"Nah," Ren said in a cocky grin. "I just don't find you very capable of harming me." His feet then shifted, and completely sidestepped the wide-sweeping punch from the black-haired man.
Ren then slashed at the man, only for his axe to get caught in his opponent's thick skin.
"TOO WEAK!" The man screamed, swinging his entire body around with his fist extended outwards.
Ren then released his grip from the axe, and ducked another wide-sweeping punch from the man. "Is wide swinging moves all you do?" He asked with an unimpressed face. "Cause all you did was knock out your own men, talk about foolish." Ren's face then struck another cocky grin
Anger filled the leader Ren faced, causing a loud rupture of roaring to exit from the leader's voice. "GRAAAAAHHHH!"
Ren continued as the leader of the thugs was just thrashing around random attacks, just like a beast. After the 10th attack he ducks, Ren leans his body near Kurenai. "So would a date today be out of the question?" He asked curiously.
Ren then leans away from Kurenai, dodging yet another straight and obvious attack from the angry leader.
Kurenai looked at Ren, glancing from his shoulders, chest, before finally his abs that had a bit of a happy trail leading down his shorts. "Babe," She said in a seductive tone. "if you beat him down right now with your next attack, I will do whatever you want~"
Ren's face then blushed a slight red. His smile got sillier, and his confidence began rising higher. His body then became completely still, leaving himself wide open to the leader.
His opponent then screamed, "DUMBASS, FOCUS ON ME RATHER THAN YOUR CRIMSON WHORE!"
But as he threw the 13th punch, black tendrils erupted from the blackened axe that was still lodged into his back. The leader's entire body then falls still as the dark tendrils start to dig into his skin.
His knees cave into the floor, cracking through the floorboards. The tendrils then begin to dig deeper, causing blood to drip all across the leader's body.
Ren then slowly walks up to his opponent, and begins closing his open palm into a fist.
The leader then grits his teeth in anger. "How," He asked angrily. "I thought constructs created by users couldn't be changed!?"
Ren shook his head, still smirking the same cocky grin. "And what made you think I solidified my weapon completely?"
The leader's eyes then widened, trembling with fear as Ren's blue eyes turn pitch-black.
"NO WAIT," He pleads. "I CAN GET YOU IMPORTANT RESOURCES, CONNECTIONS, HELL EVEN INFORMATION ON RYOKO!"
Ren's eyes then glare at the leader, unimpressed. "You can tell me one thing."
The leader then smirks with a devilish grin. "And what might that be?" He asked curiously.
Ren's eyes then go completely blood red, and the black tendrils become crimson.
[Innate Skill: Raging Overdrive Activated Violently!]
Ren's red eyes then smiled. "Just tell me how hell feels."