Chapter 18:The Outsider
I slowly opened my eyes,waiting for the blur to go away.I was in a hazel chair.Cursed chains wrapped around my wrists behind the chair.
"Illusion grid."A mysterious voice called out into the abyss.
"HUH?"I replied to the voice confused.Sweat forged from my forehead with my anxiety. It was trying to drown it,fear was trying to comfort me.
My heartbeat's echo filled the room,bouncing off what were now chromo coloured walls.They had rainbow blackish lines covering the squares.Now I knew what the voice meant.She made a grid.For what?Something about illusions.I finally had the courage to speak again after being under stress and pressure.
"Who's there?"A shadow emerged from the dark.
"It's been a while since I've seen you Irai."It was a demon sorcerer,like Sosu.
She was wearing a dark robe with golden lines and symbols.She had a weird skin colour and one eye.
"Who…are you?"
"Address me as Celestial.I'm part of the demon sorcerer clan along with Sosu your sensei."
"You know Sosu?"
"Yeah I do."She sat in the chair in front of me and crossed her legs.
"We've never met before.How do you know my name Celestial?"
"Remember three years ago?In the dessert.You were riding your horse and you saw a glitch.That was me,waking up after a LONG nap."
I nodded,widening my eyes.
"So…you've been stalking me."
"Stalking isn't the nicest term.I would say watching over you."
The tone in her voice changed.Her pitch increased.Was she trying to be friendly or trying to manipulate me?
"Irai,this is a bit irrelevant but what you think of your Father isn't the truth."
"What are you talking about now?Let me take a rest."
"I'll speak slowly."
"Good."I took a few deep breaths.
"The Genshi have quit history.Especially your Dad. I won't go into much detail but he was a good manipulator and a great warrior,but corrupt. He was so good at hiding it,you never noticed,nobody did.They looked up to him as a legend.That must be why Rida hated the Genshi so much and why the Cursed Empire is targeting your clan specifically.Some people look like a butterfly but once picked up,they'll turn into dust like a moth.Exposing their true nature."
"You know about…Rida?"
"Before going to sleep for a while,I studied Earth from above.Before the collision,all the species were so…different compared to each other. It's fascinating really.I suggest you look into your past.Anyways,I studied everybody's behaviour.How they eat,talk,do things.And for fun I compared them to see who's stronger.Take a guess Irai."
"Your species."
"I'm talking about this dimension."
"Hmmmm,it's tough…"
"The humans Irai.The humans are stronger and smarter."
"That's surprising.I thought we were the weakest among all sentient beings…"
"No.The human mind and body is a lot stronger than you think.Mainly because you guys were made in the image of God."
"That's something…"
"Anyways I have a cursed moonstone and I need to find Sosu and the other moonstone."
"Why's that?"
"We need to put the moonstones together in order to travel back to the demon sorcerer world,where our family resides."
"Then what the hell do I have to do with it?"
"You have a sister named Kimiko. In order for the moonstones to be merged,we need someone with time manipulation.The only person from the Jikan clan that I know of is Kimiko."
"Wait…I had a…sister?"
"You didn't know?Kurisu must have hidden it from you. Oh what a liar he was."Celestial puffed and cracked her neck.
"My Father hid that much from me?"
"Like I said before,I suggest that you look into your past. To learn more about the world,the culture,the people.But since I've explained everything,I think it's time for you to go find your sister."
"Why can't you find her yourself?"
"She'll be less aggressive with family members Irai."I nodded slowly and the agony from my wrists vanished in a blink of an eye.I twisted my wrists and sighed in relief.
"Feels good doesn't it?To be free from my chains."
"Where is my sister specifically?"
"In Shibuya."
"Got it."We both stood up from our chairs and she clicked her fingers to turn off the illusion grid.
My eyes opened in a blitz.
She was gone.
Everything.
But somewhere in Japan,Celestial roamed.
It was still early.The sun was barely rising while the moon was barely setting.I got out of my bed,stretching my limbs and getting a cup of water.
"Wait a minute…"Everything seemed a bit off.When I turned on the tap,no water came out.
"Damn it."Outside was nothing extraordinary.The pipes wrapped around the house as if it were a present.But they did have rust on it and cobwebs.
One of the pipes extended to a nearby river with fresh water that we could drink.A glimpse of it caught my eye.Closer and closer to the river.
Closer and closer.
Closer and…
BOOM!
I found it,the problem,the cause.Something or someone had cut it.The sharp splinters of the wooden pipe almost reached out to me.I sat down and gazed at the stars for a second. So much beauty the world has,but so much hatred.Every good soul will come with me to edo and we can live in the perfect world.
"Irai it's not even sunrise and you're awake?"Aizakku's voice shivered in the wind.
"Yeah.I had a dream.About a demon sorcerer.Her name was Celestial."
"Celestial huh?"Aizakku walked over towards me and sat down,looking up at the glamorous sky.
"She said I had a sister.Kimiko."Aizakku turned to me and widened his eyes.
"You had…a sister?"
"So none of the Genshi knew I had a sister…"
"Obviously not.Otherwise they would have told you even the smallest details.That's how loyal our clan is."Aizakku smirked a little but it didn't last long.
"What did Celestial tell you about her?"
"She lives in Shibuya and we need her to fuse the moonstones together because Celestial has a cursed version of the moonstone."
"ANOTHER MOONSTONE?"
"I was slightly shocked after hearing that confession as well.But we need Kimiko because she has time manipulation."
"I see…so I presume that Celestial is in the demon sorcerer clan along with Sosu?"
"Mhm."Aizakku nodded slowly.
"We also need to fix the pipe because I tried getting a cup of water but the sink didn't work."We both stood up and examined the broken pipe which was just above the flowing river.
"I'll fix it Irai,you can go back inside."
"Are you sure you wanna fix it alone?"
"I'm sure."
Without looking back,I went into the palace and lied in my bed.I couldn't sleep.But the sun was going to rise soon so I stayed up for a while.
Aizakku explained everything to everyone as soon as they woke up so we all knew where we were going.But before our journey,we needed energy.And to get energy you need…
Food.I crave onigiri.They're my favourite food. It's basic but so good.Good thing Isura was a good chef because she made all sorts of tropically enhanced foods that felt like they were made from the future!Everything was there although we didn't have any sea food because…that's cannibalism to Isura.
After the feast,we all set foot on our long journey.Hours of travelling on our horses.
Jasper gave up on me after thirty minutes of galloping non stop so we had to take a break by some cracked rocks in the dessert.
The sun,blazing.Reflecting it's heat onto us like a mirror.Barely any water.Saliva felt like a present from God.
We had to take most of our clothes off so that we wouldn't be soaked in sweat while wearing our clothes.
Imagine the uncomfortable feeling of being wet while wearing clothes.Ugh,I'd hate it.But that's not the point.The point was surviving in this scorching skillet until the sun gave us a break.
"Gosh,we're like roasted chicken out here…"Maku said with saliva dripping from his tongue.
"More like roasted flesh."I pointed out.
"Isura,PLEASE USE YOUR WATER MANIPULATION!"
"You idiot Maku!"Emma shouted.
"What?"
"You can't use water manipulation over one hundred degrees.That's water's boiling point."
"I didn't know that..."His tone lowered more like he was sad.
"I get it Maku."He smiled back at me in response instead of speaking.
Not far from the Genshi palace,Kraven and his men were caught by the Japanese Police Organisation(JPO for short).
"Kraven,lower your weapon,NOW."
Chief Lenny commanded.
"Everybody,place your weapons on the ground,they have cursed chains and we are outnumbered."
They all listened and in ten minutes,all the men were loaded into carriages and escorted away from Tokyo.
Just off the coast of Japan,rested an island where the world's most dangerous prisoners are kept.They only have ten minutes of free time outside their cells and that's to eat. If you're in the lunch queue for more than ten minutes,you miss your chance to get food.This prison was called Keimusho.Most of the prisoners are rankers who have lost most of their ability manipulation energy because of the cursed chains placed around their wrists all the time.
A dozen crows at a time were led into the changing rooms to change into prison uniform and they were also given cell rooms where they had to share a room with another inmate.
Eight hundred and fifty one.
That was a LOT of crows to place in the prison but luckily there was extra space.Fortunately for society,Kraven was going to be in jail for a while unless someone bailed him out.
While the crows were held in prison,Kibo found the ancient book and kept it for himself.
All types of manipulation,all types of stories and creatures and fantasies.
A strange book that Kibo kept.
He returned to the infamous criminal,Red(Also his brother).
"Kibo!You made it back in one piece."
"Sure did!The police must be searching for the book now but eventually they'll believe it's nowhere near them!"
"Suicidal thoughts cleared your mind completely when I came up with this idea."
"Yeah.Thanks to you I don't wanna take my life away anymore."
"I'm glad."Red had a bright smile around that mask of his.Any shape the moon took,his mask would copy it.
Quite interesting.Red stood beside Kibo and together they opened the book. It glowed golden and so much knowledge was going to be stored in two tiny brains.
Kibo learnt earth manipulation.The ability to manipulate things such as rocks,flowers,plants and trees.
Red learnt gravity manipulation since it fit the idea of him wearing a mask that resembles the moon.Gravity manipulation allows you to control and bend gravity however you want,also having the ability to control space and planets. It's the hardest manipulation technique to learn in the ancient book which decreases the value of it slightly for being so overpowered.That doesn't make it weak though.Earth and gravity manipulation users.
"Come on blood brother."Red smiled and Kibo smiled back.They high fived each other and walked out of the cave to go train.
Over a span of six hours,they learnt a lot.Sosu was imprisoned in the book but taught them some stuff that would help in a fight and in general.
Red and Kibo.Both have incredible potential to achieve an orange aura at least.And both,are the sons of Lady Apple jack.Meaning they have Navajo DNA inside of them.
Shibuya. We finally reached it.I sensed a nostalgic feeling,the same one I had back at my original house.
Every morning I woke up in Japan and looked out my window,everything was beautiful.The sky,vast and wide,all blue.The clouds were distant and separated from each other yet the sun still shone.And when I looked down,I could see groups of Japanese people getting on with their lives.Now that I think of it,maybe humans aren't so bad after all.But shibuya,man this was amazing.Where could we start?So many shops,tourist attractions,activities and an infinite amount of things to enjoy.
"Where do we start?"Aizakku stated.
"No clue,she didn't tell me specifically and we don't have the ancient book to make direct communication with her so we'll have to look around."Emma sighed.
"What is it?"
"We've been going places too much and working so hard!Why don't we take a break?Think of this as a trip,a holiday.Not for the whole time but just for a bit. An hour of free time,what do you say?"
Everybody looked at each other and back. We were playing eye tag.
Anyone gonna speak or what?This is awkward!I'm sweating frequently,say something!
"Fine.But after one hour we meet in the centre of the town square right by the fountain,got it?"
"Got it."
"Do whatever you guys want but don't get into trouble,take this."He handed out slips of money for us to spend.Dead silence.What now?
"You guys are forgetting basic manner…"
"THANK YOU AIZAKKU."
"Your welcome."He shut his eye lids and smiled.
"See you soon guys."
"See ya later!"
"Bye!"We all went our different directions.
Honestly I couldn't care less about what the others were doing.This was the moment to do something I enjoy for fun.But what do I like doing in my free time?
I guess I've never asked myself that question before.Fighting maybe…there was a tournament nearby.I walked into the colosseum it was being hosted in and asked one of the guards if I could join.
"You can actually,there's one more spot left.But you gotta sign paper work to be appointed by the company,sorry man.Not my rules."
It can't be THAT much.And I was right.Only three pages of writing my signature,agreeing to terms and policy.
"Any injuries or deaths will not be the company's fault."That was an actual line in the contract.Stupid company.
They can't save a dying person because it will ruin their name?That's a bad excuse honestly.After signing the paper work,I walked into the colosseum.
The guards inspected my body to see if I was holding any dangerous weapons.I had to explain to them that my tanto was used for self defense as I was an official ranker for three years.Finally,twenty minutes went by and I could enter the tournament.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the fighting tournament.Our thirty contestants here will compete in duels and the last surviving person wins one hundred million yen!"Gasps and murmurs spread like wild fire among the crowd.Tornements were popular in Shibuya,especially in times like this.This is the golden era of rankers and ability manipulation.
Meanwhile.Yanagi,Emma and Isura were at the spa.Maku and Aizakku were talking to blacksmiths.Hunter was alone.His sister went to hang out with the other girls.Two of the Genshi have left him and Irai was all alone.That poor draco.Left all alone.Just because he looks like a monster doesn't mean he is a monster. It wasn't too bad. He met a guy named Anthony who was a fisherman.
"Hello there!"
"Hello old man."
"You must be…"
"Hunter."
"Anthony."
"It's a wonderful day outside isn't it?"
"Indeed."
"How many fish have you caught today?"
"Well I'm not going to count now but I'll estimate to twenty.I only started fishing ten minutes ago."
"Twenty fish in ten minutes?"
"Yep."
"You got any relatives that live around here?"
"No,I'm visiting because I grew up in Shibuya. It's also where I met my wife,Arisu."
"I see,why isn't she here with you."
Anthony halted before throwing the fishing rod.A few people started to stare.
"She's no longer with us anymore."He shedded a few tears that rolled down his cheek.Hunter reassured him.
"I'm sorry for your loss…"
"Don't be.I know she's waiting for me in Heaven right now!"
"Is that guy insane?"A woman from the distance whispered to her friend.
"All of you,shut up. He just lost his wife.Show some respect. He's human like you."
"What would you know about humans?You're a dragon!"People either started laughing or shouting at Hunter.
He wasn't going to let the hatred get to him.
"ENOUGH."But the crowd's tone just got louder and louder. It wouldn't stop. He shouldn't have done this but he had to.
"I SAID ENOUGH!"Fire bullets sprouted from his fingers and landed on the ground,almost hitting people.The heat increased slowly.
Although nothing was on fire and the bullets evaporated slowly,the fire turned into a thick smoke that circled through the air like a dragon.
"Indeed,it is enough!"A man pushed his way through the crowd. It was Chief Lenny.
"You're one of the assassins that tried to kill Kraven Crow,correct?"
"How do you know that?"
"It doesn't matter.What matters is that you almost killed a group of people."
"I didn't mean to shoot those bullets. My ability energy increases when I'm angry…"
"This is your first warning.A second warning means I'll have to arrest you."
"Sorry officer,I won't do it again."
"Good."Lenny walked off while eyes locked onto him. He got on his horse and galloped away,leaving a stream of wind behind.
"I'll be going now Anthony."
"But we just met?"
"It's too embarrassing to stay in a place where people will judge you.This is goodbye now."
Hunter ran off as quick as he could so that nobody would know.Nobody could look and judge,having the guilt of anxiety weighed on your back.Constantly thinking you're not good enough.Pressure and social anxiety lurked in the darkness.Hunter was one step away from awakening it.